The Appalachian Trail

Pennsylvania's Department of Conservation and Natural Resouces (DCNR) has issued a press release announcing the latest in the South Mountain Speaker Series scheduled for July 10th from 1:00 to 4:00 PM.

The event, entitled, “The Appalachian Trail: Walking from the Past to the Future,” is free and open to the public.

From the Press Release:

“This unique, interactive event will allow participants to hike on a trail while learning about the vision and hard work that went into creating it, as well as the trail’s importance as an outdoor recreation asset and a prime attraction for visitors in the South Mountain region,” said Allen Dieterich-Ward, an assistant professor of history at Shippensburg University and the chair of the South Mountain Partnership committee on the speaker series.

Six different hikes with varying degrees of difficulty will be offered, accommodating everyone from small children to avid hikers. At sites along each route, historians and interpreters will cover special topics including Native Americans; the Civil War and Underground Railroad; the era of extraction; Camp Michaux; and native plants and animals.

Each route will include a visit to the new Appalachian Trail Museum at the park.

Hiking tours will finish at the Furnace Stack Pavilion near the Appalachian Trail’s mid-point, concluding with a multi-media exhibit exploring the present and future of the Appalachian Trail, the allure of the “thru-hike,” and a visual tour of opportunities to enjoy the trail in the South Mountain region.

More at the link.  The next event in the speakers series will be “Feeding the Troops, Nourishing a Nation: The Pennsylvania Bread Basket During the Civil War,” on Thursday, Aug. 12 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Historic Round Barn in Biglerville.