Short Notice Hike At Gateway 12/31/10

Good Afternoon Fellow NCTr's:

Short notice for sure, but just came out the other side of the Christmas week(s) working in retail - woke up this afternoon and saw that the weather forecast for tomorrow is looking too darn good to pass up the opportunity to take a hike. If you'd like to join me I'll be taking a recon/blowdown and branch litter clearing walk from the Route 18 trailhead in Wampum up through Gateway, Mines and Meadows, and Gamelands 148 tomorrow morning (Friday, 12/31) starting at 9:00 A.M. This walk -out and back - usually takes two to three hours, depending upon work or scenery encountered. Come earlier to Jata's for breakfast if you'd like.

Dave Brewer

COLD Trailwork At Cemex

It was a beautiful and sunny, but COLD morning to be out on the North Country Trail today, but things warmed up with the walk, work, and conversation* as your trail crew made their way along almost a mile and a half of our pathway at Cemex. That section of trail is now in great shape - thanks to those guys for coming out with me for my much-needed escape to the woods! Winter sure did come on hard and fast this year!

Denny Duda, Bob Cody, Doug Turner, Lee and Eleanor Fairbanks, and I started off from the eastern Snake Run Road trailhead and headed east towards Sankey Hill, clearing the branch litter, cutting back multifloral rose, taking out a couple of small blowdown trees, and dragging down one potential widow-maker - finishing up with an exploration of the area around the haunted house.

I thought that it was especially neat that during our walk we were able to put into exact words an old trailwork axiom, being, "If you are walking along, and you are hit in the head by something, that something should probably be pruned, lopped, or sawed out of the way." Love it!

Some photos from today start here.

Thanks for all you do for the trail and have a Merry Christmas!!

Dave

* Topics of conversation today included, but were not limited to: Firetrucks, Santa Claus, gold mining, wine, other hiking trails, our website, precision tree removal options, kids coming home for Christmas, the unfortunate ease of removing fingers with power tools, roadwalk blazing, frozen beer, Marcellus shale and gas wells, finding old abandoned stuff in the woods, how much deer and other animals like to walk on the trail, arson, herbal remedies, coal mining, Google maps, the desire to build new trail in Lawrence County next year, limburger cheese and the dire effects it has on your digestive system, the marketing potential of a printed newsletter, and the danger of falling into a 20' deep well and not being found. Something for everyone!

Walking the Chainsaw - Saturday, December 18

Good Afternoon Fellow NCTr's:

Well, the weather certainly took a turn for the worse the last couple of days, but the brief periods of sunshine we're getting this afternoon are encouraging. My chainsaw has become stir-crazy from being stuck inside the last week or so, so I thought I'd take it for a walk this Saturday morning, December the 18th, out on the trail at Cemex.

The plan is to leave from Jata's in Wampum at 9:00 AM and travel to the Snake Run Road (East) trailhead to spend a couple of hours checking for blowdowns, kicking off the branch litter, taking a look at the condition of the trail along that stretch, and generally enjoying this winter wonderland. Come earlier to Jata's for breakfast if you'd like.

Hope you can make it out on Saturday morning - it's going to be a bit chilly so dress appropriately and remember to bring water to drink.

Dave Brewer

Painting the Trail Town

This blog post isn't about the North Country Trail, but about our trail town of Wampum, PA. Gail Blakely and JoEllen Sokoloski have attended some meetings about the town's "Streetscape Program" which is in the planning stages, and Andrew Bashaw has been putting some emphasis on the NCTA's "Trail Town" program. There's already been some activity in regards to the appearance of the downtown, I think unrelated to either of these things, but a seperate, positive part of the overall picture.

An investigative reporter I'll never be, but this fall when Bob Cody pointed out the paintings that have been done on some of the buildings there I did ask a few questions and got some tidbits of information about what was going on. A painter was hired to do some work on the outside of some buildings. If you haven't been to Wampum lately, you can check out these photos here showing some of the work that's been done. I'm sure some of you have ". . . the rest of the story."

"Erin the Painter" http://www.flickr.com/groups/erinthepainter/pool/with/3651746347/ does some interesting work - some paintings in Wampum and some others in Mahoningtown, near New Castle.

Check it out at these links, or take a drive out to see them in person. Good stuff!

NCT Chapters of PA Party Time Change

NCT Chapters of Pa. Xmas Party
This Saturday, Dec. 11
Arrival - 1:30 - 2:00 PM
Potluck and Party 2:00 - ?
Jennings Environmental Center near Slippery Rock.

Remember: Bring something for potluck dinner.
(I will provide paper goods, coffee and pop)

Remember: Gag gift or real gift
(Having gag gifts and real gifts make it funny and more fun!!!! (Use your judgment on price value but we could say around $10)

Remember: Reply back to me, not your chapter email person, because I need to know how many chairs and tables to set up.
Joyce Appel
joyceappel@windstream.net
724-526-5407
(Directions to Jennings below.)

Directions:
From 422 or Butler, head north on Route 8 till you get to the Old Stone House on your right. Make a left onto 528 and then another left into Jennings parking lot. (About 12 miles from Butler or 422 to Old Stone House and Jennings)
From Interstate 80, head south on Route 8 till you get to the Old Stone House on your left. Make a right onto 528 and then a left into the Jennings parking lot. (About 14 miles from Interstate 80 to Old Stone House and Jennings)

12-1 Trailwork Recap - WATER!

Good Afternoon Fellow NCTr's:

Lee Fairbanks and I headed out to Watt's Mill this morning and quickly knocked out a long-standing project on our "to-do" list - installing an ATV barrier at the trailhead to keep riders from skirting the gate posts. The digging was easy today (easiest I think we've done all year) and we had it put in in less than an hour on a cold, wet morning. These kind of days makes one appreciate the hot and sunny weather more.

Lee mentioned that the rain guage at the Fairbanks estate in Chippewa indicated that three inches of rain had fallen in the area on Monday, and we could see that the North Fork of Little Beaver Creek was booming at the bridge crossing at the road, so we wondered what was going on at the shelter area. There were no hunter's vehicles about so we donned the orange and walked into the shelter area to take a look. Wow! There was a lot of water roaring past there, and the creek was out of its banks, but the shelter was high and dry. Dennis Garrett picked the right spot! The base of the platform is probably two to two-and-a-half feet above the high water mark, and there was plenty of dry ground all around the area. Good placement.

We also knew that over the past several months, at the Sterling Road Trailhead at GL285, the pond just below the parking area had been overflowing the dam/roadway at times, causing some erosion on the down-stream side. The roadway is the current North Country Trail route so we thought we'd drive over to take a look at that situation. Yep, lots of water coming across, two to three inches deep in some spots, and eroding the roadway away on the down-side. It is walkable yet, and not dangerously swift, but it will only be a matter of time before it washes all away. It's just not our issue, however, as that is how the Game Commission gets all of its vehicles and equipment into that end of the gamelands, and how everyone (hunters) access that area. We'll see how that works out. Some photos from today start here.

We had a hankering to walk out the new Indian Rock section of trail to see if any of it was under water too but the Sterling Road parking area looked like the long-term parking section at Pittsburgh International - many vehicles, so we decided to pass on antagonizing any of those guys (and/or gals) during their hunt. We'll check it out in a couple of weeks. Much more precipitation to come over the next several months, I'm sure.

A little long-keyboarded this afternoon and I do apologize. Hope to see you Monday evening at the Chapter Christmas party at Hitoe's. Thanks for all you do for the trail!

Dave Brewer

PA Chapters Christmas Party - December 11

NCT Chapters of Pa. Xmas Party
Saturday, Dec. 11 - Noon - ?
Jennings Environmental Center near Slippery Rock.

Hello all,
Christmas is approaching and I talked to members of the various chapters that were on John Stehle's last NCT hike, and thought we could have our Chapters Xmas Party on a Sunday at Jenning, but Jennings does not want to open the building on Sunday. They will open it up for us Saturday.

