Mr. Curt Ashenfelter, Executive Director of the KTAThe Keystone Trails Association (KTA) is “a volunteer-directed, public service organization . . . dedicated to providing, preserving, protecting and promoting recreational hiking trails and hiking opportunities in Pennsylvania, and to representing and advocating the interests and concerns of the Pennsylvania hiking community.” Curt Ashenfelter, Executive Director of the KTA, was nice enough to participate in a Q&A with Hiking with Impunity. What follows is the unabridged transcript from the Q&A which - thanks to the thoughtful responses from Mr. Ashenfelter - will be split into three parts. In this first, Mr. Ashenfelter speaks to the importance of the KTA both as an organization and in the care of our trails.
Q (Hiking with Impunity): Hi Curt! Thanks so much for taking the time out of your busy schedule to answer our questions! I was wondering if you could let our readers know how long you’ve been with the KTA and what your current position with the KTA entails?
A: Hey Mike thanks for giving the Keystone Trails Association the opportunity to tell our hiking story to you and all the hikers who visit Hiking with Impunity. I’ve been with KTA almost four years now and I wear a number of hats. I’m responsible for advocating with state legislators in the interest of hikers and hiking trails, supporting local hiking clubs on a number of issues including trail maintenance, working with the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and the Pennsylvania Game Commission to protect hiking trails from ATV’s, mountain bikes and equestrians; planning and hosting five hiking weekend events and editing and publishing trail guides and maps. In my spare time I also work to build membership and raise funds. KTA is a 501 c 3 and any contribution by you or a hiker who is reading this is tax deductible. Thank you for your contribution.
Q: The history of the KTA is quite interesting (see About KTA). Even people who are not avid hikers know of the Appalachian Trail (AT), but not many know of some of the lesser known trails in the state. Outside of guidebooks and other hiking-focused websites, what does the KTA do as an organization to promote the trails of Pennsylvania?
A: MAPS Recently we published a map called “Guide to Hiking Trails in Pennsylvania” that shows 29 major hiking trails located within Pennsylvania and their proximity to populated places and major routes. The map also highlights national lands, state parks, state forests, and state natural areas, as well as other selected points of interest. All major cities are shown on the map, as well as all major highways, narrowing in on the trail, more town and roads are shown incrementally. This allows hikers to use the map to get from their starting location to the trailhead. Once at the trail, a detailed hiking map for the specific trails should be used. Using the information provided on the map you may learn about how to acquire a map before you go or where to go to get your map once at the trail head.
The map retails for $5.95, but tell us you heard about the map on Hiking with Impunity and we will sell it to you for $3. Write KTA 101 N Front St Harrisburg, PA 17101. Join KTA with an introductory membership of $15 and we will give you the map free!
GUIDED HIKES Keystone Trails Association also offers guided hikes. Our next hiking weekend is April 27-29 in Wellsboro, Pennsylvania. The hiking weekend is great for new or experienced hikers. The guided hikes are led by local hike leaders who know the best trails in the area. The hikes are described in great detail and hikers can choose from a range of hikes, from short to long, steep to flat, etc. Do not be intimidated by the Keystone Trails Association we have hikes for those who want an easy hike, to those who want a hard hike and numerous hikes in between. For more information on our guided hikes visit www.kta-hike.org. I hope to see you in Wellsboro, registration begins February 1 and ends approximately March 15, 2012. KTA offers guided hikes five times a year visit our website for more information about our Spring Hiking Weekend in April, our PA Hiking Week in May, our Summer Hiking Weekend in July, our Susquehanna Super Hike and Ultra Trail Run in September and our Fall Hiking Weekend in October
Q: What is the level of involvement the KTA has with local hiking clubs throughout the state of Pennsylvania?
A: The Keystone Trails Association was formed by local clubs to represent their interests in Harrisburg and provide a level of trail maintenance above and beyond what local clubs can provide.
We represent local clubs before local, state and federal governments and government agencies such as the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and the Pennsylvania Game Commission. Local clubs often contact KTA for special trail work projects that go beyond local club trail maintenance expertise such as bridge building, rock work, etc. KTA has many specialized tools for trail work that can be used by local clubs for special projects.
Q: Could you explain how the KTA is involved in trail maintenance? If hikers encounter issues while on the trails, you have an online reporting form. What happens to that information?
A: Trails are not an act of nature, they are built and maintained by men and women and Mother Nature is always working her magic with a robust spring and summer growing season, blowdowns, floods, trail erosion, etc. to return trails to their natural state.
