Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Long Path Volunteers Needed

I received this message from Steven and Mary Heffner last week regarding the work being done on the Long Path over Romer Mountain/Mt Pleasant at the beginning of Woodland Valley. Here is what Steven had to say:


I was hoping you could post this announcement for a trail work party this coming long weekend. We were part of the crew this past weekend and we highly recommend the experience!

Help Build the New Trail over Romer Mountain/Mt Pleasant
Did you know a new section of the Long Path is being built along the top of Romer Mountain and Mount Pleasant, on the eastern side of Woodland Valley? The crew is looking for additional help, especially over the upcoming Veterans Day Weekend (Nov 9, 10, 11), when they will be building stone steps and other treadway improvements along the southern descent of Romer Mountain. On those days, the group will hike up to the trail via a bushwack the crew found from the top of Fawn Hill Road. The work can involve some strenuous activity (digging up and moving stones, swinging a pick-ax or sledge hammer) but no experience is required and any assistance, especially carrying tools up on Saturday and/or down on Monday, would be very helpful.

The group meets at 9 AM at the Lane St future trailhead, then drives over to the hike-in spot. See links below for more details and contact information to let Andy Garrison (the NY/NJ Trail Conference leader of the effort) know you will be joining.


For those who are not familiar with the Long Path, this is a 350-mile hiking trail that runs all the way from the George Washington Bridge to Albany, going through all the major hiking sites in the Catskills, including the Slide/Cornell/Wittenberg mountains, the Devils Path, and the Escarpment trails. The trail is still not continuous and runs along roads in several areas, including Woodland Valley Road. When this new trail is complete, through hikers will be able to hike in the mountains along the valley instead of using the road. The trail will also provide us locals a great nearby trail that we won’t have to drive far to enjoy. If plans stay on track, the new Romer trail will be open by next summer. This project is a fun opportunity to see how our hiking trails get created, and to join in an effort that future generations of hikers will use for years to come. And this time of year, with few if any leaves on the trees, the top of Romer Mountain affords some pretty nice views!

Thanks,

Mary & Steven Heffner
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