Miller is CEO of the American Hiking Society, a national nonprofit that advocates for more than 40 million hikers in the United States. What is the American Hiking Society?
We are a national nonprofit and we are celebrating our 35th year. We serve as the national voice for hikers and help to reconnect people to nature though hiking. We are also a conservation program. For National Trails Day this year, we had unprecedented support at 2,063 events in all 50 states and Puerto Rico where hundreds of thousands of people did volunteer work building or improving trails.
Can you explain “voluntourism?”
Voluntourism is a volunteer vacation that we promote in different national parks. We had 72 crews out this year working on trails, and we also organized eight college-age alternative breaks. Our motto is “go out and give back.” We are trying to attract more and more young people to trails, and we are also targeting people in underserved communities. Hiking is cost-effective, so it is a great equalizing activity that anyone can take part in.
What are some upcoming projects that you are excited about?
We just signed a new agreement with the National Park Service to help them promote recreation hiking within the District along what are called the Civil War defense trails — the trails that connect a series of ruins of Civil War forts.
Would you qualify yourself as a hiking lobbyist?
No, we’re not a lobbying group. But we spend a lot of time in Washington working with federal agencies and Congress — including the Bipartisan Congressional Trails Caucus — to establish and improve trails, as well as provide awareness and education related to trails. We provide a list of essentials on our website, AmericanHiking.org, of the 10 things you need to have a safe, quality experience on the trails. The list includes good footwear, a small backpack, a compass and map — fundamental necessities that people often overlook.
— Hayley Peterson
