Friday, March 8, 2019

AT Museum Volunteer Newsletter - Spring 2019


Spring 2019
Brought to you by Nathaniel Shank, Appalachian Trail Museum Manager

Coming up the Trail

Volunteer Signup Link

Museum Cleanup Day March 16th
Saturday, March 16, 2019 is the date for the spring clean-up at the Appalachian Trail Museum. Activities will start at 9:00AM and we should be done by 12:00 noon or 1:00PM. If you cannot make it for the entire morning, we appreciate whatever time you can spare so we can have the museum ready for opening the following Saturday. Don't forget to also sign up for the docent training.

Volunteer Kickoff Celebration March 23rd
Come Join the party with snacks and games to kick off this 2019 season. We will talk briefly about the need for new volunteers and gather ideas as to what can be done to encourage existing volunteers. Then we will Play games, eat snacks, and play instruments if need be. Don't forget to bring your instruments!

Docent Training March 22 - March 31st (or by appointment)
The sessions will provide Docents with a review of the processes and refresh the memory. I will also be conducting hands-on training on the PayPal Here software at all sessions. Any new Docents will receive more intense training.

Flip Flop Festival Harpers Ferry WV April 27th and 28th
For a detailed schedule and more information, visit www.flipflopfestival.org.We need volunteers to represent the museum

Hall of Fame Banquet May 4th
Tickets are now on sale for our 2019 Banquet, to be held on Saturday, May 4.  The 2019 venue will be the U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center, located at 950 Soldiers Drive, Carlisle, PA.  The evening will begin with a reception at 6 pm, with dinner to follow at 7 pm.  

Complete information on tickets is available HERE.


The M.C. for the 2019 Banquet will be Sandra “Sandi” Marra, Chair of the Board of Appalachian Trail Conservancy.  Music will be provided by Randy "Windtalker" Motz, an A.T. thru-hiker.  The highlight of the evening will be the induction of the 2019 Hall of Fame class.  We had record attendance in 2018, so get your tickets soon.

Hall Of Fame Festival May 5th
Five new exhibits will be introduced to the public. More details to follow. We are going to need a few helpers with games, cooking burgers, setting up, and tearing down for the festival. The lunch will be potluck style and free for all guests. There will be a donation jar and food donations are welcome. Come enjoy the music by Strings on Wings. We will have something for all ages. Plan to have a great time!

Mason-Dixon Appalachian Trail Outdoor Festival Rouzerville Pa
Saturday, June 8th 10-4
We need volunteers to represent the museum

Summer Programs
If you know anybody that would like to present at the museum for one of our programs please send an emial to manager@atmuseum.org
_________________________________________________________________

Native Plants Garden to Benefit Wildlife coming to the A.T. Museum this Spring

Work began in earnest at the A. T. Museum last fall on the creation of a colorful garden full of PA native plants that will provide nectar, pollen, seeds and berries for butterflies, pollinators, birds and other wildlife.  The new garden is located in front of the historic stone mill building where the museum is housed along Rt. 233 at the Pine Grove Furnace State Park in Gardners, PA.  The garden and the wildlife it attracts will be easily viewed and enjoyed by museum visitors as they enter and exit the new main entrance to the museum via the extensive fully-accessible ramp that was built by Jack Adams of Maryland and his dedicated group of volunteers. 
AT Museum volunteers Lorrie and Bob Preston, Georgia Freet, Margie and Jeff Schmidt, and Dan Taylor worked to get “the bones” of the garden laid out and the soil prepared in anticipation of planting this spring.  Invasive and non-native weeds and grasses were removed and a layer of wet cardboard was applied to the soil and covered with mulch to smother the remaining roots.  River rock was spread in the false spring and dry stream bed areas to bring a sense of the mill’s historical past, as per former museum manager Howard Davis’ creative landscape plan.  
A stepping-stone pathway was created throughout the garden to add a natural design element and allow easy access for maintenance and ongoing care of the garden.
As the garden area was cleared, care was taken to preserve any of the native ferns and wildflowers that were trying their best to compete among the more aggressive non-native species.  These have some historical significance and may have been planted by previous generations who used this building or they may have grown there naturally over the years.
A common milkweed patch, planted in the fall of 2017, is the centerpiece for the garden and is already multiplying.  Milkweed is the only host plant for Monarch butterflies and these young plants supported their first few Monarch caterpillars last summer. 
Planting of some of the best PA native plants to provide food, shelter, or a place to raise young will get underway this April & May and the project will be evolving and ever-changing in the months and years ahead. 
The garden will provide opportunities for education about the critical relationships between native plants and wildlife and will highlight the extremely important wildlife habitat that the Appalachian Trail corridor provides from Georgia to Maine. 
If you would like to volunteer in some capacity with the creation or ongoing care of this garden or have any questions or pertinent ideas, please contact Museum Manager Nathaniel Shank at manager@atmuseum.org.

