Ron Rosen, an A.T. volunteer with the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference (NYNJTC), has been an A.T leader almost since he first began volunteering for the Appalachian Trail. Ron and his wife were invited to go on an A.T. maintenance trip with a friend. It turned out the friend was being transferred to France, and the Rosens became A.T. volunteers. At that time, most of their section was on the side of the road, as was much of the Trail at that time.
Ron soon moved from trail maintenance to trail management and leadership. He was on a camping trip where he volunteered to flip pancakes. His helpful attitude was noticed by NYNJTC leaders, who recruited him to work on acquiring public land for the A.T. For the next few decades, Ron was one of the committee members who took on the huge task of moving the footpath from private land to public land.
Ron has continued his work with the committees, which also address ongoing management issues, but he has taken on a new challenge – bringing youth to the A.T. Ron, who is a leader with his granddaughters’ scout troops, is now leading efforts to get girls on the A.T. as part of the Great Girl Scout Hike.
Ron enjoys his volunteer work, in part, because he knows that his efforts mean the Trail will be there for generations. Everyone who hikes on the Trail in N.Y and N.J. can appreciate his efforts now. Thanks Ron!