Easy Riverside Walk-Oakmont to New Kensington-Harmar Lock No. 3-Ed Divers-412-828-5154.
This Ramble is not connected with the Sierra Club. Sierra Club takes no responsibility, and makes no representations or warranties about the quality, safety, supervision or management of this trip. It is published here as a public service.

A public meeting regarding Air Toxic Guidelines will be held

6 p.m., Wednesday, May 4
Avalon Borough Building
640 California Ave, Pittsburgh 15202

Allegheny County continues to release more toxic chemicals than Beaver, Butler, Washington, and Westmoreland counties combined! These chemicals damage our environment and harm our health.

The Allegheny County Health Department uses the Air Toxic Guidelines to control future sources of pollution. The current version of the Guidelines is more than 20 years old. Currently, a committee of academics, industry professionals and environmental advocates is working to develop a new set of guidelines for the Health Department, but YOUR input is lso needed.

The public is invited comment on questions such as:

• Should the Air Toxic Guidelines be a regulation that is enforceable in the courts?
• Should the cumulative pollution impact of all industry in an area be considered?
• Should the guidelines address all sources of pollution, or only new ones?
• Who has the final say on whether or not a permit gets issued?

For more information, contact Julie St. John at jstjohn[at]cleanwater[dot]org or 412.765.3053

Do an intermediate 8-mile loop hike in North Park. Meet in Harmarville behind Bob Evans Restaurant. Contact the leader to learn the meeting time. Call Judy or Don Ziegler, 412-826-0519.

TBA-Judy Stark-412-363-0462
This Ramble is not connected with the Sierra Club. Sierra Club takes no responsibility, and makes no representations or warranties about the quality, safety, supervision or management of this trip. It is published here as a public service.

Hike about 6 miles on the trails of the North Woods Area in Forbes State Forest on Laurel Ridge. Meet at the Donegal McDonalds on Rt.31 at 10:30 AM. If you prefer to organize carpools at the Gateway Middle School in Monroeville, contact the leader. Suggested carpool fee for Monroeville carpools $6.00 for the 31 miles each way. Call Diane Neely, 724-459-3012.

Beginners’ backpacking trip in Quebec Run Wild Area of Forbes State Forest on Chestnut Ridge. Much of the route will be along the more scenic streams of the area – Mill Run, Quebec Run and possibly sections of Tebolt Run. The area will be in the greening-up stage and wildflowers should still be abundant. We will camp out on the banks of scenic Mill Run, hopefully in a grove of large hemlocks. We will do 4.7 miles on Day 1 and 4.1 miles on Day 2. There is one long steep trail near the end of the trip but there is a sneak route if you choose. We should have time to check out the remains of an ancient gristmill along Mill Run. This trip will qualify you for more advanced trips in Monongahela National Forest where scenery is more spectacular than anything in Pennsylvania. Limit: 12. Suggested carpool fee $11 — 65 miles. Meet at Gateway Middle School at 8 AM. Directions to the trailhead will be provided to signups, and topo maps showing trail routes will be handed out at the trailhead. Contact Bruce Sundquist, 724-327-8737 or bsundquist1@windstream.net This will be a joint trip with Pittsburgh Hiking Meetup Group so there may be a waiting list.

Natural Biodiversity is delighted to announce the Allegheny Mountain
Green Fest: Green Your Routine! The event will be held May 14, 2011 at
University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown’s Living Learning Center from
10am to 6pm.

Want to learn more about local food, energy conservation, backyard
habitats, organic gardening, native plants and other ways to live
green? Then come to Green Fest for a fun, affordable, all-day event!
The Eco Expo will feature organizations and businesses offering
products and services that help people green their lives, and in many
cases save money. Green Fest will also include a native plant sale,
hands-on workshops, engaging speakers, kids’ activities, and more.
Keynote speaker Mike McGrath, host of National Public Radio show You
Bet Your Garden, will present The Seven Secrets of Successful Organic
Gardeners and a workshop on growing tomatoes.

Take advantage of reduced ticket prices by preregistering
until Friday, May 6th.

