
PATC North Chapter
Welcome to the North Chapter of the
Potomac Appalachian Trail Club

North Chapter

The PATC North Chapter maintain 70 miles of the Appalachian Trail from Harper's Ferry, WV to Pine Grove Furnace, Pennsylvania. We also maintain the entirety of the 110 miles of the Tuscarora Trail north of Hancock, WV through to Big Blue Mountain in Pennsylvania. We also maintain about 62 miles of blue blazed side trails connecting to both the AT and TT.
In addition to trail maintenance, we sustain seven hiking shelters and four rental cabins along the AT and six shelters and two cabins along the Tuscarora.
Our chapter is divided into two working sections -- the South Mountaineers (Maryland) and the Yankee Clippers (Pennsylvania) . We are volunteers of all ages, backgrounds, cultures and skill sets.
​
Maps for these trails can be purchased from the PATC at their online store. Our AT trails and side trails are covered by maps 2 through 6. Our TT trails and side trails are covered by maps J, K, L.
The North Chapter organized in 1985 as the 1st Regional Chapter of PATC. It all started when a member of Keystone Trails Association suggested "organizing the Pennsylvania section".
The suggestion was related to corridor management, but it was interpreted as organizing a local section of the PATC for interested Pennsylvania members. There was considerable interest in having PATC activities closer to home for distant members & since the constitution and bylaws were worded loosely enough, it was decided that there was no reason geographic location could not be construed as a "special interest", which allowed for the establishment of regional chapters.
As a result, an interested group of fewer than 20 people, including Paula Strain, Dave Raphael, Ray Fadner, Charlie Irvin, the Plancks and Elizabeth Johnston (known to her friends as "the old gray-haired lady of Pennsylvania") met at the Iron Masters Hostel in Pine Grove Furnace on Nov. 23, 1985.
Why the North Chapter for a name? Even though almost all of our trail work was initially done in Pennsylvania, there have always been a lot of Marylanders and folks from Virginia and Delaware who considered it their chapter. The word North seemed more inclusive. One thing you could count on, if it happened north of the Mason Dixon Line, the North Chapter was involved. In March of 1998, the South Mountaineers, Maryland's PATC trail crew and its overseers, became a part of the North Chapter.
The North Chapter took over the maintenance of the Tuscarora Trail in April 1993. At that time, the trail was virtually grown shut in most places. By October 1994 the Tuscarora was again passable. In 1996, the Tuscarora Trail and the Big Blue Trail officially merged to become the unified Tuscarora Trail, a 252 mile trail which connects to the Appalachian Trail near the Matthews Arm Campground at Skyline Drive in the south and at Dean's Gap near Harrisburg in the north.



