Government Shutdown stops Appalachian Trail volunteers too.

"While the Park Service is shut down, there is no insurance coverage for injuries to volunteers or liability protection should the work you do result in injury to others.

A.T. maintainers and Trail club volunteers should cease work on the A.T. and its side trails immediately. The NPS Volunteers in the Parks (VIP) program (on NPS and where extended for coverage on some state lands) is suspended. The Volunteers in the Forests (VIF) program is also suspended. In the event of an accident, lack of those protections would expose A.T. workers, their clubs, and ATC to tort claims and medical costs. Therefore, all A.T. maintenance must cease for the duration of the shutdown. Except for NPS-APPA staff, Acting Chief Ranger Carin Farley, all APPA park personnel have been furloughed, as have most of the staff in the six national park units crossed by the Trail." 

That is the official word.