October 7, 2024
Fall Hiking, Corridor Monitoring, End of Year Activities
by Paula Urhin

Hunting season is already upon us in Pennsylvania and this is a good time to prepare before venturing outdoors.

Specific dates for hunting seasons from vary year to year. Before you go, learn the regulations and hunting seasons for the areas where you will be hiking. Note that the Pennsylvania Game Commission announced three Sunday hunting dates for 2024: November 17, 24, and December 1. For more details on the hunting seasons in Pennsylvania you can reference the Pennsylvania Game Commission website.

Be sure to wear a brightly colored clothing. Colors such as blaze orange or neon green or yellow are recommended. Basically, the brighter the better. (Orange safety vests and hats from Walmart work fine and are inexpensive.) On State Game Lands in Pennsylvania, all hunters and non-hunters are required to wear a minimum 250 square inches of daylight fluorescent orange material on the head, chest and back combined and it must be visible from 360 degrees. An orange hat and vest satisfies this requirement. Many hiking paths including parts of the Appalachian Trail use state game lands, and even if you are not hiking on State Game Lands it is a good practice to adopt during hunting season. If you hike with a pet, it should also wear a blaze orange vest, collar, leash or bandana so it is visible from all sides. The AT recommends that pets be leashed at all times while hiking.

Avoid wearing colors that could be mistaken for game animals. Avoid any brown, tan, earth tones and especially white - you do not want to look like the flash of deer's tail. During turkey season avoid red, blue, purple, black and white. These are the head colors of a male wild turkey. Use extra caution particularly at dawn and dusk. Hunting activity typically increases during those times as that is when animals are feeding and visibility is poor. Hike during broad daylight when hunters can more easily identify you. Be especially cautious close to road crossings, trailheads, and in valley areas. Utilizing a flashlight or headlamp will help with visibility and identify you as a human and not a critter. Avoid the most popular hunting days, like opening weekend. In Pennsylvania that would be the Sunday after Thanksgiving and extending into the first two weekends of December. When you do go, choose trails that are off-limits to or unpopular with hunters. In this area there are several preserves that do not participate in hunting activities. Stick to established, marked trails. Skip the bushwhacking during hunting season as hunters are more likely to expect hikers on trails.

This is also the time of year that the Club performs our annual Corridor Monitoring. Basically we don't hike the Appalachian Trail (AT) itself but the boundaries that parallel it to ensure that there is no encroachment or other activities occurring that would endanger the AT. If you are interested in helping with the monitoring or just want to go along and find out what is involved, keep your eye on the forum (the AHC’s emails) or contact Lucy Cantwell. Additional information regarding Corridor Monitoring can be found on the Appalachian Trail Conservancy’s (ATC’s) website.

Lastly, there are lots of events on our third quarter calendar and that includes some of my favorites. December starts out with our Annual Holiday Feast, a pot luck where club members bring in their favorite dishes to share, both sweet and savory ... and I always say that hikers know how to eat and also how to cook, so there are always lots of great treats to try. If you have never attended an Allentown Hiking Club meeting, this is a good one to attend. There are also Holiday-related events such as a walk through the Allentown Lights in the Parkway and a Bethlehem Holiday Hike ... both festive ways to get outdoors. Finally, close out the year with our Annual New Year’s Eve Hike to the Allentown Shelter, with two distance options. This event has been taking place since 1976 and is a great way to close out a year of hiking while sharing good fellowship with other hikers. I hope to see you on one of these fun events!

Happy Fall and Happy Trails!

Paula Uhrin
President, Allentown Hiking Club

September 29, 2019
Fall Is Here
by Karen Gradel

Fall priorities include reporting your AT volunteer hours, learning about charcoal hearths on Blue Mountain, and attending our end of year events.

Summer is over and our trail maintainers have spent many hours clearing blowdowns, blazing, getting rid of invasive plants to keep the path clear. For all those who have helped with the maintenance thank you and don’t forget to get your volunteer hours into Ed Ritter by Oct 9th. Also anyone else who has helped with corridor monitoring , leadership, administration, websites, newsletters, finance, etc. should submit hours too. Things not to report are participating in (as opposed to leading) recreational A.T. hikes, planning or attending social events, such as dinners and picnics, feeding hikers, a.k.a. ‘Trail magic’ or trail maintenance on trails other than the AT. Why is it important to report all of our hours? ATC uses the hours of all the volunteers to obtain NPS funding.

It is also the time of year we do Corridor Monitoring. If you are interested in helping with the monitoring or just want to go along and find out what is involved, keep your eye on the forum or contact Lucy Cantwell.

A ‘don’t miss’ is the October presentation by Muhlenberg college Professor Benjamin Carter who will give a talk on his research of the charcoal hearths located on the Blue Mountain. There will also be a hike on October 5th to accompany his presentation and give us a ‘first hand’ look at the charcoal pits. Coming up we also have our holiday pot luck on December 4th, our holiday hikes and our annual New Year’s Eve hike to the Allentown Shelter that has been a tradition since 1976.

February 19, 2019
The Start of a New Year
by Karen Gradel

We look forward to many activities in 2019, as we say goodbye to some old friends and welcome new ones.

As we were honoring Holly Vogler with an Honorary Membership for her longtime service to the club, I looked around the room and saw a number of dedicated people who have served the club for many years. These people are the backbone of the AHC. This year and in the past few years we have seen the passing of some members who have been fundamental to the function of the club. We’ve been fortunate to have new members step up to fill these open positions in the club. We also have some new hike leaders this year. I want to sincerely thank everyone who has given their time to help the AHC preserve the physical trail and the spiritual ideals of the Appalachian Trail.

This upcoming year we have numerous opportunities for you to get involved. As always we have our Maintenance Events on the Appalachian Trail, at the Lehigh Gap Nature Center and at Lock # 2 on the D & L Trail. There will also be lots of hikes, some old favorites that are scheduled year after year and some new trails to explore. We are also going to add more family hikes to our schedule to get kids out into nature and excited about outdoor activities. Kayaking and camping trips will be offered. We will also provide Trail Magic again on June 27th and 28th. It’s always a good time to sit with the Thru Hikers and hear their stories. And one of the things we always hear is how well maintained our Shelters and section of the trial are. This is a testament to our hard working volunteers!

Have a great New Year of hiking,

Karen Gradel
AHC President