The 23rd annual Gathering will convene on Columbus Day Weekend on the campus of Concord College in Athens, W.Va. The dates are Oct. 8, 9 and 10. Camping will once again be provided at the Appalachian South Folklife Center up the road in Pipestem, W.Va.
Here is a brief rundown on what we know so far about the main programs on Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings. Plans for the weekend were set out by program coordinator Warren Doyle at the March 27 spring steering committee meeting.
As of Oct. 4, a PDF of the schedule has been posted on the Web site. You can open it in your browser window by clicking on the link here.
Friday night
We open our Gatherings on Friday evening with introductions, hiker testimonials and other presentations, followed by a special program that helps get everyone psyched about our annual weekend meeting. Part of the opening ceremonies will include a special presentation of last year’s honorary lifetime membership award. The recipient was unable to attend last year’s Gathering but will be on hand this year to accept his award. After the traditional opening events, there will be a short tribute to Earl Shaffer, the first thru-hiker, by Spur and Takoma Tedd. Concluding Friday’s program will be Weathercarrot’s new photo presentation profiling the three distinct components of the A.T. experience: Hiking the trail; The community of the trail; and Building the trail. It’s set to music and has about a 70-minute running time.
Saturday night
For our Saturday night feature presentation this year, we will give a very warm welcome back to one of our own, Walkin’ Jim Stoltz, who has had quite an adventurous past year. He will tell us all about it, we’re sure, but the short and skinny of it was that he had to have life-saving surgery for a kidney transplant. The good news is that he is back on the trail toward recovery and has already gotten back on the trail for a little more walking... He also has a new CD available, so expect to hear some new material this year. For those who have never experienced a Walkin’ Jim slide show, you are in for a bit of shock therapy. Jim is able to shuttle hikers back onto the trail through the imagery conveyed by his original music and lyrics and the added imagery of his powerfully stunning slides. If you need a reminder of all the positive things there are about long-distance walking, especially about exploring and preserving the vast wild lands out West, these shows are for you. They may inspire you to join Jim’s call-to-arms in the fight to preserve these public lands, with the chief weapons in this fight being ballpoints and ballots. -- billo
For more information, visit Jim’s Web page at www.walkinjim.com.
Saturday night square dance & ALDHA hoedown
The Saturday night program will be followed by the annual square dance, a touchy-feely hands-on coming-together of the ALDHA Trail Family in the best, most positive sense of that word. Dances have been a part of every ALDHA Gathering since Day One, and if you have never bothered to take part in one of these down-to-earth celebrations of the human spirit, you don’t know what you’ve been missing. So let your hair down, drop your pack for a while and let those inhibitions go. Remember, we’re hikers — almost everybody else will look like they’re dancing in hiking boots, too — so don’t be so self-conscious. Just do what hikers do best: Follow the person in front of you.
The Hoorah Cloggers are lined up to provide the music and show us the steps this year. In the history of ALDHA Gatherings, they have missed only one event at Concord College.
Sunday night
Two or three slide presentations will be offered on Sunday night, making it well worth the while for those who can stay over until Monday morning. In past years, we have been treated to some first-class shows, including the first presentation by Steve Newman in 1998, an inspirational multi-media slide show by Cindy Ross, a trek across the Pyrennes by Leonard Adkins, and a trip to Antarctica by over-winterer Albie Pokrob.
Other presentations
So far, program coordinator Warren Doyle has lined up the following workshops and slide shows to occur during the course of the Gathering weekend:
- Members of the thru-hiking Class of 2004 will be on hand to offer the most up-to-date perspectives on what it takes to complete an end-to-end hike of the entire trail ... a worthwhile seminar for anyone considering a future thru-hike of the A.T.
Readings and discussion of the poems of the late Don West, founder of the Appalachian South Folklife Center in Pipestem, W.Va., presented by Warren Doyle.
- All the major trails will be covered in workshops, with the intent to give dreamers the chance to hear first-hand what to expect, how to prepare for it, and other tips. The Appalachian Trail, Pacific Crest Trail, Long Trail, John Muir Trail and other popular trails will all be presented.
- Warren Doyle will present his annual Appalachian Trail workshop for dreamers lasting 3½ hours.
- Stephen J. Paradis will conduct this year’s workshop on how to become involved in A.T. corridor monitoring.
- Dave Fleischman will do a slide show on long-distance trails in a show that might evolve into one of the feature evening presentations.
- Mark “Skeeter” Hudson will do a workshop on the Colorado Trail.
