Fall/Winter 2017

The STC 50th Anniversary

By Wanda Shirk A five-mile hike on a perfect October afternoon preceded The Susquehannock Club (STC) is now an official the evening program. Eight hikers-- Wayne Baumann, quinquagenarian! Five decades ago, the Constitution of Bob Bernhardy, Pat Childs, Mike Knowlton, Janet Long, the club was approved unanimously by 19 charter mem- Ginny Musser, Valorie Patillo, and Wanda Shirk—left the bers on October 18, 1967. Fifty years later to the day, on lodge at 2 PM hiking up the Billy Brown Trail, across the Wednesday, October 18, 2017, current club members Ridge Trail segment of the STS. The hikers returned to gathered at the same location to commemorate the club’s the lodge by 4:30 PM via the Wil and Betty Ahn Trail. founding, and to celebrate five decades of maintaining the Back at the lodge, four other members were busily en- Susquehannock Trail System (STS) and its associated link gaged. Helen Bernhardy created a photo board, Penny and crossover trails. Weinhold decorated the tables and dining area, Curt Fifty-eight members attended the celebration at the Sus- Weinhold set up a 14-minute slide show which ran contin- quehannock Lodge, including 53 who packed the dining uously on a 28-inch computer screen throughout the even- room to enjoy excellent prime rib, salmon, or stuffed pork ing, and Lois Morey displayed the club’s array of maps, chops, and four more members who prepared and served guidebooks, patches, shirts, and jackets, along with some the meal—and washed the dishes! Valorie Patillo, Chuck historical materials. Dillon and his wife, Susan, and lodge owners Ed and Carol After the meal, a cake decorated with hikers and a hiking Szymanik then joined fellow members for the program. trail was cut and served with homemade ice cream from the Brown Cow Dairy just east of Ulysses.

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Club president Wanda Shirk opened the program with a coworkers one day. She was driving a Federal Excess short history of hiking trails and the founding of the STC. truck with a broken fuel gauge. Long-time member and guidebook writer Chuck Dillon Bob "Butch" Davey, the club's second president, shared then presented a citation from the office of State Senator some of his memories, recalling how as a young forester, Joseph Scarnati, congratulating the club and honoring the he was assigned to the Susquehannock State Forest Dis- five decades of volunteer work to maintain the 85 mile trict. He and his bride rented an apartment from Bill Fish, Susquehannock Trail System. Next, two unique "Chain the father of the trail idea. Butch was initially pressed— Saw Awards" were given to Joe Allis and Bill Boyd to rec- virtually coerced—into giving his free time and weekends ognize their incredible contributions over the years to var- to locating old CCC trails and figuring out how they could ious trail projects. be connected for the STS. The project soon engrossed Barb Allis, Roxanne McMillan, and Tom Fitzgerald were him, and he embraced it with an eagerness that led to a recognized for their hundreds of volunteer hours as news- life-long passion for trails. Butch later became one of the letter editors for the club over the years. first board members of the Keystone Trails Association.

Wil Ahn Highlight of the program John Eastlake was recognized for his work on the STS and was a "Show-and-Tell" by the creation of the North Link and South Link trails, that Wil Ahn, a charter mem- connect the STS to the . This was ac- ber in 1967 and president complished in conjunction with the late "Legend-in-His- of the club for 30. Wil Own-Time" Bob Webber, who took his last hike in 2015. shared many interesting Bob's area cabin was dismantled this past year anecdotes, including the and is to be re-assembled in 2018 at the fact that Earl Shafer, the Lumber Museum. We remembered Bob with respect, first fondness, and deep appreciation. thru-hiker, spoke at a club Photo by Curt Weinhold Long-time club members Bob Bernhardy and club Secre- event in the 70s and tary Lois Morey — who with her parents was among the stayed at the very lodge where we were eating. Earl hiked trail's first three circuit hikers—also shared some memo- the AT both northbound and southbound— "NoBo," and ries before the program closed. Many members stayed "SoBo," as hikers say. The lodge should have a sign: "Earl afterward to visit and chat, and everyone signed a card for Shafer slept here!" Wil, who currently serves as club ar- Betty Ahn, who at age 100, has had to spend the past chivist, passed around photos and told stories of memora- month at Charles Cole Memorial Hospital. ble club events. Chain Saw Award Two other past club presidents added to the historical re- (Recipients Bill Boyd (L), Joe Allis, Wanda Shirk (Presenter) membrances. Tom Fitzgerald, first president of the trail club from 1967-68, and then chairman of the trail planning committee, explained the original plan was to route the trail system through most of the state parks in the county, and the obstacles that interfered. , for example, had only one trail leading into the park, and Cherry Springs had no trails at all—only roads. But Cher- ry Springs Fire Tower could be included. Tom also sum- marized the "Loeda bypass," which took the trail away Photo by Curt Weinhold from Prouty Place Park. The original trail route passed The club's final two meetings for 2017 will be on Novem- through the private Loeda Lodge property. The club was ber 11 at the Pennsylvania Lumber Museum, and on De- unaware that the owners enjoyed sunbathing in the sum- cember 16 at Lois Morey's house in West Pike for the an- mer until they requested that the trail be re-routed around nual Christmas party. Both meetings will begin with a their property. The bypass eventually became known as dish-to-share meal at 5 PM and club business from 6 to 7 the "Empty Tank Trail," after a state forest timber sale PM. Meeting locations are always listed on the club's web- which used the trail buffer zone as a boundary. The for- site. The website also has a YouTube link to Curt Wein- ester in charge of the sale had to be rescued by her hold's STC slide show from the anniversary dinner. This newsletter is written with 100% recycled words 2 Newsletter printed by the Welfare Hollow Publishing Group, New Florence, PA 15944