So our NCT Chapters of Pa. Xmas Party will be Saturday, Dec. 11. Let's make arrival time Noon - !2:30 and eat at 12:30 PM. We will do potluck so bring whatever you wish. Also, most important bring a gag gift or normal gift to use in a gamelike gift exchange. Having gag gifts and real gifts make it funny and more fun!!!! (Use your judgment on price value but we could say around $10) I am planning games with prizes also.

Please reply back to me, not your chapter email person, because I need to know how many chairs and tables to set up.

Joyce Appel
joyceappel@windstream.net
724-526-5407

Directions:

From 422 or Butler, head north on Route 8 till you get to the Old Stone House on your right. Make a left onto 528 and then another left into Jennings parking lot. (About 12 miles from Butler or 422 to Old Stone House and Jennings)

From Interstate 80, head south on Route 8 till you get to the Old Stone House on your left. Make a right onto 528 and then a left into the Jennings parking lot. (About 14 miles from Interstate 80 to Old Stone House and Jennings)

Staying Out Of The Woods Trail Work

Good Afternoon Fellow NCTr's:

This coming week would be a good one to stay out of the woods (at least, don't wear your reindeer antler-cap if you DO go out) so I thought we'd knock out a small project at the trailhead at Watt's Mill. In the winter time in years past ATVs have skirted the gate posts and driven up the trail to the shelter area and gamelands. My plan is to put in a "kissing gate" type barrier there to discourage trespassing (and eliminate the resultant damage) while still allowing the Garretts access through the gate.

The plan is to meet at the Watt's Mill trailhead at 9:00 AM this Wednesday morning, December 1st, and spend an hour or two installing that barrier. We'll be, of course, digging a couple of three-foot-deep holes and then immediately filling them back in - our area of expertise!

If you'd like to have breakfast before going out, we can meet at Rick's Diner on Old Darlington Road in Darlington at 8:00 or so.

Hope to see you Wednesday morning. Thanks for all you do!
Dave Brewer

Work Recap, A Couple Of Hikes, And a Party

Good Morning Fellow NCTr's:

Fortunately, the rain tapered off and finally stopped around 9:00 yesterday morning giving Lee, Doug, and I a chance to walk the mile of trail from the Possum Hollow Road parking lot down through Gamelands 148 to the Edwards Family farm. T'was a nice morning to be in the woods - nothing major in the way of blowdowns to be taken care of and we took the opportunity to carry out some preemptive strikes against the multifloral rose and poison ivy along this section. John has this section of trail in great shape already, so the pruning and lopping we did involved taking out these twin evils a few feet off of either side of the trail in anticipation of getting a head start on it for next spring. Some pics from yesterday start here http://picasaweb.google.com/105725471641034380528/WampumChapter2010TrailWork#5543106644935115698
Thanks to those guys for coming out.

Wanted to share with you an update on the Pittsburgh Hiking Meetup Group hike scheduled at Gamelands 285 for December 11th. It looks like they have thirty hikers signed up for that day, with another five on the waiting list to join - WOW! "More Feet Means Less Maintenance!" This is awesome! You can check out their event here http://www.meetup.com/pittsburghhikers/calendar/15372396/

Lastly this morning, the Clarion Chapter of the NCTA is holding their December hike on the 5th, on one of my favorite sections of trail - from the fire tower at Cook's Forest S.P. northward thru the park. You can see the details on that here http://www.facebook.com/pages/PA-North-Country-Trail-Association/248795517529#!/event.php?eid=124924850901180

Ok, really last, don't forget to get your reservation for the Wampum Chapter Christmas party in to JoEllen by the 29th of this month. It'll be held at Hitoe's in West Pittsburgh on December 6th and we need to let them know how many are coming.

Have a great day - thanks for all you do for the trail!
Dave Brewer

Plans, Recap, Bridges, Hikes, Photos!

Good Evening Fellow NCTr's:

Here it is! It's a veritable goldmine of information about the North Country Trail in Pennsylvania! This blog entry is worth at least twice the price you're being charged to receive it. Let's start with our trailwork plans for Tuesday, the 23rd.

We'll plan on going out Tuesday morning from 9:00 - 11:00 to walk the section we didn't get to check out last week at Gamelands 148 and the Edwards Family Farm. It will be a good opportunity to sneak up on that multifloral rose and poison ivy gone wild out there and get the trail whipped into shape. (There is so much poison ivy in that little clump of trees just off of Edwards Rd. that I think that John is out there putting fertilizer on it). We'll leave from the front of Jata's in Wampum at 9:00 and meet up at the Possum Hollow Road trailhead. Come earlier to Jata's for breakfast if you'd like.

Here's what went on this weekend along the trail:

Tim Ramsey, Jeff Murphy, Tom Scardina, and Lee and Eleanor Fairbanks traveled with me back to the "Big Hill" at Gamelands 285 and the Kirkwood Farm this afternoon and we spent two good hours exploring the hillside for a relatively easy route (to build and to hike) to the top of the hill. Found it! It looks good now and with some revisiting, revising, and tweaking it'll be excellent. We also spent a fair amount of time discussing and debating the relative merits of a couple of different spots to build a bridge to cross Painter's Run. Finally, the wisest one of the crew (Eleanor, naturally) suggested we stop speculating as to how high the water will rise and where it will flow in the spring after the snow melts and actually wait until the snow melts in the spring and see what happens before we make a decision. Another stellar suggestion! Thanks to those folks for coming out to offer their insight into the new section of trail. Can't wait to get started. Some photos from today start here http://picasaweb.google.com/105725471641034380528/WampumChapter2010TrailWork#5542164115208091186

On Saturday, in the far north part of the state, the Allegheny National Forest Chapter had a crew of twenty people put in a bridge over Beaver Run. Looks like they put in a quality bridge in about five hours. Outstanding! Photos of that project are here http://www.facebook.com/pages/PA-North-Country-Trail-Association/248795517529#!/album.php?aid=243980&id=248795517529

And earlier today, the Clarion crew joined John Stehle and his Tour De NCT group for an eight mile hike in Clarion County. Devin Callihan, the Chapter Communications Coordinator has a blog post about their expedition here http://northcountrytrail.org/cla/?p=151 Looks like they had a great turnout, and like us, excellent weather for being on the North Country Trail. I've been kind of waiting for Tammy Veloski's pics from the hike - I'll send them along when I get them (hint) 'cause she always takes good ones.

See, you'd probably pay three times the money anywhere else for all this good stuff on the North Country Trail. Hope to see you Tuesday at Possum Hollow Road. Thanks for all you do for the trail.

Dave Brewer

A Trailwork Joke?

Breaking Through The Old Limestone Roadbed

Good Afternoon Fellow NCTr's:




So, a retail manager, two retired university professors, a minister, and a master carpenter walk into the woods. The bartender looks up from the glass he is polishing and says, "Hey, what is this, some kind of joke?" No, wait. Add breakfast at Jata's, a couple of 4"x4" posts that needed to be planted three feet down, a brand new spud bar, a relic of an old posthole digger (which did a really neat job), lots of sarcasm and absurd comments posing as actual statements of fact, and what you actually end up with is a great morning of laughing and trailwork on the North Country Trail.

My thanks to Jake Erhardt, Doug Turner, Bill Majernik, and Lee Fairbanks for joining me at the Route 18 and Possum Hollow Road trailheads this morning and for their hard work to put in two hiker journal boxes. The boxes have a notebook for hikers to jot down their impressions of and suggestions for the trail, NCT brochures, and an invitation to join the North Country Trail Association (along with some $23 sponsored-applications). On a side note, we could do a fundraiser involving charging people for us to dig three-foot-deep holes and then immediately filling them back in (only for people interested in paying for this kind of service, naturally). We're becoming well-practiced at this.

We also had some time left over this morning to trek on over to Snake Run Road and then Sankey Hill Road to do some repair work on the boxes and sign posts over there. And, we beat the rain home. A great day on the trail! Some photos here starting with one from the Chapter meeting last evening.

Tentative plans for trailwork next week are for Sunday afternoon and Tuesday morning. Details to follow. Thanks for all you do for the trail.



