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Letter

4 min read

As an almost life-long resident of Canonsburg, I am no stranger to the Montour Trail. When I was an in-shape college student, it’s how I got my exercise while I was home for the summer. Pre-iPod and GPS days, I was told that if I parked my car at the Oriole Drive trailhead, it was four miles down to the National Tunnel and back. I ran those four miles so often I could probably have done it with my eyes closed, though I always dreaded approaching the tunnel, because it creeped me out.

A few years and a few pounds later, I wasn’t in the best of shape when my best friend and I loaded up our old mountain bikes into the back of my grandfather’s Ford F-150. We parked at the McConnell trailhead and rode east – no water, no cell phones, no nothing. Let me tell you, that was a mistake! We completely underestimated our physical fitness (really, the lack thereof). We also underestimated the topography. Sure, it looks level, and on the five-mile ride to Valley Brook Road/Route 19, we coasted a bit down-hill. The return trip, which for the most part was a slight uphill ride, was awful. There were actually a few times that we had to hop off of our bikes and walk them to recover. It was a lesson learned, and I didn’t attempt that ride again for a number of years. And when I did it, I was in much better shape, had the sense to fasten a water bottle to my bike, and mounted a cellphone holder on to my handle bars to keep track of my time and distance. Once back in shape, too, I realized how easy and fun that 10-mile ride could be!

The last few summers, if I was riding my bike on the trail, I was riding with my son right behind me, helmet on and in his child carrier. He loved looking around at the scenery, and actually fell asleep on a few rides. We haven’t been out yet this year (thanks to Mother Nature and a busy schedule), but when we go, he’ll have to pedal his own bike – he will be 5 years old at the end of the summer and is way too big to ride behind me in a carrier these days.

No matter what age, fitness level or preferred recreation, the Montour Trail offers something for everyone. You can walk, run, bike, even rollerblade. And let’s not forget that you can take your four-legged family members on walks on the trail as well. The scenery is incredible – I’ve stopped to take myriad photos of the foliage over the years – and there are so many convenient access points.

In our cover story on page 12, regional editor Mike Jones spoke with some of the volunteers who put in hours upon hours to ensure that the trail remains beautiful and usable. Different groups are responsible for different parts of the trail, but as Jones notes, crossing from one municipality to another on the trail is seamless.

Another treasured South Hills asset, albeit a bit less-known, is the Wingfield Pines Conservation Area in Upper St. Clair. On page 16, staff writer Jacob Calvin Meyer digs in to the 87-acre area’s history as flat land to hold overflow water from Chartiers Creek, to farmland, to golf course and back to its original use as a flood plain. And thanks to the Allegheny Land Trust, it’s protected and beautiful.

Summer fun continues on top of the hill in Upper St. Clair, where the Miracle League of the South Hills field is located at Boyce Mayview Park. Writer Andrea Bosco Stehle spoke with the Miracle League’s founder, MLB alum Sean Casey, about how and why he started the initiative, and the challenges that it still faces. You can read more on page 20.

And I would be remiss if I didn’t point you in the direction of page 18, where staff writer Harry Funk gives a South Hills summer concert preview.

There’s so much to see and do in the South Hills, and it can be difficult to cram a large amount of experiences in only a small window of nice weather. So, once you’ve finished reading this issue, I encourage you to get out and experience in person the things that you’ve just read about. Perhaps we’ll bump into each other on the Montour Trail!

Happy summer,

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