Spring 2014

The Hammersley: Can You Dig It? By Bill Boyd The Susquehannock System was established in 1967 Digging side hill trail by linking up a network of existing , woods roads, and old railroad grades with short stretches of new construc- tion. Most of the sections linked together are fire trails built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s. In 1967 the CCC trails were about thirty years old, and still in moderately good condition. The only significant recrea- tional activity in the forest in those days was hunting, and most of the trails saw little use. The deer population was very high during those decades, and their annual browsing kept woody brush from invading the trail. The trails incorporated into the STS have been repeatedly cleared of fallen debris, and the foot traffic has increased many fold. (But it’s still not very much.) And by now there have been nearly eight decades of annual leaf fall and Photo by Tom Fitzgerald hillside . On top of that, the Game Commission’s efforts to reduce the size of the deer herd We plan to walk in on the Bunnell Ridge Trail, which cuts to within the carrying capacity of the habitat, has been about a mile and a half off the distance to the work area. successful enough that woody brush is springing up in But that trail needs some clearing, too, and we hope to be many areas of the forest, and invading the trail. able to do that as soon as the weather allows. Then when the ground has dried suitably, we'll go in and tackle the Most of the maintenance of the STS has been by small Hammersley Trail. We intend to trundle most of the tools, groups of volunteers who go out for one day, and return food, and camping equipment down into the work area on home or back to their camp in the evening. That has the carpet cart and one or more deer carts. worked well on most of the trail, but not in the Hammers- ley Wild Area. The center of that ten-mile roadless stretch Not everyone may prefer to dig all day. Some folks could takes so long to reach on foot that there is very little time come along to be the camp crew. We'll need a site for a to work if you plan to walk in and out the same day. If few tents, as some of the crew will be staying over to do you plan to camp overnight, it takes a work party of sig- more work the second day. The camp crew could gather nificant size to pack in tools, food and camping gear in one firewood, filter water, and prepare meals. And there are trip. If you take in the tools ahead of time. you need to always other types of trail care that need doing. New paint protect the wooden handles from gnawing by porcupines. blazes may be desirable in places, along with the blotting out of old blazes no-longer-needed. Some leaning saplings In May 2013, a joint crew of STC and KTA volunteers and overhead tree branches will probably have to be re- plus a patrol of Boy Scouts who camped for two nights in moved to provide adequate clearance for tall hikers with the Hammersley, cleared brush and fallen trees.. The Boy high backpacks. To help visualize the recommended Scouts erected a trail sign and began restoring 6/10 of a eight-foot height clearance, KTA guidelines suggest you mile of the main Hammersley Trail along a steep hillside. try to imagine someone walking down the trail holding a Hillside erosion had reduced the original 3-foot-wide trail standard 4 x 8-foot sheet of plywood upright. to a slanted 6-inch “goat path.” The boys did a fine job, but time ran out for them before they got very far. You can set your own hours. Work as much or as long as you like, and hike back out. Or figure on camping and This year’s STS scheduled maintenance centers on that getting in some work the following day. Give it some same 6/10-mile stretch, from Dry Hollow to the main thought. After all, the evening campfire at the end of a Hammersley Fork stream crossing. We hope to dig it out productive work session is the best time of the day! to full pick-handle width and level it to CCC standards.

Club news Anyone wishing to add a hike after the original schedule has been sent out, can do so by calling Pat Childs. An Do you have a section or two, or the entire trail to hike to email will go out to announce the addition. If we get it earn the Circuit Hiker Award? Are you looking for a before Sunday evening Bill will also add it to his Potter hiking partner to enjoy the woods with or at least spot a Leader Enterprise article. car at the other end so you don't have to hike out and We would like to assist members with completing the back? If you answered yes to any of these questions, circuit by offering, as group hikes, some of the sections you're in luck. Just sign up as a hike organizer and the many of you still need. In order to do this, you must let us club will get you the hiking partner, car spotter, or assist know what sections you haven’t hiked yet. you in any way we can to get your hike underway. A hike organizer's responsibilities are easy: Contact -- Pat Childs at (585)-610-0715, or by email at [email protected] to volunteer to be a hike

