Summer 2011 The somewhat regular publication of the Mid SUMMER 2011 State Trail Association. www.hike-mst.org Brushwhacker the winter a few extra miles were added 1974 routes the Mid State Trail from R.B. A History of to the extension plan, now looking to con- Winter State Park to Ravensburg State the Mid State nect Ravensburg as well as R.B. Winter Park. The MST would follow Bake Oven State Park. Over the course of five days ridge east to Sand Mountain Fire Tower, Trail - The Trail the trail was scouted along Betterton Trail then turning north and crossing Spruce on White Deer Ridge, over Interstate I80 Run Valley and Chestnut Flat. Climbing Continues East on the Tea Spring bridge, across Naked up and over Naked Mountain, the trail by Scott Adams Mountain and through the Hook Natural crossed White Deer Creek and Nittany The year was 1973. The Mid State Area. Maps were poured over and plans Valley before confronting its first Inter- Trail now extended from the Colerain began to take shape for continuing the state highway. Serendipitously there was Picnic Area near Spruce Creek to Poe MST east. a bridge here, avoiding a dangerous high- Paddy State Park, just south of Coburn, From , the Mid way crossing or extended reroute. on the banks of State Trail headed east, following the North of interstate I80 the MST . abandoned Conrail railroad grade. The continued across the grain of the land- Since its inception tunnel under Paddy Mountain was closed scape. The trail climbed over Tea Knob, in 1969, the trail when the railroad was abandoned, but Last Ridge, and Brushy Ridge before de- had a number of it had just been reopened. This allowed scending to White Deer Hole. Westward reroutes along the trail to go through Paddy Mountain and a climb over Big Mountain, the trail the way. These instead of over it. The Mid State Trail be- crossed Sand Spring Flat and then ended reroutes were at- came the first, and so far only, hiking trail at . tempts to move in to tunnel under a moun- With the addition of this section, the the trail into the tain rather than climb over it. Mid State Trail extended from Colerain to woods, off forest roads, helping to em- The trail followed the railroad grade Ravensburg State Park. As the trail grew phasize the "wildness" of the trail. to Cherry Run, where it turned north, it began to feel growing pains. As a result Also during this time a number of passing through a gap in Paddy Moun- a monumental event was about to hap- side trails had been blazed. These side tain. It would continue up Lyman Run and pen to the MST. The year was 1982. trails connected the Mid State Trail to over Thick Mountain on a trail that was state parks, making it more accessible. cut with assistance from the Susquehan- Short side trails connected the Mid State na University Outing Club. Descending Trail to Poe Valley and Penn Roosevelt, off Thick Mountain, the MST proceeded with a much larger undertaking produc- through Sand Hollow and cut across ing the Greenwood Spur. This side trail Sand Mountain to Hairy Johns Picnic connect Greenwood State Park via Broad Area on PA45. This was completed and Mountain to the Mid State Trail, along opened in 1976. the way introducing hikers to the large Beyond route PA 45, the Mid State hemlocks of Alan Seeger. Trail followed Hairy Johns Trail to the top It was during the fall of 1973 that of Winkelblech Mountain and then head- the Bureau of Forestry contacted the ed east on Sheesley and Kessler Trails. Penn State Outings Club, the builders Trail clearing in this area was assisted and maintainers of the MST at this point by the Bucknell Outing Club. From Pine in time, expressing interest in seeing the Ridge, the trail climbed Buck Ridge and trail extended beyond Poe Paddy State then rejoined with Hairy Johns Trail atop Park. The Bureau of Forestry asked the Shriner Mountain. Connecting up with Outing Club to explore a route from Poe Brush Hollow Trail, the MST continued Paddy to R.B. Winter State Park. the rest of the way to R.B. Winter State In March of 1974, Tom Thwaites Park. This part of the trail was opened in and four others set off for Ravensburg 1978. State Park to explore a route back to Poe The final section of the extension The Mid State Trail became the first, and Paddy. Somewhere during the course of that was first scouted back in March of so far only, hiking trail in Pennsylvania to tunnel under a mountain rather than climb over it. 2 BRUSHWHACKER Summer 2011 - The somewhat regular publication of the Mid State Trail Association.

