The Mountain Club of Maryland (MCM) is a volunteer-run, Baltimore-based, not-for-profit hiking, trails, and conservation organization. Our primary focus is to provide members and guests with the opportunity to enjoy and learn about nature through hiking and related outdoor activities, while observing conservation principles such as "Leave No Trace." MCM actively supports community service, outreach, and diversity among our membership and guests. MCM offers hikes and/or other related activities almost every Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday. Outings include leisurely and more strenuous dayhikes, canoeing and tubing, bicycling, and overnight backpacking and camping trips. Service trips to maintain trails and trailside shelters are arranged one weekend a month in the Spring and Fall. Our hike schedule profiles each activity and rates it on a scale ranging from "easy" to "strenous". MCM actively recruits volunteer leaders and offers informal and formal training to ensure a safe and enjoyable outdoor experience. The Appalachian Trail, probably the best-known footpath in the world, was first proposed in 1921 as a "simple footpath " to stretch along the spine of the Appalachian Mountains. As envisioned, the Trail would create a natural buffer of wildlands for urban dwellers to enjoy, whether for a day, a week, or a longer period. Soon after the Trail's proposal, various hiking groups along the proposed route engaged in detailed planning, land acquisition, blazing, and trail construction. By 1937, the original trail was complete. Today's Appalachian Trail is about 2,150 miles long, with its southern terminus at Georgia's Springer Mountain and its northern end at Maine's Mt. Katahdin. Simple shelters are spaced about a day's hike apart. When the National Trails Act was enacted in 1968, the Appalachian Trail became the first designated "National Scenic Trail." The National Park Service has oversight responsibility, but has delegated management to the Appalachian Trail Conference and its member clubs, such as MCM, who maintain the footpath. MCM has been a proud A. T. maintainer club for over 60 years. Currently, MCM maintains the northern-most nine miles of the A. T. in Maryland and 33 more miles in two sections of Pennsylvania, as far north as the Susquehanna River crossing at Duncannon, PA, northwest of Harrisburg. We also maintain four trail shelters in Pennsylvania and, in recent years, have rebuilt three of the four. The most recent reconstruction used a traditional timber- frame design and techniques. Individual maintainers take responsibility for keeping specific sections of the A. T. open. Additional volunteers supplement their efforts and perform major projects on monthly worktrips scheduled in the Spring and Fall. MCM also monitors the land corridor through which the A. T. passes to prevent encroachment by activities such as development, timber harvesting, and trash dumping. MCM periodically patrols the boundaries of its sections, training volunteers in needed skills such as map reading, compass navigation, and off-trail travel. When necessary, MCM reports any problems to the Appalachian Trail Conference and the National Park Service. MCM actively encourages local trails service. MCM volunteers constructed and presently maintain several public trails in the Baltimore area, most notably in Gunpowder Falls and Patapsco Valley State Parks. MCM also participates in hiking-related outreach programs, often with similar organizations or various Maryland State Parks. New volunteers are always welcome. MCM's hike schedule, listing all planned activities, is published every four months. The Club's newsletter, Hiker High Points, is published every two months. Members receive these publications by mail. Activities open to the public and back issues of the newsletter are posted on MCM's website with other MCM and hiking-related information. Membership information and a complimentary copy of the hike schedule are available by calling 410-377-6266 or emailing contact@mcomd.org.