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From left to
right: Martin Sussman, Jerry Wright, and Sean O'Shell
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“I have been on two maintenance hikes with the Mountain Club of Maryland along the 8 mile section of the Appalachian Trail located on Cove Mountain just south of Duncannon PA. The first trip was part of standard scheduled autumn maintenance and the second trip was to clear the trail of fallen trees after Hurricane Sandy had passed through. I spent both days walking and talking with a Class 'C' sawyer (class 'C' is the best) who was very knowledgeable about the Appalachian Trail and the surrounding environment. I asked him to help me identify tree species and he was more than willing to comply. I can identify quite a few trees now just by looking at their bark, for example if a tree is big, has very rough textured bark and is on a mountain ridge in PA it's almost certainly a Chestnut Oak. The sawyer also took the time to explain various boundary markings, maintenance policies and AT history. The only thing I had to contribute to earn this privilege was to bring a pair of pruners so I could cut any vegetation encroaching on the trail and carry a backpack full of first-aid equipment in case anything went wrong along our hike. It was a honor and a pleasure to be one of the many volunteers who help maintain and take care of the Appalachian Trail, one of our greatest national resources.”
The Duncannon Appalachian Trail Community hopes to recruit more volunteers from the greater Duncannon area to get involved in maintenance of the Appalachian Trail as partners with the local Trail Clubs including Mountain Club of Maryland, Susquehanna Appalachian TrailClub, Cumberland Valley Appalachian Trail Club, and York Hiking Club. For more information contact DATC President Mary Parry at trailangelmary@gmail.com or go to our web page to learn more http://duncannonatc.org/
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