- If all goes as planned, Wayne Greenlaw will come back from his hike on the West Highland Way in northern England with fresh information for a workshop on that trail.
- Paul “Mags” Magnanti will do a workshop on the Pacific Crest Trail.
- Group discussions will be scheduled on issues such as user fees and permits, and anyone who wishes to lead a group on a specific issue should get in touch with Warren to reserve a spot in the program.
Appalachian Trail Museum Symposium and Silent Auction
The Appalachian Trail Museum will present its fourth annual symposium at this year’s Gathering. This year the focus will be on humor on the trail. Lending their expertise to this subject will be J.R. Tate, known as “Model T” on the trail, and John O’Mahoney, “JohnO.” J.R. is the author of the amusing book, “Walkin’ on the Happy Side of Misery.” And JohnO is an amusing book in and of himself. Both will have a treasure trove of stories to tell. Hopefully, there will be time for others to share their humorous stories as well.
Also returning this fall will be another silent auction to benefit the Appalachian Trail Museum. The auction will be run this year by Stacy Mikkalsen and Larry Luxenberg. If you have anything you would like to contribute for the auction, contact Larry directly at luxenberg@lexingtonave.com. Last year’s auction raised between $800 and $900 for the museum.
Sunrise service
Sunday morning at 7 a.m. we will gather in the chapel at the folklife center for our annual sunrise service. All are welcome; it's non-denominational and relies heavily on group participation. At some point during the service, the sun is usually visible as it rises, and you will appreciate how this rustic chapel was designed, particularly the placement of the windows. This year, ALDHA member George Fenn, an amateur mountain dulcimer player, will play “Sweet Hour of Prayer” to get things rolling, and at the end will finish with our traditional rendition of “Amazing Grace” to greet the new day. (Lyrics will be printed out for attendees.) We hope to also have a special guest facilitate the program in between the music. And we aim to make it a little warmer inside this time. If you have any questions, suggestions or other recommendations, contact Bill O’Brien at billo@aldha.org
Annual Apple Contest
The annual apple contest is just around the corner and you are hereby challenged to bring your local apples for judging on Saturday at 4 p.m. at the Hiker Fair. The winner -- and, hopefully, the state or province they hail from -- will be announced on Saturday evening at the evening program.
This is a great opportunity for bragging rights on whose state (or province!) has the best apple. The winners at the last Concord Gathering were: 1st, “Canada Goose” (Ontario); 2nd, “Two-Trees” (?); and 3rd, “Sparrow” (Georgia). Macoun, Macintosh, Empire, Rome, Granny Smith, Braeburn, Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Gala, Newtown Pippin, Jonathan, Ginger Gold . . . You name it, we’ll try it.
Bring Your Photos
THIRD ANNUAL PHOTO GALLERY CONTEST
Guidelines:
1. Please limit your total entries to three;
2. Photographs should be no larger than 8x10; and
3. Write on the back of your photo your name, address and phone number so it can be returned later, or, more importantly, allows for acknowledgment of the winner.
Categories:
1. “I can’t believe you are doing that!” -- A broad category for surprise, humor and what were you thinking.
2. “All About the Appalachian Trail” -- A.T. related, the photographs need to be from the A.T.
3. “The Hiking Experience” Photographs from any hiking excursion.
4. “A Trail Community” -- Let’s look at our best side -- the work, the fun, any trail community activity.
MEMORIAL WALL
We will again dedicate a Gathering Wall to those members of ALDHA who are not in attendance, some in memory. Bring a photo of an ALDHA member who will not be with us this year so that they may participate in their own way.
ALDHA Central
ALDHA will set up its registration and information center on Saturday morning in the student union hallway, located inside College Center. It is also home to the Concord dining facility, in case you are planning to take your meals there. On the top floor on Saturday and Sunday will be the Appalachian Trail Conference’s Ultimate Trail Store, the A.T. Museum exhibit and the hiker fair. Among the services you can expect to find at ALDHA Central will be the following:
- Registration Desk where you can pay your dues and Gathering registration fees, and pick up your program and registration packet.
- ALDHA Merchandise: We still have some NEW ALDHA T-SHIRTS on sale. [For a look at the image on the back of the shirt, click here.] Plus, you can find an assortment of other ALDHA memorabilia, including bumper stickers, window stickers and freshly reordered patches. All for very cheap prices.
- ALDHA Membership Desk where you can check to see if we have all of your information correct in our database. We hope to turn around the information culled from this year’s registrations and publish a 2005 Directory in late December.
