by Rose Cheatle, former Quehanna Area Trails Club President
They chose the name Quehanna Area Trails Club (QATC) for the purpose of maintaining and enjoying area trails, particularly Quehanna and Rock Run Trails.
Out of this auspicious meeting grew a wonderful outlet for those who enjoy and want to experience all that nature has to offer. The very first hike included 31 trekkers from various towns in the area: Philipsburg, Karthaus, Stormtown, Morrisdale, Port Matilda, and Frenchville. These are areas around Karthaus, where Edy and her pastor husband Lee were located. Due to their wide circle of friends and acquaintances, they attracted many interested hikers and maintainers.
In the beginning, the group decided on one hike and one work-day throughout the year. Edy, who eventually became the sole coordinator, and Lee did much trail maintenance on their own, and were soon joined by new friends. Word spread, through friends, newspaper notices and an annual newsletter. As enthusiasm for the hikes continued, more were added until finally they were a monthly occurrence on the second Saturday, from April through October. The club even ventured to different areas such as Roth Rock and the Allegheny Front Trail, but Quehanna was home base.
Some of the hikes were short, three- to five-miles long, and others covered larger areas. But all of Quehanna offered something to enjoy in spring, summer and fall. The hikes were a chance to socialize with like-minded people, as well as to get out into nature. In the winter, cross-country skiers enjoyed the trails.
Throughout its history, the QATC was a very welcoming club. Membership was not required. There were no official dues, though donations were welcome for trail maintenance as well as the yearly newsletter, which at its peak went out to 200 hikers. Ralph Seeley gave the club the right to publish his books, trail guides, and The Great Buffalo Swamp, and apply the proceeds to trail maintenance. The club did much maintaining, including blazing, cutting up blowdowns, building bridges over marshy areas, etc. And though hard work, it was sweetened with fun and camaraderie. During this period, Lee and Edy Hebel, Jim Billotte, and Olive Plubell spent many, many hours outside of the club work sessions, to maintain trails.
After ten years of coordinating hikes (see photo above), work sessions and all the paperwork that was required by a club, Edy Hebel passed the position over to George Lockey. George was a "git 'er done" kind of guy. He loved the outdoors and working on the trails, often doing it alone or with Terry Detsch. He developed the Teaberry Trail, which is a lovely hike. Eventually, however, George became more involved in geocaching and felt the club members had become too old for so many hikes per year.
It is true that the core group had aged, but they could still hike circles around most people!
I had been a member of the QATC almost from the start, and took over managing the group when George was no longer interested in continuing as coordinator. By this time, though the hikes were advertised in local papers, hikers were scarcer, as were hike leaders. There were times when twenty-five eager people would show up, and other times when only one or two would appear. I created an informative and bright website which listed the hiking calendar, a digital newsletter (to save on cost), information on Ralph's books, other hiking clubs, etc. Ralph continued to stay in touch with the maintainers.
Hosting KTA's 2012 Fall Hiking Weekend was a highlight for the club. It was a successful event and an opportunity to showcase the beauty of Quehanna.
2013 was the twentieth - and final - year that the club was in existence. Members of the QATC were proud that their group had lasted so long, and had done so much for the area trails in the last two decades. However, due to dwindling interest and membership, the QATC felt it was time to disband and dissolve, until another group of local hikers and maintainers determine it is time to band together once again.
On October 5, 2013, QATC held a celebratory picnic (see photo below) to mark its last official meeting. During the picnic, QATC presented Thyra Sperry and Curt Ashenfelter from Keystone Trails Association with a generous contribution of $1,000, to help KTA's work on Pennsylvania's trails. With the help of DCNR, a sign was placed on the Hoover Farm parking lot to commemorate twenty full years of trail maintenance and hiking in Quehanna, and close the final chapter of a happy and successful run!