Dave Brewer

Trail Work This Saturday In Ohio

Hi All,


Sandy Beaver Canal Chapter work day is scheduled for Sat. Nov. 20. We will meet at 9:00 AM at the Beaver Creek Family Campground. From Sate Rt. 7 turn east on Carlisle Rd. then right on Leslie Rd. You will find me at the top of the hill. Tools will be provided. Bring water and lunch. We will be finishing the trail to Bear hollow Rd. This will consist mostly of side hilling and blazing the trail.
Concerning extending the trail on beyond Bear Hollow Rd. to Lusk Lock. . . .

. . . we will have time this winter to contact land owners on toward Elkton. and hopefully will have plenty of trail to work on in 2011. I also hope to have trail building options in cooperation with the Stark County Parks and Recreation department in the Magnolia area. Jennie and Ron this is much closer to our homes.

Hope to see a number of you next Sat.

Happy Trails,

Keith Brown

Pathfinders At Work - Trailwork 11-14

Good Evening Fellow NCTr's:

Daniel Boone, Lewis and Clark, and John Fremont had nothing on the Wampum Chapter as explorers.  We spent almost three hours this afternoon at Gamelands 285 and the adjacent Kirkwood Farm exploring the routing possibilities for a new trail section eastward from Indian Rock Hill, across Painter Run, up, up, up a big hill into some very nice old pines, and through the woods along a hilltop out to Hodgson Road.  An excellent outing on a cool (and somewhat rainy) Sunday in November.  The end result of building this new section will be another mile of roadwalk eliminated - all of Sterling Road and about half of Hodgson Road not being the trail route anymore.

My thanks to Bill Majernik, Richard Lutz, Lee and Eleanor Fairbanks, and Doug Turner for making the trip out today to help look at the possibilities and share their input on how this section should be routed - good trail company!  We came up with the general route, now the devil in is the details, including how to bridge a thirty-foot creek crossing, and how to route switchbacks or climbing turns up a 140 foot, very steep hill.  Piece of cake in the end, I'm sure.

** I informally dubbed this trek today the "Tour De Treestands" as we encountered quite a few along the way.  Photos from today start here

I put a light blue line on this map to show our general route of travel today.  If you can look at it in 3-D in Google Earth you can really get an idea of the steep hillsides involved - hence our decision to run along the top of the hill.  Views of the valley to Darlington (and the industry along Cannelton Road) on the left, farm fields and the Gamelands on the right.


View Indian Rock Extension 8/2010 in a larger map

Hope to see you at the Chapter meeting at Hitoe's Monday evening.  Thanks for all you do for the trail!

Dave

Trailwork Tuesday 11-16, And . . . , And . . .

Good Morning Fellow NCTr's:

The trailwork plan for this Tuesday morning, the 16th, in the Wampum area is to install a couple of hiker-journal boxes along the trail, one at the bridge at the Route 18 trailhead, and one at Possum Hollow Road. Both of these are going to require a post so we'll be digging a couple of holes to plant them in. As time permits, we'll then take a walk westwards through Gamelands 148 towards the Edwards farm to survey the condition of the trail there. I haven't been through there since early June so I'm sure that the multifloral rose is thinking it has free reign to do as it pleases. Don't be frightened - we have lots of loppers and I'll bring them all.

We'll take off from the front of Jata's Restaurant in Wampum at 9:00 AM and travel to the bridge over Rt. 18 first, wrapping up at the Gamelands at around 11:00. Come earlier to Jata's for breakfast if you'd like.

A couple of reminders - trailwork/exploration at Gamelands 285 and the Kirkwood Farm at 2:00 this afternoon. We'll be meeting at the Sterling Road trailhead. There is a definite 50% chance of the probability of the possibility that we won't get rained on. We'll make the call at the trailhead this afternoon.

And, the Wampum Chapter monthly meeting is scheduled for 6:00 PM tomorrow (Monday, the 15) at Hitoes Restaurant in West Pittsburgh.

Lastly, I say with shame, that I stand corrected. Last Sunday afternoon I dogged Doug Turner mercilessly because I saw a picture of him at the Clarion Chapter/KTA work weekend walking along, empty-handed, smiling and carefree, as a woman struggled to carry a massive log down the trail. Well, photographic evidence has emerged over the past week indicating that my initial impression of the situation was conceived hastily and was wrongheaded, so I do apologize. Here is what I found -   this and this .

Hey! Wait just a minute. Now that I think about it, these could have been "Photoshopped" to SHOW that he was working. Further investigation is obviously warranted. (There are a ton of good photos in this album. That was quite a project they accomplished up in the northwoods last weekend.)

Thanks for all that you do for the trail! Hope to meet up with you over the next three days.

Dave Brewer

Take A Hike With George Washington

Take a Hike With George Washington

This Thanksgiving vacation take a hike and meet the father of our country. Visit the Old Stone House and join one of the guided hikes to learn about Washington's historic travels through Butler County in 1753. Re-enactors will play the role of Washington and his guide, Christopher Gist.

Where: The Old Stone House, 5 miles south of Slippery Rock, at the junction of Highway 173 and Route 8.

When: Saturday November 27th. Doors open 9:30 a.m. Hikes take place on the hour.

Cost: Admission is $5 per person, $12 per family.

Reservations: Reserve a hiking time by calling Jennifer Melnick at Slippery Rock University, 724-738-4964.

More info? Call Rod Gasch 724-290-2129




TAKE A HIKE WITH
WASHINGTON ON NOV. 27
SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. — How about a walk in the woods with the father of our country? You can do just that on Saturday morning, Nov. 27 -- enjoy fresh air and great scenery while commemorating George Washington’s travels through Butler Country in 1753.
The hike, sponsored by Historic Harmony’s Harmony Museum, Slippery Rock University’s Old Stone House and Washington’s Trail 1753, starts and ends at the Old Stone House, a restored 18th century stage coach inn five miles south of Slippery Rock and 12 miles north of Butler at the junction of Pa. Routes 8, 528 and 173. Plenty of parking is available.
Back in November 1753, Washington was a 21-year-old volunteer newly commissioned a major by Virginia Lt. Gov. Robert Dinwiddie. He traveled through Pennsylvania Indian country carrying Dinwiddie’s ultimatum demanding withdrawal of the French then building forts on land claimed by England and the Virginia Colony. The French response: the British should stay out of from New France. That ultimatum delivered by Washington, and the military intelligence he obtained during his mission, were instrumental in starting the French and Indian War in southwest Pennsylvania the following spring and summer of 1754.
Besides the 45 minute hike, this year’s commemoration includes refreshments, touring the historic Old Stone House, and a chance to discuss the mission with the young Washington and his frontiersman guide Christopher Gist -- re-enactors Brian Cunning of Washington, Pa. and Rich Baker of Claysville, Pa. The Old Stone House opens at 9:30 a.m., with guided hikes planned for 10 a.m., 11 a.m. and noon. Leading each hike will be a Slippery Rock University history student who will read from the journals of Washington and Gist and explain the significance of Washington’s sometimes hazardous journey.
To reserve a hiking slot, call Jennifer Melnick at Slippery Rock University, 724-738-4964. Admission is $5 per person, $12 per family. Each hiking group will be limited in size, so event organizers recommend strongly that participants reserve their start times. The hike will cover about a mile of rocky terrain that is close by the original Venango Path followed in part by Washington. Hikers are advised to wear appropriate footwear as well as clothing suitable for the day’s weather conditions.

####
11/2/2010
CONTACTS:
John Ruch, Harmony Museum, 724-452-7341
Hike Volunteer Rod Gasch, 724-290-2129

Trail Work Sunday 11-14-10

Good Afternoon Fellow NCTr's:

Last Sunday, as we finished up our project at the state line, I asked (as I usually do when we knock out another item on the "to do" list) "Ok, what do you want to do next?" Eleanor Fairbanks suggested we go exploring for a trail route at the Kirkwood Farm, beside Gamelands 285 along the North Fork of Little Beaver Creek. A stellar suggestion! We are planning to start building our new section of trail there in April so we need to begin the process of determining the best route through there now. The leaves are down and we can see the terrain and have some decent views through the woods.

