From the Dark Vaults of SATC

From the Dark Vaults of SATC...

Lorrie Preston photo

This structure, once known as the "Earl Shaffer Shelter" in honor of the first recorded A.T. thru-hiker and co-founder of SATC, and the man who led SATC in building it starting in 1959, through 1961 into 1962, lost this name in mid-1983 when its namesake proclaimed it to be "too fancy" (a floor had later been installed) and not in keeping with his vision of the A.T. See the Fall 1983 Bushwack Bulletin for more details.

Long since functionally replaced by a structure even less in keeping with Earl's preferences, even in the summer of 2007 this old shelter clings to a precarious existence on Peters Mountain. If enough papers get shuffled the right way, it may move to the new A.T. museum.

This page seeks to share some of the memories of those, like Earl, whose footsteps we follow.

SATC Club History

Click here for the history of the first 35 years or so of SATC, from 1954, written by Ralph Kinter, one of the co-founders of SATC over fifty years ago. Learn how SATC became a local leader in landscape preservation before it became a buzzword or even before there were land trusts...

SATC Past Newsletters

Issues of the Bushwack Bulletin, SATC's newsletter, are in Adobe Acrobat (version 6.0 and later) format. If you don't have Adobe Reader installed, visit here to download a free copy of the software and install it. Issues listed in BOLD type exceed 1 MB in size and you may want to think twice about clicking if you're on dialup.

Only highly selected issues prior to the modern computer age have been scanned to date. The current issue is available only to members, so join us!

1954: The First One!
1955: April-May.
1959: Feb-Mar.
1963: Spring.
1969: Spring.
1972: Summer.
1979: Feb-Apr, Nov-Dec.
1983: Fall.
1987: Fall.
1990: Fall.
1993: Winter.
2002: Winter.
2003: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter.
2004: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter.
2005: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter.
2006: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter.
2007: Spring, Summer, Fall, current issue available to members, join us today!

"Our Favorite Hikes"

Some twenty years ago, one of the most eagerly awaited features of the Bushwack Bulletin was a detailed map (usually drawn by Ralph Kinter) of a favored hiking destination in the Harrisburg area.

We are pleased to provide the descriptions of the 36 "Our Favorite Hikes," but PLEASE be aware that in many cases the trails described there have been relocated or even closed.

Hence, we provide these twenty year old maps and hike descriptions for entertainment and historical purposes only.

Now that you've read all that, click here.

Darlington Trail, a route no more, but less...

In the 6th edition (1972) of the book Pennsylvania Hiking Trails periodically issued by KTA, SATC's Darlington Trail was among those described. At that time the route was 25 miles long and extended on both sides of the Susquehanna River.

Now, it is 7.74 miles long, only on the west side of the river, and only on public land. It is a beautiful, but much shorter hike.

Read the old and current descriptions, and judge thirty years of intervening progress for yourself. If this is not your idea of "progress," please support SATC's landscape preservation efforts.

This page is http://www.satc-hike.org/arch-his.htm
December 20, 2007