The Friends of Allegheny Wilderness will hold its next major stewardship and cleanup day of the 13-mile Hickory Creek Wilderness Trail over the weekend of July 28-30 in Warren County.

Over the last 16 years FAW and its volunteers have stewarding the Hickory Creek Wilderness trail by performed extensive ecological restoration of sites adjacent to and within the Hickory Creek Wilderness, as well as helped to remove refuse from the Allegheny Islands Wilderness and environs.

The ‘blood, sweat, and tears,’ and thousands of hours of labor, FAW volunteers have contributed to the stewardship of the Allegheny National Forest is of tremendous value to the U.S. Forest Service and the public.

Participants will leave from the Hickory Creek Wilderness trailhead on Hearts Content Road Friday morning, spend Friday and Saturday nights in the wilderness, and hike out on Sunday.

Minimal tools such as axes, pruners, and ‘elbow grease’ are all participants will use to remove woody debris and vegetation from the trail, in order to help perpetuate the rustic wilderness character of the trail.

And of course, no power tools such as chainsaws are permitted in designated wilderness areas, so there will be no specialized training needed in that regard.

There is no charge to join this program, but participants will need to bring all of their own food, water and/or water filtration, camping equipment, and come fully prepared for any weather conditions we may encounter.

Trail stewardship is a fun and rewarding way to intimately experience the natural beauty of the Hickory Creek Wilderness first-hand, and help give back to America’s National Wilderness Preservation System that is such an important treasure and asset for all of us!

Please contact FAW to sign up, or with any questions, by sending email to: info@pawild.org or call 814-723-0620.

For more information on programs, initiatives and other upcoming events, visit the Friends of Allegheny Wilderness  website.  Click Here to sign up for regular updates from FAW.  Click Here to support their work.

[Posted: July 13, 2017]

7/17/2017