by Tony Leaders, Crew Leader
The Chuck Keiper Trail/Donut Hole Trail Crew Work Week was a huge success. The volunteers, working on the Chuck Keiper Trail this year, got more done than I expected in only a week. There 11 volunteers throughout the week. Dave Walp and Joe Healey knocked out a huge portion of overgrowth with the DR mower. Kathy Seminski, Sharon Southall, and Mary Pitzer took to refreshing blazes along many miles of the trail. Tom Bastian took care of most of the blowdowns, while Dave and I ran brush cutters when Dave wasn’t helping Joe. We also had 2 other volunteers for a few days: Paul Brach and Robert Ross from New York, who helped Joe and Dave with either the DR mower or brush cutting. Last but not least, Ted Ligenza from the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources helped with spotting vehicles, getting us through locked gates, and filling in were ever needed in any one of the work groups. There were only 2 major areas we did not get to work on: Yost Run and most of Boggs Run. While I was preparing for this Trail Crew Work Week, I received a number of helpful trail condition reports from several people: Ben Sands, Terri Davis, and Dave Gantz. Everyone who worked on the trail had a great time, and thanks to all who contributed to this very successful Trail Crew Work Week. Turkeys, rattlesnakes, and black bears were some of the more notable wildlife sightings during the week.