WHERE IS YOUR NEXT BIG TRAIL ADVENTURE? You really can find that out at this year’s Gathering, starting Friday night with a slide show by Bart Smith who will inspire everyone with photos from every National Scenic Trail in this country, including the Continental Divide Trail, above. The Appalachian Trail is one of them, but there are 10 others out there, all just waiting for you to lace up the boots and kick up some duff. To see a small sampling of some of Bart’s photos, click here.
In addition to Bart’s inspiring slide show from Friday night, we’ll have Walkin’ Jim Stoltz add music to your foot-tappin’ with his multimedia presentation Saturday night, complete with dazzling images and moving songs about life as a long-distance walker who is one with the world of wildlife. Jim has new material since his last performance at the Gathering in 2007.
... Then, on Sunday afternoon, Jim will conduct a unique workshop for all those creative types: He is inviting all hikers with a creative flair to bring a poem, a song, a journal entry, a sample of their writing, an oral story, a piece of artwork -- anything creative that is inspired by and has to do with hiking. Each person who attends must add something to the mix.
Other fellow ALDHA members are chomping at the bit to share with you their adventures from the past year or so on trails
across this country. Among them are Hawk Metheny and Jim Foster, both of whom have just come back from thru-hiking the John Muir Trail in California and are ready to give two separate, fresh perspectives on this incredible trail that provides a perfect introduction to hiking out West. ... JoJo Smiley will share photos, insight and information on thru-hiking the Pacific Crest Trail. ... Other PCT thru-hikers will sit down for a panel discussion to give you all the information you need to do your own PCT thru-hike next year. ... Mike Daniel will share new clips from his film on the American Discovery Trail. ... And Lloyd MacAskill will take us from the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York all the way to Florida with a presentation on the Great Eastern Trail.
There are other trails in the U.S. that will be covered during the weekend, including the Pacific Northwest Trail, one of three trails that were designated National Scenic Trails this year by President Obama. The founder of this 1,200-mile gem will be with us this weekend, sitting down to chat about his experiences in getting this trail off the ground during this year’s symposium offered by the Appalachian Trail Museum.
And add Weathercarrot to the mix. He will present a new film titled “Living Death Valley,” and offers the following description:
One of America’s most enchanting landscapes is unveiled in this non-narrative, visually and musically arresting exploration of a land as foreboding as its name implies. Through variations in time-lapse photography and high-definition video set to a poignant musical score, the audience experiences the enfolding of an ecosystem in magnificent detail as it moves through the rhythms of day and season.
Speaking of the Trail Museum, you might get a chance to see that photo they took of you at ATC Headquarters in Harpers Ferry during your thru-hike way back when. Museum volunteers successfully finished a project to scan in all those old Polaroids into a computer database, and now they need you to sign a simple release form allowing your photo to become part of a searchable database of thru-hiker photos. Stop by the Museum booth at the hiker fair to see the photos and sign your release form.
Not forgetting the Appalachian Trail for all those dreamers out there who want to prepare for their first thru-hike, we have outstanding prep classes ready for you. Warren Doyle can always be counted on to provide insight into the mental challenges that await any thru-hiker, while Jack Tarlin, “Baltimore Jack,” is set to share his thoughts on planning and fulfilling your dream to hike the A.T. ... Finally, we have the Class of 2009 -- those thru-hikers who have just come off the trail and area heading for the Gathering flush with the excitement of Katahdin still fresh in their faces -- ready to sit down and field any questions thrown at them by next year’s class of thru-hikers.
Want to try hiking overseas? This year we have a few new overseas trips to tell you about, including an 850-mile trek on a pilgrim’s path around the island of Shikoku in Japan, complete with 88 Buddhist temples. Larry Ridenour reports that he didn’t see another American for six weeks. ... Larry will also do a workshop on the GR-5, a 1,500-mile trek from Amsterdam on the North Sea to Nice on the Mediterranean, including the great crossing of the French Alps. ... Meanwhile, in Switzerland, Sandie Sabaka (aka Bluebearee) will share her experiences from hiking the Haute Route, going past the highest, most dramatic peaks of the Alps from Mont Blanc to the Matterhorn. ... We will also have Dave Hennel (Gourmet Dave) guiding us along the Coast to Coast Path in England, which he hiked this year. ... Kip Redick will retrace his steps along 525 miles of the Camino de Santiago from France to Spain. ... Mara Factor will take us to Easter Island. ... And Will French and Tom Wheeler will share fantastic photos and stories from their 300-mile long traverse of the Cape Wrath Trail in Scotland.
