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... Without beating around the bush, the best membership directory in the long-distance hiking community is published by the Appalachian Long Distance Hikers Association. The booklet is put together in the winter, based on all the updated membership information culled from the annual weekend Gathering in October.
... In 2004, the board of directors changed the membership year to coincide with the calendar year, rather than having it run from Oct. 1-Oct. 1, so membership renewals now spill into January. Work on updating the database begins after the Gathering, and some preliminary work on the Directory can be done before Christmas, but it's not until sometime in January before the final updated version of the database is ready to be sorted into the various indexes that make up the Directory, from the alphabetical listing to the geographical listing and, finally, the trail name listing. This year the database was finished on Jan. 14, and the layout was finished and the pages were delivered to the printer on Jan. 30. It was printed within about a week and a half and in the hands of the mailing service
... The booklets should be in the mail in mid-March.
... If you want to get your name in the Directory for next year — and get your own copy of it delivered to your home — you have to be a member. More than 1,000 people now belong to ALDHA, making the membership Directory as valuable a hiking resource as trail maps and guidebooks. It includes information about the Gathering this fall, directions on how to get there, and a preview of some of the special events lined up for this, the 27th Gathering
... The Directory also includes another ALDHA trail calendar with key dates highlighted for your convenience. A color version of the calendar is posted here, in PDF format.