Financial donations for purchasing plants, tools, educational signage, and more are welcome and can be made to honor or memorialize someone special.  Note your donation for the Butterfly/Pollinator garden and mail to:          A.T. Museum, Att: Treasurer, 1120 Pine Grove Rd., Gardners, PA 17324.

_____________________________________________________________________


Volunteer Renovation Crew


Work has continued on renovations of the top two floors of the AT museum mill house.  With the addition of a "barn door"  to the library this past fall, the construction on the third floor is nearing completion. A hasp has been installed that will allow the library to be secure. Trim work for the bookcases is progressing and should be finished in the near future. On the second floor, about half of the walls have been painted. The rest of the walls are waiting for the finishing touches on the drywall. Then painting will complete the work on the walls.
    The next step for the bathroom is to install wall tile. When tiling is complete, the plumber will install the bathroom fixtures. A ceiling of beadboard will also be installed. 
A general clean up and organization will take place the end of April. Our goal is to have the construction site as presentable as possible for  
 the new exhibits to be on display the first weekend of May.
Several one-day work trips are scheduled this spring and additional work trips will take place this summer. 

Any individuals that want to volunteer are welcome. Typically our work is scheduled during the middle of the week. If interested contact Ron Bungay at ronbungay@verizon.net



_______________________________________________________________

New Exhibits

The Appalachian Trail Museum will mark a major milestone in its own history in 2019 with the installation of five new exhibits. Children will experience a “Night on the Trail” as they enter a replica trail shelter on the lower  level. Once inside, a skylight in the roof will frame a night sky illuminated with many constellations, and sounds of the night will pique every child’s curiosity. Exhibits on the newly renovated second floor will offer visitors a contemporary trail experience, with displays featuring long-distance hiking legend Walkin’ Jim Stoltz, a national hiking event “HikaNation,” and the landmark signing of the National Trails System Act.  A view to the upper floor will offer visitors the story of blazing the A.T. in Maine, complete with A.T. founder Myron Avery’s folding boat.  A celebration marking the opening of these exhibits is planned for Sunday, May 5, 2019. Exhibits are made possible through a grant from the Cumberland Valley Visitors Bureau.



Here is the list of accomplishments:

  • Installed the Night on the Trail shelter with night noises on Dec 19-20. Photos attached. check out the night sky!!
  • 2nd floor exhibit panel for Walkin’ Jim Stoltz was completed. Photo attached.
  • 2 additional frames to feature future hikers were completed
  • 2nd floor panel for HikaNation was completed. 
  • 2nd floor panels for “The Appalachian Trail becomes America’s Trail” were completed.


In addition, our volunteers painted 3 areas of the 2nd floor in preparation for installation of these panels.

And the 3rd floor exhibit on “Blazing Trail in Maine” was completed and installed earlier last year. 
Walkin' Jim Exhibit

Stars in Shelter

Children's Level Shelter Exhibit

__________________________________________________________________________

If you would like to volunteer in any capacity contact the museum at 
info@atmuseum.org








Tuesday, April 24, 2018

AT Museum Volunteer Newsletter - April 2018



March 2018
Brought to you by Nathaniel "Angry Bird" Shank, Appalachian Trail Museum Manager

New Mail/Register Box on 2018 Halfway Sign

Check out our new donation box. (feeding bear is not recommended in the wild)

                                                                                                                                                 



Important Reminders


Hall Of Fame Banquet & Festival May 4th & 5th

          On May 4th we will be at the Allenberry Resort Inn, located in Boiling Springs, PA. The evening will begin with a reception at 6 pm, followed by the banquet at 7 pm. The Buc Hill Aces will be our musical entertainment for the night.