Trail clubs from the area have been invited to set up their displays at the Hiker Fair in the Union Ballroom. 90-plus-year-old Ed Sidote promises to be there with information about the Finger Lakes Trail. Stop by and shake hands with this living trail legend. ... The A.T. Museum will also have a booth, where you can congratulate Larry Luxenberg on being made an honorary member of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy this year. ... The ATC itself will be there, stocked with all the calendars, books, doo-dads, stationery, shirts and other trail-related memorabilia you’ll need to fill your Christmas shopping list this year. ... And among the commercial vendors, this year will mark the return of the Underwear Guys, with Fiddlehead coming back from Thailand to offer his usual supply of hiker undergarments.
... Finally, we will have a table set up for any authors out there to sit down and sign copies of their books in an informal, non-regimented format. In other words, there won’t be a set schedule for this; authors are invited to come and sit down when they wish. We hope you can get to meet folks like Randy Motz, Model T and others this way. The invitation is also extended to all you musicians out there. For instance, ALDHA member Jan Benschop has a new CD with trail-related songs, including some set to the poems of Nimblewill Nomad. He’ll be happy to sell you one! And if you see Bryce Gladfelter, ask him about his first CD of songs inspired by a unique trail-related upbringing.
Are you hungry yet? This year we will have two great chances to get a taste of the good life that backpacking can provide. “Gray Jay” will offer a hands-on demonstration titled “Lipsmacking Backpacking Foods” in which she will prepare some meals you can easily do on the trail. ... And at a separate time (so you can attend both of these workshops!) Mary Holmes will share some of the hiker recipes she has come up with for her book on backpacker cooking. You can taste some of her creations right there!
After all that food, you may want to walk it off. We have two hikes lined up this year, both taking you out on the battlefield just a short, er, walk, away. Saturday evening, Shane “Jester” O’Donnell will lead a tour of the fight that made Gettysburg famous, leaving around sunset Saturday and wrapping things up before the military park closes at 10 p.m.
. . . Then on Sunday afternoon, Rick Sis of the Susquehanna Trail Club will lead a 6-mile circle hike that starts at, and includes, Gettysburg College. You don’t need to sign up in advance, but if you go, plan to bring a snack, some water, and hiking boots. You’ll be treated to walking commentary on parts of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd days of the battle before returning to campus.
And after all that walkin’, you may need to get your pack weight down! Cesar Becerra will offer his JEDI Pack Trick, a radical new way at lightening your load. He’ll explain how he “thorough”-hiked the A.T. with a 15-pound pack and no blisters. ... Also sharing their expertise on lightweight hiking will be Carl Rush and Dennis Quinn who will have the latest in lightweight gear to pass around and critique during their seminar.
Gwen Loose, a researcher at Penn State University, will sit down for an informal chat about some of the women pioneers in the Appalachian Trail project, including longtime Trailway News editor Jean Stephenson and the former chairwoman of the ATC Board of Managers, Margaret Drummond. Gwen is in the process of writing a book about these women and has many fascinating discoveries to share with us.
Let’s not forget about the children. Rita Floriani, who lives in Pennsylvania, will come by the Gathering to give an informal talk about introducing children to the outdoors. She has some basic suggestions on encouraging a sense of wonder in kids by offering tips on seeing the beauty in nature and by mentioning some simple ideas that would make being outdoors a fun experience for young children.
Then, Cindy Ross and Todd Gladfelter will put on a workshop aimed at convincing young hiking couples not to be afraid to go ahead and have kids! Cindy and Todd are the most experienced couple in the country when it comes to getting kids out in the outdoors. And they will be at the Gathering to share their expertise, experiences and, yes, all those Kodak moments of a young Sierra and Bryce growing up on the Continental Divide.
We also hope to put on a lively discussion and debate about dogs on the trail. What are the pros? What are the cons? Should dogs other than true service animals be banned from the A.T.? There is probably little chance of resolving this age-old issue, but hopefully we’ll be able to have both sides impress on the other some of their concerns and viewpoints, letting everyone walk in the other’s shoes for just a little while... No barking, please! lol
Special guests during the Gathering will be the next generation of thru-hikers, led by Sierra Gladfelter who is bringing the college Outdoor Club she founded at nearby Temple University to our ALDHA weekend this year. Feel free to tell them all about your hiking adventures. They’re in school -- they’re here to learn!
The campfire on Friday and Saturday nights at the campground is a spontaneous celebration of the hiker life that is not to be missed if you aren’t too tired from the day’s events... Relax, unwind, and meet new friends from the trail. We only ask that you obey the laws about underage drinking, and observe our quiet hours that begin sharply at 1 a.m. See you there!
The Appalachian Trail Museum will once again conduct a Silent Auction to help raise money for its mission to open the museum next year in Pine Grove Furnace State Park. Bring gently used gear, trail books, or any other items to the Gathering to donate for this worthy cause. The auction will be conducted all day Saturday at the hiker fair. A special feature of the auction this year will be a raffle for a big, brightly colored quilt created for the occasion by Frieda Luxenberg.
There are other workshops and events lined up for the weekend, but you will just have to pay your $10 to find out! See you in Gettysburg!
