Jim is in the front row, second from the left.
We lost another fellow hiker. Jim Hooper of Wrightsville, PA passed away on Friday, January 31, 2025. I met Jim in the mid 1990’s. I led a backpacking trip along the Mason-Dixon Trail in PA in 1996 and, shortly afterwards, started doing hikes and trail work with the
Jim was a vice president, then president of this organization. He was also a trail maintainer, PA State Director and western trail coordinator. Jim was very dedicated to this trail and was always friendly and accomodating to everyone.
I remember having M-DTS meetings at Jim’s house. I got to camp on his sprawling farm when I went up to PA a few times by myself and with one of my sons. Jim was always looking to get more of the Mason-Dixon Trail off of roads. I remember reconning a potential relocation of the M-DT with Jim through Tuckahoe Scout Camp west of Dillsburg, PA. It was a really nice trail but there were a number of landowner permission issues so this relocation never happened.
In 2015 I attempted a thru hike of the Mason-Dixon Trail. I only hiked about 93 miles on this 200 mile trail but I remember Jim being very helpful to me. When I got to the I83 crossing after about 33 miles I couldn’t find a place to stay. So I called Jim. He drove to where I was, picked me up and let me camp on his farm. The next day he drove me back to I83 and I slack packed from I83 to just north of Wrightsville. He picked me up again and let me camp on his farm. The next day I helped work on a new trail shelter that they were building in Apollo Park, PA. I was the first person to stay at that partially completed shelter that night. I got off the trail at the intersection of McKinley RD and PA74 a few days later. I had a stretch of bad weather and was not in the hiking mood afterwards.
Jim was always doing trail work on the Mason-Dixon Trail and was promoting it whenever he could. Jim had a stroke in 2022 and could not drive anymore. But he still attended M-DTS meetings via Zoom. I’m not sure how old that Jim was when he passed but I will guess that he was in his late 80’s. The above image was taken during a hike/trail work/meeting in the early 2000’s at High Point Park, PA.
So in closing I think that Jim Hooper was a driving force in the furtherment of the 200 mile Mason-Dixon Trail System. He was a good friend, a great person and I will miss him. Hopefully, they will name the next trail shelter built on the M-DT after him. Rest in peace, Jim.
Mike C
< Previous Blog Post | << Blogs V2
