by John Stehle, Butler Chapter
On Saturday, September 26, we had our monthly hike in conjunction with the dedication of Parker, along the Armstrong County–Butler County line, as an official trail town of the North Country Trail (NCT). It was a great day, with encouraging words from various dignitaries. Here is the report from Dave Adams that we posted on our Facebook page:
A turnout of 35 enthusiastic folks attended the Parker Trail Town Dedication on Saturday. District 63 Representative Donna Oberlander, Parker Mayor Bill McCall, Butler Chapter President Ron Rice and Butler Chapter Past President Dan Mourer spoke at the dedication. Steve Smith led a long hike from the Eldorado Rd trailhead back to Parker City and Dave Galbreath and Dave Adams led a shorter hike across the Parker Bridge and up along the Allegheny River to the Clarion River Bridge. Many hikers dined afterwards at the Riverstone Lounge and Grill and some had breakfast before the dedication at the Parker VFW.
With this final section into Parker having been completed, we have now hiked all the off-road sections of the NCT under the care of the Butler Chapter.
So for our next hike, let’s look a little outside our chapter over to the Hells Hollow portion of the NCT in McConnells Mill State Park, Lawrence County. Let’s meet on Sunday, October 25, at 1:00 at the Hells Hollow parking lot. We’ll walk in about 2 miles to where the trail overlooks Slippery Rock Creek and then walk back. We can also take a side trip about a quarter mile down the Hells Run Trail to see the furnace and waterfall, both big attractions in the area.
