I was thumbing through the latest issue of The Maintainer, the quarterly newsletter of the Maine Appalachian Trail Club, the other day when I came upon an astounding statistic: Last year MATC volunteers contributed 18,496 hours of work.

18,496 hours! I damn near fell on the floor. That's a lot of volunteering. And all, one way or the other, in the interest of protecting and maintaining the Appalachian Trail.

Kudos to each and every MATC volunteer!

But amazingly, it's not ever enough.

Reading further on, I see that the MATC still needs many more volunteers to carry the load. There's trail work trips and caretaker pack-ins to be done. More section maintainers and corridor monitors are needed. And a variety of committee assignments are open.

And it's not just the MATC that needs more volunteers to make things happen. It's every trail and outdoor organization in Maine, big and small, that needs more dedicated people to put in some time and help out.

It's a busy life these days. Understood.

But I truly feel it's incumbent upon all of us trail users--hikers, bikers, x-c skiers, you name it--to give a little something back to our trails.

Think about it: That nicely cleared trail you walk over next weekend, the bog bridges that keep your boots dry, the signs that point the way, the shelters you sleep cozily in--all of that doesn't just happen by itself. It takes people and hours and work to get it done. Year after year.

Give it some thought. Contact your local trail club, outdoor group, land trust, conservation or recreation department. Ask what kind of help they need. They'll surely have something needing doing. Then kindly pitch in a few hours for them in the interest of our trails. It'll be rewarding for sure, and you'll never get so many thank you's.

So here's your first: Thanks to all of you for giving back to the trails we all use and love.