Memories to Last a Lifetime – My Through-Hike of Pennsylvania’s Mid State Trail

by Dan Styer unusual ferns that I had sought for de- We sat around the campfire talking about What do I remember about hiking cades. hiking, physics, and life. the Mid State Trail from Maryland to New I remember a black-throated blue I remember a father and son team York? warbler approaching and examining me that set out to dayhike the entire Mid I remember standing at a rocky view out of curiosity while I rested. State Trail in sections when the son was point in clear air, with a solid cloud bank I remember a carpet of pink wild 12 years old. Health issues interrupted in the sky above and a solid cloud bank basil, and covering it another quivering their plans, but they were resuming now, in the valleys below. Only the summits carpet of white butterflies. with the son 27 years old. and ridge lines of nearby mountains were I remember surprisingly few mosqui- I remember industrial fracking in visible, hanging between two bands of toes, but surprisingly numerous black : coils of wire white. flies and surprisingly voracious deer flies. scattered through the forest; narrow I remember a rushy, songfull stream I remember pulling blowdowns out of woods roads converted into 50-yard-wide full of rocks and pools and waterfalls, the section of trail, south of Everett, that passages; a gas-company ATV parked decorated with ferns and wildflowers and I oversee. astride the MST; a noisy, glaring derrick mosses. After a (soapless) splash bath I I remember walking through a virgin set a few yards from the trail. The con- sat quietly on a rock to dry, and two deer forest of white pine and hemlock, hushed trast between the natural and the indus- walked by calmly. but for bird and stream song. trial would have befit the movie Avatar I remember pulling on my long pants I remember meeting a cluster of five – at the second fork of Ramsey Run, a for protection while walking through yet Amish boys, followed two hundred yards forest of silvery-gray tree trunks ran from another trail section overgrown with bri- later by a cluster of seven Amish girls. silvery-gray rocks to a silvery-green cano- ars. I remember a group of four youth py, and all of this was enveloped in noise I remember falling asleep in a ferny from inner-city Harrisburg, and their from the highway below, from excavation forest full of flashing fireflies, while a leader who was trying to teach them both on all sides, and from helicopters above. whip-poor-will and a barred owl called that there was a life outside of the inner- I do not know what has been gained alternately. city, and that places of beauty existed through fracking, but what has been lost I remember finding purple-stemmed not only in remote Yosemite and Grand is beyond valuation. cliffbreak and blunt-lobed woodsia, two Canyon, but also in central Pennsylvania. I remember starting on the Mason- Dixon line at Pennsylvania Route 326 on June 18, 2011, and finishing on the New York/Pennsylvania border at Heffner Hol- low Road on July 12th. I don’t think I made the first through- hike of the MST: My analysis of trail registers suggests that Bill Shaffer of Groton, Connecticut accomplished this in October 2008, that Douglas Ryan of Al- toona, Pennsylvania did it in September 2009, and that Joe Fennelly (along with his beagle Ms. Jenny) of Cheshire, Con- necticut, did it in May 2010. In addition, I suspect that Tom Thwaites had hiked every centimeter of the MST the instant it was completed in June 2008. Equipment notes: (1) The Mid State Trail is rocky. I was glad that I carried a hammock, and I often slept suspended Dan Styer, Mid State Trail through-hiker (left) and Dan above rocks or brush that would have from Harrisburg at Libby Run. BRUSHWHACKER Summer 2011 - The somewhat regular publication of the Mid State Trail Association. 3

