In This Issue...

The Hemlock

"Snowshoeing" by
Amanda Alexander Volume 2, Issue 5 (February 2009)
Pennsylvania's State "If we had no winter, the spring would not be so
Park Cabins
pleasant: if we did not sometimes taste of adversity,
"Cotton—Winter’s
Silent Killer" by
Steve Guthrie
"Rover of the River"
by Horace F. "Buck"
Hanna, Jr.
"Some Thoughts on
the Origins of
Environmentalism:
A Tribute to Arne
Naess" by Joan
Whitman Hoff
"Groans" by
Zach Fishel
"Country Ride" by
Tammy Houser

prosperity would not be so welcome." --Anne Bradstreet

Frozen Assets
A relentless optimist, I'm struggling to
find the positive side of the current
economic problems and the effects
they are having on Lock Haven
University.
Perhaps this is an opportunity to
rethink how we use resources. Like
many of you, I now find myself
turning off lights that aren't in use and
asking whether a paper copy is really
necessary. Another positive development is that the university has contracted
with an energy service company to significantly reduce our energy
consumption, which will both save money and reduce our carbon footprint.

"LHU Scuba Club in
Florida" by Bradley I think we might also focus on the aspects of this community that remain
Cody Bliss &
Nathan Fought

regardless of budget cutbacks. We still live and work in a beautiful part of the
world, and we are surrounded by opportunities--most of them free--to enjoy
nature.

"Book Review: Bill
McKibben, Deep
Economy: The Wealth Welcome back to a new semester. Hopefully, these articles will help you to
of Communities and make the best of this long, difficult winter.
the Durable Future"
by Mark A. Smith
Environmental
Justice Conference
Hike of the Month:
The Mid State Trail
in Woolrich by Bob
Myers

Past Issues

Snowshoeing
--by Amanda Alexander (LHUP English Major)
For those who possess a love for winter
sports and are looking for something new,
or for those who have tried and failed
miserably at every other winter sport,
snowshoeing could be just the thing to get
you through the winter doldrums.
Dr. John Reid, of the geology and physics
department, has been snowshoeing for 11
years. “My wife and I like the outdoors
and wanted something active to do outside
in the winter that required little skill,” he
said. “If you can walk, you can snowshoe.”
Rock River and Trail's website suggests
trying snowshoeing for the first time at a
city, state or national park to get used to the sport. Once you feel more
comfortable in your new snowshoes, the best place to go is a hiking trail or a
trail specifically made for snowshoeing. These trails are typically marked
according to their difficulty. Reid recommends the Pine Pitch Loop in
Tiadaghton State Forest, off Route 664. About a 30-40 minute drive from LHU,
he says the whole loop takes about two hours to complete. “It's mostly level
with some gentle up and down. It's a pretty area with a nice vista at the far
end of the loop that overlooks the Pine Creek Gorge,” he said.
Snowshoeing is also relatively inexpensive. It doesn’t require much gear and
you can mostly wear things you already own. The list provided by Rock River
and Trail recommends wearing warm layers with something windproof and
waterproof on the outer layer. However, Reid cautions, “Don't
overdress. Although you are ‘just walking,’ you exert more energy than you
normally do walking and will warm up pretty fast.” Next, make sure you’ve
got warm socks and a pair of waterproof shoes or boots. Rock River and Trail
recommends investing in a pair of Gators, as “they’re great for keeping your
ankles dry in deep powder.” Make sure you’ve got on a warm hat and gloves.
Reid suggests wearing sunglasses, and while poles are optional, they are
recommended for beginners. Reid also suggests bringing a thermos of hot
cider along on any snowshoeing trip.
Rock River and Trail offers many tips for beginners on the website, but
perhaps most important is that in order to snowshoe you do not need to
modify your natural gait. While you can walk or run while snowshoeing, it’s

