For the better part of 40 years, the 40 Adirondack style shelters of the Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail have provided a safe and comfortable overnight for countless hikers. With use and the passage of time, however, the chimneys and fireboxes at each shelter deteriorated. Thanks to grants from REI to the Pennsylvania Parks and Forests Foundation (PPFF); funds from PPFF and the Friends of Laurel Hill; donations from private individuals, the Laurel Highlands Ultra, and many other generous people; and the hard work of our top-notch mason and DCNR staff, the chimneys and fireboxes in these eight shelter areas have been saved.
In fact, the generosity has been such that the project scope has grown to match the grandeur of the trail itself! Firewood shelters will be constructed at each area that make delivery of wood easy for maintenance staff and dry wood available for all campers. Tent camping will also be improved with installation of tent platforms to provide a level surface for your tent, improved fire rings, and placement of hammock supports for the minimalists among us. Latest addition to the project? “Bear poles” to hang your foot out of reach of the critters. At a cost of $950 each, poles will be fabricated and installed as the funds become available.
Thanks to a donation from (and design by) trail aficionado Dale Yohe, all donors of $10 or more receive a limited edition LHHT sticker and $15 donors receive a patch. Donate $20 and receive both!
Take a moment and donate now to the LHHT Fund. You may donate online or send your check (made payable to PPFF with LHHT in the memo) along with the attached form to:
Pennsylvania Parks and Forests Foundation
704 Lisburn Road, Suite 102
Camp Hill, PA 17011