The Abol Bridge Ridge Runner patrols an area that includes the final section of the 100-Mile Wilderness south of Baxter State Park, as well as the section of the AT corridor in the Park running parallel to the West Branch of the Penobscot River.

Each year more between 1,000 and 2,000 AT hikers enter Baxter State Park. Many of these are northbound thru-hikers, a lower number are southbound or section hikers on the AT.

Inside the Park boundaries the Abol Bridge Ridge Runner communicates Park philosophy and policies.  When greeting hikers entering the Park the Ridgerunner points them to the sign-up sheet for the “Birches Distance Hiker Site” with tenting space for up to 12 individual distance hikers. The Ridgerunner may discuss Park policies around dogs, protecting alpine ecology on Katahdin, weather alerts, pack weight and/or illegal camping/fires.

South of the Park boundary, the Abol Bridge Ridgerunner assists the local trail overseer in maintenance duties as far south as Hurd Brook Lean-to, Rainbow Spring Campsite, and Rainbow Stream Lean-to. He assists with trail maintenance, removing litter and abandoned gear, extinguishing fires and/or taking apart illegal fire rings along the trail corridor.

Later in the season, there is a need for the Ridgerunner to work at the kiosk at Abol Bridge in order to intercept and communicate with flip-flopping hikers and thru-hikers. Routine record keeping on number of contacts, trail conditions, etc., is also part of this position.       

"Our experience with this position has been extremely positive. Thru-hikers require specific information, but prior to creation of this position we were only able to make it available to them in written materials that may or may not have reached them before the information was needed."

--Jean Hoekwater, Naturalist at Baxter State Park