easier to run on flat terrain and to walk on more difficult terrain. There must
be four inches of snow on the ground to successfully snowshoe. Reid also
offers the following advice: “Try to get to trails early after a new snowfall. It's
more fun to walk on a fresh trail rather than one that has been used already by
other people for snowshoeing or skiing or snowmobiling. My wife and I take
turns being in the lead. The one in the lead does more work as they break new
snow.”
Rock River and Trail offers snowshoes to rent or buy. Adult snowshoes can be
rented for $20 on a weekday or $35 on a weekend day, while children’s
snowshoes can be rented for $10 on weekdays and $15 on weekends. Different
snowshoes can be purchased for different snowshoeing goals. The hike series
is great for casual hikes and walks. The trek series stays tight for aggressive
running. The pace series is modeled to match a woman’s natural stride and can
be used while walking or running, while the youth series is for children who
weigh less than 80 pounds. You can also purchase a snowshoe kit which
includes snowshoes, poles and a carrying bag. Rock River and Trail sells
Redfeather brand snowshoes. For more information, Rock River and Trail is
located at 57 Bellefonte Ave. and can be reached at (570) 748-1818 or through
their website.
Pennsylvania's State Park Cabins
If you are longing to spend
some time in the woods, but are
not quite ready for winter
backpacking, an excellent
alternative is to rent one of the
280 cabins located in many of
Pennsylvania's state parks. The
price varies according to the
type of cabin and the season,
but rustic cabins in the offseason go for as little as
$25/night. Most of the cabins
are available year round. From June to August, the cabins must be rented for a
week, but off-season, you can rent a cabin for a night. The rustic cabins are
heated by a fireplace insert (typically you must bring your own wood or buy it
locally) and provide bunks, a refrigerator, electricity, and a stove (bathrooms
are located close to the cabins). Modern cabins have indoor plumbing,
carpeting, and electric heat. You can check availability and reserve cabins
online.

Cotton—Winter’s Silent Killer
--by Steve Guthrie (LHUP Recreation Management Professor)
Now that winter’s here, some people are complaining about the cold weather
and hiding indoors, enduring winter’s onslaught for only brief minutes at a
time. In contrast, others embrace winter’s wonderland. Regardless of which
tactic you choose, you will be more comfortable in winter if you understand
and practice the principles of staying warm. Every experienced outdoor
person has heard the phrase “Cotton kills.” But many don’t believe
it. Perhaps if you understand why “cotton kills,” you might be more willing to
invest in more appropriate winter clothing.
In cold weather, moisture (water) is the enemy. Water has an extremely high
thermal conductivity, which means that it conducts heat away from your
body. The problem is that we are always perspiring water, even when
sleeping. Exercise accelerates the perspiration. When exercising, we will
perspire ½ to 1 quart per hour. If you wear clothing which traps that moisture
against your skin, then you will cool off exorbitantly. In the winter, this can
mean you cool off faster than you can generate heat, eventually leading to
hypothermia, which is the primary killer of people in the outdoors, regardless
of age.
Air, on the other hand, is the gold
standard of conductivity, because it
absorbs little heat (has very low
thermal conductivity) and is
lightweight. If you can trap a thin
layer of air next to your body, the
thin layer will insulate you from the
cold—in fact, this is what cold
weather clothing attempts to do.
Outdoor or active-wear clothing
deals with the problem of water in various ways. However, most all try to
prevent water from staying next to the skin. Here is where “moisture regain”
comes into play. Cotton has a very high moisture regain. That is, for its
weight, it soaks up a lot of water, and holds it there. In fact, compared to
modern synthetic fabrics (made of polyester or polypropylene), it soaks up 25x
to 220x more water.
In addition to the low moisture regain of synthetics, they also have valuable
“wicking” properties. Synthetics wick moisture away from the body, drying
from the inside out. Because they hold very little water, they dry from body
heat; and as they dry, due to their wicking properties, they create a layer of dry

next to the skin. In contrast, cotton does not wick, nor dry. If you wear cotton
next to your skin, you essentially trap a layer of water next to your skin,
chilling you until it is removed. This wet cotton also gets outer layers wet,
reducing their insulating value. Or, if you wear cotton in an outer layer, it will
effectively trap moisture inside with nowhere to go, still chilling you. In fact, if
it weren’t for the embarrassment, you would be warmer walking around in the
winter nude, than wearing cotton thoroughly wet from sweat!
Are there natural insulating materials other than cotton which work for cold
weather? A long time favorite has been wool. Wool actually soaks up more
water than cotton. However, like synthetics, wool wicks moisture away from
the body, creating the dry insulating space we need; it also has hollow fibers
which contain insulating air. With only ½ the thermal conductivity of cotton
when dry, dry wool insulates you 2x better than dry cotton; consequently,
wool remains a reasonably good insulator when wet.
Silk has long been touted as good for cold weather, but for the most part that is
merely marketing. Silk has a much higher moisture regain than cotton and
does not have the insulating value of wool, either wet or dry. It does have
wicking qualities which compensate for the high moisture regain. But for
exercising or for wet climates, other fabrics are much better than silk.
So, instead of complaining about being cold, or hiding from it, get rid of your
cotton and enjoy winter.

