The Loyal Order
of the Coffee Urn
By Bill O'Brien
Since 1998, the keeper of the ALDHA coffee urn has been Wayne Greenlaw, who has faithfully filled our fix for caffeine at fall Gatherings since the 50th anniversary of the first thru-hike. ALDHA finally broke down and bought its own coffee pot during the 2002 Gathering, where it received the official shakedown from Wayne and his braintrust of bean counters, namely Noel DeCavalcante and Model T. They figured out the exact amount of coffee to put into the hopper for the amount of water that the tank holds. And then Noel clocked it by military time to record how long it would take to brew a fresh pot.
Well, just in case there is a change in management of the ALDHA coffee pot, we want to make sure the instructions on how to correctly operate it get passed on from person to person — percolator to percolator, so to speak. So without further delay, herewith lie the instructions for our Wal-Mart special:
1 full pot of water
takes 15 ounces of coffee
and 30 minutes to perk
ALDHA’s cup policy
While we’re on the subject of coffee, did you know that ALDHA voted a few years ago not to buy paper or styrofoam cups anymore? That’s right. In an effort to improve our environment, ALDHA is supposed to refrain from purchasing disposable cups that will only waste paper and add to the nation’s waste stream.
So what are you supposed to do if you want to enjoy a freshly brewed pot of joe? Bring your own cup. It’s as simple as that. Help us help the environment by toting your own cup to Gatherings. It’s not like you’re backpacking and have to cut down on weight. Just tote your favorite plastic mug along, clip it to your belt with a carbiner and you’ll be ready to pour yourself some free ALDHA java whenever you like.
