“To the Gathering Again”

Written by Walkin’ Jim Stoltz
on the occasion of ALDHA’s 20th anniversary Gathering in 2001

The days are getting shorter and the leaves begin to fall
My pack is hung up on the wall, til the spring begins to call
Time to head out to the Gathering, all the friends out there to see
Folks that walk their talk and live their dreams
And they all inspire me


(Chorus)
Come along with me, to the Gathering again
To see my friends of the trail
And my trail friends


It's a Gathering of hikers, all ages and all kinds
The doers and the dreamers, the sighted and the blind
It's for the boosters and the boasters, the ones who go and do
It's for the slow ones and the fast ones, and even yellow blazers, too

(Chorus)

You'll meet the elders of our tribe, the first to walk the trail
And the new folks still in progress, heading for the holy grail
Everyone has a story, a smile or thought to share
The old blood and the new, they'll all be headin' there

(Chorus)

You'll meet the ones who do the trail work and keep coming back for more
And the ones who help the hikers when they're trailworn and sore
From all walks of life, from all over the land
You see it's all one big trail
And it's all one big clan

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