"Black Bridge" was taken by Nathan Fought (LHUP Art Major) at
Farrandsville, on March 9, 2008.

Rover of the River
--by Horace F. "Buck" Hanna, Jr. (Retired Lock Haven High School History
Teacher)
Back in the old days, we
Hanna boys of West Main
Street had a canoe; a
holdover from the
dissolution of the HannaTidlow Canoe rental
business. Our dad, Horace
F. Hanna, regularly
competed in canoe races on
the Susquehanna River. He
kept one beautiful “Old
Town” eighteen footer canoe
that we kids used regularly on the river. We were always warned by our
parents to stay on the North side of Boom Island. This was because of the
infusion of sewage on the Lock Haven side (fortunately, this problem has since
been corrected).
During our various and sundry canoeing excursions we were adopted by an
unusual dog; a mongrel really. He had the body of a sheepdog but the short
legs of a beagle. He handled his unusual make-up with serene dignity. We
Hanna Boys had no choice in the matter; this convivial canine adopted us. We
loved him! We named him “Rover” (ok, so we weren't very original).
Rover was with us in all of our fun times at Boom Island. But he completely
ignored us while he was savagely pursuing rabbits. He never caught any of
these rabbits, but, he was relentless in the chase.
Rover’s love life was unique. He somehow found a partner upriver in Queen’s
Run (5 miles upriver). Sensing that it was romance time through some weird
clairvoyance, he’d go up the Renovo Road, clamber down the bank and swim
to his lady love’s place. We’d learn of his amorous advances when we’d get a
phone call informing us: “He’s up here again.” So, one of us would have to
drive up and retrieve Lothario.
Despite this (or perhaps because of it) Rover had strong religious
commitments. Every Sunday he’d walk the three blocks to meet and greet
arriving parishioners at I. C. Church with much tail-wagging fawning. He
became a fixture and many worshippers knew him by name. Rover managed
the attention with great aplomb.

Years rolled by and we grew up. Our old faithful canoe went the way of the
Titanic. Different, more exciting activities demanded our attentions. Rover
moved away, and we didn't see him anymore.
Many years later whilst quaffing a brewskie in the old Grove Street Mohawk
Grill (currently, The Saloon), an elderly gent I knew named Harry Ryan asked
me, “Do you remember a dog named Rover?”
“Yes, I certainly do,” I replied. “Well” says Harry, “If you want to see him
once again come over to my place. Rover’s lying in the gutter, and we’ve got
barricades around him. He can’t move. He’s going to die; soon.”
I thanked Harry and the next morning drove over. There he was…Rover of the
river, the dog of my boyhood, lying in the gutter, unmoving. I knelt and talked
to him for a while, shedding a few tears in memory of sunshiny days of
yesteryear. Final goodbyes hurt.
Farewell…Old Rover…Long may you swim the river and roam the skies.
Some Thoughts on the Origins of "Environmentalism": A Tribute to Arne
Naess
--by Joan Whitman Hoff (LHUP Philosophy
Professor)
We are living in a time when there seems to be a
greater awareness of our relationship to the
environment. Recycling initiatives, energy
conservation, and water conservation are but a
few of the tasks undertaken by many who have
been alerted to the dangers of environmental
degradation. Given this, it seems right to pay
homage to one of the leaders of this movement:
Arne Naess, who died at the age of 96 on January
15, 2009.
‘Environmentalism’ is deeply rooted in
environmental ethics. The discipline of Environmental Ethics found its
inspiration in the work of Arne Naess, who founded the view of "deep
ecology." Naess claimed that the movement to protect the environment solely
for human welfare was "shallow ecology." What is needed is a nonanthropocentric attitude that acknowledges humans as beings who exist with
the environment and not only in it. This view, known as "deep ecology,"
stresses the interrelationships of all things in the biosphere. His principle of
"biospherical egalitarianism," requires a deep respect for all forms of life and a

