Volunteer Profile: Dan Hippe, PATC Ridgerunner Coordinator
By Meg Drennan
“Ridgerunners are super interesting people,” says Dan Hippe, PATC’s Ridgerunner Coordinator. “This year’s group are all thru-hikers. Many of them have done both the Appalachian Trail (AT) and the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). The quality of this group is first-rate.”
PATC’s six new Ridgerunners are based in Shenandoah National Park, one in Northern Virginia, two in Maryland, and another in Pennsylvania’s Michaux State Forest. Part trail ambassador, part educator, this dedicated crew logs long miles and untold hours interacting with the public.
“Overall, they try to wear the hat of someone going through the trail for the first time,” explains Hippe. In 2024, his team racked up impressive numbers:
- 2,828 miles patrolled
- 903 gallons of trash collected
- 2,706 thru-hiker encounters
- 12,845 day hiker encounters
- 910 dogs (131 off leash)
- 665 blowdowns
So, what’s in store for this year? Hippe recently shared his perspectives on PATC and his hopes for this season.
What are you excited about? First, we’re starting something new, the Junior Ridgerunner program. It recognizes youth of all ages who learn something about Leave No Trace from a Ridgerunner or help them in their duties, like pulling a log off a trail. All Ridgerunners will be helping pilot the program. We have buttons for the youth.
Second, we had challenges with the loss of the Michaux quarters a few years ago. For a while, we had to fill the job with no quarters. Last year, we reached an agreement with Camp Penn, a youth camp immediately adjacent to the AT. The camp had never built hiking or the AT into their program. They now provide housing, and we provide a primer on outdoor ethics and take campers and staff on hikes. It was a beautiful, natural fit.
What are your responsibilities? The season started in January with nailing down partner funding and commitments, posting the job opportunities, pulling together a hiring team to do interviews, making offers, and then onboarding. Very quickly, we try to get them on the trail. We provide in-depth training, including Wilderness First Aid Certification, Leave No Trace Trainer Certification, Outdoor Ethics, conflict resolution and de-escalation techniques, and trail and shelter maintenance basics.
At the beginning, I go on training patrols. I teach them about developing their rapport with the public. Getting their Ridgerunner voice, how to introduce themselves, initiate conversations. I work with them on how to engage the hiking community in a more relaxed way. Talking about cool things to see, places to get water, or hop off the trail. I also teach them about how trails work from a maintenance point of view. I emphasize picking up litter, checking trail conditions, identifying damage.
What do you look for in a Ridgerunner? They need to be really experienced solo backpackers that have worked through all the issues, like being dirty and run down. They must be physically fit. Typical Ridgerunners patrol for 500-700 miles per summer. They must be good at taking care of themselves, and dealing with things like heat, foot issues, and ticks.
The Ridgerunners also need to represent the club well. I consider their ability to interact with people under stressful conditions. A lot of the interview questions are about different scenarios and how to handle them – dogs off leash, challenging encounters with folks on the trail, and breaking up illegal campsites.
What are the biggest changes you’ve seen? The graffiti by the thru-hiking community is increasing. There is a subset that feels like they have to tag everything. Once it starts, it takes off. It’s the broken window effect. If you don’t fix it, they all get broken. We document the cases and other criminal activities for law enforcement and the ATC Conservancy. The other uptick is unattended trail magic – food left in bear boxes and in shelters. It spoils and attracts wildlife.
What was your first experience on the AT? I’ve always been into hiking for its pure enjoyment and to seek solace from various things. I grew up in Minnesota and moved to Virginia in 2000, where I worked at the US Geological Survey. I am fairly new to the AT. I learned about it in 2020 when I joined the Hoodlums, one of PATC’s trail crews. Then I got a section of the AT to maintain and got to know Jim Fetig. I shadowed Jim in 2022 and now it’s kind of a full-time job.
Best experience? By far the best has been getting the group together for an evening, sharing a really robust meal of fresh food and listening to their stories. I just sit back and smile. It’s a real hoot. My mantra to my team is to have fun. It’s got to be a fun job and provide value to the hikers, land managers, and the club.