1. Choose a date, time, location of hike, where to meet, organizer and to let us know the sections you need to hike and how long to make it. (Usually the hikes are 3 to 5 to complete the whole circuit. miles long, but can be of any length, it's all up to the organizer and what (s)he wants to do.) Contact -- Bill Boyd at (814)-274-7529, or by email at 2. Contact Pat Childs to notify club members of the [email protected] to provide him with information details to get your hike listed on the club's website and on hikes to add to his news article and to provide him a facebook pages, and for Bill Boyd to list it in the local report on the hike you just completed. He needs this newspaper. information by Sunday suppertime to meet the deadline. 3. Receive phone calls and make a list of those who wish to join you. Write down their phone numbers. STS Circuit Hiker Award 4. Watch the weather and call each person signed up if you need to cancel or postpone due to bad weather. Congratulations to the following for completing the 5. Have another hiker help you put a car at the end of circuit, and in turn earning the Circuit Hiker Award! the hike. 1073 Steve Hanes 1075 Lloyd Litwiller Westfield, PA Delavan, IL 6. Meet everyone at the appointed time the day of the 1074 Lorrie Hanes hike. A large group with an assistant leader can split West Fields, PA up and hike in from both directions. When you meet For information on the Circuit Hiker Award, contact the in the middle, swap car keys. (Hint: take the other Susquehannock Trail Club at PO Box 643, Coudersport, person’s car at the start. When you’re tired at the PA 16915, or email us at [email protected]. finish, you have your own familiar car.) 7. Keep hikers together, wait for stragglers to catch up, and be sure everyone is accounted for at the end! Welcome new members 8. Call or email Bill Boyd to give him a short report to put in the newspaper. He needs them by supper time 2013 has been a productive year for our club. We have each Sunday. several new members who are here to support the trail system and hiking in general. They are: We will be emailing the posted listed hkes to all members each month. This way you only need to set the hike date Donna Cummings Wade Oliver one month in advance. To achieve the two hikes per Wellsville, NY Lakeville, NY month, April through October., I need about 6 more Loren & Patty Roth Ken Peters people to volunteer. If you find yourself very busy on Nescopeck, PA Millersville, PA weekends, why not consider leading a hike during the Beverly Freeman Ian Rus Ulysses, PA Johnstown, PA week? More than half our members are retired and Rogers Jones Derrick & Lori Smith available on weekdays. If you do not have access to email Masury, OH Wellsboro, PA please let me know so I can place you on a separate list to be notified by phone or US mail.

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Big Shoe Award Dick is a native of the community of Bessemer in Lawrence County, PA. He remembers a trip to the Dick Hribar with his Wil & Betty Ahn "Big Shoe" Award Portage Road area near Costello, Potter County when he was a child, and thought, “Once you’ve seen this area, why would you want to live anywhere else?” Dick graduated from Youngstown University in Ohio, with a bachelor’s degree in Education, and St. Bonaventure University in with a master’s degree in Psychology and Counseling. In the late summer of 1964, he was hired to teach special education students in the Coudersport Junior-Senior High School. First he taught grades 7 through 12, then when a second special education teacher was hired in 1984, was assigned to the senior high age group. During the summers, Dick supervised the two principal U.S. government-sponsored youth programs in the Susquehannock State Forest, the Neighborhood Youth Corps and the Youth Conservation Corps. Those two programs persisted through the 1970s and into the ‘80s until the federal funding was terminated. One year the youth cleared 63 miles of the Susquehannock Trail System. The biggest single project on the trail was the placement of “corduroy” through long stretches of the Hogback Photo by Tom Fitzgerald section—a notoriously wet . Corduroy consists of A regular highlight of the annual Winter Frolic is the Big small poles laid side by side across the trail. All work was Shoe Award. The tradition started in 2010 when Wilbur done with non-power tools—picks, shovels, Pulaskis, and Elizabeth Ahn, long-time president and secretary of double-bitted axes, Swedish bush axes, and two old- the Susquehannock Trail Club, decided to retire as club fashioned crosscut saws. officers. The club presented them with an award of a Other projects the youth groups carried out were planting beautiful three-dimensional wooden plaque in honor of pine seedlings among the hardwood sprouts in clearcut their decades of service. The plaque was made by the stands on state forest land, stocking fish for the Pennsyl- intarsia technique, which involves fitting small pieces of vania Fish and Boat Commission, and the construction of different-kinds of wood together. The club decided to specially designed jack dams in Lyman Run, Big Moore’s make the award an annual event to honor those members Run, Creek, and the East Fork of Sinnemaho- who have donated an exceptional amount of time and ning Creek.. These small dams are designed to enhance effort in developing, maintaining, and promoting the fish habitat by producing a quiet shallow pool on the Susquehannock Trail System. In the following three years, upstream side and a turbulent deep pool on the down- the award was presented to Thomas J Fitzgerald, Robert stream side The downstream hole is dug by hydraulic H. Knowles, and Tom W. Leete, all members of the club action. Water that flows over the dam is concentrated in since the earliest days of the trail system. All plaques have one spot, and digs a hole in the stream bed. One of the been made by club member and master woodworker Joe jack dams dug a whole six feet deep. Allis of Galeton, PA After the federal programs ended with the termination of Richard Hribar of Coudersport, another early member of funding, Dick continued his conservation activities with the club, is the recipient of the 2014 Big Shoe Award for his special education classes, but on a more limited basis his many years of leading various youth groups who because of the constraints of the school schedule. performed numerous conservation projects on and off the Susquehannock Trail System. Congratulations, Dick. No one deserves the big Shoe Award more than you do! 3 Newsletter printed by the Welfare Hollow Publishing Group, New Florence, PA 15944

