My Story

I moved to southwestern Pennsylvania in November of 2003 and quickly began looking for opportunities to get outside and stretch my legs on these hills. Since graduate school in Chicago, I had somehow found myself far from the family farm in Ohio and trapped in an office cubicle behind a computer screen. A quick search for trails in Pennsylvania led me to the Rachel Carson Trails Conservancy website and the start of the most fun I have had in a long time.

Patty Brunner introduced me to the Baker Trail during a maintenance survey in the spring of 2004 and our enthusiasm for trail maintenance has kept us both dreaming of big things for this special trail. Together we have put paint on trees, found lost shelters, scouted trail re-routes, talked to land owners, slept on gym floors, dug around in basements and swung on ropes over the Allegheny River. Come join in the fun!

Along the way Steve Mentzer somehow planted the seed in my head to hike the Rachel Carson Challenge. With silly optimism, comfortable shoes and a very light pack I headed out in June of 2005 for a perfect day of walking in the woods. While I thought I was in good shape, the "muddy, bloody Rachel Carson" knocked me down a peg or three. I made it to the end with a pretty good time but couldn't walk for a week without crutches. It was much more fun in 2006 when I did it with friends AND after training for 4 months! In 2009 I logged my best time yet on the Challenge and broke the 11 hour mark.

Currently I serve as the southern trail manager and co-editor of the Guide to the Baker Trail. Both jobs keep me out in the woods talking to people and making new friends. Nothing would suit me better.

The 2011 trail maintenance cycle has begun! Patty and I walked the section from the Northern Terminus to Route April 10th and I conducted an Easter survey of the northern 30 miles of the trail. Almost all of the northern section of the Baker Trail is in the woods. It is a beautiful section and I highly recommend it to anyone who loves the PA woods. The winter storms appear to have been fairly gentle to the trail. This year expect to spend a lot of time camping in Cook Fores and watching water flow over rocks down to the Clarion River. See you there!