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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.

AppalachianTrail M_G.jpg
The Bridge Crew.jpg
ATC Pine Grove - Copy.jpg

Chapter Officers

Click here for Chapter Officers

Last Updated: 1/18/2025

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

Yankee Clipper Work Trip on the Appalachian Trail in Pennsylvania

A PATC North Chapter worktrip and pizza fest are planned for this Saturday, January 4, in Pennsylvania.

 

Date:  January 4, 2025

Time:  8:45 AM

Location:  Gypsy Spring Cabin

GPS:  39.97881, -77.39772

Goals:  1.  Gypsy Spring Cabin - wood cutting, splitting, stacking

             2.  Blowdown removal - various trail sections

             3.  

Tools:  Chainsaws, splitters, splitting mauls, axes, fire rakes, loppers

Other:  Work gloves, sturdy shoes, helmet, hearing protection, orange clothing, safety glasses, water, and snacks.

Note:  It's forecasted to be a cold day so we'll quit about 1:00 PM.  Then it's pizza time at Gypsy Spring Cabin (GPS 39.97881, -77.39772).  Let me know if you prefer cheese, pepperoni, meat lovers, junk, etc.

 

Please let David know of your intentions on or before Wednesday, January 1, 2025:

1.  Worktrip only.

2.  Worktrip and dinner.

3.  Dinner only.

 

Sawyers:

Let's get your chainsaw ready for 2025.  Dennis will have a workstation set up at Gypsy Spring Cabin to show you how to clean and maintain your chainsaw.  Even if you don't plan to use your chainsaw on the worktrip, bring it anyway.  Pick up an air filter, fuel filter, and spark plug at your chainsaw dealer and Dennis will help you install it.  An air compressor will also be available to clean your chainsaw.

 

Be sure to reply, so we can contact you directly if plans change.  The worktrip will be cancelled if the weather doesn't cooperate.

 

 

FUTURE EVENTS

01.18.25 - Tuscarora Trail worktrip - Saturday

01.22.25 - Tuscarora Trail worktrip - Wednesday

02.08.25 - AT worktrip - Saturday - Note that this is the 2nd Saturday in February.

 

David Trone - PATC District Manager for Pennsylvania

Pete Brown - PATC District Manager for Pennsylvania

Chris Firme - PATC District Manager for Tuscarora Trail

Yankee Clipper Work Trip on the Tuscarora Trail in Pennsylvania

The Tuscarora Trail work trips planned for Saturday January 18, and Wednesday, January 22, have been cancelled.

 


FUTURE EVENTS

1.18.25 - Tuscarora Trail work trip - Saturday cancelled due to rain forecast

1.22.25 - Tuscarora Trail work trip – Wednesday cancelled due to very cold single digits in the morning

2.01.25 - AT work trip – Saturday

2.15.25 - Tuscarora Trail work trip - Saturday 

2.19.25 - Tuscarora Trail work trip - Wednesday 

 

Chris​

Links

Hiking 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

Maintainers

Pennsylvania GPS Coordinates for AT and Tuscarora

Photos / Past Events

Here is a picture of building the bridge.  And this is the text describing it.

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