Doing The Donut Hole Mea Culpa – My fault! I misread the map that showed that we needed to turn right on a pipeline we came to. Day Four Starts Should’ve been the second pipeline. At the first pipeline, By Wanda Shirk you go straight across. We turned right incorrectly, and (Continued from the Winter 2014 issue) my map dissolved into wet blurs as we tried to read it in Here the DHT and STS go their separate ways. the rain after walking fifteen minutes and seeing no more blazes. We retraced our steps, found where we should have gone straight across at the pipeline. We soon came to the second pipeline, where turning right was the right thing to do for a good stretch. Our delay in timing brought us great good luck for the day. Dave and I were somewhat ahead of Carl when we heard him calling out something. I couldn’t make out what. I turned to look at Carl, and he gestured wildly ahead. Turning again, I saw a big black bear just bounding across the pipeline. Dave saw it at the same time, and he began Photo by Tom Fitzgerald bounding up in the air just like the bear, whooping and It turned out that Phil wasn’t able to rejoin us, but five of hollering: “My first bear in the wild! My first bear in the wild!” us convened on the morning of August 14 for part two of I will never know which was cooler – seeing the bear, or our adventure. I left my van at our day’s end point on seeing Dave’s wild enthusiasm and excitement over seeing Route 144 about 5 miles north of Route120, and then Carl the bear. It passed into the woods, and fifty yards later, we and I picked Dave up at where he had kicked up a flock of turkeys on the pipeline. The rain had camped. Then we three went to Ted’s Truss, where Tony let up a little, and we were ecstatic about a great day in the and Jaz had camped, and where we had all left off in July. woods. It was six p.m. till we got to my van on Route 144, This was our toughest day on the trail, with over eighteen and with the help of a map we quickly found the gravel miles to hike. We started on the STS -- Long Hollow, road that took us to the camp where Tony and Jaz were Bobsled Hollow, Greenlick Hollow, Italian Hollow, and waiting. The camp was back in the woods, but Tony had the Scoval Branch. We ate lunch across the stream where been clever enough to stick his hiking poles in the dirt the DHT parts from the STS. “Multiple stream cross- where the trail went in from the road, so we spotted the ings,” said the book, and that was apt. It could have added place in the grayness of the wet day; and after a long drive “multiple hill climbings” for the day – we counted six back to Twelve Mile Road for Tony’s car, we went to the strong “ups.” Rain came hard, about 4 p.m., and Tony restaurant at Cross Fork and got there just before their wasn’t feeling well. Carl, Dave, and I left him and Jaz at a 8:30 closing time. But they were good enough to bring us cabin where a slight roof over-hang gave them some soup and sandwiches, and we were all happy campers at shelter from the rain, and we marched on, up a big hill. Ole Bull that night. Ted's Truss across the Left Branch of Young Woman’s Creek The night was interesting. We had barely time to get into our tents before a tremendous thunderstorm rocked the park, almost literally. Tony and Jaz had a simple floorless, up-and-over tarp-tent, and they got company in the middle of the night. Tony woke feeling something fuzzy on his arm – a miller, a moth, what? To make a long story short, it was a skunk. He told Jaz to lie still and put her head in her pillow. They both stayed still for as long as it took, and the skunk finally left the way he had come in, without treating them to a skunk-perfume specialty.

