Pa Ruck

Ironmaster’s Hostel

An overnight stay at Ironmaster's is $25 per person. There is a day hostel usage fee of $10.. Hot showers are included with your overnight fee but can purchased by anyone. For more information on the hostel, please contact the caretakers: Ray & Lori Burt at 717 486-7575

Camping

The starting rates are $15.00 per night at Pine Grove Furnace State Park

Mapquest

**Friday**

Meet and Greet- Rucksters arrive and check in with Ray and Lori Burt at the hostel. If you have a dish, just bring it right on into the kitchen (best room in the house). Nametags and 2 sign-in sheets are at the front desk.
Any presenter’s will also check-in at this time; an additional sign-in sheet will be available at the front desk as well. Make yourself at home and have fun. Don’t be shy. Explore.

Dinner- Pasta with meatballs and the works.

Presentation – kindly email me with your slide show or presentation. The PA Ruck is quite an informal event, but it would be nice to know ahead of time what you have in mind for our hiking and gear head minds.

Breakfast – You organize this yourself if you’d like. Or, make breakfast just for yourself. We don’t care just as long as you’re sociable. 

HIKE TO POLE STEEPLE along the AT (back about noon).

Lunch - This is a pay-as-you-go lunch with the proceeds going to the AT Museum. Bring your favorite pre-cooked soup, chili, bread, and luncheon platters. Don't be shy! It's a lot of fun! We are asking for quick volunteer clean up afterwards.

TUCKERIZATION - For those hardy (or foolish) souls who are willing to volunteer to have their packs lightened, this is a good time to find out what you DON'T NEED on the Trail. This can be funny, but it's not recommended for fragile egos. The Friar may not be there this year - but we're trying to convince Sister Tuck (Mara) to get'er done.

THRUHIKING BULL SESSION - Anyone want to talk about thruhiking? Anyone want to get his or her questions about thruhiking answered? Or maybe just listen to former thruhikers expound on how to do it - and how NOT to do it? All thru hikers welcome with any advice. Southbounders and flip floppers welcome

RUCK Feast - You know how it works - everyone brings a dish and everyone eats well - and we leave lots of food for Ray and Lori Burt (the hostel keepers).

VOLUNTEER KITCHEN CLEAN UP

Presentation- schedule pending

**Sunday**

7am - 9am

Breakfast – organize one, or breakfast on your own.

CLEANUP - Grab a broom or mop (or whatever) and help clean up the hostel. If we leave it dirty, we won't be as welcome next year. As the old saying goes - "I'm not your Momma, clean up after yourself." The caretaker really appreciates this and your efforts will be noticed!

Meals are an organized potluck - Your participation is important

You, the Ruckster, bring all meals and utensils. Information on the menu, utensils and volunteer clean up is available to you on an interactive Google Spreadsheet..

User name is ATrailHiker@hotmail.com and the password is trail work. After you update the spreadsheet with your information click on save at the top right of the page.

We organize a Friday evening dinner and the Saturday evening RuckFeast.

We also organize a Saturday soup benefit. Bring a soup, chili; luncheon tray, breads and we all pay a donation to eat it. This lunch is important as all the money will given to the AT Museum

 The kitchen is complete with all appliances, pots, pans, metal utensils, all kitchenware and eating utensils. As for the Ruck utensils, we ask that you donate all eating utensils (defined below).

 Food donations – We welcome all dishes!  Any dish should be precooked and kept cold. There are 2 refrigerators at the hostel and they fill up fast. Long cooking meats should be precooked as well. We welcome any dishes from your ethnic and cultural dishes to good old baked ham or fried chicken (hint). Your ideas, your creation…. it’s welcome here!  We ask that you use the interactive Google spreadsheet, click here.

 Desserts – One thing about a Ruck…you get to stare at the many desserts. Folks are real creative with desserts here, so bring your very best to just plain biscuits. We don’t care – we love it all, and we appreciate it all!  We once had a bake-off, you can organize one too.

 Eating utensils and paper products – These are the items we are in need of: Paper plates (non-styro preferred), paper bowls, plastic forks, spoons, knives, napkins, paper cups, large and sturdy trash bags, foil, plastic wrap, large Ziplocs, paper towels.

 
Misc. – Dishwashing liquid, brillo pads, scrubbies.

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Campfire – Held in the campground. Bring your firewood--it's been as low as zero at night there and we're always in need of more firewood. Please bring what you have. If you are able to drop off firewood ahead of time and no later than a FEW DAYS prior to the PA Ruck, please do so at Site #68, leaving a PA RUCK sign on your pile. We would be most grateful!  Keep yourself posted on weather conditions; it’s gotten down to 10 below at night brrr.  Adhere to all PA. STATE PARK wood regulations. Click here for campground and campfire rules.  

This year we are spotlighting the Appalachian Trail Museum.

Pine Grove will soon be the new home of the A.T. Museum as most of you already know. We are truly excited about this and would like to help in any way we can. The PA Ruck is hosting a raffle to benefit the Museum. The winning prize is: "Hiking the Appalachian Trail" 1st Edition. This series is the biggest collector item among A.T. books since it’s been out of print since the early 1980s and remains a classic of trail literature.

Backpacking stove display & burn-off-  Would you like to display your stove(s)? Bring them to the Ruck! We'll have a table and display tags available for you to show off your favorite stove(s), any type, any year.

Tent Display- Amy Forinash will be organizing a tent display

Big Agnes 
Seedhouse SL2  
Tarptent Rainbow  
Tarptent Squall 2  
Nomad   
Lunar Solo  
Hennessey Ultralight Asym Hammock

Clean Up-  Bag O’ Tricks is the man in charge of volunteer efforts. For anyone interesting in clean-up and or volunteer work during the weekend, please click here to write your name on the volunteer column of the spreadsheet. Did I mention that you stand at the front of the Buffet lines for the volunteer clean up?

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Ironmaster's Hostel
Pine Grove Furnace State Park
1212 Pine Grove Road
Gardners, PA 17324

717 486-7575

Rucktrospective

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