Southern Shenandoah Valley Chapter - Chapter News

A First Day Tradition

1/8/2026

Lynn and Malcolm Cameron are dedicated to the trails of the Southern Shenandoah Valley Chapter and the North River District. They have led a First Day hike since 1988 and this year was no exception. Nineteen hikers braved low temperatures and high winds to climb from Braley Pond Day Use Area to the overlook on Bald Ridge. This seven mile out and back hike has been the go to for a decade. The news of the event went out over email, Facebook, and Meetup so hikers even came from east of the Blue Ridge. Jim Fye helped out as co-leader since the group was so large. Larry Ragland and Craig Sease are co-maintainers on the Bald Ridge Trails and both were along today. Craig stated that he liked the fellowship of the day and the “invigorating” weather. And we all appreciated the great shape the trails are in.

Karen and Mike Waterman also helped with the festivities by offering an easier hike along Madison Run Fire Road. Thirteen hikers met in Grottoes to hike in/out for a total of about four miles. Both hikes helped carry on the First Day Tradition of starting the New Year off on the trail.

Annual Meeting

11/11/2025

Our annual meeting with hikes was held on Saturday, November 8. Hikers chose from the Austin/Madison Run loop or Stull Run Trail. Twenty-nine hikers joined us for an outing. Twenty people attended the social gathering and Annual meeting held at Lil Gus's in Grottoes.

Meeting updates:
*Our slate of officers for next year include President: Jean Stephens, Vice President: Lavern Beachy, Secretary/Communication Director: Jana Newman, Treasurer: Nancy Hall, and John Kolp: Outreach Coordinator. Jim Fye and Pam Heinrich will assist as needed with duties.
*Members approved the motion to join the Charlottesville Chapter in a combined Meetup account. We will continue to use our email blast to announce hikes, but Hike Leaders will have the added choice of also posting on Meetup.

Wilderness First Aid: January 31 and February 1 2026.
Medic Solo is providing the opportunity to receive wilderness first aid training. PATC SSVCers get $25 off if paying by check, Venmo, or Friends and Family PayPal; or $10 off if using a charge card. Register using this link here and in the last question, write "PATC SSVC Active Member" and Medic Solo will take care of your discount. In that same last question you can also write "Desire Friday Eve CPR Add-On." (6pm-9:45pm, $75 or if charge card then $79), Medic Solo instructor personally guarantees best CPR/AED class the person has ever had, or refund!

https://solowfa.com/disaster-travel-wilderness-first-aid.html

For questions on registering for Wilderness First Aid, contact Jean Stephens: [email protected]

Hawksbill Award

10/13/2025

As president of the Southern Shenandoah Valley Chapter, it is my pleasure to honor Lavern Beachy with our 2025 Hawksbill Award.

A few years ago, we met Lavern on a hike and he quickly became a dedicated member of our chapter. A farmer by trade, much of Lavern’s life is involved in keeping up with his crops and livestock. Volunteering to work on Brown Mountain trail in the south district of Shenandoah National Park and White Oak Draft Trail and Shenandoah Mountain Trail in the North River District, Lavern has donated much of his free time helping with trail maintenance. Known for his enthusiasm for exploring, members love participating in a hike led by Lavern as it usually involves a new area of adventure. He is welcoming and friendly, which makes everyone glad when Lavern joins us for an outing.

It is thanks to Lavern and members like him that SSVC remains an active and interesting part of the community.

Al Dahler 1937-2025

5/1/2025

Al Dahler, Southern Shenandoah Valley chapter member, Appalachian Trail section maintainer and Founding member of the Flying McLeods South District Trail Crew passed away on April 22, 2025 in Saratoga Springs, Utah. He is survived by his wife Avis and family including four grandchildren.

In the early 2000's, Al and I worked on many projects to regrade sections of the Appalachian Trail. Prior to the current cooperative agreement with the North River Ranger District, we worked on the Shenandoah Mountain Trail and removed blowdowns on Jerry’s Run Trail. There was a lot of hard, repetitive work, often performed in the heat of summer, but Al was always there and ready to go. He approached each project with the zeal and energy of a man half his age.

When health issues forced Al to curtail trail work, he and Avis moved to Saratoga Springs, Utah to be near family. Al remained focused on world events and politics, reading avidly and writing a journal for his grandchildren with his thoughts on the world situation and family matters.

Al was a man of many parts. Prior to joining our trail club. he served in the military for 20 years, was headmaster and teacher at several private boarding schools and was a lay chaplain and hospice administrator in Wyoming and a hospice volunteer in Virginia.

