by Sara Haxby, KTA Program Administrator
KTA congratulates the following individuals who were recognized for their 2015 hiking accomplishments at KTA’s October 17, 2015, Annual Meeting at Doubling Gap Center in Cumberland County:
Appalachian Trail Award (for hiking the entire Appalachian Trail in Pennsylvania):
· Michelle Hinkle
· Seth Koss
· Michael Mays
· Linda Nugent
· Pamela Root
· Lisa Smith
· Debra J. Takach
· Rich Wolensky
Merit Award (for hiking the entire Appalachian Trail in Pennsylvania [230 miles!] plus 200 or more miles on specific additional trails) and the Western Pennsylvania Award (for hiking 216 miles on the trails in the western part of the state):
· Denise Bogert
· Scot Bogert
Merit II Award (for hiking all of the Appalachian Trail between the Hudson and Potomac Rivers and more than 400 miles on Pennsylvania’s other trails):
· Wanda Shirk
Young Hiker Award (for youth aged 12 and under who have hiked 25 or more miles on any trail in Pennsylvania):
· Alexander Romine (age 12)
In addition KTA recognized completers of the 2015 100-Mile Trail Challenge. The challenge is to hike 100 or more miles of eligible Pennsylvania hiking trails in a designated period of time. Participants are challenged to not only complete the trails but also secure sponsorships for each mile of their journey. Each dollar raised supports hiking trails throughout Pennsylvania.
We had another successful year for our 100-Mile Trail Challenge! Between September 1, 2014, and August 31, 2015, 8 participants hiked a combined total of 1,689 miles of Pennsylvania’s trails and raised $621 in sponsorships (an average of 211 miles hiked and $103 raised per participant!) to support KTA’s mission of protecting our hiking trails.
Congratulations to the following individuals who completed the 2015 100-Mile Trail Challenge:
· Denise Bogert: hiked 281 miles
· Scot Bogert: hiked 281 miles
· Carrie Shafer: hiked 268 miles
· Wanda Shirk: hiked 391 miles
· Jane Graham: hiked 117 miles
Congratulations also to Jeanne McKinney, Lynn Shields, and Denise (Dee) Erich, who completed the challenge but were unable to attend the meeting.
The 2017 100-Mile Trail Challenge started on September 1, 2016, and will complete on August 31, 2017. For more information on participating, visit the Challenge Page.