2018 Appalachian Trail Hall Of Fame Inductees

Click Here For Tickets To The 2018 Hall Of Fame Banquet

We have established a special email address for questions concerning the Appalachian Trail Hall Of Fame Banquet: atmbanquet@gmail.com



Hall Of Fame Festival May 5th
          On May 5th the Festival will be held at the Pine Grove Furnace State Park. The picnic lunch is open to the public free of charge, but donations are welcome.


                                                                                                                                                  

AT Flip-Flop Festival

          April 28th & 29th in Harpers Ferry, WV. Anyone interested in volunteering to man a display at events like this one please let me know by email at manager@atmuseum.com.


                                                                                                                                                 

AT Museum Library Help

          A crew of volunteers will be needed to attach film to each bookcase shelf (to protect books from wood off-gassing and acid) and put the shelves back into the cases. Someone with excellent penmanship will be needed to write call numbers on book slips as well.
Other jobs will come to light as the collection processing begins. Any volunteer with previous library experience could be especially valuable, but anyone with time and an interest in helping can let Linda know. She can be contacted at lpatton@fsu.edu.

You might want to check out her website at booksforhikers.com.

                                                                                                                                                 

Angry Bird Trail Story

          When I hiked the Pacific Crest Trail I did it in sandals and hiked with a banjo. The banjo was given the name Uncle Sam. My trail name could have been the detective, officer, cow whisperer or something along the lines of hillbilly banjo hippie creep but I stuck with Angry Bird because the people I ended up hiking with already knew me from the Appalachian Trail. I also had some very cool bird experiences where I was convinced that they had planned to attempt to kill me once again. Here is one great bird story I have...



          August 16th, 2014: That morning I had hiked a detour from Oldenburg Lake Trail to Crescent Lake, and then I took the White Fish Creek Trail to Odell Lake. Then at Windigo Pass (trail mile 1882.9 in Oregon) I had taken a seat on a log to break for lunch. As I was eating my lunch I noticed a high volume of chip monk activity. These chip monks were expecting me to drop food. I laughed at the thought of a thru-hiker dropping food! Then as I proceeded to eat my granola I noticed a screech??? As soon as I turned around I caught a glimpse of one of them flying away!!! A hawk had swooped down and grabbed him from right behind my left shoulder. I have heard owls catching prey in the middle of the night but finally just now saw a bird of prey in action actually catching its prey. The good news is that I was not the target this time. That made me very happy. :)


                                                                                                                                                 

April 28th - AT Flip Flop Festival in Harpers Ferry, WV
April 29th - Ironmasters challenge trail run and hike
May 4th - Hall Of Fame Banquet
May 5th - Hall Of Fame Festival
May 7th - Road Scholar Hike
May 31st - AT Museum Program about women of the Appalachian Trail
June 2nd - AT Museum Children's Festival
June 16th - Red Run Park AT Festival in Waynesboro, PA

Wednesday, March 28, 2018

AT Museum Volunteer Newsletter - March 2018



March 2018
Brought to you by Nathaniel "Angry Bird" Shank, Appalachian Trail Museum Manager

2018 Hours of operation
Saturday, March 31 to Sunday, April 29 – Weekends, Noon to 4:00PM
Saturday, May 5 to Sunday, July 15 – 9:00AM to 4:00PM every day
Monday, July 16 to Sunday, August 19 – Noon to 4:00PM every day
August 22 to October 28 - Noon to 4:00PM Wednesday thru Sunday
(Open Labor Day Monday, September 3, and, Columbus Day, Monday, October 8)
Special Events:      Times to be announced

New maps of the Michaux State Forest ($15)
New strings and bridge on hiker lounge guitar
                                                                                                                                                 

Museum Opens 8th Season
          The museum will be open on March 31st at noon! We may still have snow on the ground, but unless the roads are covered or dangerous we plan to be open. 




                                                                                                                                                 


Hall Of Fame Banquet & Festival May 4th & 5th
          On May 4th we will be at the fully renovated Allenberry Resort Inn, located in Boiling Springs, PA. The evening will begin with a reception at 6 pm, followed by the banquet at 7 pm. The Buc Hill Aces will be our musical entertainment for both the banquet and the festival.

