Brethauer, Charlie

Describe your background, interests, and vocation.

I have appreciated and enjoyed the outdoors all my life - hiking, jogging, biking, swimming. My dad (a forester) was a hiker and the family went on camping vacations for years. This led to more outdoor-focused vacations as an adult, including many spots in the east & the western US, even hiking Nepal’s Annapurna Circuit in 2010.

My first long distance hike was the Rachel Carson Challenge around 2005. I have entered several of the full challenge events and later a number of the (half distance) Homestead Challenges. My longest event was the 100K C&O Canal One Day Hike with a friend in 2006. Shortly after the 2 am start we overheard a couple of people mention “Rachel Carson”. They indeed were acquainted with the Challenge and we hiked and chatted with them until daybreak.

I grew up in the North Hills, close enough to West View Park to hear its public address system. After attending Penn State (B.S. Biology) and Univ of Pittsburgh (M.S. Civil/Environmental Engineering), I worked for the PA Department of Environmental Resources in the wastewater program. I always felt fortunate to have found such an interesting and rewarding career. I am now retired and living in northern Allegheny County.

In the late 1990’s, I got involved in the Harmony Trails Council. This group had been working to create and promote community trails in the North Hills for a number of years. The HTC was absorbed into the newly formed Rachel Carson Trails Conservancy in 2004. I have been the treasurer of RCTC since 2011 and am a frequent volunteer at the Baker UltraChallenge and the Rachel Carson Challenge.

Why would you like to be on the RCTC Board?

The idea of jumping on a trail, following it through woods and across creeks, so close to suburban neighborhoods, then arriving someplace you’d previously only driven to, continues to be amazing. Our lives are enhanced when outdoor experiences like this are available nearby. The Conservancy has done much to make this possible, and I want to continue being part of this effort.

What makes you a good addition to the RCTC Board?

I have enjoyed being Treasurer since 2011 and would welcome the opportunity to continue serving the RCTC in this capacity.