What do Montour Trail people do in the winter? Perhaps you think that the answer is, not much, except maybe an occasional quick walk on the trail. Not so. About the only things that do not happen during the winter months are grass cutting and digging by hand in the earth (because it is frozen!).

Atlas Railroad Construction Company has merely slowed down for the winter in its efforts to redeck the McDonald Trestle and build about four miles of trail. All the planning and other meetings go on unabated. There are many people who prepare for, attend and follow-up on the decisions of the regularly monthly scheduled meetings of the Board, the Engineering and Construction Committee, the Mackin Engineering (Washington County) meeting, the A&A Engineering (South Park Township) meeting, and all the Friends meetings.

In fact, as I write this at the beginning of February, during the past week I and others have also participated in a worker appreciation celebration in Bethel Park, a meeting with PENNDOT in Uniontown about trail crossings of state roads affected by the recent PUC agreement, and meeting with the staff of state senatorial candidate John Pippy about the Montour Trail's funding needs.

The point of all this? The TRAIL! And, yes, in case you were wondering, I have also managed to bicycle on the snow-covered trail!

- Peter Kohnke