The plan is to meet this Sunday, the 14th, at 2:00 PM at the Sterling Road trailhead at the Gamelands and spend a couple of hours exploring. No heavy lifting, just some hiking, bushwacking, and exchanging ideas on good routes. No experience necessary - all input and opinions are appreciated, so hope you can join us.

Dave Brewer

I Thought I Saw A Ghost

Good Afternoon Fellow NCTr's:

It was such a gorgeous morning on the North Country Trail, the bright sun burning through the morning mist around Sankey Hill and the old haunted house site, that as Jake Erhardt, Lee Fairbanks, Doug Turner, Bob Cody, and I worked on the little reroute up the old driveway and across the yard, the supernatural was the last thing on my mind. Yet, suddenly, a dark-clad, silent figure was in our midst. Kind of startled me at first. Then I noticed the curly hair and the expensive GPS unit he was holding in his hands. Quite as surprised as if it HAD been a ghost, I welcomed Richard Lutz to the Tuesday morning work session. HA! Another cool happening on the NCT - Richard, the guy who had got this whole thing going in the Wampum area back out working with us. Just like old times.

Appreciated everyone's contribution this morning. Good company on a pleasant morning in the woods, and the reroute worked out well. This time of the year is perfect for a hike out at the Cemex section - the leaves are petty much gone and the views of the hillsides and PA countryside in general are very nice.

In other news, I learned of a group hike taking place at Gamelands285/Watt's Mill in December - you can check it out here http://www.meetup.com/pittsburghhikers/calendar/15372396/ Twenty people (as of right now) heading out to hike the NCT. Good stuff.

And, Venture Outdoors has a new newsletter out, which can be seen here https://app.e2ma.net/app/view:CampaignPublic/id:29238.6849491427/rid:750332608178ed085ad85b2d01227715

Next trailwork plans are tentatively set for next Sunday afternoon (the 14th) and Tuesday morning (the 16th). Details to follow later this week.

Thanks for all you do for the trail!

Dave Brewer

NCT Weekend Wrap Up

Good Evening Fellow NCTr's:

For those of you keeping score, you can mark another item on the Wampum Chapter's "to do" list for this trailwork season as DONE as Tom Scardina, Doug Turner, and Lee and Eleanor Fairbanks headed out with me today and finished up the 200 yard relo of the trail near the state line at GL285. It is grubbed, pruned, and blazed - ready to hike - and a darn nice little piece of trail (if I say so myself). Appreciate that crew coming out on a beautiful Sunday afternoon to get that done. Some pics from today's session are here (starting on the second line) http://picasaweb.google.com/105725471641034380528/WampumChapter2010TrailWork#

Besides the way we worked together to get that knocked out, the other enjoyable part of the day was the number of hikers we encountered. As we got going on our project a man and his dog, followed a short time later by a couple of young girls hiked on past, back down to the trailhead to their vehicle. Then, a bit later on, as we were working along the hilltop, we thought we heard voices on the trail down below us. Eventually a family of five, including three young boys, walked on up the trail and we had a chance to talk with them. They were looking for the "Indian Rock" as described in the Beaver County Times article so we directed them six miles eastward. Later on, after we finished up our trailwork session and I headed down to the shelter to check on its status, I encountered another family, this time of four, hiking back down to Watt's Mill to their vehicle. They had walked about a mile up the trail to the two large rocks the trail goes past and had also visited the shelter area. Beaver County Times article again. Pretty good traffic day for the North Country Trail!

Speaking of LARGE ROCKS - I had the opportunity to go to Cook's Forest on Saturday to work with the NCTA/KTA trail crew. I was proud to see Wampum well-represented, with Doug Turner and Tim and Ceci Ramsey also making the trip. They had a great turnout for their service weekend and it was nice to meet up with and have the opportunity to work with some people I was already acquainted with, and also to meet some trailwork newcomers - one a kayaker from Canonsburg, another a backpacker who had travelled from Philadelphia, and some BOC members from my old stomping grounds of Saxonburg and Sarver -amongst many others.

In fact, they had enough crew on hand on Saturday to tackle three seperate projects, one involving putting in well over a hundred yards of log and gravel turnpike in a very wet area north of the park, another crew working on fixing some trail on the eastern end of the fire tower hill, and the third crew (which I was with) worked on upgrading the North Country Trail on the hillside below the fire tower and above the Clarion River. We repaired sidehill, pruned back overgrowth, took out rocks and root trippers, and (here is where the BIG ROCK tie in comes into play) built a couple of stone staircases under the direction of Paul Henry and Tim Ramsey. Those guys are rockwork pros (or maniacs, I can't decide which yet) and they planned (and dug) out some great staircases. The hikers that were walking on through on Saturday expressed their appreciation for all of the hard work.

I took some photos of the crew and work done on Saturday and they can be found here http://picasaweb.google.com/105725471641034380528/KTATrailwork11610# and Tammy Veloski also sent me a link to the pictures that she took, which are here http://butleroutdoorclubphotojournal.shutterfly.com/1347 I must be getting the "photographers eye" 'cause I took some of the same ones she did, just not as well.

Thanks for all you do for the trail - hope to see you Tuesday morning in Wampum or out at the haunted house.

Dave Brewer

Finally - Sunday Trail Work 11-7-10

Good Evening Fellow NCTr's:

The weather forecast is looking good for Sunday afternoon - let's head to Gamelands 285 to do a couple of hours of work on our reroute near the state line. It is a nice little diversion from the Game Commission double track that will move the trail over along the top of a hill with a nice view (especially at this time of the year) down into a deep stream valley.

The plan: Since sundown will be at around 5:00 PM we'll meet at 2:00 Sunday afternoon (the 7th) at the state line trailhead on Route 251 (Blackhawk Road) and plan to be out for two hours or so. I'll bring the tools, bring along some water to drink. If you can't make it at 2:00 come when you can - we'll be about half a mile up the trail. No experience necessary - OTJ training can be provided by our team of amateur trail builders.

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=108657039929755040265.0004498a6086c175b4998&t=h&z=13

Hope to see you on the trail Sunday afternoon!

Dave Brewer

This, That Link, and T'Other

Good Morning Fellow NCTr's:

As previously communicated, the Clarion Chapter of the NCTA and the Keystone Trails Association are working on trail-improvement projects this upcoming weekend up around Cook's Forest. I'm planning on heading up there for the day on Saturday to help out and to check out the new piece of equipment the PA chapters have available to use. It is some sort of powered wheelbarrow that will be used (on this project) to transport gravel. If anyone else has an interest in spending the day working with them and wants to carpool to save some gas $ let me know and we can work out the details. The email from Joyce Appel indicates that the crew will take off from the cabins at Cooksburg at 8:00 AM so a very early start from here will be warranted.

Also wanted to let you know that the Wikki Trail Guide for PA http://www.northcountrytrail.org/guide/index.php/Pennsylvania has been updated to reflect the shelter construction and trail extension/rerouting that's been done this season within Wampum's range, not to mention my better understanding of the route at Cemex. The linked maps have been redrawn and some new photos added. The neat thing about the Wikki is that anyone can edit or add information, so if you want to update it (or fix any of the verbage) you are able to. It's a good resource to point people to when they ask us, "So, where does the North Country Trail go through this area?"

The other link is to a report by our NPS Ranger/Volunteer Coordinator Dan Watson talking about North Country Trail volunteer hours, found here http://www.northcountrytrail.org/insight/ He reports a 14% increase in the number of volunteer hours nationally on behalf of the North Country Trail for the past year. I can't verify it, but I'm wagering a full 2% of that is attributable to the time Lee put in on designing, funding, and building that new hiker shelter at Watt's Mill this past spring! Just my gut feeling on that one though.

Have a great week! Tentative plans for chapter trailwork are for next Sunday evening and the following Tuesday morning. I'll send out the details once verified.

Thanks for all you do for the trail,
Dave Brewer
330 531-1623

Trail Therapy 10/28/10

Good Evening Fellow NCTr's:

Lee Fairbanks, Doug Turner, and I headed out to the state line at PA Gamelands 285 this cool, gray afternoon to work on our little reroute project there and the session proved to be both productive and therapeutic. Doug worked down on the relatively (relatively!) level section at the top of the stream valley, grubbing out the rocks, roots, and dirt along the flagline to make a connection to our existing trail. While he was doing that Lee and I worked our way eastward, up a pile of root-infested rocks, digging sidehill and a switchback. The three of us knocked out eighty-some yards of trail in two short hours.

