Cadillac Crew: PATC TrailFest and the Chapel Hill Trail
By Dan and Ellen Feer
The November Cadillac Crew trip was to Caroline Furnace and PATC TrailFest! What a great event! Friday night the Hoodlums and the Cadillac Crew shared a warm evening around the fire in the Moyer building in Cabin Village sharing thoughts about the coming weekend.
Saturday morning, Cadillac Crew’s Kirsten Elowsky and Bob Aldridge’s field kitchens produced an excellent breakfast to get us ready for our contribution to TrailFest, the rehabilitation of the Cabin Village side of the Chapel Trail.
Since the trailhead was right next our cabins, there was no delay getting to work after our safety briefing. The trail had to be relocated and the old trail needed to be obscured. We also replaced a 25-foot long bridge, created four new rolling grade dips, cleared a few blowdowns and cleared the trail of leaves and debris all the way to the Chapel on the Hill.
Trail foreman, Robert Fina laid out the relocation and Bob, Janet Arici, Peg Barry, Jeff Clyman, Alice Decarlo, Kirsten, Dan Feer, Erica Glembocki, Bill Greenan, Neil Hopper, George Jones, Molly Mckinley, Brian Napier, Cat Randall, Ellen Shaw, Deb Strosnider, Russ Strosnider, Bonnie Themer, and Steve Themer got started clearing duff, shrubs and small trees, then sidehilling, derocking and using picks to chip through some pretty tough shale.
Ellen Feer and Tysha Robinson started off clearing leaves and duff and carried right on clearing for the next half mile up to the Chapel on the Hill, and then cleared the chapel itself! Kate Walker, a B-carded sawyer, with Steve Phillips, and Chris Glembocki as swampers cleared the blowdowns and started milling cedar tree trunks delivered by the Caroline Furnace Operations team into bridge beams and bridge abutments. Robert Fina oversaw the beam and abutment placement and deck boards were nailed on by Bob, Alice, and Robert. Dan Feer led Jeff Clyman, Ellen Shaw and Erica Glembocki in removing old water bars and replacing them with grade dips along the path to the Chapel on the Hill.
In just 6 hours, the whole section of trail was transformed. It’s more sustainable, easier to walk and even prettier than before. Campers next year will be very pleased. We all got ready for the awards, recognitions and dinner.
Sunday, the crew led and participated in several events including rigging, hiking and archery. We’d love to do it all again next year!
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