Wanda Shirk backpacked the Susquehannock Trail System in 2000, joined the local trail club immediately afterwards, and learned about the Keystone Trails Association from the trail club newsletter. A volunteer Trail Care weekend sounded interesting, so she showed up at Hyner Run State Park in May 2001 to work on the Donut Hole Trail, and soon thought, "I love these people and these trails and this work, and I want to do this for the rest of my life!" Since then, she's volunteered at many Trail Care weekends, led hikes for Prowl the Sproul and KTA Spring Hiking Weekends, done landowner negotiations for Mid State Trail access, and participated in KTA events of all sorts, from Super Hikes to the annual KTA 100-Mile Trail Challenge. She has also participated in KTA international hiking trips to Ireland and Mexico.
Wanda is best known nationally for having been a castaway on the CBS-TV show Survivor 10: Palau. Her audition tape included her personal "backpacker rap," which concluded: "I can climb high mountains, and eat meager food, and when things look bleak, I'm still in a good mood! I'm a Pennsylvania hiker, and fully alive! I'll Outwit, Outlast, Outplay and Survive!" Locally, Wanda is better known as president of the Susquehannock Trail Club and as a member of the local library board, school board, community foundation board, planning commission, and fire company auxiliary. She retired in 2009 from a career as a high-school teacher.
In addition to the STS, Wanda's favorite trails are the Black Forest Trail for vistas, the Loyalsock for waterfalls, and the Quehanna for bridges. She has also backpacked or hiked the Donut Hole, Chuck Keiper, and West Rim Trails, and the Old Loggers and Bucktail Paths. She section-hiked 57 miles of the Appalachian Trail in southern Pennsylvania in three days as her "thinking retreat" after being elected KTA president in October 2013. Wanda has also enjoyed climbing Adirondack high peaks and canoe-camping in Canada's Algonquin Provincial Park.
Favorite gear: "Transition-lens safety glasses to keep no-see-ums out of my eyes on hot summer trails, a jungle-hammock for backpacking, and a light-weight hammock and book at trail's end."
Favorite hiker sayings: "Walk softly and carry a big stick," "Keep trees in your heart, and the birds will come there to sing," and "HAPPY TRAILS!"