HALIFAX TOWNSHIP, Pa. -- Hikers along the Appalachian Trail in Dauphin County have discovered a spot that has been covered in vandalism and trash, and some of them have decided to do something about it.
Arianna Wagner has been hiking this section of the trail for years as a way to take a break from a busy lifestyle.
“You can see the whole world from up here,” she said. “It's a place to come relax and be alone with your thoughts and alone with the natural world.”
But over the weekend, Wagner and a group of her friends saw something nobody wants to see when taking in Mother Nature.
Spray paint covers an area called Shock Rock and parts of the trail starting at the Peters Mountain trailhead.
Toilet humor abounds, but there are also swastikas and other messages of hate, many including foul language.
“Can you even put into words how hatred makes you feel?” she said. “Because that's what that is; it's hatred toward groups of people.”
They decided to do something about it so that people could once again enjoy the vista point.
“Church groups come here, families come here, and to think that this is no longer a viable location for those types of outings, that the community can no longer enjoy this place, it's not fair that someone took that,” Wagner said.
They began scrubbing away at some of the vandalism, but they are looking for help to try to restore Shock Rock to its prior state.
“Just the volume of what needs to be done is not a four-person job,” she said.
A clean-up will be held Saturday, October 3, beginning at noon. Volunteers are asked to meet in the parking lot at the Peters Mountain trailhead off Peters Mountain Road (PA route 225). If you would like to donate to the effort, you can do so at Hornung’s Ace Hardware in Linglestown.
You can find more information here.