KTA sponsors 13 Trail Care Weekends, 5 Trail Care Weeks and numerous one day Code Orange Trail maintenance events to try to keep up with Mother Nature and improve trails over time. In 2011 over 170 KTA volunteers donated over 4,400 hours to brushwhacking trail, building new trail, rock work, building steps and bridges, erecting signs, etc. Trail Care is a lot of fun and great way to give back to the trails and meet great people.
The KTA Trail Care programs offers interested volunteers three types of hands on trail work opportunities. No prior experience is necessary. Tools, safety equipment, gloves, laughs and mentoring are provided free of charge. Volunteers are responsible for bringing all personal camping gear. Camping is provided free.
Trail Crew Begins on Tuesday evening and ends the following Sunday at noon, with all meals provided. Participants can sign up for the entire week or by the day. Trail Care Work weekends begin Friday evening and end Sunday at noon. Participants provide for their own food needs, but the camping is free.
Code Orange: A one day event. Camping may be available and food sometimes provided. Code Orange works day may be scheduled after the newsletter has gone to print so check the website, wwe.kta-hike.org for current listings. Volunteers should contact trip leaders to indicate their intent to participate and get up to the minute information.
The Trail Care schedule is prepared over the winter and is then published in our newsletter “The Keystone Hiker” and on our website at www.kta-hike.org.
Information that comes to us from our online reporting form is shared with our trail care volunteers and then acted on as appropriate.
Q: What are some of the current trail maintenance projects that our readers could volunteer to participate in?
A: Our 2012 schedule has not been completed at this time, but rest assured that there will be plenty of trail opportunities throughout the state in 2012. Trail Cares typically begin in March and are available almost every weekend through November.
Q: Could you speak to any recent successes the KTA has had with advocacy for our trails?
A: Pennsylvania has a wonderful network of hiking trails and many others would like to use those trails for ATVs, mountain bikes and horse riding. To date we have been successful in maintaining hiking trails as “footpaths only.” However in many other states hiking trails have lost out to the concept of “multi-use” despite the fact that the footpaths cannot withstand the heavier weights of ATVs, mountain bikes and horses and the ensuing erosion can be devastating to trails. This is a battle that we constantly wage and is our most recent success.
There are a number of reasons why we are advocates of hiker only trails, but mostly they center on creation and maintenance issues; safety issues; and, scenic value issues.
- Hiking trails are designed and built for foot travel. The grade, switchback dimensions and many other trail design features are significantly different for hikers, bikers, horse riders and ATVs.
- Hiking trails are built to certain standards for erosion purposes and cannot withstand the heavier weights and demands of mountain bikes, horses and ATVs.
- Stream crossings are significantly different for hikers, bikers, horses and ATVs.
- Bridges over streams are built to significantly different standards for hikers, bikers, horses and ATVs.
- Hiking trails are designed and built for slower speeds than bikes, horses and ATVs. Bikes, horses and ATVS move at a significantly faster pace than foot travelers. Conflicts can arise when users of trails are traveling at different speeds. Since hikers typically weigh less than bike and biker, horse and horse rider and ATV and rider, upon collision typically the hiker is injured worse than the biker, horse rider or ATV rider.
- Hiking trails are designed, built and maintained to take you to beautiful wilderness areas that are inaccessible to bikers, horses and ATVs because of rock climbing, rock stepping (such as rock or boulder fields) etc. A multi use trail by definition would have to avoid those areas, so the compromise in the trail design would be to the harm of the hiker who can travel where others cannot.
Our experience with mountain bikers, horse riders and ATV riders concerning maintenance issues has been historically poor. Each year hikers from KTA and local clubs donate over 35,000 hours to maintain trails. We have not seen a corresponding number of hours from bikers or horse riders. When state parks or state forest personnel have changed hiking trails from hiker only to multi use trail many of our trail maintainers will no longer maintain the trails. After a few years the trail becomes impassable to everyone. The trails where we get the most emails, letters and phone calls concerning poor maintenance are those trails that have changed from hiker only to multi-use in the last ten years.
This interview was conducted via email between "Hiking" Mike Magro and Curt Ashenfelter.
The second part of this interview is a presentation of testimony Mr. Ashenfelter gave to the State House Game and Fisheries Committee on the subject of Sunday Hunting and will be printed in one week.
If you are interested in becoming a member of the KTA, you may visit their website here to join online or by downloading their membership form from our website by clicking here.
About the Author”Hiking” Mike Magro is the primary contributor and editor of Hiking with Impunity. Always on the look-out for a good hike, Mike is hoping to get through the rest of the year having minimal to no injuries while on the trail.
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