Chapter Officers
All chapter officers may be contacted at patcnorth@outlook.com
Elected Officers
President
​
Vice President
​
Secretary
​
Treasurer
​
Dee Utz
​
David House
​
Kathy Seiler
​
Dave Trone
Web Site
​
Mike Ramey
​
Tawnya Finney
Standing Committees
Membership
​
Publicity
Lands
​
Activities
​
Tools&Equipment
​
Waynesboro Outreach
​
Steve Koeppen
​
Chris Firme
​
Jim Peterson
​
Tom Rostek
​
Ken May
​
Kathy Seiler
Minutes of Past Chapter Meetings
Small Title
Last Updated: 11/26/2023
Announcements
Trail Updates
For trail updates for the Appalachian Trail, see the Trails Updates section at the Appalachian Trail Conservancy
Pennsylvania Work Trips
The Pennsylvania Section of the North Chapter (Yankee Clipper) usually schedules work trips twice monthly on the first and third Saturdays of the month. The first Saturday of the month work is done on the AT and the third Saturday of the month work is done on the Tuscarora Trail. To have your email added to the Yankee Clipper contact list for notification of work trips, send an email to patcnorthchapter@gmail.com
NOTICE
​
The North Chapter annual meeting and dinner happened Saturday November 5 at Gypsy Spring Cabin. Meeting minutes will be published soon.
Yankee Clipper Work Trip on the Appalachian Trail in Pennsylvania
​
A PATC North Chapter worktrip and potluck dinner are planned for this Saturday in Pennsylvania. Due to deer rifle season, we will stay off the trails and work around Gypsy Spring Cabin. We'll work until about 2 PM and then have the potluck dinner. Esther will be making turkey pot pie.
Date: December 2, 2023
Time: 9:00 AM
Location: Gypsy Spring Cabin
GPS: 39.97881, -77.39772
Goals: 1. Cut and split wood.
2. Clean up grounds.
Tools Needed: Chainsaws, hand saws, loppers, wood splitting tools
Other: Work gloves, sturdy shoes, helmet, hi-vis clothing, safety glasses, water, and lunch.
Note: Parking may be a little tight, so park along the Shippensburg Road, if possible.
Let me know your intentions on or before Wednesday, November 29, 2023. Which of the following will you be participating/attending?
1. Worktrip
2. Potluck dinner at 2:00 PM - let me know if you are bringing a dish and what it is - you can't have too many desserts!
BE SURE TO REPLY TO PATCNORTHCHAPTER@GMAIL.COM SO WE CAN CONTACT YOU DIRECTLY IF PLANS CHANGE.
FUTURE EVENTS
12.14.23 - Tuscarora Trail worktrip (midweek) - Thursday
12.16.23 - Tuscarora Trail worktrip - Saturday
01.06.24 - AT worktrip - Saturday
David Trone
Pete Brown
Chris Firme
PATC District Managers for Pennsylvania
​​​​
Yankee Clipper Work Trip on the Tuscarora Trail in Pennsylvania
Date: 12/14/2023
Time:
Location: TBD
Address:.
GPS:
Goals:
Tools Needed:
FUTURE EVENTS
​
-
​
​
ATC Fall Workshops
​
Please note the following ATC workshops offered this fall. Some are geared towards new volunteers (essentials of Trail maintenance) while others are focused on developing leaders for current volunteers. We also have openings in several of the Mid-Atlantic Crew sessions for anyone looking for a multi-day experience. Individual links and dates are listed below and all can be found on this page: https://volunteer.appalachiantrail.org/
One day workshops:
Saturday 9/9 – Trail Maintenance Workshop w/ MCM at Gardners, PA
Sunday 9/10 – Trail Maintenance Workshop w/ MCM at Gardners, PA
Sunday 9/17 – Essentials of Trail Maintenance Workshop w/ PATC near Pine Grove Furnace, PA
Saturday 9/23 – Orientation to Caring for the A.T. w/ BMECC at Hamburg, PA
Sunday 9/24 – Essential Trail Maintenance Workshop w/ AMC-DV at Wind Gap, PA
Saturday 9/30 – Field Leadership* Workshop w/ BMECC at Bernville, PA
Sunday 10/1 – Field Leadership* Workshop w/ ATC at Carlisle, PA
Tuesday 10/3 – Trail Maintenance Workshop w/ BHC at Wind Gap, PA
*recommended for those that have attended an Essentials of Trail Maintenance Workshop of previous volunteers
Multi-Day Volunteer Opportunities:
9/7-9/12 - Mid-Atlantic Crew Session 2, Wind Gap A.T. Relocation
9/24-9/29 - Mid-Atlantic Crew Session 4, Palmerton A.T. Relocation
10/4-10/9 - Mid-Atlantic Crew Session 5, Wind Gap A.T. Relocation
10/11-10/16-Mid-Atlantic Crew Session 6, Wind Gap A.T. Relocation
Links
Emergency
Emergency - 911
Poison Control 800-222-1222
Mayo Clinic First Aid web page
State Police, Parks, Forests
​
Maryland State Police
Barrack B Frederick - 814-600-4150
Barrack O Hagerstown - 301-766-3800
​
Pennsylvania State Police
Troop H Harrisburg 717-671-7500
Troop G Hollidaysburg 814-696-6100
​
Maryland State Park Offices
Greenbrier - 301-791-4767
South Mountain - 301-791-4767
​
Pennsylvania State Park Offices
Caladonia - 717-352-2161
Colonel Denning - 717-776-5272
Cowan's Gap - 717-485-3948
Pine Grove Furnace - 717-486-7174
​
Buchanan State Forest - 717-485-3148
Michaux State Forest - 717-352-2211
Tuscarora State Forest - 717-536-3191
Local Medical Facilities
​
Carlisle UPMC - 717-249-1212
361 Alexander Spring Road
Carlisle, PA 17015
Chambersburg Wellspan Hospital - 717-267-3000
112 North 7th Street
Chambersburg, PA 17201
​
Frederick Medical Center
ER Facility Under Construction
Fulton Co. Medical Center - 717-485-3155
214 Peach Orchard Road
McConnellsburg, PA 17233
Gettysburg Wellspan Hospital - 717-334-2121
147 Getty's Street
Gettysburg, PA 17325
​
Hagerstown Meritus Health - 301-790-8000
11116 Medical Campus Road
Hagerstown, MD 21742
Waynesboro UPMC - 570-723-7764
32 Central Avenue
Waynesboro, PA 17268
​