PATC - North Chapter

......stewards of the Appalachian Trail

....then the Tuscaroara Trail is for you......and needs your help.  A 250-mile loop trail started in 1963 & primarily maintained by PATC North Chapter.   Eventually it is planned to be part of the Great Eastern Trail which will extend from Alabama to the Finger Lakes in New York state.

The trail traverses a significant amount of private property so please respect the privilege h...

Contributed by  Dewey Clark, PATCNorth Overseer & PATC Invasive Plant Committee Chair

NEEDED:    Volunteers to hike trails, identify & map invasive plants

WHERE:        AT; Shenandoah; National Parks in/around DC; PA - Michaux & Caledonia; MD - State Trails

Contributed by Daniel Smith, PATC North Overseer

A snowy day hike at Mont AltoState Park can be a challenge & also a fabulous experience of the pure beauty of the forest in winter.

Jane Axman & Daniel Smith didn't let the cancelled February worktrip for the Yankee Clippers stop them.....not just because of a little snow & ice.   They did a dayhike from Mont Alto State Park up through Tarbur...

Yup.....the web now allows us to hike the AT without ever leaving the comfort of home.   You will particularly like this video since it depicts the AT from PenMar just past Pine Grove Furnace.......a view of the PA District that we maintain.   Daniel Hooven, an avid hiker from PA, created this tribute, which is a fabulous perspective of the trail, the shelters, the cabins & the beauty of the AT.  So if it is too cold for you to venture it this winter.... 

Contributed by the Rocky Knob Trail Overseers

Come and hike Rocky Knob Trail this winter. It's a great 4 mile State "loop trail" off the AT at Ridge Road and Birch Run Road in the Michaux State Forest.   The trail offers the winter hiker great views, vistas, and ascents and descents that will keep you warm and challenge your boots.  

Pictured are Overseers Jim Jengeleski and Gai...

Contributed by Andy Wolfe, a PATC North Chapter Overseer (and amateur photographer)

This juvenile Broad-Winged Hawk was photographed in early September near Pine Grove Furnace.   It's wing was broken probably chasing prey in close quarters or hit by a car in a dive across the road at night.   It was too tired and hungry not to allow me close with my lens. 

Contributed Anonymously

What was our biology teacher thinking…taking a dozen teenagers hiking on the AT, from Delaware Water Gap to Swatara Gap in the late summer of 1973 ?? I guess he knew we'd be creating memories which would last our lifetimes, and in some cases, beyond.

This one, I hope, will be turning in the eddies of my memory until it dries up completel...

Post courtesy of Andy Wolfe, a PATC North Chapter overseer

If you have never climbed the escarpment on the 'blue trail' above Dead Woman's Hollow, you are missing out on a real cardiac carb burner.

Today with the temps in the 60s, the morning climb was comfortable yet raised the blood pressure and made our hearts remember our age.  The Anna Michener cabin has a new porch & it...

Courtesy of Andy Wolfe,  Rocky Knob Overseer from PATC North

Right now the woods in Michaux State forest are offering a great meal along the AT.  "Chicken Mushrooms" boiled and served with Ramen or Cream of Mushroom Soup are fantastic fare. And....no fear...there are no dangerous inedible fungus that look like Chicken of the Woods. They taste "just like chicken".   

Post courtesy of Andy Wolfe, a PATC North Chapter Overseer from Shippensburg, PA

When you think of Heads or Tails.....do Timber Rattlers come to mind ??   These are female Timber Rattlers hanging out at a den site in the South Mountain section of Michaux Forest, waiting to bear their young next month.  

After a day of hiking, a picnic is always welcome !!!  Followed directly by story-telling about this & previous hikes.   As on June 29th, when North Chapter hosted 20 hikers at the AT museum.  Obviously they were hungry.....they consumed 35 hamburgers, 60 hot dogs, cole slaw, beans, brownies and drinks.

The event was organized by PATC North Chapter, the AT museum and the York County Trails grou...

The 1st time I hiked the AT in Pennsylvania, I had a profound experience which I will never forget.   It was a beautiful Sunday morning & as we approached the Tumbling Run Shelters on our way to Chimney Rocks, there were 2 gentlemen & a beautiful dog checking out the area. Later I came to understand they were the Overseers for the shelter area, however they are also some of the best marketers of the AT in  PA as well as the PATC.    I went home that ...