rejection of the "master-slave" dichotomy that fosters the use-abuse of the
environment problem clearly evident across the globe.
Ecology movements, according to Naess, must be ecophilosophical and not
simply ecological. Such a philosophy stresses the importance of harmony and
equilibrium, a wisdom that is descriptive and prescriptive, and a class-less
attitude that recognizes the complexity and value of all living
things. Moreover, it requires interdisciplinary collaboration. Through such
collaboration, Naess thought that there could be a greater awareness that the
things of the earth have "a right to live and blossom." He thought that regions
needed to be autonomous and not be threatened by other regions who might
desire to take advantage of them for environmental or political gain. He thus
called for the strengthening of local self-government and dialogue among all
persons in those communities. He believed that such an ecophilosophy had to
be put into practice and he was true to his word, becoming an activist for the
environment.
While Naess noted the dangers of futuristic planning from limited
perspectives and he argued for "soft future-research." He stressed the
importance of developing ecophilosophically sound policies based on
egalitarian principles that acknowledge the unity of all things. He stressed the
importance of being aware of our own ignorance and the need for respect of all
things.
Naess’s philosophy laid the groundwork for future environmental movements
and there is no doubt that he will continue to live in the hearts and minds of
those who seek to better understand ourselves in relation to the environment
and identify ways to foster action that respects all living things. This view
certainly remains controversial, as people like to privilege themselves over
other living things, but there is no doubt that Naess’s philosophy and activism
will remain a driving force in the lives of those who would like to help us
think beyond the scope of our egoism.
For more information on Naess, visit the University of Oslo's "Centre for
Development and the Environment" website. A summary of Naess’s positions
can be found in: “The Shallow and the Deep, Long-Range Ecology Movement:
A Summary” in Michael Boylan, ed., Environment Ethics (Prentice-Hall, 2001):
49-53.

Groans
--by Zach Fishel (LHUP English major)
Five straight days of snowfall, and from
the charcoal grey sky above, it's evident
there won't be any stopping it this
week. It has been a hard winter and that
big February storm hasn’t even hit yet.
Desperation calls out from all of creation,
groaning as icicles stretch from the gutters
to the ground. This sagging and
grumbling from the weather isn’t just on
the gutters. The trees swing and snap as
the ice creeps to the branches, the weight
of the world on gnarled fingers of bark
and bud, snapping like bones from the
frozen nights. Nature is starving for fresh
life. The ground is trying to avoid the
peppering of road salt and intrusive cuts
from the shovels of grumbling teens.
But there are signs that change is coming. Hibernations begin to become light
naps as urgent cries are being heard. The rivers and streams are trying to
remove the veil for their husband. An orphan in the water awaits the sign of
return; buds try to break free of the slaving chains of old Mr. Frost. Winter is
breathing its dying wheezes. It won’t last; you can almost feel the dying. This
war is one of grace and mercy for the land. Soon we will see men with
calloused hands who will work the land just as hard as winter tried. This work
will be gladly accepted by all, for it brings life and assurance that the evenings
won’t be as hard. As the sun will fade into the bruised purple skies of
February, creation will rejoice at the rising and healing of March and spring.

Country Ride
--by Tammy Houser (LHUP Secretary to the Department of History,
Political Science,
Economics, and
Foreign
Languages)
I love living in
central
Pennsylvania. I
always said that I
didn’t think that I
would be able to
live anywhere else
because it is such
a beautiful place
to live, work,
play, and raise
children. I have an interest in nature, photography and the history of our
neighborhoods. My favorite thing to do on Sunday afternoons is go for a
country drive. Taking these country drives is calming and gives me a time for
reflection. One day this past autumn, I took my camera and spent some time
in nature.
Our first stop was at my favorite look-out point, Mount Riansares, near
Loganton. It is the highest point in Clinton County. From there one can see I80 west and view the majestic landscape of the mountains and valleys. To the
east you can see a large body of water which is the reservoir for Lamar
Township. I am always in awe of the patterns of fields and residential lands
that surround these mountains and valleys. Beside the road are large, graffiticovered rocks that act as barriers so one doesn’t drive over the side of
mountain. But what interests me are the rocks with fossils that are embedded
in the rock. At the top of the mountain is a fire tower as well as a well-built
stone cabin. Around the cabin, I noticed the different sizes, textures, and
colors of the mosses. I do not know what fascinates me about moss, but as I
was taking pictures of the different mosses, I wondered what purpose it
served.
After we left Mount Rianares, we drove around the valley to Loganton. I like
to take the time to stop at Spring Mills to visit the covered bridge and take
more pictures. As we headed home, we drove through Mackeyville. My
favorite spot in Mackeyville is the short ride around Duck Run Road. I love to
take in the picturesque beauty of the small miniature horses, the large farm
house, barns, horses, cows, land and even a working water wheel (a favorite

