Two youngsters hike up the Cheney Mountain Trail in Moriah (photo by Elizabeth Lee)

[Originaly published as "Cheney Mountain trail work continues" in The Valley News on October 26, 2011.]

Moriah — Volunteers and members of Champlain Area Trails CATS are looking to finish the work needed to bring the complete Cheney Mountain Trail to life.

“We made it almost all the way to the great view but simply ran out of time,” Stuart Jerdo, who helped organize the Oct. 8 project to create the new Cheney Mountain Trail on Pelfershire Road in Moriah, said. “So on Saturday, Nov. 5, we’re asking volunteers to join us in hiking to the top and clearing the final 200 feet of trail.”

The Town of Moriah is partnering with CATS to develop the trail for families, friends, and lone hikers to go up a short and sometimes steep trail to see amazing views of the Champlain Valley and High Peaks.

“The best time for good views is after the leaves fall,” Chris Maron, Executive Director of CATS, said. “So we’re getting people together for a hike to see the views and then finish with clearing the final few hundred feet of trail. We invite hikers and volunteers to come out on Saturday morning to cut tree limbs and saplings, remove fallen logs, and clear brush.”

“The hiking trail as an important part to enhancing the local economy,” Tim Garrison of the Moriah Community Economic Development Group MCEDGe, said. “This is such a beautiful area with a rich historic past. Providing places for people to get outside to see the landscape and our past industrial use is a great way to tell our story.”

“Champlain Area Trails is creating trails that link New York’s Champlain Valley communities,” Maron said. “The Cheney Mountain Trail begins the network of trails that will connect Port Henry to Westport and the trails leading to Essex, Willsboro, and Elizabethtown. These trails will bring connect people to nature and promote economic vitality as people come to the Champlain Valley to hike, ski, and bike from hamlet to hamlet and use local businesses.”

The Cheney Mountain Trail Day begins at 8:30 a.m. Nov. 5 and will last until about noon. People should meet on Pelfershire Road, about 1.3 miles west of Rt. 22/9N. Please bring gloves, loppers, and hand saws. The Town will also provide tools.#For more details, call 962-2287 or email champlaintrails@gmail.com. (via Cheney Mountain trail work continues | The Valley News.)