Member’s Highlight Archives - Appalachian Mountain Club Delaware Valley Chapter

Hike, Ceremony Celebrate 51 Years of LeRoy Smith Shelter

Posted on November 26, 2023December 20, 2023 by Raun

A commemorative hike and ceremony were held on November 26 at the LeRoy Smith Shelter on the AT, marking 51 years to the day since it was built by Delaware Valley Chapter volunteers in 1972.

The shelter is located on a 16-mile section of the Appalachian Trail between Wind Gap and Little Gap that has been maintained by our chapter since the late sixties.

LeRoy Smith, the driving force behind building the shelter, died at an early age shortly after it was completed.

Read the story of the shelter the Summer 2017 issue of Footnotes written by Ken Graham, who participated in the construction of the shelter, and watch the video of the ceremony using the links below.

Read The Story on Page 4

Watch Video

Greg Bernet presented with Pychowska trails award for third time

Posted on February 13, 2021May 17, 2021 by Raun

Chapter Trails Chair Greg Bernet was the recipient of the Marian Pychowska Award for the third time by doing 158 hours of trail work during 2020, presented at AMC’s Annual Summit on January 23, There are 96 hours minimum required for award.

He is the leader of the Pennsylvania Highlands Trail Stewards who have built new trails around Ringing Rocks County Park, in Veterans’ Park near Quakertown, and are currently scouting a new trail to be built in Nockamixon State Park. He also leads the New Jersey Highlands Trail Crew which does maintenance in Jenny Jump State Forest and the western section of The Highlands Trail.

Greg is AMC-DV’s Coordinator of the Appalachian Trail Boundary Monitors program for the Appalachian Trail Conference and National Park Service, as well as a monitor himself. He is also a member of our club’s AT maintenance crew and a certified sawyer, does solo maintenance on a section of the AT in N.J. at Culvers Gap in Stokes State Forest as well as on the Pahaquarry Trail on the backside of Mt. Tammany at Delaware Water Gap, and he is AMC-DV’s representative to the New York New Jersey Trail Conference.

Raun Kercher earns AMC 2021 Volunteer Leadership Award

Posted on January 31, 2021May 18, 2021 by Raun

Raun Kercher of the Delaware Valley Chapter is a recipient of AMC’s 2021 Volunteer Leadership Award, which was presented at the club-wide annual meeting, held on line this year because of the ongoing pandemic. Since completing Outdoor Leadership Training, Raun has become a hiking, biking and backpacking leader for the Delaware Valley Chapter. He has led a wide variety of trips in each of these activities, notably characterized by his detailed, creative and compelling trip descriptions. After only one year as a leader, he took on the role of Publicity Chair for the DV Chapter. He applied his creative and technology talents in many ways to increase the chapter’s social media presence on Facebook and Instagram. Raun produced entertaining and informative videos about Earth Day and our new activity ratings system to be shared on these platforms. He also elevated the promotion of the chapter’s Fall Gathering to new levels. In 2020, he volunteered to join DV’s Leadership Committee, making important contributions to the leadership training planning efforts. He is playing a critical role in development of a virtual outdoor leadership training platform for the chapter. Raun’s diverse efforts as a leader, trainer, and technology specialist have made a positive difference for AMC and the DV Chapter.

Jane Richter, top mileage hiker two years in a row, active trail worker, Volunteer of the Month

Posted on October 26, 2019January 1, 2021 by Raun

Jane Richter: to some, she seems like the Energizer Bunny in that she shows up every week for hikes, no matter how far away they are or whether they’re an easy canal walk or a mountain climb. She has been the number one AMC-DV member in terms of total mileage for the last two years.

But a lot of people don’t know that she has also been an active volunteer in doing trail work with the Pennsylvania Highlands Trail Stewards and the New Jersey Highlands Trail Crew, working in Ringing Rocks County Park, Veterans’ Park in Quakertown, and all the way up in the Jenny Jump State Forest in New Jersey.

As an active hiker, she appreciates the quality of a well maintained trail and knows that trails don’t maintain themselves, but are maintained by dedicated volunteers like herself. Thanks for pitching in Jane, and congratulations!

Take the Kittatinny Ridge Recognition and Identification Survey

Posted on October 26, 2019January 3, 2021 by Raun

The Kittatinny Ridge (the Ridge) is Pennsylvania’s longest contiguous forested ridge. This long mountain range is familiar to many. It is the large forested expanse that one can view to the left when you travel north on Interstate 81 from the Maryland border and continue east on Interstate 78. It’s where many go to play, relax, enjoy nature, and get away from it all. Click here for more information and to take the survey.