2018 Appalachian Trail Hall Of Fame Inductees

Click Here For Tickets To The 2018 Hall Of Fame Banquet

We have established a special email address for questions concerning the Appalachian Trail Hall Of Fame Banquet: atmbanquet@gmail.com


Hall Of Fame Festival May 5th
          On May 5th the Festival will be held at the Pine Grove Furnace State Park. The picnic lunch is open to the public free of charge, but donations are welcome. Your donations help us create new displays like the one pictured below. So far the schedule looks like this...

10:00am-Ron Rosen representing Elizabeth Levers
 11:00am-Graybeard presentation in lower level of museum
12:00pm-Picnic Lunch and music by the Buc Hill Aces
 1:00pm-Libby Hargrave representing George Masa
 2:00pm-Mountain Music by Buc Hill Aces

Linda Patton will also be giving tours of our library project and we'll be showing our new Avery canoe display at this time!

Another great display by Graphik Masters of York, PA
                                                                                                                                                 

Renovations
          We have had a few great volunteers busy this winter working on getting our second floor ready for exhibits. If you would like to help with renovations please let us know at manager@atmuseum.org. You don't have to be a handyman but it would definitely help if you are. Lately, we have installed insulation in the top floor walls, painted areas of the resource library, spackled a few walls and moved in some furniture for the library/office use.


AT Museum Cleanup on March 24th
                                                                                                                                                 
The Appalachian Trail Museum's Research Library to be established in 2018!


The first week of April, Linda Patton will be traveling from Florida to Pennsylvania to start work as the founding Librarian for the Research Library which will be set up on the 3rd floor of the Museum. Linda (trailname "eArThworm") is a long-time member of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy and the Florida Trail Association, a former backpacker and trail builder, and a retired librarian from Florida State University. She will be bringing her collection of about 750 books; David Crooks will be bringing his collection of about 550 books and Roger Williamson's of just over 300 books. Linda will also be bringing a few books donated by the ATC, and there are possibly 1000+ books in storage in Carlisle. All together, there could be around 3,000 books to be processed into the Research Library's collection. Due to lack of space (and funds) maps, videos, and other types of materials requiring special housing will most likely have to wait to be added to the collection in the future.

Linda has already begun ordering the furniture, equipment and supplies for the library, hoping
to have everything delivered to the Museum and set up by the time she begins work in April. Joan McKean, another retired librarian and Museum volunteer, will be assisting Linda as much as she can. But Linda will most likely be staying for only eight weeks, and 3,000 books are a lot to process; so she will be looking for other volunteers to assist in various ways. The first job will be off-loading (sometimes heavy) boxes from delivery trucks, carrying them to the 3rd floor and doing some minor assembly on the furniture. Starting on the 9th, an assembly-line crew will be needed to attach film to each bookcase shelf (to protect books from wood off-gassing and acid) and put the shelves back into the cases. Someone with excellent penmanship will be needed to write call numbers on book slips.
Other jobs will come to light as the collection processing begins. Any volunteer with previous library experience could be especially valuable, but anyone with time and an interest in helping can let Linda know either now or when she arrives. She can be contacted at lpatton@fsu.edu.


You might want to check out her website at booksforhikers.com.


                                                                                                                                                 

Road Scholar Hike April 16th
          First road scholar hike of the Season. These hikes start at Shippensburg Road and end at the AT Museum(8 miles). The group is usually made up of people from all around the USA. If you've never volunteered to help on one of these hikes I encourage you to at least tag along and see what it's like. Bring your own water and lunch! Link to Details: Here


                                                                                                                                                 

AT Flip-Flop Festival April 28th
          Last year was the first time that the AT Museum attended the Flip-Flop Festival in Harpers Ferry, WV. Here are a few photos from that event. We will be attending the festival again on the 28th of April and hope to meet a lot of future thru-hikers. Maybe we will be able to acquire some delicious West Virginia pepperoni rolls at this event as well!

AT Museum stand in the center with banjo (2017)
                                                                                                                                                 

Angry Bird Trail Story
          Hiking out of Harpers Ferry after talking my youngest brother into hiking the entire state of Maryland with me was depressing. It was the last time I expected to hike with a family member during my hike. I wanted to share so much of my hike with people I knew. I thought about it a lot actually. So when I got to Waynesboro, VA I decided to call my older sister who lived near VA Beach and asked if she would hike part of Virginia with me... Then she said yes! Everything changed!


