Appalachian Trail Museum dedication hike

Midway along the 2,179-mile long Appalachian Trail between Maine and Georgia is a beautiful stone grist mill that is being restored. Once restoration is completed, it will be opened as the only museum devoted to the Trail — a tribute to the more than 11,000 hikers who have hiked the A.T. from end to end and millions of others who have enjoyed hiking portions of it. The museum opening will be at 11 a.m. on Saturday, June 5, 2010, in Gardners, Pennsylvania, roughly 15 miles west of historic Gettysburg and eight miles from Interstate 81. Pine Grove Furnace State Park is the museum's neighbor. Both are on Pennsylvania Route 233, off U.S. 30 (Lincoln Highway). Other weekend events include work trips and hikes

As part of the A.T. Museum’s dedication, a hike-in will be offered beginning from the Buck Ridge trailhead (1,200 feet elevation) at the Kings Gap Environmental Education Center on South Mountain. The six-mile route to Pine Grove Furnace State Park tops off at 1,525 feet at the 1.75 mile mark before descending to reach the gentle, rolling terrain of the three-mile homestretch.

The hike will occur on Saturday, June 5, 2010 and there will be a staggered start from 7:45 a.m. to 8:30 a.m.

There is a limit of 150 hikers. Registration will close once this limit is reached, or on May 28, 2010, whichever occurs first. There is a registration fee of $25 (by May 15) or $35 (by May 28) which includes light, cold breakfast treats and drinks at the check-in, preferred seating for the A.T. Museum’s dedication ceremony, and a special edition A.T. Museum commemorative patch. Proceeds will benefit the Appalachian Trail Museum.

Trail work trips are also scheduled for the day after the museum opening, Sunday, June 6, 2010.

The Cumberland Valley Appalachian Trail Club (CVATC) and the Mountain Club of Maryland have scheduled a work trip on the Trail in the vicinity of South Mountain and the Alex Kennedy shelter on Sunday, June 6. Meet at Pine Grove Furnace State Park (home of the A.T. Museum) at 8:30 a.m., then carpool to South Mountain. Plan to work until around 3 p.m. and be back at the park around 4. Lunch and tools will be provided. Wear work clothes and boots. For more information, visit CVATC's website or e-mail cvatclub@gmail.com.

Also on Sunday, June 6, the York Hiking Club is planning a brush-clearing and trail clean-up trip on the A.T. on Peters Mountain. Meet at 8:30 a.m. in York at the York Hiking Club north meeting place or contact Jim Hooper (717-252-3784 or j.e.hooper@ieee.org) to arrange to meet at Peters Mountain.


Jeff
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