It got therapeutic today as each of us kind of worked our own area of what was being built, crafting the new treadway with what each of us knows about building trail. Not a lot of conversation, just kind of being "in the moment" in the woods.

I can't speak for the other two guys, but for the most part, my thoughts included contemplation of my love/hate relationship with trail rocks. As we decide to build a new section of North Country Trail across a big old pile of discarded strip mine rocks we always agree that it's gonna be "some tough digging." Then when we start digging I think, "Man, this is tough digging!" - as I set aside the pulaski, hazel hoe, and McCloud and have to use the pick-mattock to pry them out of the ground. But then, once I get going, I start realizing the possibilities, like "I can build a little step-like thing here with that big rock," or "These'll be GREAT for that little bit of cribbing I need right here for this sidehill!" or "This will look awesome with that little wall of rocks right there." Trail Rocks - hate 'em - love 'em.

Enough of that - some photos from today are here http://picasaweb.google.com/105725471641034380528/WampumChapter2010TrailWork#

Between family and work obligations I am going to be tied up the rest of this weekend so, tentatively speaking, our next trip out probably won't be until next weekend sometime. I'll get the word out as soon as I know something definite.

Thanks for all you do for the trail!
Dave

Trail Work Plan For Thursday 10/28

Good Afternoon Fellow NCTr's:

We've had a little trail reroute project near the state line at Gamelands 285 on the back burner for several months now - we'll plan on starting on that this Thursday afternoon, October 28th. We're taking the trail off the Game Commission two-track and over into the woods along the top of a hill with a nice view down into a stream valley.

The plan is to meet at the Rt. 251 (state line trailhead) at 4:00 PM and work for a couple of hours on this project. I'll bring the tools (sorry, no pie this Thursday) - bring along some water to drink and definitely wear flourescent orange as we're contending with both archery and small-game hunting seasons.

On another subject, as we started off on our hike on Sunday, Julie Meier from Venture Outdoors was telling me about seeing a bear during a hike at Moraine State Park. The details on that are here
http://blog.ventureoutdoors.org/2010/10/26/trick-or-treat-these-unexpected-guests-were-a-real-treat/ Pretty neat!

Thanks for all you do for the North Country Trail and hope to see you Thursday afternoon at Gamelands 285.

Dave Brewer

Pumpkin Pie Hike Recap

Good Evening Fellow NCTr's:

What a fantastic day on the North Country Trail! We couldn't ask for a better weather day, the trail was in good shape, the crowd was large and enthusiastic, and the logistics of the whole situation (parking, transportation and most importantly, pie) worked out great. Thanks to all that came out and hiked, shared with the hikers what we're about, brought pie and other goodies, manned the shelter at Watt's Mill to make sure everyone was taken care of, and transported hikers over to the trailhead. Great team effort!

There are some photos from today posted here http://picasaweb.google.com/105725471641034380528/2010CommunityHikeIndianRock?authkey=Gv1sRgCJGn_6T32sbjLQ#

I was told that we started off at Sterling Road with seventy-two hikers and I know that we had three hikers and two trail runners out ahead of us. We also picked up at least four more people who had hiked in from the Watt's Mill end to meet up with us. Over eighty people on the trail at Gamelands 285 in one afternoon? That's crazy! Crazy cool.

Thanks again to all of those who contributed to building that mile and two-tenths of trail this year to build on what Bob Cody and the SCA crew did last summer. A nice 2.5 mile section of North Country Trail on the ground - on to Darlington!

Dave Brewer

PS - Thank you to Doug and Daphne Turner for bringing me a piece of pumpkin pie out at the trailhead. Don't know who made it but it was delicious.

Newspaper Article - Trail Work Recap 10/20/10

Good Morning Fellow NCTr's:

Well, yesterday's trailwork session at Gamelands 285 didn't turn out exactly as anticipated, with the local press being a no-show, but it was a great day to be out on the North Country Trail anyhow. It turns out that the reporter and photographer had gone out the day before and walked the segment that we are hiking on Sunday, and along with talking with Lee Fairbanks over the previous couple of days, did an excellent story that appeared in this morning's Beaver County Times. You can find that here: http://www.timesonline.com/bct_news/news_details/article/1373/2010/october/20/hiking-the-north-country-trail.html

My thanks to Joyce Appel, Jake Erhardt, Doug Turner, and Lee Fairbanks for making the trip out yesterday with me and working on clearing leaves, roots, and trippers, along with putting in three Carsonite posts to help identify the new trail route. A few pictures from yesterday start here: http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/2941031810098879960nxxQkP You'll notice that we had all wasted our time combing our hair for this trip out. Oh well, mine probably needed combed anyways.

Lee and Eleanor Fairbanks walked the section from the old iron bridge back to the shelter at Watt's Mill on Sunday, checking the condition of that segment, and spent some time getting the shelter area and access trail in good shape, so we're covered there. Thank you to them for doing that. This afternoon at 3:00 we'll meet at Sterling Road again and work on grubbing the last part of pathway - the west end of the new segment from the old iron bridge up to Indian Rock - clearing trippers and checking out the sidehill on that end.

It's all coming together for Sunday's hike. Thank you everyone for your contribution to the effort!

Dave Brewer

Trail Work Plans 10/20 And 10/21

Good Morning Fellow NCTr's:

The Community/Pumpkin-Pie Hike being next Sunday I think we should spend another couple of work sessions at Gamelands 285 this week. The entire section of new trail is blue-blazed and walkable, but we have some Carsonite posts to plant and some toe grabbers to remove and general grub work that needs done on the section from the "big hill" out to the double track. Here's the plan - hope you can join us:

Wednesday the 20th we'll meet at the Sterling Road trailhead at 4:00 PM (I work Tuesday night and will be needing all the beauty sleep I can get) and plan to get the Carsonite posts put in. We'll also start the grub work. We'll be out by 6:00 or so as it will be getting dark.

Thursday the 21st we'll again head for Sterling Road and continue the grub work, beginning at 3:00 PM (instead of 4:00). Starting an hour earlier will give us a little better cushion on getting it "acceptable". Don't know if we can get it all done in two days but we'll definitely be able to get the trippers taken out and the worst spots taken care of.

All help is appreciated, so come when you can and leave when you need to. Thanks!

Dave Brewer
330 531-1623

Indian Rock - Connection!*

Good Morning Fellow NCTr's:

On the morning of September 23rd, as five thursday-morning trail crew guys fought their way through the underbrush, exploring a proposed route from the base of Indian Rock hill back out to the Game Commission double track to get out to Sterling Rd., some clown (who had been out plotting and planning with his GPS and marking flags) remarked, "It's only about 500 feet from here to there," in an attempt to sell the idea of the ease and simplicity of building this particular little piece of connecting trail. "We'll run the DR mower out as far as possible, then it's just a little bit of sidehill work to get back up to where we need to connect," he proclaimed. The other four looked skeptical. They were right to be.

However . . . three weeks and approximately forty-five labor hours later, we got it - we're connected as of yesterday morning when Lee and I headed out and finished off the last 40 yards of sidehill. We have a followable, walkable trail from the beginning to the end. The digging team of Fairbanks and Brewer were pretty efficient (probably not as good as Fairbanks and Fairbanks who were out on Sunday afternoon - but we're darn good diggers if I say so myself) in knocking out that last bit on a beautiful, sunny morning. The blazes from the double track to the base of the hill also got painted yesterday. There's a map here of how the whole thing ended up:
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=108657039929755040265.00048dac38585c56e767d&ll=40.793401,-80.474505&spn=0.002262,0.004812&t=h&z=18

"Details" (like taking out toe grabbers, end-of-the-section connection grubbing, installing some Carsonite posts, etc) left to do. Piece of cake.