Photo by Jasper Reamerstraff

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Greenwood Furnace Hike Within moments of embarking, it was clear that this s was going to be a special hike, as the terrain is dramatic, and By George Wolfe the sense of wilderness is enveloping. To the left of the George Wolfe & company hiking the former wagon road former wagon road, a steep drop appears where Furnace Run Creek curves through the bottom of the gorge. We tried to imagine guiding a horse-drawn wagon along the narrow path, which could induce vertigo if one peers over the edge while climbing the steep rise. The actual trails covered on this hike are the aforemen- tioned Standing Stone Trail, the Link Trail, the Turkey Trail, and lastly the Turkey Hill Road back to the Green- wood Furnace Historic District. In total, it’s a 5.5-mile loop with three distinct segments, namely the uphill climb, the vista, and the downhill return. No question, the Stone Valley Vista is the highlight of the trek, but many other interesting subtleties appear before and after. The old wagon road was used to haul pig iron ingots produced at Greenwood Furnace, to Burnham. The vista provides Photo Submitted by George Wolfe miles of viewing, and the expanse of forest includes On a recent winter afternoon, we decided to tackle an and a portion of the Rothrock outdoor experience described as, “This is simply a great State Forest. While pausing at the summit, we spotted a hike,” in Hiking Pennsylvania, a Falcon Guide. The hike soaring red-tailed hawk and a fixed-wing missile that could began at Greenwood Furnace State Park near McAlevy’s only have been a cooper’s hawk. Also of great interest Fort, yet the bulk of the trails are outside the boundary of were the wide variety of animal tracks that were the park. In every respect, the hike matched the field undisturbed by human footprints. Remarkably, we did not guide description with a few additional surprises. see another human the entire day, nor did we see any evidence of other hikers along the trails. Interestingly, this trailhead is not clearly marked, and the key to getting underway is finding the 1867 Methodist Greenwood Furnace Spillway Episcopal Church on the southerly side of PA Route 305, and then bearing left on what is marked on the state park map as “Standing Stone Trail” (formerly the Belleville Wagon Road). Can you spot our Sentry?

Photo Submitted by George Wolfe Greenwood Furnace State Park offers many interesting historic sites that are faithfully preserved. Greenwood Lake is a gorgeous spot, and the spillway roared on the afternoon of our visit. In summary, this is a fun and scenic outing which we would recommend to any explorer. Photo Submitted by George Wolfe 5 Newsletter printed by the Welfare Hollow Publishing Group, New Florence, PA 15944

Apples in the Hammersley this tent, "Not me, Chuck, you must be dreaming." Little did we know how close "She" might have been. Then we By Chuck Bateman heard a howling, echoing scream! Instantly I sat up, listen- And so, after all these years, the Legend of "The Pie Lady" ing to the haunting sound of a woman's voice. "Where are is alive and well. . . . you? It's me, Ida Red or perhaps “She” yelled, “it's me, As we hiked the STS from Cross Fork, thinking of how Mel Rose." Could “She” be calling to her loved ones, delicious the ice cream cones had been that we got at perhaps a lost child, maybe her parents, or should “She” Kinney's General store, we could not help but notice the be known as the “Granny Smith” of the Hammersley? apple trees along the way, let alone the apples strewn along As I lay there, my teeth chattering, trembling a little, is a bit the trail. Was "She" tempting us, whetting our appetites of understatement. I wondered what had just transpired. for a warm apple pie? It has been nearly 40 years since our Could it have been the Pie Lady? As we fell into that first Hammersley Valley apple pie. As we hiked the long magical, peaceful sleep the Hammersley so often provides, way down to the Elkhorn camp in the Hammersley, Doc we could not help but dream of the mysterious sounds we said: "What do you enjoy more—the 'down' hills or the had experienced. 'up' hills?" I couldn't decide to I responded "to tell 'da Morning came, along with the bark of our Golden trute, I enjoyed them both!" Retriever, See Hammersley Run. We wondered what he It was a cool April evening and we had enjoyed sharing a was barking about so early. Randy said, "Well, Chuck, wonderful pan-fried long native trout from the "Trout don't you remember when that mischievous nose of his Gods of Potter County." I could feel the chill in the crisp got him yelping from the encounter with that porcupine? spring air and I said, "Time to hit the sack for me." I He's OK; he has always protected us with this sixth sense." could also feel the chill in the crisp blue speckled cup on I said "No Doc, it's something else." We stumbled out of the stones of the fire pit as Doc said, “Yup. As soon as I our warm bags and tents to find a small, freshly baked finish this coffee I'll be in mine as well." warm apple pie nestled by the warm calm of our camp fire As I lay in my snug old L.L. Bean goose-down sleeping ring. "It is true, 'She' is real! The Pie Lady was here and bag, thinking of how beautiful this valley really is, listening ‘She’ does roam the Hammersley Valley!" Doc said to me. to the babbling brook, wondering if on our hike tomorrow Over the years we have enjoyed many campfire moons on we would come upon the wood smoke we'd been smelling, the STS in the Hammersley Wild Area with our children which penetrated the valley. I was so comfortable and at and now with our grandchildren. Pies have come and pies ease lying in one of the most beautiful places in Pennsyl- have gone. Pies have been left by our campfires, on our vania. Then I heard a rustle in the leaves, then a snap of a backpacks, and inside our grandchildren's backpacks. twig. As I wondered what it could have been, I could not Could her name be Ida Red, Mel Rose, or maybe Granny help but crawl out of the warm bag only to find the full Smith? As the folklore of the Hammersley would have it, moon's rays of light coming up the valley. It shown on the the Pie Lady may be a descendent of the loggers of the woods' floor like the headlight beam of a Shay locomotive, 1800s, collecting apples of the "Ham." so bright and full of shadows. Was "She" coming after an- other load of precious Potter County Hemlock logs? For We have spoken about this Lady's legend so that others an instant I thought I was back in the year 1890. I forgot may someday enjoy the Hammersley Pie Lady's howls about the rustle of the leaves and the snap of the twig, but throughout the night and hopefully be fortunate enough to I cannot but wonder what that sweet smell might be. . . . find a freshly backed warm apple pie waiting for them as well. Sometimes you think you can actually smell the The cool, chilling air chased me back into my warm delicious aroma of apple pies baking. sleeping bag and I lay listening to the symphony of the barred owls hooting from ridge top to ridge top, 'Whoo Could “She” be watching you? cooks for you? Whoo cooks for you all?" I drifted back into that magical, mystical sleep—and then it happened! My tent shook as though something rattled my tent guy line. I said to my hiking buddy, Doc Jones, "Is that you, did you lose your flashlight again?" He responded from