STC Highlights & Accomplishments: bridge the creek. (Establishing a new footbridge over By Wanda Shirk Kettle Creek is a long-range goal for the STS. We just Crooks Trail – Dynamite House need, perhaps, a few tens of thousands of dollars.) Half a dozen major former "wet-crossings" have been bridged by firmly-placed and top-leveled logs, most with cable handrails, in the past few years. A few more of these are contemplated for some Hammersley crossings. Club expeditions over the years have included numerous trips to the Adirondacks, as well as two special trips to Isle Royale, Michigan and Mt. Assiniboine, Alberta, Canada. Club regular annual events have included summer campo- rees (often, but not exclusively, at ), Wild Game/Harvest Dinners in the autumn, and Winter Frolic weekends in February. Twenty-first century achievements of the club include: Photo by Larry Holtzapple Seven presidents have served the club over 50 years: • A club website, built by Becky Fitzgerald. • A Facebook page managed by Bob Bernhardy and • Tom Fitzgerald – 2 years, 1967-68 Curt Weinhold. • Bob "Butch" Davey – 1969 • A Swisher mower and a collection of smaller tools, • Wil Ahn – 30 years, 1970-81, and 1992-2009 including chain saws, brush cutters, loppers, shovels, • Curt Weinhold – 6 years, 1982-87 rakes, pulaskis, paintbrushes, latex paint, and other • Boyd Sponaugle – 4 years, 1988-91 equipment for maintaining and blazing the trail. • Wanda Shirk – 7 years, 2010-2017 • An 8-foot Integrity tool trailer, painted by Joe Allis. Thirty-seven paid members were charter members in 1967, Tool Trailer with 19 attending the October 18, 1967 meeting at which the club constitution was approved. Seven of the 37 original members are still members today: Wil and Betty Ahn, Tom and Jayne (Knight) Fitzgerald, Bob "Butch" and Kay Davey, and Bob Knowles. In addition to the 85 mile Susquehannock Trail, the club established two "link trails." The North Link Trail and the South Link Trail, both of which connect the STS with the Black Forest Trail. In more recent years, two west-east (or east-west) "crossover trails" were also established, the West Branch Crossover Trail and the East Fork Crossover Trail, enabling hikers to walk additional shorter loops for Photo by Tom Fitzgerald backpacking weekends. The Trail Shelter project – two Adirondack shelters have been constructed along the trail in the past two years, at The largest existing bridges are the three wooden bridges miles 31 and 42.5. Both were built by volunteer labor. over Lyman Run, Cross Fork Creek, and Young Woman's Each shelter cost the club approximately $800. In addi- Creek, at approximately miles 7, 21, and 37 respectively. A tion, the 1930s-era CCC Dynamite House at mile 10.7, has smaller wooden bridge facilitates the final crossing of been cleaned up with a new door and porch built by Joe Greenlick Run at mile 39.7. Allis. This building can be used as a third shelter. Two bridges over Kettle Creek were washed out by floods, A life membership program, STC endowment fund, and resulting in a trail reroute that follows Route 144 in the Legacy Society have also been established to ensure the village of Cross Fork, utilizing Cross Fork's main street to club's financial sustainability for decades to come. This newsletter is written with 100% recycled words 3 Newsletter printed by the Welfare Hollow Publishing Group, New Florence, PA 15944

STC Summer Camporee and Follow-up began avoiding the steep bank and found an easy place to By Bill Boyd. Edited byTom Fitzgerald walk down to the well road. That place is gentle enough to Two backpackers enjoying the fruits of our labors run the Swisher mower up onto the bank, over to the orig- inal trail, and then over the hill all the way to (Big) Green- lick Run. The new post is up on the bank of the road at that place. The STS follows the gas well road down to the Greenlick public road. The crew also re-blazed the Italian Hollow CCC trail and cleared away brush that was obscur- ing the new blazes. Wanda Shirk and Steve Nickerson mowed down nettles on the Morgan Hollow Trail, while Tod Twitchell and John Zimmer removed a couple of blowdowns on the same trail. Because of the steepness of that hollow, Wanda de- cided to leave her pack with the rain poncho inside at the bottom, rather than carry it up. When a rainstorm hit, she was at the top! Photo by Violeta Holtzapple Larry Holtzapple, Bill Boyd, Tod Twitchell , John Zimmer, The 2017 annual camporee at Ole Bull State Park on Fri- Valorie Patillo, and Roxanne McMillan - did some addi- day and Saturday, August 11 and 12, followed pretty much tional clearing at the new Spook Hollow shelter site. the pattern of the last few years—a “workoree,” rather Tod Twitchell and Valorie Patillo did some clearing on the than a recreational weekend. But this year saw a record Ole Bull Trail—and also got caught in the downpour. turnout of club members, especially eager new faces who breathed new life into the tire old stalwarts. Most of the Chuck Hager, Buzz Russell, Gary Russell, and Wellis Bal- club members who attend the annual camporee these days liet removed two large blowdowns from the trail in Green don’t like to hike without a tool. It just doesn’t seem right Timber Hollow—and got caught in the same downpour. to head off down the trail unless you’re guiding a Swisher Chuck Hager, Buzz and Gary Russell, Larry Holtzapple, mower, or at least carrying a weed whacker, loppers, trail Bill Boyd , Wellis Balliet, Valorie Patillo and Roxanne blazing paint, or some kind of saw. McMillan went to the Frazier Farm Trail. Larry ran the Eleven sections of the Susquehannock Trail System and weedwhacker, the ladies lopped limbs, and the rest of the two shelter sites received attention. For the fifth year in a guys removed a very large blowdown. row, the club presented to Ole Bull Park a picnic table Will it keep raining – or not? made by Bill Boyd. l-R: Wellis Balliet, Bill Boyd, Larry Holtzapple, Unidentified, John Zimmer And then the trail work began. The early birds arrived Friday morning and hit the ground running. Six sections of the STS were improved by the end of the camporee. Chuck Hager, Allen “Buzz” Russell, and John Zimmer placed a new post and STS sign on the west end of the Italian Hollow Trail in the valley of Little Greenlick Run. Prior to the construction of the Greenlick Gas Storage field, the original Italian Hollow trail built in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps ran straight down the hill to the road. The gas storage field, which is older than the STS, ran one of their well access roads a short distance up the hill on the north side of the trail, then turned southeast Photo by Violeta Holtzapple and crossed the trail toward the direction of the well. That The morning of Saturday, August 12, got off to a slow left a high bank at the juncture of the old trail. The trail start while we waited for uncertain weather to make up its had been little used until the STS was founded. STS hikers mind—and for Trail Maintenance Supervisor Bill Boyd to This newsletter is written with 100% recycled words 4 Newsletter printed by the Welfare Hollow Publishing Group, New Florence, PA 15944

