SATC HISTORY
Earl Shaffer was the first person to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail in 1948. A few years later, in 1954, he co-founded Susquehanna Appalachian Trail Club (SATC) to:
Today, we have approximately 300 members who enjoy hiking and trail work. We are one of 31 volunteer groups that maintain the 2,189 miles of the Appalachian Trail (A.T.)
A written history (see pdf below) of SATC's first 35 years, beginning in 1954, was written by Ralph Kinter, one of the co-founders. Learn how SATC became a local leader in landscape preservation before it became a buzzword or even before there were land trusts.
Earl Shaffer was the first person to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail in 1948. A few years later, in 1954, he co-founded Susquehanna Appalachian Trail Club (SATC) to:
- Provide members & guests the opportunity to enjoy, and to become educated about, nature through hiking and other outdoor recreational activities.
- Build and maintain trails and shelters for public use.
- Aid in the conservation of wild lands and wildlife.
Today, we have approximately 300 members who enjoy hiking and trail work. We are one of 31 volunteer groups that maintain the 2,189 miles of the Appalachian Trail (A.T.)
A written history (see pdf below) of SATC's first 35 years, beginning in 1954, was written by Ralph Kinter, one of the co-founders. Learn how SATC became a local leader in landscape preservation before it became a buzzword or even before there were land trusts.
| satc_club_history.pdf |
Earl Shaffer Shelter
This structure, once known as the "Earl Shaffer Shelter" in honor of the first recorded A.T. thru-hiker, co-founder of SATC, and the man who led SATC in building it starting in 1959, and finishing in 1962. Read about how the shelter lost this name in mid-1983 when Earl proclaimed it to be "too fancy" (a floor had been installed) and not in keeping with his vision of the A.T. in the Fall 1983 Bushwack Bulletin (as well as any of our other past newsletters) for more details and information by reviewing our Past Newsletters.
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Long since functionally replaced by a structure even less in keeping with Earl's preferences, on August 2, 2008 it was removed and began its move to the A.T. museum. The floor was removed first to uncover for photographs of the structure that Earl intended. A large boulder (dubbed "Earl's Pillow") was then seen to protrude from the dirt floor. Reportedly, that was why the floor was installed: to cover the rock!
Charlie Duane has posted photos and videos that record the dismantling project of this unique event.
Darlington Trail, a route no more, but less...
SATC's Darlington Trail was among those described in the 6th (1972) edition of the book Pennsylvania Hiking Trails that is periodically issued by the Keystone Trails Association. 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.
Below are the old and current descriptions of the trail. Read and judge the thirty years of intervening progress for yourself. If this is not your idea of "progress," please support SATC's landscape preservation efforts.
Charlie Duane has posted photos and videos that record the dismantling project of this unique event.
Darlington Trail, a route no more, but less...
SATC's Darlington Trail was among those described in the 6th (1972) edition of the book Pennsylvania Hiking Trails that is periodically issued by the Keystone Trails Association. 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.
Below are the old and current descriptions of the trail. Read and judge the thirty years of intervening progress for yourself. If this is not your idea of "progress," please support SATC's landscape preservation efforts.
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Old Description of the Darlington Trail
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Current Description of the Darlington Trail
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