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A lifelong love of the Appalachian Trail sparked by a childhood trip to the Smoky Mountains results in a strong commitment to give back as an A.T. volunteer.
By Anne Sentz
Matt Perrenod volunteers frequently with the ATC’s Konnarock Trail Crew on the southern portion of the A.T. Photo courtesy of Ruth Mosholder.

Background: A trip to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, which gets its name from the foggy haze shown here, inspired Matt Perrenod’s lifelong love of the Appalachian Trail. Photo by Ed Tobin. Foreground, inset: Matt Perrenod volunteers frequently with the ATC’s Konnarock Trail Crew on the southern portion of the A.T. Photo courtesy of Ruth Mosholder.

The Appalachian Trail has been part of Matt Perrenod’s life since the late 1960s, when his father took him camping in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Matt was just 10 years old, but he remembers clearly what it was like to hike up to Russell Field Shelter, which is located right along the Trail at an elevation of 4,360 feet. As Matt stood outside the shelter — which he recalls as being enormous in his 10-year-old eyes — his father pointed up and down the Trail, explaining that one way led hikers north toward Maine and the other way took people south to Georgia.

“At that time, I didn’t fully appreciate what 2,000 miles of Trail really was, but it was a big deal in my little mind,” Matt said.

This first experience on the Trail and the sense of wonder that came with it was the beginning of a life full of outdoor adventure and exploration for Matt, who fully embraced backpacking during his time as a Boy Scout.

“Although the Appalachian Trail didn’t occupy as much space in my mind then, the whole idea of being out backpacking — and moving from place to place and living your life out there — was such a basic and rewarding feeling,” he said.

The Russell Field Shelter on the Trail in the Smokies. Photo by Brent Farmer
Above: The Russell Field Shelter on the Trail in the Smokies. Photo by Brent Farmer
“Crew is my vacation and recreation, and it’s because of the people. I like meeting new people from different generations and renewing relationships with other folks I’ve worked with before.”

— Matt Perrenod

Matt found backpacking fulfilling, and he decided he needed to deepen his relationship with the outdoors and give back to the trails he enjoyed. He began searching for volunteer opportunities and, in 1992, came across the Appalachian Trail Conservancy’s Trail Crew program. Twenty-five years after he first stepped on the A.T., Matt signed up to join Konnarock, the ATC’s flagship volunteer crew program. Konnarock — which is still going strong to this day — works on the southern end of the Trail from Springer Mountain in Georgia to Rockfish Gap near Waynesboro, Virginia. The crew is a joint venture of the ATC, the U.S. Forest Service, the National Park Service, and Trail Clubs, making it a testament to the collaborative nature of Trail management and maintenance.
Matt Perrenod (back row, third from left) with other members of the ATC’s Konnarock Trail Crew in June 2023. Photo courtesy of Rich Atwood
Matt Perrenod (back row, third from left) with other members of the ATC’s Konnarock Trail Crew in June 2023. Photo courtesy of Rich Atwood
Many people who join an ATC Trail Crew do so because they want to volunteer their time and make a difference. Yet there is an important social aspect to Trail Crews. The Konnarock season is split into five- to eight-day sessions, and each week, people of varying ages and from different walks of life live together in the backcountry. As each group tackles important projects that ensure the A.T. is sustainable into the future, they bond over their hard work.

“Crew is my vacation and recreation, and it’s because of the people,” Matt said. “I like meeting new people from different generations and renewing relationships with other folks I’ve worked with before. Crew, specifically, is a great place to build those bonds. It takes cooperative work — it’s not easy, and you help each other to get the work done. You can’t move 500-pound boulders by yourself. And then you get to hang out, cook dinner together, and appreciate each other around the campfire.”

As a volunteer this summer with the ATC’s Konnarock Trail Crew, Matt Perrenod (left) and Alex Hudak (right) work to repair and establish stepping structures on Albert Mountain, North Carolina, that will help minimize erosion and contribute to a better visitor experience. Photo courtesy of Rich Atwood
As a volunteer this summer with the ATC’s Konnarock Trail Crew, Matt Perrenod (left) and Alex Hudak (right) work to repair and establish stepping structures on Albert Mountain, North Carolina, that will help minimize erosion and contribute to a better visitor experience. Photo courtesy of Rich Atwood
Matt has been a regular volunteer on A.T. Trail Crews since 1992, and this year is no different: he joined Konnarock in the summer for restoration work on Albert Mountain in North Carolina. Matt is part of a crew that will complete extensive rock and log work, repairing and establishing step structures that ensure erosion does not degrade the Trail experience. It’s difficult work, but at the end of Matt’s crew season, he will be able to look back and see all that he has accomplished alongside other dedicated individuals who love and value the Trail. Matt finds deep satisfaction in the sense of community that his volunteerism provides, and it keeps him returning year after year.

As a long-distance hiker who completed the A.T. via two long section hikes — the first in 1996 and the second in 2015 — Matt feels a strong connection to the Trail. The A.T. has helped him through periods of grief, indecision, and uncertainty, and it has provided him with a place to embrace self-discovery. Matt used the phrase “mobile meditation” to describe his experience on the A.T., explaining that he was able to get to know himself and his values on a much deeper level.

“The Trail gave me time to understand and process difficult things,” he said. “I was able to do it in a context that was devoid of the noise that sometimes makes it hard for us to be centered in ourselves. It’s easy to get centered on the Trail. All you have to do is let it happen.”

As a hiker and a dedicated volunteer, Matt has experienced the Trail in many ways. Over the years, he has connected with hundreds of members of the A.T. community, including hikers, other volunteers, and people who live, work, and play within the Trail’s landscape. Matt loves that he can meet someone on the Trail and feel like he is in the company of friends — it’s a sense of community and common experience that is so valuable amid a busy, modern life.

“Benton MacKaye told us why we needed the Appalachian Trail. Urban life takes us away from some things that we need to understand: it’s about the human experience,” Matt said.

As part of his commitment to the Appalachian Trail, Matt Perrenod recently made a generous donation in honor of his parents, Charles and Helen Perrenod, to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy to support volunteer stewardship. We are grateful to Matt for his commitment to the ATC through his philanthropy and his dedicated volunteerism.
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