Tomorrow morning we'll head back out to Gamelands 285, Sterling Road trailhead, at 9:00 to work those "details". We missed eating at Jata's in Wampum this week so we thought we'd try out "Rick's Place" in Darlington (on Darlington Road) for breakfast around 8:00 tomorrow and then head for the gamelands. Join us at least for breakfast if you can't make it for the whole morning.

Lastly, if you don't receive the NCTA Blue Blaze Bulletin in your email, here's a link to the issue just sent yesterday http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Blue-Blaze-Bulletin-from-the-North-Country-Trail-Association.html?soid=1101552208337&aid=NKEkWxGkmGc

Hope to see you tomorrow at GL285 - Thanks for all you do for the trail!

Dave Brewer
* Note - That's the 500th time I've sent the words "Indian Rock" out to you all this year. Whew!

Trail Work Plans For October 13 and 15

Good Afternoon Fellow NCTr's:

In the interest of being ready for our Community Hike on Sunday the 24th, we'll spend both of our trail work sessions this week at Gamelands 285 working on finishing the sidehill, doing some stump grubbing, and getting the paint blazing done on the Indian Rock extension.

On Wednesday and Friday mornings plan to meet at 9:00 at the Sterling Road trailhead and we'll spend a couple of hours each day working on these projects. I'll bring the tools, bring water to drink, and don't forget the blaze orange as it is archery season for deer. I have an extra vest if you need to borrow it.

Come when you can - stay as long as you want - all help is appreciated!

Dave Brewer

Wampum Chapter Fall Hike at Gamelands 285

The Wampum Chapter will be leading a hike on Sunday afternoon, October 24th, on our new section of North Country Trail at Pennsylvania Gamelands 285. We'll gather at the Watt's Mill trailhead at 2:00 and shuttle hikers over to Sterling Road, hiking the 2.5 miles along the North Fork of Little Beaver Creek, up and over Indian Rock hill, along the eight-bridge-mile (or so) and back to the new hiker-shelter at Watt's Mill. At the shelter we'll enjoy pumpkin pie, a campfire, and some NCT trail comaradarie.

If you'd like a longer hike that day, you could start earlier and walk the four miles of NCT from the OH/PA state line, starting on Old Blackhawk Road outside of Negley, OH and extending to the shelter at Watt's Mill. We'll get you back to your car. Conversely, if you'd like to just come out to see the shelter along the creek and participate in some North Country Trail fellowship on an autumn afternoon, you're welcome to come on out!

Wear comfortable hiking shoes, dress for the weather, and bring water and a snack if you want for during the hike. Please let us know that you're coming (so we have enough pie!!) by contacting Eleanor Fairbanks at Fairbanks14@comcast.net or by calling 724 847-0589.


View Watts Mill Road Trailhead NCT in a larger map

Hope to see you on the trail on October 24th.

Dave Brewer

Almost Done Digging (This Section)

Good Evening Fellow NCTr's:

Lee Fairbanks and I headed out to Gamelands 285 today - it was a BEAUTIFUL, sunny morning to be out on the North Country Trail. Together we spent a couple of hours crafting another thirty-five yards of excellent sidehill trail, following the route that he and Eleanor had refined last Sunday evening. It looks like we have about another thirty-five yards of digging to do until we hit the flat ground that we already have mowed to get back to the Sterling Road trailhead. Almost done. A few pics from today start here: http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/2452145780098879960hLEqsF

We also took the opportunity to walk up to the shale hillside where we had so much trouble with sliding back in August. My concern was what the past four days of rainfall had done to what we had built. No problem! The cribbing and reinforcing that we did out there a few Sundays ago took care of it. Nice job everyone.

Have a great weekend. We'll tentatively plan on heading out next Wednesday morning in Wampum and Friday morning at Gamelands 285. I'll send along the details later this weekend. Thanks for all you do for the trail.

Dave Brewer

Western PA Trails Symposium

Evening Fellow NCTr's:

Thought I'd pass along news of this event, the Western PA Trail Symposium, scheduled for Friday, October 22nd in Cranberry, sponsored by the Pennsylvania Environmental Council. The specifics on this are here http://www.pecpa.org/trailssymposium2010

Due to the support and the plain-old, hard work by the members and friends of the Wampum Chapter of the NCTA, and of the community in general, I've been asked to participate in a small way in the day's program. That's pretty cool and I'm looking forward to the opportunity to share all of the great things going on with the North Country Trail in Beaver and Lawrence counties. We'll also be able to set up an information booth at the site to be able to further communicate all of our great works.

Specific thanks goes to Andrew Bashaw for making me aware of this chance to get out in front of more potential supporters, and also to Julie Watson, who spent a year with us giving us some great tools to use to get our message out.

Dave Brewer

Haunted Recap - Thursday 10/7 Trail Work Plan

Good Evening Fellow NCTr's:

It doesn't rain on trailwork, even haunted trailwork, as Lee Fairbanks, Doug Turner, and I made our way out to Cemex this morning to check out some reroute options near the old house between Fletcher Hill Road and Sankey Hill Road. The undergrowth was wet enough to soak us, and there was a chill in the air for sure, but no rain to wash out the day's exploration expedition and we were able to take a look at several different options for the trail there.

We went up the driveway to the old house and found that we can easily accomplish the main objective of the day, which was to cut that sharp right-hand turn in the trail and hopefully eliminate some confusion. We checked out the house, and although none of the three of us are experts (me especially!) we figured it was probably built pre-WWII and was a pretty nice home for its time, in a pretty nice location. Makes me wonder about the family(ies) that lived there, kids raised, picnics in the yard, birthdays and holidays celebrated inside, . . . where those people are now and about their memories of that place.

We also climbed up and down the hillsides around the area and thrashed our way through the brush and multifloral looking for some alternatives for the trail route so as to get out of the streambed that the trail becomes in wet times of the year. Had some success, and also some not-so-successful ideas, but it was an interesting morning and we now have a better knowledge of the lay of the land out there. A good morning on the NCT - thanks to Lee and Doug for coming out! Some photos from today start here: http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/2607097540098879960FLzLve

On Thursday morning, October 7th, we'll meet at the Sterling Road trailhead at Gamelands 285 at 9:00 AM and plan on working for a couple of hours on building new trail away from Indian Rock and back towards the trailhead. Lee and Eleanor spent some time working out there on Sunday afternoon and we'll continue on from where they left off. I thank them for their efforts on keeping us going on that section. As usual, I'll bring the tools, bring along some water to drink. Come when you can and stay as long as you are able as all help is appreciated!

I have an idea in my head to go to Watt's Mill afterward to do the white paint blazes on the access trail to the shelter so we can take the orange marking flags down. It is supposed to be a nice autumn day, perfect for painting, so if you'd like to help out with that I'd welcome you. Probably won't take much longer than an hour to do that.

Thanks for all you do for the North Country Trail - hope to see you Thursday morning at Sterling Road.

Dave Brewer

Haunted Trail Work Tuesday 10/5/10

Good Morning Fellow NCTr's:

Ahhhh . . . October. Cooler temperatures, changing leaves, cornstalks, football, and . . . haunted houses. Speaking of haunted houses, we have one along our section of trail at Cemex. It really doesn't seem haunted on a hot, humid, July morning when you are running the DR mower there. But this time of year, just around twilight (or after dark on a full-moon hike) - well, it is kinda spooky out there. I've done a bit of looking over my shoulder as I've hiked on past. Lots of strange noises come from that old, abandoned house that sits 30 yards off the trail.

So, what better thing to work on this month than to move the trail a little closer to it. Actually, we need to make an adjustment in that area because the NCT follows a double-track that leads to an intersection with some other double tracks, making a sharp right hand turn there, which has lead to some confusion about the trail routing. If we head up the overgrown driveway of that house I think we can cut the corner and make the trail easier to follow. Might have some multi floral to battle to get it done though.

We'll leave from Jata's in Wampum at 9:00 on Tuesday morning, the 5th, and go to the Fletcher Hill Road trailhead. We'll work with flagging tape, loppers, and pruners and come up with a way to get a reasonable reroute on the ground. The plan is to be out for couple of hours. I'll bring the materials and tools - hope you can join us. This will be an interesting project.

