Catasauqua resident Ben Ferenchak has looked after the D&L Trail for as long as he can remember.

"This was part of my playground when I was growing up," he said.

Recently, Ferenchak took 40 friends, area residents and nature lovers on a Saturday morning trek along the trail.

The event was sparked by yet another proposal for grant funds to be used to complete the section of the trail where it passes through Catasauqua and North Catasauqua.

Technically, the 165-mile D&L, whose official name is the Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor, is passable for the aggressive hiker. There is a gap between the northern trailhead in Mountain Top and Leighton, some wiggling to get on the right path around Weissport, a few heart skips crossing the bridge in Northampton.

The stretch from Northampton to Canal Park in Hanover Township is currently below the standard set in the other parts of the trail.

The trail ends in Bristol, outside of Philadelphia.

Northampton created its municipal park along the Lehigh River by filling in remnants of the Lehigh Canal, but the trail degrades as it enters into North Catasauqua.

The latest grant proposal offers nearly $250,000 for improvements.

The high-priority targets include a pedestrian bridge over a gully that washed out the trail.

"Water from the streets flows through here," said Ferenchak. "The flow can get pretty heavy during a big rainstorm."

That water washed away any semblance of a trail. Present-day hikers clamber up a hill to the railroad tracks, traveling along the active railroad tracks in order to get back to the trail.

A broken culvert has erased a good portion of the trail farther down the line and it is part of the repair plan.

"The culvert is the first phase of the project," said Ferenchak.

The current demolition of the old Hokendauqua Bridge, replacing it with a new span over the Lehigh River connecting North Catasauqua with Hokendauqua in Whitehall Township, is adding some emphasis to the trail plan.

"The new bridge will be named after Thomas Lynch, a World War II ace from the area," Ferenchak said.

Firming up the trail with chips and oil is phase three of the plan, which can connect the trail to the southern portions that wind along the river to Bristol.

Some of the hikers remembered that portions of the Lehigh Canal served as a long skating rink during winters in the 1950s. The Hokendauqua Dam raised the water levels high enough to divert water into the canal. When the dam collapsed, water levels dropped. There are no plans to recreate the dam.

The dam collapsed when the Corps of Engineers broke free an ice jam upstream. The resulting surge of pressure was too much for the old structure.

The goal of the trail organizers is not just to make a clear, 165-mile path for walkers and bike riders. According to a D&L brochure, this trail can be the focal point for active recreation for all the communities that it touches and be a tribute to the beginnings of the industrial revolution that has its roots along the Lehigh River.

During the tour, Ferenchak pointed out some of the areas of historical significance.

"At the time, this was the largest complex in the world," he said, overlooking the brownfield across from Lock 36. The size of the parcel belies the number of buildings that were originally part of the iron-making operation. Traveling through the tunnel under the railroad tracks and down the twisting path brought hikers to the sand pit.

"Here is where they would lay out complex parts and pour molten metal into the mold," explained Ferenchak. At one time, there were 18 iron mills along the river.

"The mills generated so much slag that much of it was used as ballast when I-78 was built," he said.

The still-standing Horseshoe Factory building was world-renowned for its unique shoe design. A cleat molded in the shoe prevented horses from slipping.

After the four-mile trek, hikers convened for hot chocolate at the Historic Catasauqua Preservation Association's Diery House art gallery.