finish ferrying one or two of the crews to the starting litter of any kind after several months of overnight hiker points of their assigned trail sections after they had placed visits! vehicles at the ending points. The other four members of the crew, Wellis Balliet, Tom A light rain shower shortly after 9 AM was a little discour- Fitzgerald, Chuck Hager, and “Buzz” Russell retrieved a aging, but lasted only about 15 minutes. Then the work signpost that had been hauled in the previous year. The parties set out to begin their day’s projects. post had been cut from an old creosoted utility pole do- nated by the Verizon telephone company. They loaded Club President Wands Shirk was the first to disappear. It the post, four signs, and digging tools onto Tom’s carpet was only at the end of the day when she reappeared that cart and headed down the Porter Pine Trail toward the we learned that she had spent the day working on her sec- mouth of the Scoval Branch. tion of the STS—the Wild Boy-Stony Run area in the East Fork of Sinnemahoning Creek. Wellis, Chuck, and “Buzz” pulled the cart along behind Tom, who led the way, using a long-handled shovel as a Valorie Patillo, Roxanne McMillan, and Bob Bernhardy - hiking stick, and reassured the crew on several occasions cleared the Impson Hollow Trail. that they were “almost halfway,” and later on, “almost Curt and Penny Weinhold cleared some on the mountain- there.” A large fallen black cherry tree blocked the way, top of the Ole Bull-Impson Hollow Trail but there was just enough clearance under it to slip the Chris Bell, working alone, cut brush and briars along the loaded cart beneath. At the mouth of the Scoval Branch Hammersley Trail. where it empties into the Osborne branch of Young Woman’s Creek, Tom announced they really were “there” Scoval Branch Crew L-R: Chuck Hager, John Zimmer, Buzz Russell, Larry Holtzapple, Bill Boyd, at last and selected a spot for the sign. The crew dug a 30- Tom Fitzgerald, Wellis Balliet inch-deep hole to set the post. The site is a broad silty flood plain, and the post hole was the only one that any of the crew could remember that was entirely free of rocks. The crew made trips to the stream and a nearby uprooted tree to collect enough rocks to make the post as solid as possible in the hole. They used a string attached to a box wrench as a sighting line to plumb up the post. The four signs identify the Osborne and Scoval branches of Young Woman’s Creek and point the directions of the Susque- hannock Trail Sys- tem. Sign Crew in the Osborne Branch L-R: Tom Fitzgearld, Buzz Russell, Wellis Photo by Violeta Holtzapple Just as they finished, Balliet, Chuck Hager The Scoval Branch crew traveled to the site in a three- Violeta Holtzapple truck convoy, and the way in was not without a small mis- and Helen Bern- hap. A family of wasps had taken up residence in the lock hardy arrived. Vio- shelter on the first gate. Larry Holtzapple was stung twice leta took the official before he got the gate open. But despite the two recent record picture of rainstorms, the steep pipeline was hard enough that all the crew gathered three trucks made it back out with no tires spinning. around the sign. The first crew member up and running was Helen Bern- By the time the sign hardy who fired up the weed whacker and mowed the crew returned to the shelter, the other footpath between the shelter and the pipeline. The rest of Photo by Violeta Holtzapple the crew split up. Bill Boyd, Larry Holtzapple and John crew had finished Zimmer carried in a stepladder and attached a routed sign their work. They loaded all the equipment on the trucks to the front of the structure which identified it as the “STS and headed back to Ole Bull Park. On the way out, John SCOVAL BRANCH SHELTER.” Violeta Holtzapple Zimmer remembered that he had brought along a spray gave attention to tidying up the area. There was almost no can of wasp killer. The lock area of the gate with the

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wasps was thoroughly soaked with the spray before anyone of a live one. Another member passed a road-killed one attempted to reattach the padlock. on Saturday. I think we speak for our members: we are of the conviction that we don't harm them if at all possible to All told, the crews put in about 124 man-hours on Friday avoid it. After all, we hike and camp in their territory, and and Saturday. And some of these jobs took place amidst a they don't harm us. few pretty good rain showers plus a couple of wasp stings. But for some reason these crews came back to camp all Working on the Spook Hollow Shelter L-R: Chuck Hager, Valorie Patillo, Mark Kelly, John Zimmer, Bill Boyd smiles and laughing about it. A pretty hardy bunch! President Wanda Shirk conducted a great meeting for 31 members and guests. Bill Morey did a good job flipping burgers and dogs. And of course, all the members brought along food to share. Lois Morey had a table of club arti- cles for sale. Valorie Patillo, the unofficial STC librarian, had a nice selection of books for lending. And the rain even held off.

Guest Speaker, Jeff Mitchell

Photo by Larry Holtzapple The work didn’t stop when the camporee was over. Sev- eral of the crew, including Bill Boyd, Chuck Hager Larry Holtzapple, Valorie Patillo, and John Zimmer continued plugging away on the new Spook Hollow shelter until the structure was completed. About a month after the camporee, on September 9, 2017, Bob and Helen Bernhardy were at it again. This time they repainted the suspension footbridge on the Fish Trail that spans the main channel Larry Holtzappple repainting of Lyman Run. They the Williams Trail Book box started in the middle of the bridge and worked both ways, backing up as they went. Oh, oh! When they finished, Hel- en was stranded on the far side of the creek and had to wade across the stream to get back to

