New short video of legendary Maine A.T. volunteer Dave Field

[Lauriep]

ATC just produced a 5-minute video about Dave Field, who has been maintaining the A.T. in Maine since the '50s:

A Lasting Legacy: Dave Field's Story

It's part of ATC's MyATstory series. Here's some background on Dave Field if you don't know who he is:

Dave got involved as a Trail maintainer when he and his brother went for a hike and found so many blowdowns they decided to spend their trip clearing trail instead. He's been doing that ever since, but has also been involved in really big-picture ways. He led the effort to relocate a hundred miles of the A.T. when an NPS corridor was acquired through Maine, and then led efforts to protect the Trail corridor and viewsheds from incompatible development. He led the corridor boundary program in Maine (if you think the A.T. in Maine is tough, you should check out the boundary!). Oh, and he served as chair of ATC and president of the Maine A.T. Club for multiple terms with each. What has he not done? He hasn't done much recreational hiking on the A.T. outside of Maine. There's always too much work to be done on the A.T. in Maine, and who can argue with that?

Anyone of us who has hiked on the A.T. in Maine or has dreams of hiking there I think would find this video meaningful. In addition to the interviews, there's some cool photos too, some I'd never seen before: who has been around long enough that they've seen a whole stretch of the A.T. footpath that was so little used it was covered in thick moss?

Laurie P.

[Shae]

Nice tribute. Thanks for posting.

[Lauriep]

Thanks, Shae, and thanks for watching. You definitely feel that you are watching "the soul of the Trail" when you see that footage.

[peakbagger]

Yup Dave is the real deal.

[D2maine]

not sure why but your link did not work for me...just in case it does not work for others here it is

Dave Field Maine AT

[Lauriep]

Thanks D2maine!

[Lauriep]

Here's another summary of Dave Field's contributions to the A.T., from the bio of him in the Appalachian Trail Museum's Hall of Fame page:

Dr. Field is the retired department chairman and professor at the University of Maine School of Forestry. He served on ATC’s Board of Managers from 1979 to 2005, including Chair from 1995 to 2001. He remains active in the Maine A.T. Trail Club, where he has been President and held every other leadership position at least once. He is active in digitizing one of the most extensive collections of documents and photographs pertaining to the A.T. In 2011, he published the book “Along Maine’s Appalachian Trail”. He has continuously maintained a stretch of the Appalachian Trail at Saddleback Mountain in Maine since he was 16 years old -- probably the longest such service in the history of the trail.

[D2maine]

another video the trailer for the above posted video with even more of Dave