prevented any other form of camping. I thank the visionaries who had the (2) The Mid State Trail is rocky. To save audacity to dream up the Mid State Trail BRUSHWHACKER Summer 2011, Pub- weight on my feet, I wore running shoes. and then the guts to put it on the ground. lished by Mid State Trail Association, PO Box 885, Huntingdon, PA 16652. Free Bad idea. Wear hiking shoes or hiking I thank the volunteers who haul rock, to all members and friends of the MSTA. boots. clip brush, blaze, locate, and map the POSTMASTER: Send address changes to In about the year 750, the poet Li trail, who contact landowners, fill out pa- Mid State Trail Association, PO Box 885, Bai wrote “We sit together, the mountain perwork, and who in general do whatever Huntingdon, PA 16652. Copyright 2011 and I, until only the mountain remains,” needs to be done to build the trail and by Mid State Trail Association. All rights reserved. Perhaps Li Bai was able to pull this off, keep it open. but I have never been able to immerse I thank, especially, the private land- myself in a mountain simply by sitting. owners who allow the trail across their But by treading the mountain’s rocks, property. CONTACT THE MID STATE TRAIL ASSOCIATION maintaining its trails, observing its wild- I thank the people of the Com- life, drinking of its waters, eating its blue- monwealth of Pennsylvania who have, For additional information about the Mid State Trail Association, the Mid State Trail, berries, contributing blood to its insects, through their Game Commission and or any articles written in this newsletter, and sleeping suspended between its Bureau of Forestry and Bureau of State please send all inquires (via postal or trees, I was able to feel myself seep into Parks, assembled a magnificent legacy electronic mail) to: the mountain until I became a part of it. of public lands. These serve not just the This doesn’t happen immediately. For occasional hiker who wants to walk the Mid State Trail Association PO Box 885 the first week I constantly said “I stink. span of the entire state, but the Amish, Huntingdon, PA 16652 I’m dirty. I can’t bear the tacky touch of the inner-city youth, the family teams; the [email protected] my own body.” But then I grew used to it. hunters and the anglers; the loggers, the PRESIDENT I didn’t mind my odor, or my tackiness. It mill hands, the carpenters, the cabinet- Ed Lawrence was part of me. I was part of the moun- makers, and those who love wood prod- [email protected] tain. And this is what I remember most: ucts; those who drink rainwater that fell VICE-PResident The experience of sleeping every night at on the State Forests and those whose Tom Kelliher a different place, but knowing that I was land is not flooded because the rainwater [email protected] every night at home on the mountain. fell on State Forests. Secretary I thank my wife Linda for driving me Pennsylvanians, I salute you! May to the start of my hike and picking me you never be held thrall to those who Scott Adams [email protected] up from the end, and for her constant would despoil your magnificent public love and concern. Everett regional trail lands legacy. treasurer manager Deb Dunkle invited me into her Kirk Bucynski [email protected] kitchen to discuss trail maintenance pri- Dan Styer is a Mid State Trail Association orities, and gave me a tall glass of iced life member and the overseer for part of sec- Regional Managers orange juice. David at the Everett Food- tion 2. In his life as a professional physicist, Deb Dunkle - Everett Region liner gave me a loaf of rye bread, and a he is author, most recently, of "Relativity for [email protected] Thomas Thwaites - State College Region clerk at the Avis Home Town Market gave the Questioning Mind". Kevin Busko - State College Region me a discount on two bottles of cold [email protected] spring water. Joe Healey - Woolrich Region [email protected] Peter Fleszar - Tioga Region [email protected]

Membership Membership in the Mid State Trail Associa- tion runs from January 1st to December 31st. Individual membership dues are $12 and Family membership dues are $15. Lifetime membership dues are $250. Trail overseers are also needed for sections of the trail. Please contact one of the regional managers if you have interest becoming a trail overseer.

© 2011 Mid State Trail Association. All rights reserved.

Hiking through the lush ferns that line the Mid State Trail in the Tioga region. 4 BRUSHWHACKER Summer 2011 - The somewhat regular publication of the Mid State Trail Association.

The held its first meeting in Pennsylvania in Woolrich in In The Regions.... May. Although I was unable to attend, I did hear that it was a huge success. Thanks to the Woolrich Corp. for allow- wells are all over the place. KTA will have ing the meeting to be held at the Wool- State College a TrailCare weekend in the Woolrich Re- rich Lodge, which, by the way, they also Region gion August 12-14. Camping will be at hosted. That meeting event will be hard Ravensburg State Park. The crew will be by Kevin Busko to beat elsewhere. working on a small reroute from Bull Run The almost forgotten Reeds Gap Road to Ramsey, which was previously Everett Region Spur of the MST will be getting some OK'd by Forestry. Although the MST goes by Deb Dunkle much needed attention during the week- through Little Pine Creek State Park, it end of October 7-9, 2011. John Stevens was never blazed there. I spoke to the During the week of June 21st to June from the Ridge and Valley Outing Club new Park Manager and he OK'd the blaz- 26, 16 brave souls came from various has volunteered to organize a trailcare ing.That project will be taken care of. areas across the state came together to weekend on the RGS - MST. So far, two Coming out of Woolrich, the MST goes work the Everett region of the Mid State Sundays were spent walking the entire through a large field up the hill to Big Trail for theKTA Trail Crew. We pushed trail to take notes Spring Road. I have a new MST sign and to open the trails from the briars and on trail condi- some carsonite posts for blazes for the brambles that grew double from the tions and coming field as the trail is very hard to follow in spring rains. Tuesday evening produced a up with a game that immediate area. These tasks and rain storm and everyone hoped that the plan to clear some clearing up on Houselander will tents would not leak – they did not so the and reblaze the hopefully be completed during the Au- week started out without wet boots. 22.28 km Reeds gust weekend. The DR trimmer spruced up the Gap Spur from Poe Paddy S.P. to Reeds Gap S.P.. A map of the trail is included on the 307-310 mapset and the 12th edition of the MST guidebook should include the trail description that was not in the 11th edition. Boy Scout Erik Hoover from the State College area is building and install- ing several new signposts for his Eagle project. These will be located on the sec- tion of the MST between Jo Hays Vista and Big Flat NA. On April 15, 2011 Kirk Saylor, a sec- tion maintainer from the State College area, did a one day Vista to Vista hike from Big Valley Vista to Jo Hays Vista. A distance of about 42 km. He put togeth- er a nice 4 part video that can be found on You Tube. Search for Kirk Saylor or Mid State Trail Vista 2 Vista. Woolrich Region by Joe Healey Since the last newsletter, there was a very destructive windstorm in the region, especially up on Houselander Mountain - lots of blowdowns. If any overseer needs help, please let me know. Speaking of Houselander, gas Little Flat Fire Tower - State College Region of the Mid State Trail. BRUSHWHACKER Summer 2011 - The somewhat regular publication of the Mid State Trail Association. 5