Photo by Curt Weihold their vehicle. (No hikers Our speaker this year, Jeff Mitchell, gave a very nice slide came along before the show of "Hidden Beauty of Pennsylvania." There are a paint was dry.) great many beautiful sites right in our own state. Larry Holtzapple was Photo by Violeta Holtzapple And of course, we thank Ole Bull State Park Management also busy with brush and for the accommodations. paint. He applied a nice green color to the covers of the trail book boxes along the Ridge, Scheibner, and Williams The rattlesnakes fared about 50-50 for the weekend. One trails. of our members coming down Route 44 on Friday stopped for some folks out of their vehicles taking pictures This newsletter is written with 100% recycled words 6 Newsletter printed by the Welfare Hollow Publishing Group, New Florence, PA 15944

The Porter Pine Trail The forest in that area had been almost completely clearcut By Tom Fitzgerald by 1920. When the Civilian Conservation Corps was Hey! I thought this was the Porter PINE Trail! What gives? building facilities in the 1930s, most of the forest was just emerging from the brush stage. But here and there were individual trees and scattered patches of forest that the loggers chose to ignore for whatever reason. My guess is that there was probably a large pine tree standing beside the Shephard Road at the upper end of the Scoval Branch valley. Taller than the brush around it, the tree served as a landmark, and the CCC trail-building crew used that as the location of the top end of their trail from the mouth of the Porter Branch. Hence the name, Porter-Pine Trail.” It’s as good a guess as any.

Along the Trail Photo of Helen Bernhardy by Violeta Holtzapple By Wil Ahn The Susquehannock Trail Club’s first Adirondack-style I always called him trail shelter is located in the Scoval Branch of Young Remembering Bob Webber “Ranger Bob.” When- Woman’s Creek. It stands beside the Porter Pine Trail. ever I met Bob, he But unless you had looked at the Susquehannock State would always give me Forest management maps or one of the old Civilian Con- his broad smile. I knew servation Corps maps, you would never know that. he liked the recognition How did that old CCC trail get that name? From the of “ranger;” and true to names of numerous other trails in that area, it appears that that name, he was. He the CCC camps at Ole Bull and the Dyer Farm had a habit spent a great amount of of naming the trails they built after the physical features at his time in the forest each end. For example, the Dyer-Pike Trail connects the and mountains search- Dyer Farm with the Coudersport-Jersey Shore Turnpike ing for old trails and (PA Route 44 today). The Cou-Rob Trail connects the railroad grades from the County Line Branch of Young Woman’s Creek with the early logging days. He Robinson Road. enjoyed this type of ad- venture. It filled his inner soul. Sometimes that nomenclature got a bit awkward. The trail that connects Ole Bull State Park with Impson Hollow is Bob was not the type of man who kept his love of the the Ole Bull-Impson Hollow Trail. The trail in Impson woods to himself. When asked to do so, fellow hikers Hollow itself is the (just plain) Impson Hollow Trail. Both would gladly follow his leadership into the wilderness, are part of the Susquehannock Trail System. knowing that they could depend on Bob to show them an enjoyable day in the woods. Bob’s good friend John The Porter Pine Trail begins at the bottom end of the Por- Eastlake, a forester from the PA DCNR Tiadaghton State ter Branch of Young Woman’s Creek, and extends up the Forest District, along with Bob, searched out and built the Osborne Branch for a distance, then gradually curves into Black Forest Trail, one of the most scenic and challenging the Scoval Branch, where it passes our shelter and eventu- hiking trails in Pennsylvania. ally terminates at the Shephard Road. Why then, wasn’t it named the “Porter-Shephard Trail?” None of us know. Bob had the good natural ability of showmanship and Most of the “CCC Boys” have died of old age. There would readily share his theatrical quality with his friends aren’t many left to ask. I suspect the Shephard name was and hiking partners with just a little urging. rejected because the Shephard Road is miles long, and Bob was one of a kind. I have a hiking stick Bob had “Pine.” indicated a specific point. made for me that I am proud to own. It will be a forever remembrance of my friend Bob. This newsletter is written with 100% recycled words 7 Newsletter printed by the Welfare Hollow Publishing Group, New Florence, PA 15944

Geocache Outing After that, we crossed the bridge above the dam spillway By Penny Weinhold where we stopped for a time. Penny Weinhold told of the Lyman Run Trail river otters that the park staff had seen a short distance L to R: Unidentified woman, Wanda Shirk, Bill Daly, Penny Weinhold, Art below the dam the previous winter. We all spent a fair Huber amount of time on watch, but no otters were spotted as long as we stood there that afternoon. The final cache—a very small one—was cleverly hidden inside a light cover at a park kiosk. Everyone agreed the cache hunt was a fun time with perfect weather and good camaraderie. Then it was back to the Parking area for a brief time of chatter and snacking.

Woman Kills Buck with Axe Circa 1870 From Forbidden Land, Strange Events in the Black Forest, Vol. 1, 1614-1895, Page 45 ©1971 By Robert R. Lyman, Sr. Published by The Potter Enterprise, Photo by Curt Weinhold Coudersport, PA 16915 On Sunday afternoon, September 10, 2017, five hikers set Soon after his return from the Civil off on a 3-mile outing with Bill Daly, Geocache instructor War, Rev. Samuel Hull and his wife, par excellence. Bill informed us the sport of geocaching Margaret, moved from Ulysses to the was developed in May 2000, shortly after the 24 satellites East Fork District and built a log of the American Global Positioning System (GPS) were house on the Wild Boy. There was made accessible to the public. “Geo” refers to Earth, and only one road there, built years before “cache” is French for a hidden place. Since its inception, to take out pine logs. There were no the sport has grown exponentially. There are currently bridges across the streams and no two million geocaches worldwide. The members of our neighbors nearer than five miles. little group, though, were new to the sport. Samuel was away from home much of We began our trek by following the Fish Trail section of the time as he went from settlement the Susquehannock Trail System above Lyman Run State to settlement preaching his Methodist Park. The prior day’s fresh paint had dried, and no one’s faith to all who would listen. This left feet stuck to the bridge deck! We soon left the STS and Margaret alone to work the garden, do headed down the Lyman Run Trail toward Lyman Lake. the farm chores, and cut her fire Each person was given a small GPS receiver to carry wood. She was a small woman who which also contained a compass. The location of each never weighed as much as 100 pounds. But she was brave, cache had been previously programmed into each receiver determined, full of energy, and as hard as a pine knot. by Mr. Daly. One of her duties was to search the woods each evening STC President, Wanda Shirk, discovered the first cache, and drive the cattle and the sheep to the barn where they which was hidden beneath the Fish Trail bridge. It was a would be safe from the wolves and bears. Often she came U.S. Army ammunition can that contained packets of in after dark with a newborn calf or lamb in her arms. gummy candies. (Ahh—extra energy to hike onward!) One day, Margaret heard a disturbance in the wood yard. The second cache was hidden in a chunk of firewood with It proved to be a fight between the dog and a large buck a hinged door on the underside. It contained a log book deer. The dog was getting the worst of it. She seized an which was signed by each of us. axe and took a hand in the fracas. The deer was so busy fighting the dog that he paid little attention to her. A well- The Lyman Run Trail continues downstream alongside the directed blow or two saved the dog from being trampled, hillside above Lyman Lake on the opposite side of the lake and without the waste of precious powder and lead, she from the road. It was there where a third cache was found had venison for herself, Samuel and their son, Joseph. by Art Huber behind the root ball of a fallen tree.

