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Laurie Lafontaine:
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By Mark Cheater
Photo by Keith Boyer
Pennsylvania trail pioneer
Laurie Lafontaine poses
with her dog Echo near
the Ghost Town Trail.
Lafontaine credits her
training for long-distance
running, cycling and
equestrian events for her
success in trail advocacy.
When people in and around Indiana, Pa., talk about “the
mother of all rail-trails,” they’re not referring to an awe-inspir-
ing path. They’re talking about Laurie Lafontaine, a 64-year-
old activist and sixth-generation resident of this western
Pennsylvania town who has been a trail advocate for more
than two decades. Lafontaine helped give birth to and grow
an extensive system of rail-trails in this former coal-mining
area, including the Ghost Town, Hoodlebug, and Cambria
and Indiana.
Extra Mile
Going the