A Cumberland Valley Tradition by Melanie Wertz
Carlisle is the county seat of Cumberland County, as well as home to Dickinson College. Folks familiar with this area of the Appalachian Trail may remember it as a walk through the “Valley” surrounded by farm fields and cows. The valley trail includes a long section located in the floodplain of the Conodoguinet Creek. This means soft alluvial, silty soils which compact and turn into deep, sticky mud after heavy rains. CVATC has spent many work trips turn-piking and hauling shale stone in this area to harden the tread way. It is hard on the back, and our small club struggles to find younger people to help with the heavy lifting and hauling of shale, bucket by bucket, wheelbarrow by wheelbarrow.
Enter Dave Webster, the coach of the Dickinson College Lacrosse team. Dave has coached lacrosse at Dickinson for 15 years. His dedication and enthusiasm gain him respect and admiration from his team. At least 12 years ago, Dave approached CVATC, offering to bring his team out for an activity day on the Trail with the club. He felt it would be a good way to give back to the community, as well as a valuable team building exercise. Did I mention we were talking 30–40 players?
Imagine the work that can be accomplished in an afternoon when you have that many strong young men willing to lift, shovel, pick, cut, and of course, schlep shale—lots of it! Hauling shale has become a rite of passage for team members. We have been told that this fun fall tradition is something all the players look forward to. Dave has a wonderful relationship with his team, and the spirit under his direction is amazing. The team is enthusiastic, and the work they do is awesome.
Of course, all of this activity takes quite a bit of organizing. Craig Dunn, our club Trail master and work trip leader, has faithfully stepped up to organize these trips every year. Starting weeks before the event, he walks the trail, plans the activities, assures materials are available, rounds up extra tools, recruits club members for additional help, and carries it off year after year.
The relationship with the Dickinson College Lacrosse team has become a tradition which we look forward to. It provides the lacrosse team with an opportunity to get off campus and experience the AT, which is practically in its back yard. It provides our club with anywhere from 35 to 45 students to do trail work, which would take our small club a year to complete. Over the years, besides hauling shale, the team has helped with other trail maintenance activities including cleaning drainage ditches and water bars, constructing steps, trimming brush and others. We have only had to skip one year due to a hurricane.
We thank Coach Dave Webster for the opportunity to share in the enthusiasm he instills in his players, and we hope in turn the team is introduced to a valuable resource they may return to in the future. We hope this tradition will continue for many years to come.
Enter Dave Webster, the coach of the Dickinson College Lacrosse team. Dave has coached lacrosse at Dickinson for 15 years. His dedication and enthusiasm gain him respect and admiration from his team. At least 12 years ago, Dave approached CVATC, offering to bring his team out for an activity day on the Trail with the club. He felt it would be a good way to give back to the community, as well as a valuable team building exercise. Did I mention we were talking 30–40 players?
Imagine the work that can be accomplished in an afternoon when you have that many strong young men willing to lift, shovel, pick, cut, and of course, schlep shale—lots of it! Hauling shale has become a rite of passage for team members. We have been told that this fun fall tradition is something all the players look forward to. Dave has a wonderful relationship with his team, and the spirit under his direction is amazing. The team is enthusiastic, and the work they do is awesome.
Of course, all of this activity takes quite a bit of organizing. Craig Dunn, our club Trail master and work trip leader, has faithfully stepped up to organize these trips every year. Starting weeks before the event, he walks the trail, plans the activities, assures materials are available, rounds up extra tools, recruits club members for additional help, and carries it off year after year.
The relationship with the Dickinson College Lacrosse team has become a tradition which we look forward to. It provides the lacrosse team with an opportunity to get off campus and experience the AT, which is practically in its back yard. It provides our club with anywhere from 35 to 45 students to do trail work, which would take our small club a year to complete. Over the years, besides hauling shale, the team has helped with other trail maintenance activities including cleaning drainage ditches and water bars, constructing steps, trimming brush and others. We have only had to skip one year due to a hurricane.
We thank Coach Dave Webster for the opportunity to share in the enthusiasm he instills in his players, and we hope in turn the team is introduced to a valuable resource they may return to in the future. We hope this tradition will continue for many years to come.