Thanks,
Dave Brewer

Our Friday Morning Business Meeting

Good Afternoon Fellow NCTr's:

My thanks to Doug Turner and Lee Fairbanks for coming out to Gamelands 285 yesterday morning for trail work, and to Josh Nard, from the Student Conservation Association in Pittsburgh, for joining us there. We had scheduled a meeting with Josh to talk about his offer of bringing a crew from the SCA out to help us with trail building next April, and thought that we could find some time to talk when we were done digging. The way it worked out is that we talked about the offer while Josh handled a pick mattock to help us to dig new sidehill trail for two hours. THAT's my kind of business meeting.

I didn't get a chance to walk off the yardage dug when we finished up, but we went FAR, and I think we're on track to have a nice piece of trail finished off for the community hike scheduled for the 24th. We put some thought and effort into staying up out of the wet areas along the little stream that runs down through there. More work now, but a better result in the end. Thanks again to those guys for their input on the routing and their hard labor to make that feasible. A few pics from the day start here http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/2875102540098879960uTmsii

I'll get a schedule out for what's going on with trail work next week sometime later this weekend. Archery season for deer starts tomorrow in PA, so break out that flourescent orange if you are heading out to the woods. Thanks for all you do for the NCT.

Dave Brewer

A Day Of Learning

Good Evening Fellow NCTr's:

Doug Turner, Jake Erhardt, Lee Fairbanks, and I had an educational morning on the trail at Mines and Meadows. We learned that the posts and signs that we installed to educate/deter motorized vehicle riders a couple of weeks ago are generally being respected, but that there's always one clown who'll ride a motorcycle up the North Country Trail, right past the signs in place, and all the way up into Gamelands 148.

So, in seeking to rectify this by adding MORE educational signing, blocking posts, and dead brush and trees to close off possible access points, we learned that a disassembled pick-mattock makes an excellent mini spud bar and tamper. We also learned that Lee can yell a warning pretty loudly when he has to, and Jake and Doug can run pretty fast when called upon to do so (Jake bound for New York, Doug heading for North Dakota. They're fast!!). Sorry, really not trying to kill you guys . . . 'nuff said about that.

My thanks to these guys for coming out on a gray morning that threatened rain to try to keep the trail walkable through there. A good morning with good company. A few pictures from today start here: http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/2112233060098879960iGkETk

Hope to see you Thursday morning at Gamelands 285.

Dave Brewer

Trail Work Plans - Recap From the 26th

Good Morning Fellow NCTr's:

Running a little late on getting the plan for this week out - I was trying to get a handle on the weather forecast before deciding on what we should attempt. I won't complain too much because we could certainly use the rain they're calling for today and tomorrow. Here's the plan for Tuesday and Thursday mornings:

Tuesday, September 28th, we'll go back out to the Mines and Meadows section, leaving from Jata's in Wampum at 9:00 AM, and spend some more time putting in some more Carsonite posts and maybe a "kissing gate" or two to try to keep the motorized vehicles off the trail. We'll park at the upper campground area at the ATV resort. Come to Jata's earlier for breakfast if you'd like. Pouring down rain - we won't go out. A little rain here and there - we'll head for Mines and Meadows.

Thursday, September 30 we'll meet at the Sterling Road trailhead at PA Gamelands 285 at 9:00 AM and spend a couple of hours working on digging new sidehill trail away from Indian Rock hill and back towards the trailhead. I'll bring the tools - it should be a beautiful, sunny, autumn morning on the North Country Trail.

We had a good trail work session at the Gamelands last evening, with Eleanor Fairbanks, Rick Ostheimer, and I getting thirty-five yards of quality sidehill put in towards the trailhead. My thanks to those guys for coming out. The ground there seemed to be pretty tough, with rocks and clay to contend with, but the positive side of that is that the trail is going to be durable and hold its shape. A couple of pics from yesterday (starting towards the bottom of the page) are here http://community.webshots.com/album/577334854UNgKrW?start=180

The coolest thing about yesterday's session is that we got to meet two different sets of hikers using the trail. Five years ago I'd be excited to meet up with one or two people over the course of a year out hiking at the gamelands. This season, I've encountered people just about every time I've been there. The new shelter at Watt's Mill and the trail at Indian Rock are making a positive impression and word is getting out about what is going on with the North Country Trail. Also, in the limited time I've been out to Cemex this year I've encountered a couple of walkers and signs of a lot more trail usage. Appreciate everything that everyone does to keep this venture moving forward!

Thanks again - hope to see you on the trail this week,
Dave Brewer

Today's Recap - Sunday's Plan

Good Evening Fellow NCTr's:

It was a golden morning out on the trail at Cemex this morning. In fact, as we stood there taking a break and looking around Jake remarked that it was ". . . a field of gold." It was, as in goldenrod, I believe. Acres, and acres, and acres of it between Fletcher Hill Road and the lime kiln near Snake Run Road- quite beautiful in an autumn kind of way. Some photos here: http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/577334854UNgKrW?start=168 starting on the bottom row. Unfortunately, much of that goldenrod was overhanging the North Country Trail between those two roads and as we ran the DR mower through there, pruned, and weedwacked our pathway clear we threw a bunch of that gold stuff into the air, probably raising the pollen count on the allergy index by a good fifty percent. Sorry about that Lawrence County residents. Gesundheit.

My thanks to the crew who came out to help clear that section of trail on a very humid morning. Jim Houk and Bob Cody handled the DR mower duty today, and Jake Erhardt and Lee Fairbanks pruned that multiforal rose and black raspberry to within an inch of its life. We're looking good out there. In fact, within the last two weeks or so the entire Cemex section has been mowed and/or weedwacked, pruned, and all blowdowns have been removed - third time through there this season to give it "the treatment," if you know what I mean. It is 4x8 from River Road to Sankey Hill Road!

Sunday's (Sept 26) plan is to meet at 5:00 PM at the Sterling Road trailhead at Gamelands 285 and work for a couple of hours on digging new trail away from Indian Rock hill and towards the trailhead. We've only about four weeks left to get this section whipped into shape for the community hike. As always, come when you can and stay as long as you want - all help is appreciated.

Thanks for all you do for the NCT,
Dave

Short-Notice Trailwork This Week

Good Morning Fellow NCTr's:

Some short-notice trailwork plans to pass along this morning:

The Garrett Bridge Construction Company of Darlington, PA put its crew of one (Dennis) on overtime this week and has a sixteen-footer fabricated and ready to install across the little stream on the new section of trail to Indian Rock hill, near the old iron bridge across Little Beaver Creek. The plan is to meet at 9:00 AM Thursday (tomorrow) morning at the Sterling Road trailhead at Gamelands 285 and spend a couple of hours putting that bridge in place. All help on the carry-in and installation would be appreciated.

We have a report of several trees down across the trail at Cemex, on the Fletcher Hill Road to Snake Run Road (east) section. Additionally, I know that the grass has to be high on the field walks out there since we haven't visited that section since mid July. On Friday morning, the 24th, we'll head out from Jata's in Wampum at 9:00 with the DR mower, pruners, and chainsaw and make our way to the Fletcher Hill Road trailhead to spend a couple of hours cleaning all of that up. Come to Jata's earlier for breakfast if you'd like.

As always, come when you can and stay as long as you want, as all help is appreciated.

Hope to see you on the trail!

Dave Brewer


Photo courtesy of Bob Cody of the lime kiln near the Snake Run Road East trailhead.

September 19th Recap

Good Evening Fellow NCTr's:

Wow! What a great evening on the North Country Trail. As the trailwork crew assembled at the Sterling Road trailhead and were getting ready to head in to go to work we noticed them coming up out of the gamelands. It was Tammy Veloski and Rayanne Aiken, along with Kyle and Dale (all down from Butler) finishing up their 6.5 mile hike from the state line. I love it when folks are out walking our sections of the NCT! Makes all the work worthwhile.