spot for high school senior pictures). I also like to take pictures at nearby Belle
Springs Park. The pictures are usually beautiful if you watch the time of day.
On the way home, we followed an Amish horse and buggy. I took a chance
and poked my head out of the window and snapped some pictures. Luckily, I
was able to get a great picture. It is one of my favorite pictures of all
time. Finally, we headed home to a nice quiet evening.
I find that these nice quiet country rides are well worth the time and gas.
LHU Scuba Club in Florida
--by Bradley Cody Bliss (LHUP Scuba Club President) & Nathan
Fought (LHUP Scuba Club VP)
For most people, December is a
month focused on the anticipation
Christmas. This year, for one group
of Lock Haven students, white sandy
beaches and dive gear took the
precedence over candy canes and
presents. On December 26th 2008
fourteen LHU students from the
LHUP Scuba Diving Club traveled a
grueling 24 hours to the Florida Keys
to go scuba diving for a week. Like many extraordinary trips and experiences
the ability to accurately and sufficiently describe the trip to someone that
wasn’t present is often difficult… but it's worth a try.
After several torturous months of planning the Scuba Club was ready to begin
the trek to Sugarloaf Key. We met at the university at 9am, and 24 hours later
arrived at our KOA campsite, where we joined the coordinators of the trip, the
Nittany Divers from Penn State University, as well as students from Maryland
University.
The next morning, we woke up ready to dive! Our first dive took place on a
part of the reef that was part of a marine sanctuary project. For many of our
divers this was their first dive from a boat. The water was rougher than usual
and thrashed the boat from side to side as we franticly assembled our gear that
would be responsible for our safety far within the depths of the ocean. We
wobbled to the stairs that would lead us to the largest playground on earth.
Holding our masks in in one hand and weight belt in the other, we plunged
into the ocean. The waves tossed our body back and forth like a lion pawing
and playing with its prey. All of us immediately thought, "Get under the
water," and we slowly submerged following the anchor. The colors of the coral

sparkled against the afternoon sun fighting to make its way to through the
ocean water. Once we found our way to the bottom we were surrounded by
schools of vibrant fish and smaller crustaceans. The fish sparkled colors that
seemed unlike any colors seen on land. At times I even found that no bubbles
were escaping through my regulator for I had stopped breathing due to
excitement. After a day of exploring this beautiful world we went back to the
campsite to relax and share our stories with others.
The remaining days were
just as good. On our third
day, we dove to around 65
feet to a wrecked tug boat,
where we saw
extraordinary marine life,
such as a green sea turtle, a
sting ray, barracuda, puffer
fish, a green moray eel and
a goliath grouper. Later, we
did night dive scheduled,
which could make even the
most experienced diver sick
to their stomach, as we thought of the million and one things that could go
wrong while in the black depths of the ocean. As the sun slowly set, we
attached glow sticks to our gear, gripped our underwater flashlights and
leaped into the water. In the black sea we saw only the lights of others off into
the distance. Once under water the dive sight looked completely different. Fish
pale in color came out to gather and hunt food. Strange alien like glowing of
various colors caught our eyes from unique species of fish and invertebrates.
We dimmed our lights and moved our hands slowly through the water to see
the bioflourescents of the microscopic organisms floating within the water.
With the lights still out we found our way to a bed of sand, laid down and
gazed up through the 40 feet of water gazing at the stars and moon
shinning…I had never felt so connected with the ocean and nature in my entire
life. At the end of the dive, when we reached the surface it seemed like the
entire ocean was glowing from the stars and the moon. The moon was so close
to the horizon it seemed as though it were touching and the light from the
moon shot across the glass surface of the ocean right to the boat almost as if it
were lighting our way. Before exiting the water we floated in the middle of the
ocean and took in one last image as if taking a photograph with our mind. I
will never forget this night as long as I live.
At the end of the week we woke up and somberly tore down our camp site,
while saying goodbye to some of our favorite campsite hangouts. Twenty four
hours later we were back in Pennsylvania, back in freezing cold weather, but

