The Maine Appalachian Trail Club is profoundly grateful to Sen. Susan Collins for championing our $475,000 congressional spending request, as well as Sen. Angus King for endorsing funds in the recently approved FY 2024 spending package. These funds support the $3.2 million Trail Champions campaign to construct the Maine Trail Center in Skowhegan. Thanks to all of our donors, the center will open in May 2025.

Founded in 1935, MATC is a volunteer, nonprofit created to assume responsibility for the construction, maintenance and protection of the Appalachian Trail in Maine. At no time in our 89-year history has MATC had a permanent home. Equipment is stored at members’ homes. Meetings are held at rented venues. Each summer, our Maine Trail crew stays on leased property when not on the AT doing heavy trail maintenance.

The center will have sleeping quarters, showers, a kitchen and a meeting room to accommodate volunteers between trail maintenance assignments. Conservation and outdoor groups throughout Maine will access it for activities and education, including chainsaw use and trail maintenance. The location, near the midpoint of the AT in Maine, will minimize travel to work assignments, while affording volunteers access to shops, restaurants and essential services.

The Maine Trail Center will help us to improve Maine’s section of the Appalachian Trail and fill a void for Maine-based sustainable trail design and construction skills training. Thanks to the support of both Sen. Collins and Sen. King, we consider them to be trail champions.

Tom Gorrill
President, Maine Appalachian Trail Club
St. George