Inclement Weather: Please contact the hike leader for cancellation information.
FRIDAY, JULY 3, AT MUSEUM EVENT: Kip Redick, author of American Camino: Walking as Spiritual Practice on the Appalachian Trail. Kip is professor of philosophy and religion at Christopher Newport University.
Hikers have been walking the Appalachian Trail since 1948, when Earl Shaffer completed the first hike. Some hike just to enjoy the scenery, while others experience the trek as a spiritual journey. In American Camino: Walking as Spiritual Practice on the Appalachian Trail, Kip Redick engages in a phenomenological exploration of the relationship between long-distance hiking—in this case, hiking the Appalachian Trail—and spiritual pilgrimage. This book shows the way the Appalachian Trail concretizes existential connections between the hikers’ spiritual experiences and intersubjective relationships with various constituents on and around the trail: mountainous wilderness; its variation of flora, fauna, geology, and watershed; and social interactions with fellow hikers and with communities near the trail. Redick contrasts “spiritual rambling” with other approaches to hiking, such as scenic hikes where an experience of landscape is the focus, or a series of other aesthetic encounters that involve hikers’ connection with nature. This book interprets the Appalachian Trail as a site of spiritual journey and those who hike the wilderness trail as contemporary pilgrims.
Event Location: This will be an outdoor program at the AT Museum, 1120 Pine Grove Road, Gardners, PA 17324. Please bring a camp chair or blanket to sit on.
Time: 5:00 PM
SATURDAY, JULY 11TH AT 2:00 PM, AT MUSEUM IS HOSTING ANNE VAN CUREN!
Actress Anne Van Curen transforms into Emma "Grandma" Gatewood to describe what it was like to be the first woman to solo hike the Appalachian Trail in 1955. The dramatization is based off of the book "Grandma Gatewood's Walk", which was written from accounts of Gatewood's surviving family members, newspaper magazine articles, and her own diaries and trail journals. Anne will present a 35-minute monologue followed by a question-and-answer time.
Event Location: This will be an outdoor program at the AT Museum, 1120 Pine Grove Road, Gardners, PA 17324.
Please bring a camp chair or blanket to sit on.
SUNDAY, JULY 12, SHORT HIKE THROUGH WIZARD RANCH (3 MILES): Join us as we walk through this pretty nature preserve maintained by the Lancaster Conservancy in York County. There is some elevation on our 3-mile hike through the hills along the Susquehanna Riverlands. Wear sturdy shoes and dress for the weather. We'll meet in the Wizard Ranch parking lot. If you're traveling East on 462, take a left onto Accomac Road and follow as it snakes through
to the entrance for Wizard Ranch. If you're traveling West on 462, take a right onto Accomac Road instead. The coordinates for the parking lot are 40.038396, -76.572436. A link to more information about Wizard Ranch is here: https://www.lancasterconservancy.org/preserves/wizard-ranch.
Meeting Location: Meet in the Wizard Ranch Parking lot. Call ahead if the weather is bad; we typically don't hike in storms.
Meeting Time: 10:00 AM
Hike Leaders: Kim Pavlick & Raf Ruiz 717-650-0253
SATURDAY, JULY 18 LONG HIKE (11.3 MILES): Mason-Dixon trail make-up hike #2. This hike will be make-up hike for those interested who missed this one because of the snowstorm. Now we have nice, hot weather so an earlier start. We will hike on state game lands, do about 4 miles road walking, and finish in Pinchot State Park. There is little elevation change. We drop cars off at Conewago day use area, and then drive to Old Mountain/ Robson Rd parking lot. This is a point-to-point hike. Bring LOTS of water, snacks, lunch, wear bright colors to be seen on the road!
Meeting Time and Location: Galleria Mall at Red Robin Restaurant 6:30 AM or Emigsville Park/ride 7:00 AM or meet Conewago day use area 7:30 AM. Times can vary since p/u people. You also may park at start Old Mt Rd./ Robson Rd. Please let me know if coming to arrange cars needed for shuttle, thank you!
Hike Leader: Janine Zell call/text 717-406-6544 or zellfam@embarqmail.com
SUNDAY, JULY 19, LONG HIKE (9 MILES): Gifford Pinchot Lakeside Trail, the trail has rolling hills and could be muddy and at least one water crossing after a rainstorm. Bring water, hiking boots/trail shoes, snacks and lunch. Dress for the weather. We will start on the Conewago Day Use Area side and plan to have lunch on the Quaker Day use side. After the hike we could either go to Forry’s Drive-In or Reeser’s Ice Cream. Please notify the hike leader if planning to meet at the Conewago Day Use Area at Gifford Pinchot.
Meeting Location: Emigsville Park and Ride
Meeting Time: 9:00 AM
Carpool Fee: $0.50
Hiker Leader: Alan Noble, 717-758-8470, amnoble38@gmail.com
SATURDAY, JULY 25, 2026, LONG HIKE (11.2 MILES), MASON-DIXON TRAIL: This is hike #12 in a series along the Mason-Dixon Trail. This section starts at Broad Creek Public Landing and ends at Susquehanna State Park North Boundary parking area (874 Stafford Road). This is considered a moderate hike with some sections on private property. A section of the trail at Fisherman’s Park near Conowingo Dam is currently closed. A road detour will add 1.1 miles of road walking to our hike.
Car-Pool Option: Meet at York Vo-Tech at 7:00 AM
Meeting Location and Time: Meet at Susquehanna State Park North Boundary Parking Area at 8:05. Hike begins at Broad Creek Public Landing at 8:30 AM.
Hike Leaders: Scott VanDenHengel (717-649-0881) and Leo Hebert (443-462-7918)
SUNDAY, JULY 26, BOATING, LAKE WILLIAMS: Beat the heat with a float on a local lake followed by a picnic. Of course, if you don’t have a boat and/or prefer to hike, join us for the picnic. about 6:00 PM. Bring your own food. Meet near the parking lot and boat launch off Water Street. No picnic tables are reserved.
Meeting Location: Lake Williams Parking Lot and Boat Launch off Water Street.
Meeting Time: 5:00 PM /Picnic at 6:00.
Organizer: Bernie Frick, 717-843-6675