Photo: National Park Service Service at Antietam National Battlefield, Maryland Highlights:
Includes:
Trip Number: 09066A Price: $ 675 Deposit: $100 Capacity: 16 Leader:
The Trip  Photo: National Park Service The Shepherd’s Spring Outdoor Ministry Center is located just 1.5 hours west of Washington, DC. It is situated on 220 acres of rolling, wooded land along the Chesapeake & Ohio (C&O) Canal Towpath which follows the winding Potomac River. The proposed 460-mile long C&O Canal went westward from Georgetown and it was originally envisioned as a passage to Pittsburgh, PA, to connect the great waterways of the Chesapeake Bay and the Ohio River. Construction began in 1828, but by 1850 it was completed only as far as Cumberland, MD (184 miles) and was already obsolete due to the far greater advances of the railroads. Nevertheless, it did remain in operation until 1924 with the boats being pulled up and down the canal by mules which walked the towpath. Although many of the canals built during the “Great National Project” were later filled in and abandoned, the C&O escaped that fate and canal boating and canoeing are popular as is hiking or biking on the towpath. Just a few miles from the Retreat Center is the Antietam National Battlefield which commemorates a fierce battle between Union and Confederate soldiers. These 12 square miles were the site of the bloodiest day of the Civil War, September 17, 1862. During this single day, over 23,000 men were killed or wounded with neither side able to declare a decisive victory. This battlefield will be our work site. Less than ten miles south of Antietam is Harpers Ferry National Historical Park. Probably best-known from our years-ago history classes is the story of abolitionist John Brown’s Raid on the United States Armory and Arsenal in October, 1859. His attempt to arm an uprising of slaves ended with his capture and conviction for “conspiring with slaves to commit treason and murder.” Despite Brown’s failure to arm the slaves, his trial and execution served to focus the nation’s attention on the moral issue of slavery and headed the country toward Civil War. The Project  Photo: National Park Service As with all of our national parks, refuges and forests, the Antietam National Battlefield is always in need of work to maintain its grounds and structures. Chronic under-funding and under-staffing make our work very much appreciated by the park staff. It is likely that we will be involved in fence building or repair, clearing the ground beneath the fences, and painting or white-washing inside or outside of the historic buildings. As always, we will let the staff determine their greatest needs and, as always, Sierra Club volunteers are willing and able to do what is necessary.
 Photo: National Park Service We will gather at 3 p.m. on day one, for introductions, orientation and getting settled in our cabins before dinner at 6 pm. We will go over our week’s schedule and the possibilities of after-work and day off activities. Before 8 am breakfast on Monday, we will have our day packs ready to go with water, medical forms (I will give you a copy of yours), personal first aid kit, any medications you may need for the day, camera, flower and/or bird books, gloves, anything else you need for a day away from “home.” Because we are in a cafeteria setting, all we have to do after eating is to bus our own tables. The park service will expect to see us between 9 and 9:30 am. Lunch will be delivered to us by the retreat center at noon and after we eat, one of the park staff will speak to us on any number of topics, maybe the story of the battle that ensued near our work site that day, how research is done to recreate the landscape as it was on the day of the battle, or the role of volunteers in park service projects. Work for the day will end around 3 or 3:30 which will give us time to further explore the battlefield, visit the gift shop, go back to the center and walk the C&O towpath or one of the trails through the center’s property or just relax before dinner. Tuesday, Thursday and Friday will be a repeat of the above. Wednesday is our day off to do whatever we want. Possibilities are a visit to Harpers Ferry, a raft or kayak trip on the Shenandoah River with a local provider or a hike on the Appalachian Trail. Fees for these activities are not included in the trip price. Getting There Baltimore Washington International Airport (BWI) and Dulles International Airport (IAD) are each about one and one half hours from Shepherd’s Spring. If you are flying, you can “Map Quest” the directions or email me for more complete details. It has been suggested that BWI may have less traffic congestion than Washington. If driving: From I-70 east or west,
take exit 29, MD 65 SOUTH toward Sharpsburg. Drive 7.5 miles to Taylors Landing
Road and turn RIGHT (west). Follow Taylors
Landing Road 2.3 miles to the Center’s entrance on the left. From I-81
north or south, take exit 1 and go east on MD 68 until you come to MD 65. Turn
RIGHT (south) and drive 3.5 miles. Turn RIGHT (west) onto Taylors Landing Road
and go 2.3 miles to the Center’s entrance on the left.
The Shepherd’s Retreat Center has a main building which houses the administration offices, meeting rooms and cafeteria. We will be lodged in the “Seasonal Village” in woodland cabins in a rustic, natural setting. The seven cabins, each with a restroom, shower and bunk beds, surround an open-air pavilion and a camp fire circle. We will have the Village all to ourselves which means that we will be able to spread out and no one will need to climb into a top bunk. It is a pleasant 10 minute walk to the main building where we will eat or a few minutes to the C&O Canal Towpath. Meals are served cafeteria-style and include a great salad bar. Vegetarian options are available if requested. We will not need to pack lunches as they will be delivered to us in the field.
Antietam National Battlefield is located a short distance (driving, not walking) from the retreat center. The land on the battlefield is quite level so we don’t have to worry about altitude gain. The work should be only moderately strenuous. However, everyone will be encouraged to work to the level of their ability and endurance and to take water and/or shade breaks when necessary. On all of my trips, my primary concern is to work safely, then to have fun doing it and lastly, to accomplish a good job.
We will be housed in cabins with the linens provided, so no camping gear is needed. You will need work clothes which may get stained, torn or paint-splattered, no fashion plates need apply. Thrift stores are good places to get these. After work and/or day off clothes can be anything in which you are comfortable. You will need a simple day pack for carrying water, hat and sunscreen, personal first aid kit, camera, whatever else you need to be comfortable for the day. A complete equipment list will be sent closer to the time of the trip.
The leader encourages you to check out the following National Park Service web sites:
Conservation We will discuss the problems that are occurring with the presence of In-holdings (think private property) within national park boundaries, what we can do to promote increased funding for our national park system. Above all, we will have discussions on what each and every one of us can do to lessen our impact on the earth.
See the How to Apply for an Outing section for more details on registering for this trip and details about our Reservation and Cancellation Policy. The payment of a deposit does not confirm you as a member on the trip. Participants must be approved by the trip leader. After signing up for this trip, you will be sent a confirmation packet containing approval materials (Participant Approval Questionnaire, Medical Form, Liability Release Form). Each applicant (including those on the waitlist) must fill out these forms and promptly mail them to the trip leader. The leader will review the approval materials and notify you of your acceptance in a timely manner.
 Suzanne Valencia has been leading local group outings since 1992 and went on her first national Sierra Club trip in 1997. Her love of the out of doors led her to becoming a national leader herself. She has lead over thirty-five trips since 2001 , from Florida to Colorado, New Mexico, California, and Utah. Most of these were service trips. She loves sharing the wilderness experience with others and especially working to help in the National Parks and Refuges. Email: valencia_suzanne@yahoo.com  Roger Straw has been leading service trips for the Southeast
Subcommittee for 15 years. The trips have included trail maintenance
in the Caribbean National Forest, Puerto Rico and vegetation
removal in St. John National Park, US Virgin Islands. A current
trip involves working with the Pine Mountain Trail Conference
on a section
of a new long distance trail that will serve as an alternative
to the Appalachian Trail. His interests also include hiking
and canoeing. General Notes About Sierra Club Trips
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