          The next day I got her to meet me at Reeds Gap which is mile 13.6 on the Blue Ridge Parkway and approximately 20 trail miles south of Rockfish Gap where I hitched to Waynesboro, VA. From Reeds Gap we got a ride to Blue Ridge Parkway mile 51.7 and hiked .4 miles south to the Punchbowl Shelter. After picking apples and staying the night at the shelter we set off on our north bound hike back to the car. On our journey we got to experience trail magic, sunset views, unfiltered water, fresh unwashed non-homogenized/non-pasteurized/non-demoralized organic apples and pizza hut.


          At the end of the second day, we had hiked 47.8 miles over Bald Knob, Cole Mountain, The Preist and Three Ridges back to Reeds Gap. She summited three 4,000 foot mountains and hiked nearly 50 miles with me. I still feel bad for pushing the limits.

Advice from Angry Bird: Walk slow and take a lot of breaks when in the wild.

                                                                                                                                                 

Coming down the trail
          March 30th - Pine Grove Furnace State Park campground opens
          March 31st - AT Museum opens
          April 1st - Ironmasters Mansion opens for guests
          April 16th? - Museum library project starts
          April 16th - Road Scholar Hike
          April 28th - AT Flip Flop Festival in Harpers Ferry, WV
          April 29th - Ironmasters challenge trail run and hike
          May 4th - Hall Of Fame Banquet
          May 5th - Hall Of Fame Festival
          May 7th - Road Scholar Hike
          May 31st - AT Museum Program about women of the Appalachian Trail
          June 2nd - AT Museum Children's Festival
          June 16th - Red Run Park AT Festival in Waynesboro, PA

Tuesday, December 19, 2017

AT Museum Volunteer Newsletter - November/December 2017


November/December 2017
Brought to you by Nathaniel "Angry Bird" Shank, Appalachian Trail Museum Manager



Volunteer Hours & Special Thanks
     On Sunday, November 5th the Volunteer Recognition Dinner was held at the Iron Masters Mansion. There were 40+/- in attendance. The overall attendance at the museum this year was 9327 visitors. The volunteers donated 2558 hours of their time greeting hikers and visitors from all over the world, guiding road scholar hikes, resource library organization, garden and lawn work, building maintenance, renovation to 2nd and 3rd floor and constructing our new walkway. I'm sure there is plenty more that I am forgetting. 

     At the banquet, we recognized Gwen Loose for finding the open door and following through with final reports for grants that were available to us this year and in past years. She has helped us to accomplish what was thought to be impossible. Another person who really helped us a lot with outreach and donations is Robert "Red Wolf" Croyle. He is a wonderful person to work with. I can't imagine the museum without him.

     We also recognized Ron Bungay for his countless hours thinking, planning and building the upper floors of the museum. For all of his help this year at the museum we have created for him and his crew a patch (pictured) and honored him with the 2017 Presidents Award. 


The 2017 Volunteer Of the Year is Berry Flicker. Berry helped maintain the yard all summer, he donated gas, fixed lawn tools when needed, brought an army of scouts to help with an early fall cleanup and placing pavers in our walkway and he is one of the happiest people to be around. 

Thank you all for a great year!
                                                                                                                                                 

Comming Events in 2018!
The Appalachian Trail Hall of Fame Banquet returns to the Allenberry Resort this coming May! In early April the inductees will be announced! The actual induction ceremony will be on Friday, May 4, 2018, at the Appalachian Trail Hall of Fame Banquet, located at the Allenberry Resort. Follow THIS LINK to get your tickets.
Do you know someone who we should consider for the A.T. Hall of Fame?  Nominations are open now.  Just follow THIS LINK.  

The Appalachian Trail Museum Hall of Fame Festival will be held on Saturday, May 5th, 2018, at the Pine Grove Furnace State Park. We will be located at the pavilion below the AT Museum like usual.

The Appalachian Trail Museum Children's Festival will also be held at the Pine Grove Furnace State Park on June 2nd, 2018. This event will be held on the museum grounds.