6 Newsletter printed by the Welfare Hollow Publishing Group, New Florence, PA 15944

Hunting In South Africa Trophy heads were prepared for taxidermy to be shipped to the United States much later. Summarized from the journal of Todd Huber A memorable and entertaining event occurred on the next In January 2010, ten hunters participating in a pig hunt in to the last day when the two guides cleaned the wasps out South Carolina were invited to hunt big game in South of one of the blinds with insecticide spray. “They’re all Africa’a Limpopo Province three years in the future. Art over me like a cheap suit!” shouted one of the guides as Huber and his son Todd were among the ten. By 2012, the dying wasps fought back. the other eight had backed out, but Art and Todd decided to go for the adventure of a lifetime. On the last evening, the ranch owners hosted a farewell party for the visiting hunters and their guides. They next The man who had made the invitation was ultimately morning Art and Todd packed up for what Todd wrote in unable to go due to family responsibilities, but he attended his journal as “a long, melancholy journey back to the to all the preparatory details. On March 17, 2013, Art and good ole U. S. of A. Todd left Dulles Airport in Washington, D.C. Eight hours later, they landed in Dakar, Senegal for a one-hour layover. Record trophy Waterbuck harvested by Art Huber A second eight-hour flight took them to Johannesburg, L‐R: Todd Huber, Art Huber South Africa. They were met by staff members of the Retief Game Range where native African wild game are raised specifically for harvest hunting. . It was another 5½ hours by Land Rover to the ranch itself. It was late summer in the Southern Hemisphere. The days were hot. The region was dry rocky savannah country called “bush veldt” with waterholes here and there. Much of the woody vegetation was thorny brush. The first morning, they sighted in their rifles, then set out on the hunt. Each day, they stalked game in the morning, rested a bit at lunch, then hunted mostly from blinds in the afternoon. Art and Todd usually split up during the day, each accompanied by a guide and men called “ trackers.” The week was off to an auspicious start the first morning. Photo Submitted by Art Huber Art killed a gemsbok, and Todd a nyala bull. Over the Record trophy Nyala harvested by Todd Huber next five days, Art bagged a waterbuck bull, an impala bull, L‐R: guide Gian Valle, Art Huber, Todd Huber and a kudu. Todd killed an impala bull, a gemsbok bull, and a warthog boar and sow on separate days. Todd’s nyala and Art’s waterbuck both set new records in Rowland Ward’s Records of Big Game. The warthog boar was the largest ever harvested on that ranch. But even at approxi- mately 250 lbs., it fell slightly short of a new record. At least 35 species of wildlife were sighted during their week at Retief. Some of the game animals had visible ear tags. One thing Art and Todd didn’t get to see was the “great grey-green greasy Limpopo River” immortalized in one of Rudyard Kipling’s Just So stories. Each kill was followed with a photo session. Then ranch employees hauled the carcass to the ranch’s slaughterhouse for butchering. The visiting hunters never got to eat any Photo Submitted by Art Huber of the meat from their own kills. The meat was processed and sold into the domestic South African food market. 7 Newsletter printed by the Welfare Hollow Publishing Group, New Florence, PA 15944