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(Almost) 50 Years on the STS pied by beavers since that time. I always stop here when By Bill Libhart, STS Circuit Hiker # 906 hiking or grouse hunting in Bolich to rest and reflect. Hikers looking at a beaver pond in the Hogback (circa 1968) At this point, Paul left me to fend for myself for the rest of the hunt. Probably the first time I was “solo” in God’s Country, I must have traveled on down Bolich Run. I real- ly don’t recall actually stopping at all to “setup” for the possibility of seeing a gobbler. I believe I was simply wan- dering through and totally immersed in the woods, enjoy- ing my independence. It was a beautiful day—warm, full sunshine, and blue sky. I remember, while crossing Bolich, looking up and seeing a doe watching me from about 50 feet up a logging road. After I climbed and crossed the western ridge of Bolich (the “hogback”), I remember descending into a fairly open

Photo by Tom Fitzgerald valley (open due to beaver cuttings). As I neared the bot- As I understand it, 1968 not only marked the first full year tom, I noticed a very distinct trail freshly cut into the of the Susquehannock Trail System (STS) but also the first hillside. I moved down to this trail and saw the very bright year of spring gobbler hunting in Pennsylvania. Discover- orange blazes painted on occasional trees. Not until a few ing this made me realize that for me, this coincidence is years later, did I discover that this was part of the very new certainly high on a list of reasons that propelled me on a Susquehannock Trail System. I think at about this point, I lifetime love of the outdoors, nature, and Potter County. knew it was time to return to our starting location, so I turned around and headed back. In reflection, I believe it was actually in 1969 that my in- troduction to both spring gobbler hunting and the STS Little did I know on this first brief encounter with the STS, occurred. Although 49 years ago, I can still recall that day that I would spend the next (almost 50) years hiking, hunt- as if it were yesterday. ing, and backpacking on the trails of the STS. I still day- hike in Potter County and often use the various trails of I would have been 14 years old, and my dad and Paul, my the STS. My oldest son, Ian and I became “circuit hikers” dad’s lifelong best friend and co-owner of our camp at about ten years ago. I A wild turkey during mating season Windfall Run near Cross Fork, had taken me along for also tramp the Hog- gobbler hunting. Both of these men, who were so influen- back (Bolich and tial in my life, have been gone for some time now. Hogback valleys) on That day, we went out to the vicinity of what our camp has my occasional grouse always referred to as “the farmlands” which lie along Short hunts. Run Road several miles north of our cabin. I was outfitted As I was writing this, I in the basic 60’s small game wardrobe of brown canvas realized that the STS small-game jacket and brush pants. I’m sure they were has had a substantial “borrowed’ or “hand-me-downs” (as most of my hunting contribution to my attire was for my first few hunting years). I carried an old outdoor experienc- Stevens 12-gauge double-barreled shotgun. I don’t believe es—just as my dad I even had a turkey call! and Paul had quite a

I well remember going into the woods just as daylight was while ago. Photo from www.wikipedia.com approaching. For some reason, I started out with Paul, and we soon came upon a beaver dam. Paul and I stood together behind a tree and he whispered to be still and quiet. Sure enough, we soon got to watch a beaver work- Bolich Run and Most of Hogback Hollow are located in ing on the dam. Years later, I realized this must have been Abbott Township, Potter County, PA. The township has a dam along Bolich Run that has been intermittently occu- a total area of 69.9 square miles and in 2000, a population of 226 people—3.2 people per square mile. This newsletter is written with 100% recycled words 9 Newsletter printed by the Welfare Hollow Publishing Group, New Florence, PA 15944

