Tuscarora Trail Challenge
"TT60 Challenge"

In honor of the 60th anniversary of the Tuscarora Trail, the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club is hosting the TT60Challenge. The Tuscarora Trail was built as an alternative parallel route for the Appalachian Trail farther west, in a wilder corridor, because it was feared that development would force closure of the AT. Although the passage of the National Scenic Trails Act of 1968 ensured protection of the AT, PATC was determined to complete the work that they had begun on the Tuscarora Trail.
The Tuscarora Trail is now a 250-mile-long trail through the Ridge and Valley Appalachians of Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. The Tuscarora Trail leaves the AT near Mathews Arm Campground in Shenandoah National Park making its way west and north to rejoin the AT atop Blue Mountain, 10 miles south of Duncannon, PA. Coupling the experience of remote wilderness, green pastures, small towns, rugged tread-way and country back roads, the Tuscarora offers a truly unique hiking adventure.

How to Complete the Challenge:
There are three ways to complete the challenge: hiking, doing trail maintenance, or completing a combination of both hiking and trail maintenance that adds up to 60.

Hiking
Hike on the Tuscarora Trail. Your 60 miles may be covered by day hikes, weekend overnighters, or longer backpacking trips.

PATC Trail Maintenance 
Complete 60 hours of trail maintenance on the Tuscarora Trail. This option is available to PATC Trail Maintainers who maintain a section of the Tuscarora Trail or an individual who is conducting trail maintenance work with a PATC Trail Crew on the Tuscarora Trail.

Combination of Hiking & Trail Maintenance
Complete a combination of miles hiked on the Tuscarora Trail and hours performing trail maintenance on Tuscarora Trail to equal 60. 

For example, you could:
• Perform 30 hours of trail maintenance and hike 30 miles.
• Perform 60 hours of trail maintenance on the Tuscarora Trail. 
• Hike 60 miles on the Tuscarora Trail. 

However, you choose to complete your TT60 Challenge is up to you. The goal is simply to get outside and have fun! 

Rules/Regulations & Other Important Information
• Participation is free and open to all PATC members and non-members who sign up for the challenge. 
• The TT60 Challenge runs from January 1, 2022 to December 31, 2022. Only miles hiked and/or hours maintained during this time period will count toward the challenge.
• PATC maintains the entire 250-mile Tuscarora Trail.  The Tuscarora Trail leaves the AT near Mathews Arm Campground in Shenandoah National Park in VA, making its way west and north to rejoin the AT atop Blue Mountain, 10 miles south of Duncannon, Pa. Please respect private property.  Many portions of the Tuscarora Trail are on private property through the generous permission of the landowners.  Hikers may help ensure continued access to these portions on the trail by following closed/detour signs, parking only in recommended areas, not blocking gates when parking, and not approaching landowner structures without permission.  Please see the guidebooks, website, or contact SoT@patc.net for current conditions.
• The trail maintenance portion of this contest is open only to PATC Trail Maintainers who maintain a section of Tuscarora Trail or an individual who is conducting Trail Maintenance work with a PATC Trail Crew on the Tuscarora Trail. All trail maintenance must be done in accordance with PATC guidelines. Please do not perform trail maintenance on a section that is not officially assigned to you, unless you have been invited to do so by a PATC volunteer leader.
• For more information on the Tuscarora Trail, please check out Diary of a Trail by Tom Floyd. The book tells the story of how the two trails - the Tuscarora Trail in Pennsylvania and Maryland, and the Big Blue Trail in Virginia and West Virginia - became the Tuscarora Trail and the people who were determined to complete it!
• Share your challenge with your friends and family by posting on your favorite social media sites with the hashtags #TT60Challenge
• For a chance to be featured on PATC social media sites, don’t forget to tag us @ClubPATC
• Everyone who enters will automatically be entered into our monthly drawings for a chance to win prizes.
• Everyone who completes the challenge and fills out the Finisher Form (linked below) will be entered into our Grand Prize drawing at the end of the contest. 
• There will be three (3) Grand Prize Winners. One Grand Prize Winner will be randomly selected from each of the challenge's categories (Hiker, Trail Maintainer & Hiker/Maintainer). Each Grand Prize Winner will receive a $50.00 gift card from REI Co-op and a PATC T-shirt! 
• Although all are welcome to participate, PATC Council Members and Staff are not eligible for the monthly or Grand Prize Drawings.
• To prevent the spread of COVID-19, please follow all CDC guidelines, such as social distancing, hand washing, and wearing masks while near others.  

How to sign up for the Challenge:
• Sign up for the challenge here.
• Record your mileage and/or hours. You can use a GPS watch, fitness app or log the mileage/hours manually on your PATC Log sheet.
• When you are finished, please fill out the Finisher Form here. The form can be filled out after you complete the challenge but no later than January 31, 2023. 
• We will have patches available for the first 200 finishers! 

For information or questions about this contest, please contact Kristine Villatoro at contests@patc.net