by Ed Lawrence, Trail Care Chair
With a week of excellent weather, and Jim Catozzi whipping up some of the best food this side of a Dutch oven (think: strawberry pie), the Allegheny Front Trail (AFT) Crew was able to hit the ground running. Sixteen volunteers put in a total of 387 hours of solid work on the AFT, the associated Rock Run Ski Trail System, and the Shingle Mill access trail. The Crew was again based out of the group camping area at Black Moshannon State Park, where the wonderful CCC-built pavilion provided a sheltered outdoor kitchen (which turned out one culinary marvel after another!). On Saturday evening, Ralph Seeley provided historical background to the trail and region in a discussion that ranged as wide as the elusive buffalo of yore.
The first day of work focused on a re-route along Six Mile Run, to take the trail away from a collapsing bank; the re-route also addressed some of the wet areas with stone steppers. The work focus then shifted to the Benner Run/ Hall Run section and the Rock Run Ski Loop. This section was badly overgrown and needed to be re-blazed from orange to yellow. Laurel hand-lopping, power brushcutters and a blazing team were dispatched over the next two days to clear the AFT, while a sawyer team cut through the Rock Run and Shingle Mill Trails.
Saturday brought the Crew, in force, to the Shingle Mill Trail, where lopping, brushwhacking and reblazing was again the order of the day. Sunday saw the Crew finishing up loose ends and packing out. The Allegheny Front Trail is currently in the best shape it has been in for several years, and the hikers that the Crew encountered throughout the week were effusive in their thanks and praise for their work on the trail.