back with good stories, a good tan, but most importantly 13 great new friends.
As we departed and said our goodbyes it was almost hard to choose your last
words you wanted to say to summarize the ending of a great trip. A simple
nod and a smile seemed to say it all.
The LHU Scuba Club would like to give special thanks to Dr. Carina Howell
for being our advisor. We would also like to thank Sunken Treasure Scuba
Center, for helping us get our club started.
Book Review: Bill McKibben, Deep Economy: The Wealth of Communities
and the Durable Future.
--by Mark A. Smith (LHUP English Professor)
Bill McKibben has been at the forefront of those
working for a sustainable future at least since
publishing his 1989 book, The End of Nature, which,
even before Al Gore, catapulted global warming into
the public consciousness (for a review of The End of
Nature, see the Sep. 2008 edition of The Hemlock). Since
that time, McKibben has been a tireless advocate for
the changes needed to create a sustainable (or as he
calls it “durable”) future, addressing issues such as
technology, population, consumption, communities,
and the information age.
McKibben’s latest, Deep Economy, addresses some fairly remarkable
developments around the world, all aimed at moving us into that durable
future. The book begins by noting that, at least since Adam Smith, we have
equated “More” with “Better.” We have assumed that increased affluence
leads to increased human happiness and life satisfaction. As a result, we have
focused almost exclusively on growth and consumption as a means to achieve
it. The trouble is, McKibben argues, the equation doesn’t work. Instead, it has
led to an economics of what he calls “hyper-individualism.” Quite apart from
the effects this has had on the environment, McKibben argues this brand of
economics simply doesn’t make us happy anymore. He cites research done by
psychologists, sociologists and even economists showing that increasing
consumer affluence doesn’t correlate with life satisfaction. Instead, once basic
material needs are met, having more simply doesn’t lead to increased
happiness.
He points to “an increasingly sturdy architecture of environmental economics”
which looks past the individual in the marketplace to restore the value of
community. McKibben has no objection to free markets per se, but rather looks
for “the sweet spot between individuality and community.” “In a changed

world,” he writes, “comfort will come less from ownership than from
membership.” Surprisingly—at least from the standpoint of conventional
economic theory—living with less stuff and more community actually makes
people happier. The science is in, the numbers are crunched, and the results
show that the consumer society doesn’t make us happier after all.
And so McKibben’s book is stuffed with real-world examples of cultures and
communities around the world moving in new directions and wresting control
from a global economy so obsessed with “efficiency” that it no longer provides
for local “sufficiency,” much less human happiness or a sustainable future.
McKibben devotes a chapter to the local food movement in Vermont,
including the growth of farmers markets, community supported agriculture
(CSA’s), and universities where students are fed substantially by local farmers
(given its choice location, LHU could easily move toward such local,
sustainable sourcing). McKibben also travels the world, to Africa, Asia, and
South America. In Bangladesh he finds “pesticide-free zones,” seed banks
preserving genetic diversity, and ingenious closed-loop systems for raising
food. Farmers raise chickens above small ponds filled with water hyacinth and
fish. The chicken waste fertilizes the hyacinth, the fish eat the hyacinth, and
leftover hyacinth feeds cattle whose waste is fermented to produce biogas
which then cooks all the bounty. These integrated systems have low energy
inputs, low ecological impacts, and very high productivity. They may not
contribute much to growth or corporate profits, but they’re healthy and
sustainable. To those who doubt the value of such small-scale agriculture for
the future, McKibben points out that small farms are actually more productive
than large ones, although the food does cost a little more. Yet another bonus:
people stay on the land and farm instead of moving into cities. As McKibben
notes, large-scale agriculture has “substituted oil for people,” something that
can’t last forever.
As the examples accumulate, we see a grass-roots movement of global
proportions, a sort of backdoor solution to the ills of globalization. If
governments and economists won’t move beyond the fundamentalist mantra
of growth and free markets, then people worldwide seem intent upon working
out local solutions that restore a sense of community and culture, reduce the
impact of global warming, protect the environment, and provide for greater
social justice and human satisfaction.
If all this sounds unrealistic or idealistic, I should add that McKibben’s forte
has always been his no-nonsense, boots-on-the-ground approach to the
problems we face. There’s no sweeping theory here, and no pipe dreams for
the future, only real-world examples of people taking charge of their
communities, their food supplies, their energy needs, even their entertainment
needs, and building a culture that really can survive. It’s now, it works, and it

