Spring Cleaning

It’s that time ... time to spruce up or clear away the old to make room for the new. In the case of the Appalachian Trail and trails in general, that means getting out to assess trail conditions and remove any obstacles that winter storms may have brought to make a clear path for hikers.

On the Allentown Hiking Club’s 10.3 miles of the Appalachian Trail we often see that trees of the same approximate age unfortunately fall victim to storms and take their final bow, falling on the trails around the same time. Clearing these trees is no easy task and often requires groups to head out to collectively address the fallen or semi-fallen trees and then remove them from the trail. The club has individuals specifically trained by the Appalachian Train Conservancy to use a chainsaw and clear these blowdowns. Those individuals are assisted by other club members who then remove the cut tree sections from the trail. As you can imagine, this is not easy work, particularly when there are at times a dozen or more trees to address. As I like to say, many hands make light work, so if you have the interest in helping with these activities keep an eye on the club calendar and join in. The trails don’t maintain themselves and every little but of help makes the overall job that much easier!

In addition to blowdown removal, the club also maintains the Allentown Shelter, which is located 4 miles AT south from Route 309. Several times each year we visit the shelter to ensure it is in good working order ... cleaning gutters, repairing the roof, maintaining the privy, adjusting the fire ring, checking on the two nearby springs, and anything else that might need attention. The club also maintains Lock #2 in Lehigh Gorge State Park, as well as trails within the Lehigh Gap Nature Center. Activities associated with these locations tend to be brush clearing, raking, and weeding to remove overgrowth. These are all great opportunities to visit with us and get to know the club to understand how you can get more involved. Events are often included in the club calendar, but sometimes action is required quickly and a message will go out via email to club members asking for assistance, so keep an eye on both the club calendar and your inbox.

As the weather warms and more people hit the trails, all of these activities help to keep the trails passable, safe, and enjoyable for all ... thru hikers, section hikers, and day hikers. Your support is invaluable to ensuring we can do our part to allow everyone to enjoy the trails we all love so much!

Enjoy these photos of last year's work trips, and Happy Trails!

Annual Spring Maintenance

Lock 2 Clean Up

Shelter Maintenance