After taking a few photos we parted ways and the trail crew headed in to Indian Rock hill where we worked on cribbing, supporting, and backfilling two different areas of new trail. It is amazing what a crew of eleven volunteers (well, ten, since little Oliver is only eight weeks old and making his first trip out to Indian Rock - but we appreciated his support!) can accomplish in a couple of hours. We now have the last forty feet of trail on the shale hillside shored up, along with about sixteen feet across a wash supported, widened out, and in great shape to walk across.

Some photos from this evening are here: http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/577334854UNgKrW?start=144

My thanks to Wampum Chapter trailwork first-timers Jeff Murphy and Autumn Andrews (who brought Oliver along - that was pretty neat) for joining us, and the rest of the crew - Dennis and Cathy Garrett, Lee and Eleanor Fairbanks, Bill Majernik, Tom Scardina, and Doug Turner for all the great work this evening. This crew is getting well-practiced at this "trail work" stuff. I'm kind of sitting here laughing happily to myself, because when I put the call out for trailwork, and we get out to where we are going, I usually only have a general idea of what needs done and how we should do it. Everyone takes a look at the situation, comes up with great ideas and suggestions, and works together like a well-oiled machine to produce some great results - ones that I never pictured in my mind as being so good when completed. I'm always impressed by what we accomplish as a team. Thank you to everyone who works for the chapter and the trail.

We've got the treadway pretty well squared away on either end of Indian Rock hill now (other than getting out there in a rainstorm to find out where we might need some waterbars) and we're ready to finish off the last 500 feet of trail needing benched and grubbed to get back out to the Game Commission double track. We also have a sixteen foot bridge to install and paint blazing to do and we'll be ready for the fall community hike. Piece of cake.

Hope to see you tomorrow evening at the Davis Hollow Cabin for the Chapter meeting - 6:00 PM.

Dave Brewer

Trail Work Sunday Evening 9/19

Good Evening Fellow NCTr's:

We'll head out the the Sterling Road trailhead this Sunday afternoon from 5:00 to 7:00 PM for a couple of hours of trailwork at Indian Rock. We have some cribbing work to finish on the east end of the hill. For the non-diggers interested in coming out we can start paint-blazing back towards the iron bridge, or do some pruning on a newly-flagged section out through the woods towards Sterling Road. THERE'S SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE! Of course, if you'd just like to come out and enjoy the woods on a beautiful September evening I'd encourage you to just do that - we'd appreciate your company.

Reminder - our Wampum Chapter meeting is on Monday evening at the Davis Hollow Cabin at Moraine State Park - 6:00 PM. Please let Cathy Garrett Dcgcag@gmail.com or Eleanor Fairbanks Fairbanks14@comcast.net know if you are planning to attend.

Have a great weekend - hope to see you Sunday and/or Monday!

Dave Brewer

Trail Work In Ohio This Saturday

Good Morning Fellow NCTr's:

I'm forwarding this from Keith Brown of the Great Trail - Sandy Beaver Canal Chapter of the NCTA - our neighbors directly to the west across the state line. Looks like they're building trail this Saturday morning.

If you can help them out I'm sure it would be appreciated. For directions, or if you have any questions please contact Keith at Kanddbrown@aol.com.

Have a great day!
Dave

---------- Forwarded message ----------

From: http://us.mc339.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=Kanddbrown@aol.com>

Date: Tue, Sep 14, 2010 at 4:47 PM

Subject: Work day Sept. 18

Hi All,

The heat and multifloral rose were tough last month so we still have work to do to get the trail finished to Bear Hollow Rd. Hopefully this month we can get it finished and blazed.

We will meet at the Beaver Creek State Park Family Camp Ground at 9:00 am. and drive to the work site. Bring lunch and water. Tools will be provided.

Keith Brown

September Meeting, Trailwork Recap, and Maintainers

Good Evening Fellow NCTr's:

First, the invitation! Our September Chapter meeting is scheduled for next Monday evening, the 20th, at the Davis Hollow Cabin at Moraine State Park, starting at 6:00. We'll have a wienie roast/pot luck picnic for our dinner. From the correspondence I've been in the crossfire of I believe that we're in good shape on hot dogs, buns, and paper supplies - please let Eleanor Fairbanks Fairbanks14@comcast.net or Cathy Garrett Dcgcag@gmail.com know what you'll be bringing so we can ensure we've got the menu covered (I got the chips!).

The Davis Hollow Cabin is located on the north shore at Moraine. If you are coming from the west on 422 you'll have to go to the South Shore exit and get back on 422 (heading west) to get to the North Shore exit. Here's a link to a map of Moraine: http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/parks/moraine/moraine_mini.pdf

Secondly, we had a productive trailwork Monday. Thanks to Doug "The Backhoe" Turner and Lee "The Piledriver" Fairbanks for joining me at Mines and Meadows this morning. While Doug rebenched about forty yards of ATV-damaged sidehill, Lee and I dug out post holes and installed log blockers and Carsonite sign posts on either end of the affected section. It looks good - we'll check in a bit to see it the deterrence measures work in keeping the motorized vehicles off the trail.

At Gamelands 285, at the eastern end of Indian Rock Hill (where the shale and steep hillside are posing some challenges) we now have forty feet of trail cribbed and backfilled. Actually found some clay deep under all that loose rock, which is good for holding support stakes and rebar, and providing some firm footing. About another forty feet to crib and we'll be able to wrap up that difficult stretch of sidehill. Some photos from today start on the second line down here: http://community.webshots.com/album/577334854UNgKrW?start=132

Lastly, we are still in need of individuals or groups (Scouts, church groups, outdoor clubs, etc.) to take on sections of trail to maintain. Bill Menke has revised his Trail Maintenance Manual and in it he describes the proper way to take care of a section of the NCT. If you would like this PDF file I would be glad to forward it to you - please let me know. It does take some time and commitment to keep a length of trail in top shape. If you are interested, or know of an organization that is looking for an ongoing project along these lines, please let me know and we'll get it set up. As we always say, "The pay is lousy, but the sense of satisfaction is immense!"

Thanks for all you do for the trail - hope to see you next Monday evening at the cabin.

Dave Brewer

Recap and Trail Work Plans

Good Morning Fellow NCTr's;

Trail work plans are in place for the next several days and are as follows:

Saturday afternoon, the 11th from 5:00 to 7:00 PM at Gamelands 285/Indian Rock. We'll meet at the Sterling Road trailhead and spend a couple of hours working on the new trail on the eastern end of the hill, putting in some cribbing to finesse the "shaley" sections. I'll bring the tools, saw, and material needed - if you have a cordless drill you could bring it would be appreciated as we may run through some batteries drilling holes for rebar.

Monday morning, the 13th from 9:00 to 11:00 AM at Mines and Meadows just west of Wampum. Some of the ATVs have strayed off the official trails and made a mess of about forty yards of NCT sidehill. The plan is to redig it and put in some sort of barrier and signing at each end of that section to indicate that they should stay off of that hillside. We'll leave from the front of Jata's in Wampum at 9:00 AM and drive up to the M&M campground. Come earlier for breakfast if you'd like. Again, I'll bring the tools and material.

Last evening's trailwork session at Indian Rock/GL285 was pleasant and productive - the cool weather and evening sunshine were very nice. Lee Fairbanks, Dennis Garrett, and father-and-son newcomers Tom and Adam McCloughlin joined me in finishing off the trail on top of the hill by grubbing out about 30 yards of treadway. Lots of rock up there - who'd of thunk it? Thanks to these four guys for their help on this. A few photos on this page: http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/577334854UNgKrW?start=132

Also, Bob Cody reports that he was out on his section of trail between River Rd. and Tony Dytko Rd. at Cemex this weekend with the chainsaw and weedwacker, clearing blowdowns and getting that section, "looking like a sidewalk." Good one-mile section to take a hike on this fall, although, Bob indicated that one should look out for falling acorns this time of year as they hurt really bad when they hit you on the top of your head - lol. Thanks to Bob for his work out there.

Lastly, remember to mark Monday evening, September 20th on your calendar for the monthly Wampum Chapter meeting. We'll be gathering at the Davis Hollow cabin at Moraine State Park this month for this cookout/pot luck picnic. More details to follow.

Thanks for all you do for the North Country Trail!

Dave Brewer