You don’t have to read this column many times to discern my mantra: Get outdoors. Experience what the Alleghenies have to offer.
Frequently, in this space we’ve explored the natural beauty of our forested ridges and river valleys, a rich and varied culture rooted in our layered histories, and the wide variety of activities scheduled within our region.
One quality I haven’t reflected upon enough, however, are the outdoor enthusiasts themselves – the hikers and trail runners, hunters and wildlife photographers, fishers and boaters, cyclists and skiers, geocachers and orienteers, birders and nature observers – that you can meet and spend time with here.
Outdoor enthusiasts love this place and – for the most part –are eager to share their interests with others. Clubs and Meetup groups, organized around specific activities, welcome new members; enthusiasts are quick to offer invitations to outings, advice and even equipment to newbies.
Devotees of a particular pursuit – fly fishers are a good example – also volunteer many hours to projects that will improve their pursuit. This is also true within the hiking, skiing, bicycling and boating communities. Collectively, their efforts make the Alleghenies a livelier and more-appealing place.
Yet as impressed as I am with the energy, passion, helpfulness and commitment of Alleghenies’ recreationists,they still have a way of surprising me on occasion.
Recently, I checked in a new mountain-bike trail-development project currently underway at Quemahoning Lake in northern Somerset County. When completed, this trail will loop for 17 miles around the lake and eventually provide access to more than 30 miles of other mountain bike trails.
Clark Fisher of FisherWorks Consulting designed the trail system and currently is at work on the initial four miles, scratching a 31-inch-wide trail through the wooded hillsides above the lake, using a mini-excavator with a small boom-bucket and a dozer-style blade.
Upon my arrival, two guys were assisting Clark. One was using a large-bladed hoe to bench the trail as it traversed a hillside. The other was using a trail rake to scrape away the debris and expose roots and sapling stubs for removal.
I knew them both, and these weren’t mountain bikers. Both are boaters.
“I don’t know why I’m doing this,” joked Mike Cook, Vice-President of the Benscreek Canoe Club, as he raked the fresh-cut trail surface. “I don’t even own a bike!”
A couple of hours later, a middle-aged couple joined in on more finishing work. While cyclists, they aren’t mountain bikers either; they’re “roadies.”
What’s going on here is an example of the Allegheny outdoor community at work. These folks realizethat the entire region will benefit from this project, and they are willing to put in some sweat equity to make the Quemahoning Trail a reality.
Because this trail will be beginner-to-intermediate in difficulty, people won’t have to be experienced mountain bikers to enjoy it. Other cyclists, walkers and trail-runners also should find it to be a pleasant path in a beautiful setting.
Plus, it will add yet-another attraction to Quemahoning Lake and a reason for cyclists to join campers, fishers, hunters and boaters at this recreation destination. A similar mountain-bike trail complex at Raystown Lake attracts tens-of-thousands of riders annually.
So the entire outdoor community – not just mountain bikers – is embracing this project.
Rich Maher of Maher Contracting is sharing the construction work with FisherWorks and soon will be cutting another three-mile section.There will be a lot of finishing work to do, and Rich plans to organize some “trail days” when groups can come out and help. If you are connected with a scout troop, church group or some other organization that would be interested in helping, e-mail Rich at .
Just ask Mike Cook: This trail-construction project is interesting even if you don’t own a bike. But after you help to build this trail through the woods, you may decide to go buy one.