True to his nature, Al asked that there be no service or viewing and no public notices. In recognition of Al’s contributions to the trail and to the chapter, Avis has kindly permitted me to write this remembrance for our chapter newsletter. His grandsons will spread his ashes somewhere in the mountains of Utah.

----Remembrance by Mark Gatewood

Al Dahler and Mark Gatewood at Beagle Gap 2013.

New Hike Leader

3/31/2025

Congratulations to Lavern Beachy for completing his hike leader training. We had a great time joining him on his two training hikes on the Whetstone Ridge Trail and Mills Creek Reservoir trails. Lavern is known for his exploration of new trails and his long hike adventures. He enjoys tackling sections of trails such as the Great Eastern Trail and the Arizona Trail. Lavern is also known for his welcoming and friendly personality. Working as a busy farmer, we are always glad when he has time to join us. We look forward to Lavern leading on future hikes!

Sierra Club Event at JMU

3/16/2025

The Shenandoah Group of the Sierra Club is excited to co-sponsor the following events at JMU.

On April 2 and 3, Joshua Trey Barnett an award-winning scholar and teacher from the Department of Communication Arts and Sciences and Penn State will give a public talk ("Ghost Trees of the Shenandoah National Park and the Ethics of Care") and facilitate a workshop ("Beyond Hope and Despair: Cultivating Ecological Feelings for Earthly Coexistence"). Details on these events are below and in the attached flyer.

Joshua is the author of Mourning in the Anthropocene: Ecological Grief and Earthly Coexistence (2022) and the editor of Ecological Feelings: A Rhetorical Compendium (2025),

PUBLIC Talk: Wednesday, April 2, 5:30-6:45,
ENGO 1301 James Madison University

Ghost Trees of Shenandoah National Park and the Ethics of Care

How do people come to care about threatened and endangered species? In this talk, I transport readers to Shenandoah National Park, where most of the eastern hemlocks died in the early 2000s after the hemlock woolly adelgid arrived. Although hemlocks survive in isolated stands, many dead hemlocks still pepper the landscape. Building on new materialist theories of rhetoric, I examine how these so-called ghost trees move people to care for them. In particular, I show how dead and dying hemlocks make ethical claims upon those who encounter them.

WORKSHOP: Thursday, April 3, 2:20-3:35,
King Hall 259, James Madison University

Beyond Hope and Despair: Cultivating Ecological Feelings for Earthly Coexistence

We live in a time of interlocking social and ecological crises, and your workshop host wants to know how you feel about it. In this workshop, participants will explore a variety of ecological feelings beyond the clichéd hope-despair dichotomy. We will consider how ecological feelings like anger, apathy, care, fear, grief, joy, optimism, and rage influence us. In doing so, we will reflect on how our feelings motivate our thoughts, judgments, and actions. More importantly, we will consider how we might collectively cultivate those feelings that lead to a more just and caring earthly coexistence.

Click this link to view the flyer for the event:
barnett_visit_flyer_revised_07_07_25.pdf

Congratulations: 90 Mile Finished

2/2/2025

Congratulations to Peggy Shy for completing our North River Ranger District 90 Mile Challenge.

Peggy went above and beyond in this challenge by completing 136.82 miles so far. She said that her favorite hike was Elliott Knob, stating "it was hard, but I felt so accomplished after I made it through to the end." Peggy joined Howard Davis on that hike and was impressed with his knowledge of the area. She said "we went up the trail and came down the fire road. I didn’t like the fire road, but the trail up to the top was pretty great. I never thought I would be able to do a hike like that when I first started so knowing that I can do it gives me a great feeling." We are so glad that Peggy has joined our group and shares her enthusiasm for hiking and learning new trails with us.

Congratulations: 90 Mile Finished

12/31/2024

Congratulations to Nancy Sorrells and Sue Leonard for completing our North River Ranger District 90 Mile Challenge.

Their final hike was a 5.2 mile journey on Tillman Trail and the Tower spur up to the communications tower. That gave them 91.9 miles in 21 hikes.

They attempted to begin the challenge in March of 2022. Instead, they made a trek to Natural Chimneys because deep snow forced them to turn around near North River Gorge before they could get to the trailhead. They were planning to hike Tillman on that day so it is fitting that instead of Tillman being their first hike for the challenge, it was their last one to complete the challenge!

Below are pictures of Nancy and Sue on their final hike and at Augusta Springs.

