The Pacer Pulse

Penn Dutch Pacers Volksmarch Club • Lancaster, Pa the pacer pulse September, October, November 2015 Time to Put Another Pin in It! What you will be able to put another pin in is the Enola Low Grade Trail patch precisely where Truce Road crosses the rail trail which is where the Penn Dutch Pacer's third adventure on the rail trail will get its start on Saturday, September 26th. Back on September 14 & 15, 2013 the Penn Dutch Pacers sponsored their second walk along a section of this 23+ mile, essentially flat, rail trail. The trail runs over a former freight rail line that ran from Atglen in Chester County to Safe Harbor in the Pennsylvania Railroad, was a marvel of engineering Lancaster County, where it joined the Columbia & Port for its time and location. Deposit Branch. The reason that we say essentially flat is Its construction from Chester Co. to Harrisburg which is that the rail line portion of the trail has no more than a 1% almost entirely flat and with curves no sharper than 2 grade anywhere along its path which was great for the degrees was unique in this geographical region. The intent locomotives and is awesome for walking. of the rail line was to provide efficient transport of freight This 3rd rail trail walk will explore a completely new from the East coast to the Midwest freeing up the existing section of the rail trail that we haven’t walked before. This heavily used and less efficient lines for passenger use. time we’ll be walking further to the west from a Accomplishing this feat through the relatively somewhat familiar startpoint. We say somewhat familiar inaccessible and often rugged terrain of southern startpoint because those of you who joined us for walk #2 Lancaster County required the efforts of many laborers, saw this location used as the 10k checkpoint back in 2013. both local and immigrant, as well as much of the heaviest This time we’re using the pavilion at Providence Church equipment of the time. The landscape was significantly as our startpoint. We’ll be leaving the pavilion and changed as evidenced by the large areas of cut and fill . walking west along the rail trail as it makes a large The cuts were achieved through dangerous blasting, while sweeping left-hand turn in preparation to make a many elevated areas of track were constructed on raised perpendicular crossing of route 272 as route 272 ventures pilings, some as high as one hundred and fifty feet, due south below Willow Street. allowing side dumping cars to be driven on top dumping One other thing those of you who have walked either of loads of fill until pilings were encased and the track our two previous rail trail walks will notice on this portion supported by the fill. Topping off, or rather holding up, of the rail trail immediately upon setting foot on the rail this amazing feat of earth engineering are the many stone trail is the new surface. Although not macadam the new arch tunnels along the line. fine stone dust surface was put into place with a paving Constructed over roads, creeks and streams, some small, machine which makes for an awesomely smooth surface some tall , (as high as 60'), most simple arches and some to walk on. angled with ribbing, all constructed with 3' x 3' x 6' to 8' With this third rail trail walk you will be walking west on stones. the rail trail to Saw Mill Road where you exit for about In all , the totality of this engineering and history have 2K until you get back onto the rail trail at Hollow Rd. earned the Low-grade a place in the National Historic Although the rail trial is flat you will experience a gradual Registry. incline on an access road from the rail trail up to Saw Mill Come join us for another fun walk on the rail trail and get Road and then when you return to the rail trail at Hollow another pin in your patch. And of course if you don't have Rd there is a foot path with a short steep and narrow a patch you can get one of those at the finish point so that incline. you have some place to put the pin for this walk and The Enola Low Grade, built between 1903 and 1906 by future rail trail walks as well. September, October, November 2015 - 2 Let's Make America a Healthier Place and Start Walking By Jay Walljasper People from across America will gather in D.C. this fall to pro- environmental justice movement. Conference participants are claim walking as human right. invited to “Walk Capitol Hill” for meetings with Congress mem- Walking is moving fast these days. bers about policies to promote walking. There will be many op- We may think of it as a slow activity, but travel by foot is quickly portunities for “netwalking”---strolling conversations with being recognized as an effective prescription for health, a conve- conference speakers and fellow participants. Field trips will fan nient means of transportation, a great way to meet people, a out to noteworthy destinations across the DC area---heralded by smart strategy for saving money and a lot of fun. some observers as America’s best metro region for walking. --The US Surgeon General is soon expected to announce a Call Workshops and panels will showcase experts in many fields of- to Action urging Americans to walk more, which medical studies fering what they’ve learned from years of successful research, show prevents diseases ranging from diabetes and heart disease advocating, organizing, lobbying, designing and implementing to depression and dementia by rates of 40 percent or more. ideas to make life more safe, convenient and comfortable for ev- --Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx recently announced eryone on foot. Subjects range from making walking easier for an all-out effort to make walking safer across America. “Bicy- kids and seniors to new technologies to empower pedestrians. cling and walking are as important as any other form of transpor- Success stories from Maine to San Diego, rural Tennessee to De- tation,” he says, noting how little federal policy has focused on troit, Brownsville, TX to Syracuse NY are already on the sched- pedestrian and bike safety until now. ule. --The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) The Summit follows up on the first ever National Walking Sum- set a daily minimum for walking and other forms of physical ac- mit held in 2013. Tyler Norris, one of that event’s organizers and tivity: 30 minutes a day five days a week for adults, and 60 min- a Kaiser Permanente vice-president, remembers, “At first we utes seven days a week for youth. wondered whether people would come, and we wound up with a --Health care providers are embracing walking as a vital sign of standing-room-only crowd of 400 from 41 states. Last time Kai- health. Bernard J. Tyson, CEO of the 10-million member inte- ser Permanente, which powers Every Body Walk!, was the sole grated health system Kaiser Permanente network, advises, “You event sponsor working in partnership with America Walks. But don’t have to be an athlete to be physically active, just walk, this year we’ve got more than 20 sponsors already, including walk, walk!” AARP, the National Association of Realtors, Local Initiative --Real Simple magazine extolled walking as “America’s untrend- Support Corporation and many philanthropies including WK iest trend” in a cover story last year. And this spring, the New Kellogg and Robert Wood Johnson Foundations.” York Times Magazine devoted its entire issue to walking. One “We are expanding our focus this year,” he says, “to make sure of the most popular recent music videos ---Pharrell Williams’s walking is accessible for everyone, especially vulnerable popula- “Happy” with 675 million views---is a joyful celebration of step- tions in lower socioeconomic communities where infrastructure ping down the street. has not been invested in and pedestrian and public safety are sig- ---Six in ten Americans now take a walk at least once a week, and nificant issues.” 20 million more of us now walk for recreation, transportation and “Every body, no matter their income or race, deserves to have exercise than in 2005, according to the CDC. It’s free, relaxing freedom of choice when it comes to transportation,” agrees Kate and easy-to-do almost anywhere at any time. Kraft. “It’s a question of fairness.”(To ensure wide diversity at --And coming up October 28-30 is the second 2nd National the Summit itself, America Walks is offering scholarships for Walking Summit, when health professionals, business leaders, conference fees and, in some cases, transportation.) government officials and everyday citizens gather in Washing- Other headline themes at the summit include: ton, DC to draft plans for getting more people on their feet and Walkable Communities Advocacy 101-- Unlike motorists and making our communities more walkable. It brings together folks bicyclists, who are vocal in championing their rights, walkers in the growing walking movement to meet and share stories. have been largely silent about what they need for safety and con- “There’s a huge shift going on as people see the benefits of walk- venience---until now. The walking movement is now ing,” says Scott Bricker, Director of America Walks, a coalition speakingout about how to improve walking conditions for people of more than 530 local advocacy groups in all 50 states. “The on foot in cities, suburbs and small towns.

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