Trail crew report from Mel Cooper, Trail Crew Leader, June 1-6, 2010
More than 20 volunteers turned out for a five-day work session sponsored by Keystone Trail Association and the Standing Stone Trail Club, in cooperation with the PA DCNR Bureau of Forestry, Bureau of State Parks, the Narrows Gun Club and the Fulton County Conservation District.
The dedicated volunteers worked to relocate more than 4 miles of the Standing Stone Trail to the top of Cove Mountain between Cowan’s Gap State Park and Narrows north of Knobsville. They planted 7 posts for side trail and provided fresh blazes from the breast of Cowan's Dam to Sheepskin Hollow Rd and Route 522. They also completed some side hill work in the Narrows northeast of Cowan's Gap.
To get the work done, teams of chain sawyers went north and south from the fire road leading out of the Narrows Gun Club followed by throwers, people with power sythes and other folks with loppers. Groups of 6 to 8 went in both directions for two days after which the top of Cove Mt. was cleared for foot travel.
The Standing Stone Trail travels more than 70 miles from Cowan’s Gap State Park north to Greenwood Furnace State Park between Huntingdon and State College and connects the Mid State and Tuscarora Trails.
Jim Garthe of Huntingdon County and Frank Donlevy of Harrisburg are pictured with signage installed at the intersection of the Standing Stone and Sharpe trails atop Cove Mountain.
Mel Cooper, trail master of the Standing Stone Trail and coordinator of this project, would like to thank the people from the McConnellsburg area who volunteered. Thank you to Scott Alexander, Mike Hall, Carl Jaymes and Steve Yohn. Mel maintains a list of volunteers he contacts when new trail is approved and ready to build. If you would like to be a part of building this new trail or perhaps maintain a section, please email Mel Cooper or email Scott Alexander.