To learn more about our challenge visit here:
https://www.ssvc.org/north-river-district-challenge.html

Chapter Updates

12/1/2024

SSVC Annual Chapter Meeting:
Our annual chapter meeting was held on Friday, November 22. Ranger Chris, Chief Ranger, Byrd Visitor Center shared some of his ranger comedy and told us about his life as a ranger. We had reports from Lynn Cameron (North River District), Dave Bowen (South District AT), Tim Hupp (Great Eastern Trail), Paul Boisen (Massanutten South), Angela Lawrence (Vice President), Jean Stephens (Trail Fest) and John Kolp (Outreach coordinator). It was a great night of delicious food, fellowship, and information.

News From Trail Fest
Michael Seth Receives Honorary Life Member Award

Michael is a long time valued member of our chapter and has been very active as a hike leader, trail maintainer and former chapter vice president. For many years, he has maintained the Second Mountain Trail on Massanutten Mountain. He organizes group work trips on his trail throughout the year, but we especially enjoy when our outings involve clipping blueberries bushes and enjoying some of the ripe fruit. Summer work always adds cooling off with a swim in Boones Run. This combination of work and fun is a special combination that Michael makes sure to include for our members. Not only does Michael work on his own trails, but he participates in Chapter work trips on sections of the Appalachian Trail in Shenandoah National Park.

Michael is an avid hike leader for our chapter. Having explored most of the trails in our area, Michael is an expert. He often bases his hikes around the seasons. Examples of his ideas: spring-wildflower focused, summer--great swimming holes, fall--great views for leaf color, and winter--bushwacking to an old copper mine. Michael is a great companion for other leaders learning about local hikes. I can speak from personal experience that Michael is willing to hike anywhere and was a great assistant for me to become familiar with where to take groups hiking.

Finally, Michael has previously served as vice president of our chapter. One of his duties was to create the monthly schedule of hikes and work trips. He published newsletters about upcoming events and hike summaries. Michael was vital in keeping members of our chapter informed. More recently, he has served as a member of our nominating committee and advisor to our current leaders. His many years of service in various capacities, he provides an outlook that is unmatched.

Michael is an excellent ambassador of hiking and the PATC. He is friendly to all who hike-new, regulars, and visitors alike, befriending them all. He is delighted to get to know everyone. The lives of those who hike with Michael are better for it. His wealth of knowledge on varied topics and enthusiasm for the natural world are unmatched. With his helpful attitude, willingness to mentor others, and expert level of knowledge, Michael represents the spirit of volunteerism and is well deserving of the Honorary Life Member Award.

News From Trail Fest
Jean Stephens Receives SSVC's Hawksbill Award
For the past several years, Jean has been a dedicated leader for our chapter. She serves as a hike leader, trail maintainer, and is currently our chapter’s secretary. Jean is the trail maintainer for the AT section from Sawmill Run Overlook to Turks Gap as well as a section of the Shenandoah Mountain Trail. She also joins in helping others on their trails. As a trained Virginia Master Naturalist, Jean leads efforts to educate others about invasive species and works tirelessly to help remove them from the trail. Jean has also previously served as our chapter president for the past four years. She has been a valuable member of the planning committee for Trail Fest.
It is thanks to Jean and members like her that SSVC remains an active and interesting part of the community. Jean has been extremely deserving of this award for many years.

News From Trail Fest
Paul Boisen Receives North River District's Hawksbill Award
Paul Boisen has been an invaluable asset to North River District. He led JMU students in the rebuilding of rock steps from High Knob Parking down to Shenandoah Mountain Trail. These steps are much improved after being a safety hazard for many years. This was a multi-worktrip effort that spanned 2 years. Paul has taught our North River trail maintainers how to use maasdam and rigging on several challenging large blowdowns. Paul has a level of expertise on rock work and crosscut saw use that is greater than any of the other North River maintainers or Shenandoah Mountain Trail Crew members. Paul is a USFS-certified C Level Crosscut Sawyer (perhaps the only C Level in PATC at this time). He is generous with his time in assisting us in the North River District. We all learn from him when he leads or accompanies us. He helped Southern Appalachian Wilderness Stewards (SAWS) train, evaluate, and certify or recertify 10 Level B crosscut sawyers in April 2024. He goes on most of our Shenandoah Mountain Trail Crew worktrips. In addition to having a great deal of expertise, Paul is very nice to work with and is very safety conscious.

News From Trail Fest
Pam Heinrich Receives Hike Committee's Hawksbill Award
Iva Gillet chairperson for the Hikes Committee said the following about Pam for her nomination: Pam Heinrich exemplifies an extraordinary PATC volunteer with her thorough involvement in so many aspects of the Club. Not only is she president of the Southern Shenandoah Valley Chapter, but she also leads trail maintenance trips, is a member of the Nominating Committee, and she led more PATC hikes this year than anyone else. She is quietly encouraging for new hikers, and is enthusiastic and inclusive for all who join her PATC activities. Leading 11 hikes in the past year, Pam shared her love of hiking and her concern for protecting our native environment. Pam is helpful to all who ask and demonstrates the best qualities of supreme volunteers. She well deserves this Hawksbill award.