Old Geezer Hiking Memories foot on the new snow in a woodland of ash, beech, cherry, Fall and Winter Hikes hemlock, and maple trees. By bob Knowles Following a deer trail angling uphill, I checked numerous An early autumn day arrived with above normal tempera- trailside fresh turkey scratchings and a few turkey drop- ture and warm sun in a cloudless blue sky—a perfect hik- pings nearby. On the summit, the immediate area was ing day! I reminisced of a similar autumn day a decade and dominated by beech trees with an understory of beech a half ago in the 160,000-acre . Roger saplings. Being alone on the mountaintop woodland trail Buck and I hiked downhill on a gated old DCNR timber created a feeling of closeness with nature, akin to the sa- sale road. The trail, within occasional sight of Babbs cred feeling in a big-old-cathedral where one would con- Creek on our right, led to Sand Run Dyke Creek atop Sand verse in hushed whispers. I gave spiritual thanks for being Run Falls. The estimated 25-foot-high by 15-or-more-foot specially blessed by being physically and mentally able to wide impressive waterfall tumbled over layered thin rock lone-hike to remote woodland locations to occasionally into a U-shaped bowl with nearly vertical walls. Aided by escape the sights and sounds of our society. fortuitously placed exposed tree-root handholds and a few Three days later, I lone-hiked a sunlit snow-covered posterior slides, we descended a steep break in the western hillside trail in the Susquehannock State Forest in a narrow wall to the bowl bottomland. The shape and depth re- hollow, guarded on both sides by steep-sided mountains minded me of an open-ended stadium. At the waterfall’s with a small mountain stream wandering down the bot- edge, surrounded on three sides by vertical walls, the wa- tom. The cold mountain stream sounded happy as it tum- terfall was a magnificent sight. bled over a low natural dam breast, through a wide shallow Downstream a short distance, we discovered a smaller wa- pool around a sharp bend. Streamside twigs and dry grass- terfall 10-to-12-feet high, also in a small U-shaped bowl. es hanging over the rushing water were sheathed in ice. We crawled up a steep trail to explore a blazed trail atop At the trailhead, tiny mouse or vole tracks emerged from a the larger bowl’s eastern rim. Hiking a short distance, we large snow-covered leaf pile, crossed the hiking trail, and met two orange-clad hunters who informed us the trail disappeared under a smaller brush pile. Farther downhill, I terminated at Landrus Road, a half hour hike away. With came upon a trail of chipmunk tracks that led under some less than an hour and a half to darkness, we decided to exposed tree roots. Possibly the chipmunk decided to begin our backtrack hike to our roadside-parked auto. check the conditions above ground, and then returned to Driving homeward, the deciduous trees appeared less col- its underground home. orful on the mountainsides. Isolated small groups of gold- en-brown soft needles of larch or tamarack trees were more noticeable. The larch is a conifer, but not an ever- Hills of My Youth green. It sheds its short needles annually during late fall, By Harvena Richter and grows new soft light-green needles the spring. Small (Reconstructed by the editor from an old memory) egg-shaped cones ripen in the fall, eventually open and I stroke the backs of bare November hills, scatter seeds in cold weather. Beasts of my youth, now shaggy grown and tame. Year’s end is days away, and winter has arrived. Woodland I know you all by feature and by name hollows and mountains are snow covered. Flora and fauna And call again the ragged syllables have gone dormant, hibernated, or migrated. The agita- Of Birch and Panther hills, and Gravel Bank tion, frenzy, and joys of the holidays are forgotten. On a And Guildon Hill and Muscatawney Ridge cold late December morning, I began my first winter day and Round Top high above the covered bridge, hike. I felt privileged being the first hiker to leave foot- All humped now, touched with frost along the flank. prints in four inches of new snow. Squirrel tracks crossed I climbed your backs when I was young, the hiking trail, and farther along, two turkey tracks. The And rode the sky and saw the fields below parklike woodland, devoid of understory growth, was a Fall back in waves of summer green and snow, scene of muted browns, grays, and black brightened by the And felt the sky flow cool against my tongue. green of scattered hemlock trees. Hiking was quiet under- My beasts lie tawny in the autumn glow, But wilder mountains wait me where I go.

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The White Sandstone Quarry Welcome New Members By Donna Batterson By Lois Morey, STC Secretary In the Pennsylvania Second Geological Survey, Report Aaron Barnes Charles Hallett G.G.G., 1880, by Andrew Sherwood, Geology of Potter Montoursville, PA Galeton, PA County indicates the presence throughout the county of Wendi Barnes Laurie Lewis massive sandstone of one formation or another, ranging in Montoursville, PA Strasburg, PA color from white through grayish-green to red, and from Richard Bartman William Lewis fine grained to pebble conglomerate, all/any of which will Bentleyville, PA Strasburg, PA furnish building material, and some are suitable for making Joseph Benner Susan Mitchell dressed stone. Richfield, PA Davenport, FL In 1906, the White Sandstone Quarry located on the Clark Dave Cardellino Mark Moline Farm a mile west of Galeton, PA, and north of the east- Cross Fork, PA Rehoboth Beach, DE west road opened in 1810, was begun by Milford N. Mark Crames Emily Nordquist Stebbins of Sabinsville, PA. Twelve years earlier in 1894, Great Neck, NY Coudersport, PA Stebbins had entered into partnership with C. N. Butts, Nicole Desaulniers Sarah Patterson also of Sabinsville. They engaged in contracting for stone Rehoboth Beach, DE Jersey Shore, PA work, brick work, bridges, pile driving, and related con- David Fauerbach Stephen Paylor struction jobs. Dallas, PA Ardmore, PA An incline tram railroad was built to bring cut stone Cathy Fauerbach Brian Shultz Dallas, PA York, PA blocks, each weighing 2 to 3 tons, down from the top of the mountain by tramcar. The stone was loaded onto the Steve Garner Tawnya Shultz Corning, NY York, PA tramcars at the top of the incline. Tongs were fastened to the huge, heavy blocks, and the blocks were lifted up by a Stephanie Garner Clay Symons Corning, NY Pottstown, PA stationary mast and movable boom arrangement powered Don Green Tom Werstler by a horse or mule walking in circles around a winch that Cambridge Springs, PA Coudersport, PA wound up the metal cable. Josephine Hallett

A fully loaded tramcar descended the mountain utilizing its Galeton, PA weight to pull an empty car up the mountain. Halfway up, the cars bypassed each other on a short elliptical section of double track. This eliminated the need for two tracks all Newest Circuit Hiker Award Recipients the way. By Lois Morey, STC Secretary The blocks were transferred to the Buffalo & Susquehanna 1145 Stephen Paylor 1150 Alisha Glasgow Ardmore, PA Mercer, PA Railway which ran through the valley at the base of the mountain. The railroad company had installed a switch 1146 William Lewis 1151 Tiffany Hrach Strasburg, PA Mercer, PA just west of the “Black Bridge,” with a sidetrack leading to the base of the quarry’s incline tram railroad. 1147 Laurie Lewis 1152 Daren Allen Strasburg, PA Mercer, PA Sandstone from the White Sandstone Quarry was used to 1148 Jeffery Barr 1153 Kelsey Phillips construct the famous railroad bridge—“the longest stone Silverdale, PA Kent, OH arch bridge in the world”—across the 1149 Rich Glasgow 1154 Art Link near Harrisburg, PA, and also to build the bridge across Mercer, PA Kent, OH the Delaware Water Gap, as well as numerous churches and bridge abutments closer to the quarry. In 1914 the quarry was closed and abandoned after a cable Next Newsletter Deadline broke and a tramcar filled with stone sped to the bottom if All articles must be received before March 17, 2015 to be the incline, crashed across the B&S Railway tracks and the included in the next edition of the Susquehannock Hiker. east-west highway, and ended up in Pine Creek. Email your articles to [email protected], or mail them via the USPS to PO Box B, Robinson, PA 15949. This newsletter is written with 100% recycled words 11 Newsletter printed by the Welfare Hollow Publishing Group, New Florence, PA 15944

