Most volunteer vacation opportunities are out there waiting for you to contact them, hoping enough volunteers reach out and get involved so they can fulfill their service projects for the communities where they are based. If response is low, the impact may be less, and fees charged for participation may be low (weakening the impact of projects as well), but a skeleton staff and locals still get the bare bones work done.
Here is a volunteer vacation opportunity, closer to home, that is free of charge, and sending out a call for volunteers to come and be a part of American heritage. The Continental Divide Trail Alliance has the answer to your summer camping trip planning quandaries. This summer and fall, the trail alliance needs volunteers to help build and maintain the most significant trail system in the world. It was started in 1978, and is still not complete. 3,100 miles from Canada to Mexico along our nation’s spine, the trail project work for this year is going on in New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana. It is a National Scenic Zone, and you can take part in fulfilling the vision. You’ll camp (depending on which project you choose, either car camping in improved campsites, or backcountry camping), and all meals, training, equipment, and supervision are included free of charge. You’ll also get a goodie bag and t-shirt to prove you were working for all of us while your friends were tanning and reading gossip rags all summer. Volunteer stints, of which there are dozens, range from one to seven days.
Beautiful country, bracing and uncrowded outdoors, photography options to die for, and knowing you are making a difference…it kind of ticks every box, doesn’t it?
Change by Doing 