News From Trail Fest
SSVC Members Receive Service Awards
The Service Award is given to members with outstanding volunteer service over the past year. Many thanks to our members that contributed as hike leaders, trail maintainers, outreach volunteers, and much more.

The following SSVC members received the service award: Angela Lawrence, John Kolp, Jim Fye, Jana Newman, Howard Davis, Rob Perry, Karen and Mike Waterman, Gary Flynn, Russell Fitzgerald, Jim Todd, Paul Boisen, Heather and Brian Denny, Lavern Beachy, Myra Robertson, Bob Costanzo, Kate Hoffmeyer, Bev Carver, and Barbara Martin.

PATC North River Sawyer Helps Clear AT near Mt. Rogers
News from the Shenandoah Mountain Trail Crew

As you all know, Hurricane Helene caused extensive damage to the Appalachian Trail in Southwest Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and farther south. This damage goes far beyond what local trail crews can handle on their own.
A couple of weeks ago, ATC contacted PATC to ask if any of our USFS certified crosscut or chain sawyers could help log out the AT in the Mt. Rogers area. PATC has many good crosscut sawyers who are not USFS certified because they work in SNP or in other areas that do not require USFS certification cards. North River District has most of the Club’s USFS-certified crosscut sawyers, a requirement for sawing on National Forest land.
Joe Sinegra, who was just certified as a USFS B Level Crosscut Sawyer in April, was able to go help out as a representative of PATC. He worked for two days with sawyers from other trail clubs. Read Joe’s first-hand account below.
While the crews made good progress, a lot of work remains to be done. ATC may be calling for more certified sawyers to help again.
We know we had several other sawyers who wanted to go and may be able to help out in the future. We will forward any calls for help we receive. Stay tuned.

Lynn and Malcolm Cameron
PATC North River District Managers

Joe Sinegra’s account:
On November 14th and 15th I had the opportunity to be a part of a multi-chapter AT club sawyer crew working on the AT in the Mount Rogers area. Damage from Helene was extensive in southwest Virginia, with the Mount Rogers ATC and USFS estimating as many as 100 down trees per mile impacting the trail between Mount Rogers and the VA-TN line.
Organized by the AT Conservancy, the crew consisted of volunteer crosscut and chainsaw certified sawyers from the Mount Rogers ATC, Natural Bridge ATC, Outdoor Club of Va Tech, Potomac ATC, and Roanoke ATC. USFS maintenance personnel were also involved in briefing the team on what they had encountered in their trail opening efforts in the aftermath of the storm; working 14 hour days since it was deemed safe to enter the woods.
Despite a late start on day 1 due to rain, chainsaw sawyers worked very hard to clear the area around the Trimpi shelter, privy, and spring and open up the blue blaze trail from the shelter to the AT. All total, cutting out approximately 52 trees. Crosscut sawyers worked the AT south into the Raccoon Branch Wilderness, cutting out approximately 31 trees. Many of the cuts for both groups were very complicated due to difficult binds and the fact that in most cases many trees were intertwined and interacting with each other. Notwithstanding these challenges, the wet weather, and not being familiar with one another, the entire crew worked methodically and safely, greatly improving access with no injuries.
Weather permitting, work will continue with the goal of clearing the trail to the state line in the next few weeks. Toward this end, the Forest Service indicated that they are going to pursue an exemption to allow chainsaws in the wilderness areas due to the volume of the work. No word on whether the Conservancy will be organizing more large scale volunteer efforts in the near future.
Respectfully submitted,
Joe Sinegra

A.T. Volunteer Opportunities
PATC President, Jim Fetig sent out notice of opportunities for individuals to volunteer. From the Appalachian Trail Conservancy:
"We also wanted to share that there are still opportunities to volunteer with an A.T. maintaining club this winter. In the southern region, A.T. clubs need your help more than ever as they start down the path of repairing and restoring the Trail after Hurricane Helene."

Use this link to explore opportunities.
https://volunteer.appalachiantrail.org/s/volunteer-project-search

October News

9/29/2024

Mark Your Calendar
We have some important events coming in November. Be sure to mark your calendar and make plans to join us.

FALL TRAILFEST: November 8-11, 2024
Be part of a new PATC annual tradition by joining other outdoor enthusiasts for the 2024 Fall TrailFest this November. The event will be held at the Caroline Furnace Camp and Retreat Center in the beautiful Massanutten Mountains surrounded by George Washington National Forest. TrailFest will take place from November 8-11th. There will be activities for the whole family throughout the weekend. Come for a day or stay for the entire weekend; you'll be able to curate your own fun filled itinerary upon registration.