For more information on tickets, exhibit booths or sponsorships, visit
http://www.ohmonth.com/greenfest.shtml or contact the Natural
Biodiversity office at (814) 534-0204.

TBA-Joyce Chilton-412-826-8667
This Ramble is not connected with the Sierra Club. Sierra Club takes no responsibility, and makes no representations or warranties about the quality, safety, supervision or management of this trip. It is published here as a public service.

Hiking at Laurel Mountain. We have Laurel Ridge, Laurel Mountain, Laurel Hill, Laurel Summit and more. These are names attached to places on the map. Laurel Mountain usually refers to the area in and around the Mellons’ old Laurel Mountain ski area, on Summit Road, off US Route 30. We’ll start hiking at the XC ski warming hut along Summit Road and maybe head down Beam Road to Laurel Summit, make a pass at Wolf Rocks, and then maybe take Edy-Rector Road down into Linn Run valley. Or maybe not. The only real agenda will be the starting point. This will be an intermediate-level, 8-mile, shuttle hike starting in the Laurel Mountain area. Call Jim Ritchie at 412-576-0849 for more information and reservations.

TBA-Martha Raak-412-802-7266.
This Ramble is not connected with the Sierra Club. Sierra Club takes no responsibility, and makes no representations or warranties about the quality, safety, supervision or management of this trip. It is published here as a public service.

Backpacking on Dolly Sods North. This area of Allegheny Front is higher, more open, and more scenic than Dolly Sods Wilderness that is just to the south. We will do only about 16 miles over the three days to allow for exploring and sight-seeing. This is meant to be a fairly leisurely trip, but even then, the area is no place for beginners. So prior backpacking experience is required. We will be on, or close to, the Eastern Continental Divide for about a third of the trip. The trailhead on Day 1 is in the Bear Rocks parking lot on FR75. We will start with lunch atop Bear Rocks with its views over numerous ridges to the east and Dolly Sods North to the west. We take Bear Rocks Trail and Raven Ridge Trail through high, open, country to our campsite that is well hidden just off the trail in a spruce grove at a high point of Raven Ridge. This Raven Ridge campsite offers views of Allegheny Front to the east (including Bear Rocks) and Cabin Mountain to the West. These mark the eastern rim and western rim of the huge bowl that defines the Dolly Sods area. The campsite also provides broad views of the headwaters of Red Creek to the east, and Left Fork of Red Creek to the west. There are few better areas in the Mid-Atlantic States for stargazing that this campsite. Day 2: Take Rocky Ridge Trail along the crest of Cabin Mountain. It offers broad vistas of Canaan Valley and the drainage of the Left Fork of Red Creek. It is one of the most outstanding trails in Dolly Sods North. We then drop down to cross Left Fork and proceed to the Forks of Red Creek and the most popular campsite area in Dolly Sods Wilderness. A huge natural water slide, some waterfalls and several swimming holes are some attractions. On the second night of three-day weekends the campsite is not crowded. Day 3: Return to the cars via Red Creek Trail, Blackbird Knob Trail, Upper Red Creek Trail, Dobbins Grade Trail and Bear Rocks Trail. Lunch will again be on Bear Rocks. Weather (even summer weather) at this high altitude can be severe. Recent years have seen more bear warnings (bears invading campsites) but, with a sizeable group, this should be no problem. Limit: 12. If you want to learn more about this outstanding area, read pages 185 to 200 of Edition 8 of Monongahela National Forest Hiking Guide put out by the West Va. Highlands Conservancy (paperback, or CD). Visit http://www.wvhighlands.org. A carpool fee of $25 is suggested for the 145-mile (each way) trip from Monroeville. Contact Bruce Sundquist at 724-327-8737 or bsundquist1@windstream.net. A detailed 4-page trip sheet plus road directions to the trailhead will be sent out about a week before the trip. Topo maps showing all the trails will be handed out at the trailhead. Depart Monroeville (Gateway Middle School) at 7 AM Saturday; return between 6 and 7 PM Monday (depending on whether we stop for supper).