by Kathleen Seiler
On Saturday, April 26, the greater Waynesboro area was recognized as the third official Appalachian Trail (AT) Community in Pennsylvania. The ceremony included remarks from Wendy Janssen, Superintendent of the National Scenic Trail; Karen Lutz, Mid-Atlantic Regional Director of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC); Ron Tipton, Executive Director/CEO of the ATC; John Hedrick, President of the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club (PATC); representatives from local government and U.S. Representative Bill Shuster’s office; and the staff of Pennsylvania Senator Richard L. Alloway. A large contingent from the North Chapter of the PATC was present, manning information tables about club events, the Ridge Runners program, local hiking, Caledonia State Park, and Michaux State Forest.
Highlights included a 15-foot map of the entire AT, where visitors could add their name to “trail signs” and a favorite place. The Meet the Hikers area provided a place for two local thru-hikers to show their packs and supplies, examine their minimalist tents, and provide trail advice. Folks interested in nearby section hikes could see the suggested areas marked on hikers’ folding maps and could purchase their own at the ATC canopy manned by the Boiling Springs office staff. The display from the AT Museum at Pine Grove Furnace State Park also showed guests what is only a few miles away!
The AT crosses into Pennsylvania in Washington Township, Franklin County, bordering the southern reach of Michaux State Forest. The immediate area has six access points to the AT; others are nearby to the north and south. Close to the midway point of the AT, this section is popular with flip-flop thru-hikers and many section hikers (day/weekend/etc.), since it’s close to the Baltimore and Washington, D.C., area.
Three post offices are right on Pennsylvania Route 16; the closest, at Blue Ridge Summit, offers a surprise Hikers Supply Box from the local Girl Scout troop. When picking up packages, hikers can select from an assortment of toiletries, snacks, and duct tape! A special commemorative postmark was issued for this event, courtesy of the efforts of Lori Blubaugh, the Blue Ridge Summit Postmaster.
Hikers can find restaurants, groceries, medical services, stores, bed-and-breakfasts, and a motel (with another one under construction) within six miles of the trail. Being declared an AT Community provides a two-way economic street for such businesses, including promotion for tourism and advertising for hikers’ awareness. In AT guidebooks, the AT Community logo appears beside this section of the trail notes.
Perhaps most importantly, as they worked to become an AT Community, the committee of local business/tourism folks and members of the North Chapter of the PATC learned more of what the community could do and what the AT offers—community education, greater awareness for all, and continuing communication to develop future trail club members. They also gained a better appreciation for being near such a wonderful hiking thread—geographically, culturally, historically, and ecologically.
Stay tuned—part of the responsibility of being an AT Community is to provide an annual community/hikers’ event. The inaugural event will be in June 2015!
For more information about AT Communities, visit http://www.appalachiantrail.org/what-we-do/community-engagement/appalachian-trail-communities.