Visit this website to register: https://www.patc.net/trailfest-info-page

SSVC Annual Meeting: Friday: November 22, 2024
Our annual chapter meeting will be held at Arey Hall in Bridgewater. More details coming soon but plan for a covered dish meal, speaker and chapter updates. We look forward to seeing you.

PATC Executive Committee Elections
PATC Members,
The bi-annual PATC executive committee election opened on Tuesday, October 1st. We encourage all of you to cast your vote! You should have received an email from our election software on Tuesday morning with your unique link to fill out and submit. It's an easy and seamless process and all submissions are anonymous. Please visit www.patc.net/elections to read about the slate of candidates.

The new executive committee will be announced at our annual meeting taking place during our TrailFest event on November 9th, and they will assume their roles in the new year.

If you have any questions, send an email to [email protected].

News about Hurricane Helene
Update received from Appalachian Trail Conservancy:
Hurricane Helene has wreaked havoc in the south! Our Damascus Trail Center is currently closed as the town is still experiencing large amounts of flooding. More than a third of the Appalachian Trail is currently inaccessible. A.T. Communities such as Damascus VA, Irwin TN, and Hot Springs NC have been devastated. All national forests in GA and NC are closed as is Great Smokey Mountain NP. And Asheville NC, home to ATC’s Southern Regional Office, is currently only accessible via air.

Updates as we hear them about trail impacts will be in our alerts, currently here:
https://appalachiantrail.org/news/hurricane-helenes-impacts-on-the-appalachian-trail-and-nearby-communities/

Annual Deyerle Program Series
Local History to Highlight Shenandoah National Park
Free Events Take Place Thursdays Weekly,
October 3 – October 24 at Central Library:
174 S Main St, Harrisonburg, VA 22801

The annual Deyerle Program Series on Local History returns to Massanutten Regional Library’s Central Library with four in-person events during this year. This popular annual lecture series features local historians, scholars and area experts who explore a broad range of subjects surrounding the history of the Shenandoah Valley. This year’s series focuses on topics related to Shenandoah National Park and the Appalachian Trail and will take place weekly on Thursday evenings at 7PM from October 3- 24, 2024. Advance registration is requested through MRL’s website. Topics and speakers for the 2024 Deyerle Program Series are as follows:

October 3 @ 7 PM: “Virginia’s Lost Appalachian Trail”
Mills Kelly, Professor of History at George Mason University and author of Virginia's Lost Appalachian Trail, will tell the story of a 300-mile section of the Appalachian Trail that is all but forgotten by hikers. This section was in use until 1952, when the Appalachian Trail Conference moved the AT more than 50 miles to the west.

October 10 @ 7 PM: “The Natural History of Shenandoah National Park”
Learn with Shenandoah National Park Ranger Margo Roseum about the wonders of the neighboring Blue Ridge Mountains! Have you ever wondered why some rocks are so hard and others are like sand below your feet on the trail? What kinds of animals are living on this land? How is it managed and protected? What is its history? What else is there to be discovered? This overview of natural and cultural history will guide you on a journey through Shenandoah National Park and give you an idea of the fun and adventure that awaits you on your next visit!

October 17 @ 7 PM: “The Lewis Mountain Story”
Shenandoah National Park was established in 1935. At the time, Virginia was a "Jim Crow" state with laws that legalized racial segregation. By 1940, a segregated area that included a campground, picnic area, lodge, and cabins was developed at Lewis Mountain. Learn about Shenandoah National Park in the Jim Crow Era from Park Rangers Allysah Fox and Karl Rand.

October 24 @ 7 PM: “The Anguish of Displacement”
Katrina M. Powell, Ph.D., is the author of The Anguish of Displacement: The Politics of Literacy in the Letters of Mountain Families in Shenandoah National Park and the editor of Answer at Once: Letters of Mountain Families in Shenandoah National Park, 1934-1938. Dr. Powell is the founding director of the Center for Refugee, Migrant, and Displacement Studies and a professor of rhetoric and writing at Virginia Tech. In this final session, Dr. Powell will discuss the displacement of families that occurred to create the Shenandoah National Park.

All events hosted by Massanutten Regional Library, including the Deyerle Program Series on Local History, are free and open to the public, and you do not need a library card to participate. Find details and a registration link for each session at MRL’s website:

https://mrlib.org/news-events/newsroom.html/article/2024/09/04/annual-deyerle-program-series-on-local-history-to-highlight-shenandoah-national-park