new Clarion shelter (photo from the Clarion Chapter)

from the Clarion Chapter

The Clarion Chapter of the North Country Trail Association recently completed work on a hiking shelter near the Highland Drive trail head.

This shelter is the first hiking shelter ever built on Clarion Chapter’s section of the trail. It was paid for mostly by the chapter’s efforts selling chapter president Ed Scurry’s homemade hiking sticks. Several chapter members attended tthe geocaching event Geowoodstock IX in Warren, PA this past 4th of July weekend and were able to sell about $700 worth of Ed’s sticks and other items to the geocaching community throughout the weekend.

We decided that a good use of these funds was to build a hiking shelter.

The shelter was built during several work sessions in September and October. On October 23, 2011 Clarion Chapter held a picnic to serve as the grand opening for the shelter. Many members came out to celebrate Clarion Chapter’s first hiking shelter.

And now we will rest for the holidays and winter and plan to pick up our tools and build Clarion Chapter’s second hiking shelter in the Maple Creek area as soon as the weather breaks in the spring. Hikers next summer will have plenty of comfortable options for overnighting in Clarion County.

This segment is on NCTA map PA-03

See Clarion Chapter of the NCTA

New Hickory Hills Shelter in NY

Hickory Hills Shelter (photo by Jacqui Wensich)

from Jacqui Wensich

In only THREE days, the new Hickory Hill Shelter ...a thing of beauty.

This segment is on FLT map M12

See Finger Lakes Trail

Pennsylvania- Watts Mill Shelter

(photo by Dave Brewer)

from the North Star, by Dave Brewer

Four miles from the Pennsylvania and Ohio border, landowners Dennis and Cathy Garrett helped us build a backpackers' shelter on their land, by working with us and donating materials. Chapter President, Lee Fairbanks, planned and directed the crews, procured materials, and did as much pre-construction off site as possible. An NCTA Field Grant provided the funding to make the project possible.

In total, sixteen Wampum Chapter members and friends along with thirteen AmeriCorps volunteers contributed their cheerful labor over two days in May to haul in the material and build the shelter.

This segment is on NCTA map PA-03

See Wampum Chapter of the NCTA