Appalachain Search and Rescue Logo.

In response to the possibility of people losing their way along the Appalachian Trail, search and rescue organizations began to appear along the trail and in the areas surrounding it.  

An offshoot of the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club, the Appalachian Search and Rescue Conference, founded in 1974, is one of the oldest search and rescue organizations in the United States. The Conference is home to seven different member groups in five different states to keep an eye on all sides of the trail. According to the ASRC webpage, each group brings a sum of 300 volunteers to the Conference.