Interest in cross-country skiing led Catherine Kelleher to the Appalachian Trail. Looking for a cross-country group to ski with, Catherine joined the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club. While on a skiing trip, she met a trail maintainer, and her interest in the trail was piqued.
Catherine volunteers two or three weekends a month on trail projects, and also edits the Trailhead column in PATC’s newsletter. Says PATC’s Rick Canter, “Catherine is equally comfortable helping build a bridge, moving or shaping a huge rock . . . or using a camera, keyboard or pen to get the job done.”
Catherine has a special talent for working with stone – she is one of the most dedicated volunteers on the Bear Mountain project in New York, even though it is 200 miles from her home. Eddie Walsh, Bear Mountain Trails Project Manager, notes that Catherine “is a meticulous builder” who “takes great care in her work.”
Catherine works in IT, where it can take a long time to see tangible results. At the end of a day on the trail, however, she can see what she has accomplished. She also finds working with trail maintainers a very positive experience – no egos, just a group of people focused on getting work done.
Catherine is modest about her accomplishments, but she encourages others to participate. Trail work, she says, “is exercise for the mind as well as the body,” scheduling is flexible, and when you join a trail crew, “chances are, you’ll fit right in.”