grass trails while the fellows worked the to sign up for beautiful vistas, wildlife, claims that someone didn’t understand brushcutter and saws. Added work came and rewarding work! Bring yourself and someone else saying the task was put- from loppers and the paint dolls. Various another newbie and trail areas will be ting in “bog” bridging were cheerfully wildlife was sighted during the week, in- given! There may be a fall cleanup in the denied. Special thanks to Tom Bastian cluding a female pheasant, many ruffed Everett region so stay tuned.dhdunkle@ who came up early to work out the instal- grouse, large turkeys, a doe with fawns, a embarqmail.com lation system and to buy the requisite bald eagle, great blue herons, and a very hardware. large rattlesnake coiled right on the trail! We also mowed a lot of the route, The Brethren Church ladies provided Tioga Region cleared and blazed part of an off-road the hot breakfast and suppers. Stories by Peter Fleszar relocation, and installed some trail signs. by Dave and others kept most of us Fifteen folks, from as near as Recent windstorms that cancelled nearby entertained each evening. After smelling Charleston Township and as far as South Blossburg’s Coal Festival on Memorial a dead something, Woody found it in the Carolina, helped out at some point during Day weekend also dropped many trees pond on Friday. The borough had a back- the week when the KTA Trail Crew came on the ghosts of the abandoned mining hoe, police, and junior firemen on hand to Tioga County to work on the Mid State town of Landrus - two days of work for to remove the carcass. Trail, June 7-12, 2011. The group worked the chain saw contingent clearing the The REI sponsored Great American with DCNR employees on addressing MST route. Backyard Campout had about 40 partici- some wet spots along the Sand Run Falls The hard core who came out this pants with Indian drumming and buffalo trail, ending when DCNR’s dump trailer week – only the young fellow from South chilli on Saturday. But coming back after broke - it limped out of the woods with a Carolina had never worked a KTA Crew Sunday’s half day work, munching on KTA shovel underneath where one wheel before – enjoyed the campsite by a pond your sandwich and watching a wedding- used to be. That was right after our group provided by a local landowner, which going down at the park . . . priceless. got hailed on, taking refuge under PA’s someone remarked seemed like Maine Jake and Debra sends a hearty state tree. with white birches by the shore. KTA’s thanks to Joe Healey, Bob Boettger, Da- Less eventfully, on Saturday we Vice President, Wanda Shirk, again vid Walp, Joe Clark, Dave Wittmer, Woody installed “bug” bridging on private land cooked for the Crew. MSTA President, Ed Loudeslager, Diane M Buscarini, Lorraine working with Wellsboro’s Asaph Trail Lawrence, who recently visited the lost Healey, Paul Brechbiel, Carl Jaymes, Den- Club. The system of oak planks screwed portion of the Appalachians in Morocco, nis Ritchey, Harry Felton, Curt Ashen- to locust timbers, in addition to providing relieved Wanda for the weekend and felter, Barbara Wiemann, Harold Sch- volunteers with an upper body workout shared his culinary education with the neider. Landowners in attendance were carrying said material into the woods, group by creating “Tioga Tagine” on Sat- Joe and Florence Ritchey. also served to ameliorate the impacts urday night. If you are interested in assisting of hikers’ feet on the local native insect The group put in 312 hours of hard, the Everett region maintainers, please population by allowing the bugs to pass quality work, much appreciated by all, contact [email protected] harmlessly underneath. Competing and a definite step forward towards the completion of PA’s longest and wildest footpath. State of the Treasury by Kirk Bucynski

Account balances as of 6/30/11 are as follows: Money Market Checking Account $35,485.95 and YCB Savings Account $101.30. New memberships, as well as re- newals, can now be made online. New membership fees are in place; $12 for individual, $15 for family, and $250 for a lifetime membership.