Some Days are Longer than Others down Morgan Hollow Trail was slow because of the By Robert F. “Butch” Davey steepness and rocks along the trail. The Susquehannock Trail System (STS) was the major fo- It was nearly dark when we arrived at the car for the long cus of the Susquehannock Trail Club in the early days. drive back to Coudersport. Arriving at home, food and a Fifty years have passed since the STS was initiated, and my good night’s sleep without sleeping pills awaited. (As a memory is not clear on all the details of scouting, flagging postscript, little did I realize that a decade and a half later I trails, and painting the trail markings. However, one day is would be working in the !) remarkably clear. It should be remembered that Bill Fish, editor of the Pot- Tom Fitzgerald and I had an ambitious plan to scout the ter Enterprise, was the catalyst of the STS. Kay and I rent- STS route from Big Springs Road to Greenlick Road in a ed part of the Fish residence and Bill kept needling and day. Tom was scouting the Rattlesnake Trail to the Fork encouraging STC members to finish The Susquehannock Hill Road then down the Morgan Hollow Trail to the Trail System. Twelve Mile Road at the left branch of Young Women’s Some days are longer than others. This was a long day Creek (LBYWC). I left Tom at Rattlesnake Trail. I then with a happy ending for Tom and me. drove to the Twelve Mile Road near LBYWC and parked the car near a State Forest campsite lease. The location is along the boundary between the Sproul State Forest and Susquehannock State Forest. The Name and the Monogram My task was to hike, scout, and flag the Long Hollow Trail By Tom Fitzgerald and Bobsled Trail to Greenlick Run, then follow Greenlick The trail planning com- Run upstream in a northerly direction to the intersection mittee decided to keep of the Italian Hollow Trail, and finally hike the Italian Hol- the names of all the old low Trail up over a low hill and down to the Little Green- trails, and call our link- lick Road. In the meantime, when Tom finished his sec- age the Susquehannock tion, he was to pick up my car, drive around to the Little Trail System. Hence, the Greenlick Road and pick me up at Italian Hollow. “STS” initials were born. It was a beautiful hiking day with sunshine, blue sky, a gen- We needed some sort of tle breeze, and ideal temperatures. There was no GPS a unique distinctive em- technology in those days, so we depended on USGS 7½ - blem to identify our trail minute quadrangle maps and hand compasses for orient- system. The planning committee held an emblem contest. eering. We hung strips of orange plastic flagging as we A number of designs were submitted, many of them by explored trails to facilitate later paint blazes. Bob Knowles, and involved shapes such as footprints. They were all good but none of them seemed to “click” By late afternoon I reached the Little GreenlLick Road and with the committee. waited for Tom to pick me up. After waiting some time without Tom arriving I decided to hike State Forest roads A few years earlier in adjacent State, the Finger back toward the car. My expectation was that Tom would Lakes Trail was being developed, and the FLT group had be driving the car toward my location. Low and behold, I come up with a very attractive monogram with their three hiked all the way to the car with no Tom in sight. I initials fit together into a unique design. That inspired our thought something happened to Tom. committee: if they can do that, we can, too! That led to our initials, “STS” being combined into a slanted for- By this time, the sun was setting so I started hiking Mor- mation descending to the right, with each of the two “S’s” gan Hollow Trail. In a short time I saw a specter wearing formed of five straight lines with the corners slightly bev- an orange hard hat trudging down Morgan Hollow Trail. eled. The left end of the top of the “T” fit into the open- It was Tom, and he was somewhat worse for wear. His ing of the first “S.” A few months later when the Susque- tale for the day involved time spent searching for the trace hannock Trail Club was brought into existence, we fol- of an almost lost ccc footpath, and included encountering lowed the same design, simply substituting a “C” for the a rattlesnake on, you guessed it, Rattlesnake Trail. His hike second “S.”

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Cardiac Climb—“Almost Halfway” old railroad grade. We needed to cross the upper end of By Tom Fitzgerald the West Branch to reach Patterson Park.

