CVATC News Winter 2015

Cumberland Valley Appalachian Trail Club

Message from the President

President Christine Lauriello Vice President Kevin Shannon Treasurer Keith Herrick Secretary Tom Scully Board of Directors Class of 2016 Joe Frassetta Vicky Nastav Rob Shaw Class of 2017 Mike Bowman Harish Janardhan John “Skip” Klein Trailmaster Craig Dunn Chief of Maintainers Joe Frassetta Boundary Coordinator Gini Maus

Well folks, it is the end of another trail season, and our club accomplished quite a bit this year. We have had successful work trips, put in a parking area at Sherwood Drive, and updated all our marketing items. We have also continued our work days with the Mechanicsburg High School kids, attended the ATC biennial, and worked hard on the boundary. We recently held our annual work day with the Dickinson College lacrosse team where we hauled shale and had some help from Middlesex Township to clean up a dumping incident. Thanks to our wonderful volunteers, we had a great season and got a lot done! I mentioned the help we received from Middlesex Township. I really cannot speak highly enough about our trail partners. If you recall, two years ago our club updated our local management plan. That plan lays out the policies of the National Park Service (NPS) and the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC) along with state, county, and local officials. One important aspect of the plan is to maintain a current list of contacts for local EMS, fire, and law enforcement. The plan also lays out the role of those agencies and the role they play with the ATC. We maintain this list for all of the municipalities that the trail traverses. The role of the municipalities actually dates back decades when the Memorandum of Understanding was initially executed between the ATC and the municipalities. In order to ensure that the list is kept up to date, I visit each of the municipalities to make sure all of the information is current. It is a great opportunity for me to sit down with local officials and have a conversation with them about the trail and all of the benefits it has to offer our residents. It is also a great opportunity for me to keep and maintain relationships with those local officials. For example, this year I sat down with Silver Spring Township’s new police chief, Chris Raubenstine, to discuss the trail with him. Chris is new to the trail community, so he was very eager to find out what role the Township plays in the ATC. When I met with the Silver Spring EMS, they mentioned that there have been some (Continued on page 2)

Issue 50

Update on Bernheisel Bridge Closing The Bernheisel Bridge in Middlesex Township near the Scott Farm closed on October 15. It will be closed to vehicular traffic until approximately January 15, 2016 to allow the superstructure to be replaced. There will be access for hikers on the Appalachian Trail to safely cross the construction zone. There will be a second, more brief closure of the road in early April 2016 to finish with the paving. Again, the Trail will remain open during that closure. We will post more information on our web site, www.cvatclub.org, as we get it.

ATC and NPS Honor CVATC Volunteers with 25 Year Awards Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC) and the National Park Service (NPS) honor Appalachian Trail volunteers who have served for many years. Five CVATC volunteers received the Silver Award for 25 years of service at the Appalachian Trail Biennial Conference held earlier this year in Winchester, Virginia. They are:

Don Badorf Frank Bohn Karen Lutz Leonard Tritt Melanie Wertz Don and Leonard have been dedicated volunteers since the early days of our Club. Don has scrupulously maintained his trail section near I-81 for decades, in addition to having served as club treasurer for many years. Karen was a founding member of CVATC, though she is better known as the Mid-Atlantic Regional Director for ATC. Frank and Melanie are both past presidents of CVATC, and they have spent countless hours on the thankless administrative duties of the club, in addition to their working on the trail itself. CVATC is proud of these exemplary volunteers and thanks each for their service.

(Continued from page 1) Message from the President

changes at the EMS level, and they suggested we have a larger meeting to review everyone’s role and responsibility. When I mentioned the meeting to NPS Ranger Todd Remaley, he suggested that we include Middlesex Township in the discussion as well. As you can imagine, this was welcome news to me, and I jumped at the opportunity to bring our communities together for some trail talk! On October 21, Silver Spring Township hosted a joint meeting with Middlesex Township along with local fire, EMS, and local law enforcement agencies. This was a great opportunity to meet with our local partners to keep the lines of communication open and build relationships. Todd and I were able to provide mapping and information on access points as well as answer a lot of questions about the trail and how we can all work together. I thought the best part of evening was when we did some scenario planning. Silver Spring EMS provided three different scenarios consisting of a hiker with a broken ankle, a hunting accident, and a medical emergency. It was a great opportunity to have a roundtable discussion on the best way to respond to these various situations while maintaining criteria of the local management plan. For example, while ATVs are not typically allowed on the trail, in medical life-threatening emergencies ATVs are allowed. These meetings were just another example of how our wonderful ATC brings communities together. I am always amazed how the trail can impact so many people in our region. I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season, and remember …. Happy hiking! Christine Lauriello

25 Years of CVATC Our club was founded in 1991. In 2016, we will celebrate 25 years of maintaining our section of the country's most popular long distance hiking trail. In celebration of this milestone, we plan to feature information about our first 25 years in this newsletter and on our web site www.cvatclub.org. We have already posted some stories on the website, including: The '80s and Early '90s - A Controversial Beginning A New Trail Club The Scott Farm The Pedestrian Walkway on the Bernheisel Bridge A New Club Name Craig Dunn Receives ATC's Highest Honor Check back on the web site often for updates.