Installing “bug” bridging with the Wellsboro’s Asaph Trail Club. Mid State Trail Association PO Box 885 Place Huntington, PA 16652 Postage Here.

KTA will have a TrailCare weekend in the Woolrich Region August 12-14.

Hope to see you there. www.hike-mst.org

ter mailing label attached below. On the the On below. attached label mailing ter

later in the year. the in later

- newslet the at looking by membership

DCNR handle the complaint. the handle DCNR

website. These letters will be mailed mailed be will letters These website.

You can find out more about your your about more out find can You

company employees, walk away and let let and away walk employees, company

able to do this by mail as well as on our our on as well as mail by this do to able

membership is $250. is membership

endanger yourself by arguing with gas gas with arguing by yourself endanger

your contact information. You will be be will You information. contact your

berships are $15. The cost of a lifetime lifetime a of cost The $15. are berships

and setting them straight. Please do not not do Please straight. them setting and

for a letter from us asking you to verify verify to you asking us from letter a for

- mem Family and $12 are MSTA the in

contacting the offending gas company company gas offending the contacting

ship list soon, so keep your eyes open open eyes your keep so soon, list ship

as of June 1st. Individual memberships memberships Individual 1st. June of as

of Forestry has been quick to respond in in respond to quick been has Forestry of

- member our qualifying be will We

This modest increase was put in place place in put was increase modest This

can let DCNR and KTA know. The Bureau Bureau The know. KTA and DCNR let can

the last newsletter that you receive. receive. you that newsletter last the

remained the same for over 10 years. years. 10 over for same the remained

it to me ([email protected]) so that I I that so ([email protected]) me to it

past due and that this will probably be be probably will this that and due past

The cost of an MSTA membership had had membership MSTA an of cost The

you or someone you know please report report please know you someone or you

means that your membership fees are are fees membership your that means

cided to increase our membership dues. dues. membership our increase to cided

this situation. If this should happen to to happen should this If situation. this

see the letters 'PD' in this location: this this location: this in 'PD' letters the see

At our January 2011 meeting we de we meeting 2011 January our At -

around a well pad specifically to avoid avoid to specifically pad well a around

through the end of that year. You may may You year. that of end the through

foot path, the Mid State Trail. State Mid the path, foot

off a sanctioned reroute of the MST built built MST the of reroute sanctioned a off

indicates that your membership is valid valid is membership your that indicates

serve Pennsylvania's longest and wildest wildest and longest Pennsylvania's serve

formed. In one case hikers were forced forced were hikers case one In formed.

see a year, such as 2011 or 2012. This This 2012. or 2011 as such year, a see

membership helps maintain and pre and maintain helps membership -

curity guards are badly and sadly misin sadly and badly are guards curity -

individual or family members, you will will you members, family or individual

of the Mid State Trail Association. Your Your Association. Trail State Mid the of

are not allowed on the trial. These se These trial. the on allowed not are -

members you will see the word LIFE. For For LIFE. word the see will you members

members for their continued support support continued their for members

their operations and telling them they they them telling and operations their

status of your membership. For lifetime lifetime For membership. your of status

First let me start by thanking all our our all thanking by start me let First

ing people hiking on trails that skirt skirt that trails on hiking people ing lower right hand corner you will see the the see will you corner hand right lower

gas drilling outfits have been confront been have outfits drilling gas - By Scott Adams Scott By vidual), F (family) or L (lifetime). In the the In (lifetime). L or (family) F vidual),

reports that security guards from some some from guards security that reports Mailing Labels Mailing

cating your type of membership: I (indi I membership: of type your cating -

The MSTA has received disturbing disturbing received has MSTA The

number and a letter designation indi designation letter a and number -

and Newsletter Newsletter and

hand corner you will see your member member your see will you corner hand

By Ed Lawrence Ed By

that we have on record. In the lower left left lower the In record. on have we that MSTA Membership Membership MSTA Open IS Trail The

label you will see your current address address current your see will you label

BRUSHWHACKER Summer 2011 - The somewhat regular publication of the Mid State Trail Association. Trail State Mid the of publication regular somewhat The - 2011 Summer BRUSHWHACKER 6