New Sign and Post as of 2007 In 1965, I was part of a Among the founding members of the trail club was four-man timber- Delmar Kerr who had recently moved from Springdale, marking crew that was PA to Coudersport, and taken a job with the local weekly just starting to mark a newspaper, The Potter Enterprise. Prior to the move, Del state forest timber sale and his wife, Lois, had traveled extensively across Pennsyl- on the ridge above West vania, visiting and camping in as many state parks as pos- Darian Run near Costel- sible. After each trip, they wrote about their impressions lo in the western part of of a particular park in a column called “Campfire Silhou- the Susquehannock ettes” which ran in the Enterprise. State Forest. One end Del got out on the proposed trail as much as he had time of the long narrow sale for, and kept abreast of the scouting and trail layout. (In area bordered the Por- fact he personally laid out the Kerr Trail, a connecting link tage Road where we between Patterson Park and a CCC trail at a location called parked our vehicle. The Photo by Tom Fitzgearld Little Cherry Springs that most people have never heard crew leader, Bob Lau- of, and later wrote the trail system’s first guidebook, Wel- bach, had decided that we would start at the far end of the come to Big Susque Country.) When we told him about our sale area. Each day’s work would take us closer to our decision to use the old railroad switchback to cross the parked vehicle. Sunken Branch road, he heartily approved with the remark There was no logging road in the sale area because this was that the last pitch of the Splash Dam CCC trail up to the to be the first cut in the second-growth forest that had road is “a real cardiac climb!” grown up since the big logging era of the late 1800s. And Those remarks, spoken at different times by different peo- there was no old Civilian Conservation Corps trail on that ple under unrelated circumstances were too good to pass ridge, either. The walk was entirely bushwhacking, alt- up. After I had given it some thought and further trail hough there weren’t many bushes to whack. The woods layout had been done, I decided to put them together in were open due to the high deer population in the area at the lower end of the Cherry Springs Tower Trail. The the time. The four of us were each carrying two to four climb up that hollow was not as steep as the pitch at the gallons of tree marking pain, paint guns, drinking water, upper end of the Splash Dam Trail, but it was much long- and lunch. The far end of the sale area was about two er. I didn’t have a router in those days, so I hired a local miles from the vehicle, and It took close to an hour to carpenter in Coudersport, PA, named Tom Chitester to walk out to where we would start working. The walk was make a routed sigh proclaiming the Chery Springs Tower interspersed with several rest breaks. At one such stop, Trail hill, “Cardiac Climb.” I cut a locust post and dragged crew leader Bob announced, “One more hard push and it about halfway up the hill and erected the sign. Shortly we’ll be almost halfway!’ I never forgot that encouraging after that, I added a second sign announcing that the loca- (or was it discouraging?) remark. tion was “almost halfway” up the hill. (The post and signs A couple of years later, the Susquehannock Trail Club was were replaced in 2007 after about 35 years of service.) formed and we began scouting old CCC trails and logging Ironically, within a couple of years, the Susquehannock roads for a possible route of the future Susquehannock State Forest District laid out a snowmobile trail which Trail System. One of the early candidates for inclusion in took over the railroad switchback in the upper end of the trail system was the Splash Dam Trail which led up to Splash Dam Hollow, and the STS was forced to use the the Sunken Branch Road. The trail up the hollow was a steep pitch we had originally avoided. That left the STS gentle easy ascent, but it ended with a short steep pitch up without a connecting link from the top of Splash Dam to the road. A short distance down Splash Dam Hollow Hollow down into the upper West Branch. But shortly from the Sunken Branch Road was the remains of a log- thereafter, Dick Hribar, another early member of the club, ging railroad grade that switchbacked up to the road and scouted and laid out the connecting link which today is led across it down into the upper West Branch of Pine known as the “Hribar Route.” Creek. We decided to take the easy way out and use the This newsletter is written with 100% recycled words 13 Newsletter printed by the Welfare Hollow Publishing Group, New Florence, PA 15944

Galeton 4th of July Parade on July 1st) Trail Guide Tidbit By Lois Morey By Chuck Dillon Parade Crew The is marked by flat-topped mountains L to R: George Stover, Vivian Stover, Tom Fitzgerald (kneeling), Violeta Holtzapple, John Zimmer, Larry Holtzapple (kneeling) , Bill Boyd, Lois Mo- and deep canyons which were formed by drainage and ero- rey, Roxanne McMillan, Wellis Balliet sion. When North America and Africa collided about 200- 250 million years ago, the Appalachian Mountains to the south were formed, but the region north of Williamsport rose as a gently folded tableland. The “anticlines” (highest portions of each fold) form the high plateaus that remain today. The “synclines” (bottom troughs of the folds) pro- vided the drainage channels which eroded into the deep valleys of the Region.

Tree Burned from Top Down (Circa 1894) From Forbidden Land, Strange Events in the Black Forest, Vol. 1, 1614-1895, Page 78 ©1971 By Robert R. Lyman, Sr. Published by The Potter Enterprise, Coudersport, PA 16915 Photo by Donna Batterson Under cloudy skies and threatening rain, STC members One of the largest white oak trees ever reported in the met at the home of Lois Morey to carpool to Galeton Black Forest stood on the bank of the West Branch, just School where we participated in the 33rd Annual Inde- above Hall’s Run, in Cameron County. It was 7’ 6” in di- pendence Day Parade on July 1, 2017. Several members ameter at the base and 70 feet to the first limb. The early hiked along behind the STC tool-trailer (our traveling bill- settlers had bored it with an auger and found that it was board lettered “Susquehannock Trail Club – On Foot in hollow and of no value, and so left it standing. Potter County” on each side and “Take A Hike – On The A severe windstorm broke the top of the tree and later, STS” on the back). We got a warm welcome and a bit of after the heart wood was rotten, sparks from a forest fire publicity and recognition at the judges and announcer’s set the stub on fire. It burned on down for several days stand as we went by. The parade route was lined with and even burned the underground roots. Everyone agreed hundreds of spectators, thus giving STS/STC that much that it was very odd for a standing tree to burn from the more publicity to local people as well as visitors to our area top down until it was completely consumed, but that is during the July 4th weekend activities. exactly what happened. We then gathered back at Lois’s for a cookout complete G.W. Huntly reported the strange death of this [once] with burgers, hot dogs, and lots of good picnic fare. At mighty tree. 2:00 PM Tim Morey, who is a Natural Resource Specialist with DCNR and also a long-time STC member, led a short hike up to nearby Bristol Swamp off the Meeker Road. This is a PGC impoundment which attracts numerous Memories from Our Beginning wildlife and waterfowl. The Susquehannock Trail Club has always worked with When the hikers all returned and everyone had lots of time our local neighbors to ensure that we provide access to the to socialize, we held our monthly meeting with 24 in at- local forest via our system of trails as well as providing the tendance. Afterward, the grill was heated up again and we local public with knowledge of how and why the forest are enjoyed another picnic in the backyard and more socializ- important to our livelihood and culture. In doing so, we ing. The last guest departed just before darkness fell. have always invited the general public along on many of our social events. It was a great day spent with long-time STC members as well as newer members, all helping to celebrate the 50th The following few pictures are from the beginning years of anniversary year of the STS and STC. the club. .

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