Do you have some information or memorabilia about CVATC's early days? If so, please CONTACT US at [email protected] to let us know.

Page 2

Mechanicsburg High School Teachers and Students Assist CVATC’s Boundary Program For the seventh year, the Mechanicsburg High School Alternative Education Program continues to support the efforts of the club's Boundary Program. Two teachers and as many as five students show up every Thursday afternoon to help monitor and clear the AT boundary. As long as the weather is suitable, they are there. Two dedicated teachers—Ben Shea and Maria MalinoskiShuff—along with two students—Sincere and Dante—are on location at exactly 12:30 and work until 2:30. This requires a fair amount of planning by Ben and Maria every week....school vans have to be scheduled, tools and equipment have to be put in the vans, lunch has to be had, and students returned to school for transport home, etc. This fall they took on the immense task of clearing the Chambers Hill Cemetery north of Old Stonehouse Road. Their interest expanded to identifying the headstones, measuring and graphing headstone locations, recording headstone information, etc. This effort will continue through the spring as they do research and reach out to local cemetery restoration professionals for advice.

Trail Work Year Review CVATC had another very successful trail work season this past year which focused mainly on preventing erosion and other water problems on our 17-mile AT section. Two dozen new waterbars were installed, and approximately 300 feet of new footpath turnpike was constructed, along with many repairs and other tasks. During the year ended September 30, 2015, CVATC reported to the National Park Service that our club work trips had a total of 39 volunteers who devoted 388.75 hours to the trail. The new reporting year, which began October 1st, is off to a very strong start with help from Dickinson College Men's Lacrosse team (pictured below), Meetup participants, and club members. We have already recorded 67 volunteers and 305 hours for the next report. Thank you to everyone who participated. We would not have such a high quality trail section without you!

Activity Calendar For more information and updates, the schedule of hikes, and other activities, check the “Activity Calendar” page on CVATC’s web site: www.cvatclub.org. You can also follow the Club on Facebook and Google+.

December 10

CVATC board meeting, 6:00 PM, Allenberry Resort Inn and Playhouse

Hiking in the Area of the Scott Farm During the Bernheisel Bridge Construction From now through approximately January 15, 2016, construction crews will be replacing the deck of the Bernheisel Bridge. The Appalachian Trail WILL be open during this work. For more information on the project, check our web site www.cvatclub.org or earlier editions of this newsletter. During this period, hiking through the area of the Scott Farm may be a bit confusing for folks unfamiliar with the area. Here are some directions that will hopefully help out. Starting a hike from the Scott Farm Parking Lot Starting Northbound: From the lot, head out the driveway closest to the creek. Cross the road, and you will see a blue blazed trail. Follow that for about 50 yards and you will see the white blazed AT. Follow it to the left. Starting Southbound: From the lot, do not cross the road. Head to the right towards the creek. You will see the sidewalk over the bridge still intact. Cross over the bridge on the sidewalk. Head right onto the boardwalk immediately after you cross the bridge. Follow the blazes from there. Hiking on the Trail through the Scott Farm Area Hiking Northbound: As you come to the Scott Farm area on the boardwalk, turn left onto the sidewalk. Follow it over the bridge. Do not go under the bridge. Walk out to the first driveway, then immediately turn right and cross the road. You will see a blue blazed trail. Follow that for about 50 yards and you will see the white blazed AT. Follow it to the left. Hiking Southbound: As you come to the Scott Farm area, you will see a "Detour" sign directing you to the right on a blue blazed trail. Follow it to the road. Cross the road, then immediately turn left. Look for the sidewalk over the creek, to the right of the construction work on the deck. Follow the sidewalk over the creek. Head right onto the boardwalk immediately after you cross the bridge. Follow the blazes from there.

Have any comments or questions on the construction project? Contact us at [email protected]. Have a great hike!

CVATC Membership Form New Membership

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Make checks payable to CVATC and mail to:

CVATC PO Box 395 Boiling Springs, PA 17007-0395

Check here to receive the club patch with a renewal/donation of $25 or more. Page 3

Trail Maintenance Schedule 2015 The monthly trail maintenance work trips have ended for the year and will resume in spring 2016.

Thank you to everyone who has helped to maintain the Appalachian Trail in the Cumberland Valley, whether it be by attending a work trip, being a section maintainer, helping with boundary maintenance, or simply by picking up trash or moving a fallen branch while out enjoying the trail. Autumn along the Appalachian Trail near Old Stonehouse Road

We hope to see everyone again in the new year. We especially want to extend an invitation to new volunteers to join us in any way you can.

You can follow CVATC on Facebook and Google+. Go to our website www.cvatclub.com to find direct links.

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