inspires hope in ways that bailouts and stimulus packages never will: it points
to a truly sustainable and satisfying future.
Environmental Justice Conference
The first ever statewide Environmental Justice Conference, "Building Healthy
& Improved Communities for All," will be held April 26-28 at the Sheraton
Hotel Harrisburg-Hershey. Environmental Justice is is the fair treatment and
meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin,
or income with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement
of environmental laws, regulations, and policies. For more information, visit
their website.
Hike of the Month: The Mid State Trail in Woolrich
The Mid State trail is 260 miles long, stretching from the southern
Pennsylvania border near Bedford, to the northern border near
Lawrenceville. Part of it jogs through our area as it passes from the ridge-andvalley mountains to the Allegheny Plateau. This hike introduces you to a twomile stretch of the trail, beginning at the Woolrich Clothing Outlet #1 in
Woolrich, PA. John Rich began making clothes in this area in the 1830s, and if
you haven't been to the factory outlet yet, you're missing one of the better
shopping opportunities in this area. To get to the outlet, take 220 north to the
McElhattan exit and then follow the signs. Park your car in the overflow lot to
the left of the building. The hike is approximately four miles round trip; in the
snow, it takes about two hours.
In the park adjacent to the parking lot (an
excellent place for a picnic), you'll see several
small buildings. Walk towards the openfronted lean-to. This shelter was donated by the
Woolrich Company in 2007. Note the orange
blazes on the trees--you'll be following these for
the rest of the hike. Follow the blazes to the
southeast (away from the outlet) through the
park. After a few minutes, you'll come to Park Avenue (the road into the
outlet); turn right, cross the street and follow the blazes for about a third of a
mile until you come to Gravel Hill Road, where the trail turns left. Cross
Chatham Run and a second small stream, and then follow the blazes to the
right into the woods. You'll have to scramble across a small stream (frozen
when we were there), and then the trail climbs gradually a few hundred feet
through a beautiful hemlock forest.

Once you reach the top, you'll
follow several old logging roads
southeast, along a ridge that
parallels Park Avenue. We saw
turkey, deer, and bobcat
tracks. After about a mile, the
trail turns right (southwest), and
descends to Route 150, across
from the Susque Valley Animal
Hospital. At this point, you've
walked almost two miles. You
can either return the way you
came, or go to the right (southwest) on Route 150 for about a third of a mile to
Harley Drive. Take a right, and another few minutes will bring you to Park
Avenue--take a right and you'll be one and a half miles from the outlet. When
you get back, I recommend breakfast or lunch at the Woolrich Village Cafe
(around the right side of the building).
I recently purchased the 11th edition of the guide to the Mid State Trail
(available at local outdoor stores for $38). I hate to complain about anything
that is done by the outstanding MST Association (a nonprofit group formed in
1982 to build and maintain the trail), but there is significant room for
improvement with this guide. Included in this edition for the first time are
two excellent full-color maps for the second half of the trail. But the MSTA
needs to simplify the Byzantine system they use to number their
maps. Instead of Map #1, #2, #3, etc., the maps are numbered 213-15, then 303
(old map 216), then 217, 311, and so forth. To add to the confusion, several
maps have stickers that say things like "This map is OBSOLETE. Please see
map #304. Map 303/304 supersedes this map." The guide itself is little more
than a list of the turns the trail takes, as opposed to a compendium of
interesting information on the natural and cultural history of places on the trail
(the guide to the Black Forest Trail and the Loyalsock Trail are both very good
at this). Finally, I find the MSTA's insistence on using only the metric system
preachy and annoying. I'm still a bit confused about the logic of their claim
that "Metrification is a patriotic measure designed to help end our cultural
isolation and ease our chronic balance of payments problems" (p. 19). But
provide a good map, and the guide is superfluous anyway. Alternatives to the
guide can be found in Jeff Mitchell's Backpacking Pennsylvania (who thankfully
uses miles), and the various state forest maps that cover the trail (this
particular hike is on the Tiadaghton State Forest map). The response of the
MSTA to this rant would undoubtedly be, "If you think you can do better why
don't you join us instead of complaining." And they'd be right, of course!

Environmental Focus Group
Bob Myers (chair), Md. Khalequzzaman, Lenny Long, Jeff Walsh, Danielle
Tolton, John Crossen, Sandra Barney, David White, Tom Ormond, and Ralph
Harnishfeger. The committee is charged with promoting and supporting
activities, experiences, and structures that encourage students, faculty, and
staff to develop a stronger sense of place for Lock Haven University and
central Pennsylvania. Such a sense of place involves a stewardship of natural
resources (environmentalism), meaningful outdoor experiences, and
appreciation for the heritage of the region.