FIRST DAY HIKE
PINE GROVE FURNACE STATE PARK
January 1, 2018 at 1 PM
Meet at Fuller Lake Bath House
Join the Friends of Pine Grove Furnace State Park and park staff on a hike to
celebrate the new year. This guided hike will start at the Fuller Lake Bath House then
follow Old Railroad Bed Road to the Mountain Creek Trail. The hike will continue to the
end of the Mountain Creek Trail and return along Old Railroad Bed Road back to Fuller
Lake Bath House. Total distance is approximately 4 miles. The Friends group will serve
refreshments during the program.
Please dress for the weather, bring water, and wear sturdy shoes. The trail is
relatively flat, but there are tripping hazards, large stepping stones across side channels,
and steps at the bridge: no strollers, please. Well-behaved dogs on leashes are welcome.
In case of severe weather, check www.PineGroveFriends.org or our Facebook page:
www.Facebook.com/Friends-of-Pine-Grove-Furnace-State-Park-131815140192988.
We hope to see you “1/1 @ 1” at the Fuller Lake Bath House!
                                                                                                                                                 


Renovations


Janice Gibson donated seat covers.

Electricians have been working on track lighting for the second floor.


The water has been turned off for the season, but there are still a few cold weather hikers like myself who cannot stop exploring.
                                                                                                                                                 

New Merchandise

Check out some of the new merchandise that was added to our inventory near the end of 2017. We now have two books by Mic Louther, Walking North and Taking the Long Way Home.  We also have another book by Jeffrey Ryan called Blazing Ahead.

On the way is a waterproof map of the Michaux State Forest by Purple Lizard Maps. A few of the great groups that helped create this map include the Pine Grove Furnace State Park Friends Group, Strawberry Hill Nature Preserve and Gettysburg Bicycle and Fitness. This map will be available for sale at the AT Museum and at www.atmuseum.org in 2018.
                                                                                                                                                 

Angry Bird Trail Stories (Continued)
     I got to the Carl A. Newhall Lean-to as it was getting dark(er). My clothes were wet but the contents of my pack were totally dry. I had stuffed some dry wood from the last shelter into my pack in case I really wanted a fire. Instead, I decided that I wanted to go right to sleep... or not! Before I could go to sleep the people at this shelter were giving me some wonderful advice. It was all legal but highly unethical. Some of the advice they gave me was also definitely illegal. So the advise was in reality not so wonderful. About an hour later another hiker showed up. I'll call him Redhead since I don't know his trail name. He was drenched, sleeping bag and all. I thought I was in a bad spot but after seeing him I realized how well off I really was! It was also a cold night. I don't remember a whole lot after this because I actually went to sleep very quickly. That seems to happen when I least think it would. 

     When we hiked out in the morning Redhead left before I did, but not by long. When I caught up with him he asked, "Did you see my knife?" I replied with, "Noooo!" That made us very happy to be away from there. Minutes later when the other hiker who was there showed up we had a few laughs and sighs of relief. Then the Canadians showed up and we had to cross the flooded, waist high, bitter cold, fast moving, slippery west branch of the pleasant river. I was the first to test the water and cross. They said I made it look easy, but it was far from easy. One of the Canadians fell and went straight back to shore behind me. Then the female that was with us was carried 200+/- feet down river getting hit by rocks along the way. She managed to escape by using her poles to push herself across. She was bruised pretty badly but managed to get out. 

     When looking up videos of that river online it is only ankle high. In hindsight, camping until the water was lower would have been a great route to take. If planning to ford a river be sure to unbuckle the waist belt from your pack before trying to cross. It may save your life.


If you would like to listen to me give a tour of the museum and talk about some of my experiences on the trail then you are in luck. The A.T. Museum was featured in the podcast "Effing Weird Museums".  HERE is a link to the episode, in which host Emily Morman interviews Museum Manager Nate Shank.

                                                                                                                                                 

Coming Down the Trail
First Day Hike (P.G.F.S.P. Park Staff) - January 1st, 2018, 1pm @ Fuller Lake Bath House
Hall Of Fame Banquet - May 4th @ Allenberry Resort
Hall Of Fame Festival - May 5th, 2018
Program: Women of the A.T. - Thursday, May 31st, 6:30 pm @ A.T. Museum
AT Museum Children's Festival - June 2nd, 2018
Halfway Hiker Picnic - July 7th, 2018