- Lost and Found: If you lost it, check here. If you found something, leave it here for the owner to come and claim it.
- Message Board: Looking to hook up with an old trail friend? Post a stick-it note here and we’ll help you contact that person.
- Ride Board: need to hitch a ride home? or looking for someone to share the driving expenses? Leave a note here to help find each other.
- Program Changes: check here for info on room changes, new programs added, and any programs that have been canceled.
- Gathering Wall and Photo Contest: Photos can be dropped off here for both events, and we will post the Gathering Wall here (see above).
Volunteers always welcome
The Fall 2004 Gathering will be ALDHA’s 23rd anniversary get-together and we want to make it something special. With your help, we’ll be able to do just that. Program coordinator Warren Doyle needs volunteers in a number of other areas as well, namely: Workshops: If you want to do a workshop or slide show, we have some useful tips on how to make that happen. But if you are planning to do one this year, please note that the program coordinator prefers that you provide your own video equipment. In other words, it’s BYOP: bring your own projector. Registration desk: Help sign in folks and make sure all their questions are answered. Contact Steve Paradis, membership secretary, who will be coordinating the desk this year. Support crews: These folks provide an invaluable service just by running chores, setting up signs on meeting rooms, removing those signs afterward, chasing down projectors and extension cords for workshops, and being available to handle other emergencies. Campfire: The Friday and Saturday night campfires at the campsite need a few reliable volunteers to make sure the wood and fire ring are ready for action on both nights and the area is cleaned up before everyone leaves on Sunday. Remember: Quiet hours at every ALDHA Gathering begin at 1 a.m. sharp, and this year it will be strictly enforced. Video deejay: If someone would like to coordinate the playing of video tapes for our weekend-long lineup of trail-related videos, that would be a huge help. They are shown in the same location at different times. Your job is to make sure it happens on schedule.
Trail work trip opportunity
The Pine Mountain Trail Conference is seeking volunteers to help construct the Pine Mountain Trail along the Virginia-Kentucky border from Oct. 10-16. The trail offers incredible views, and traverses black bear, elk, wild turkey and deer habitat. October brings the fall color change, and you'll catch the central Appalachian Mountains awash in hues of crimson, rust-orange and gold. The crew will camp at the Cane Patch campground, which has toilet and shower facilities. For more information, please contact Shad Baker at sbaker@uky.edu or 606-633-2362 or visit http://www.pinemountaintrail.com.
Registration
To preregister for the Gathering, fill out a copy of the registration form and mail it no later than Sept. 1, 2004, to ALDHA, 10 Benning St., PMB 224, West Lebanon, NH 03784. After Sept. 1, please wait until you show up at the Gathering to register (it’s still the same price!). The Gathering costs $17 per person or $27 per couple. That includes a 1-year membership in ALDHA, a copy of the Annual Membership Directory, and four newsletters over the course of the year. (The breakdown of the cost is $10 per person for the Gathering; $7 per family for annual membership dues.)
Directions to the Gathering
From Interstate 64 — Take the Sandstone exit [No. 139] and follow Route 20 south through Hinton. The turnoff for camping at the Folklife Center is on the left, about 22 miles from the exit. Look for our signs pointing the way to a left turn onto Indian Ridge Road, and then another sign about 0.5 mile later at a hairpin turn on the left, pointing the way to the Folklife Center. Make the hairpin turn, and the Folklife Center will come up in another 0.9 miles on your right. Please drive slowly, because these are narrow country roads.Concord College in Athens, where all meetings will take place, is about 9 miles down Route 20 from Pipestem. At the traffic light in the center of town, turn left onto Vermillion Street, and in about 1 mile the campus will appear on your left. Park in back of the buildings, please.
From Interstate 77 — Take the Athens Road exit [No. 14] and head east toward Route 20, which you will reach in about 2½ miles. At the intersection, turn left (north) onto Route 20. In about 2 miles, when you come to your first (and only) traffic light in the center of Athens, turn right onto Vermillion Street. Concord College is about 1 mile down this road, on your left. Please park in the back of the buildings.
The Folklife Center, where camping is available for free, is about 9 miles from campus. Go north on Route 20 at the traffic light for about 7½ miles, and about 300 yards past the entrance to Pipestem State Park, turn right onto Indian Ridge Road. Go straight for about a half mile, and look for our signs pointing down a hairpin left turn. Make the left turn, and the Folklife Center will come up in another 0.9 mile on your right.
From Route 460 — Get onto I-77 North at Exit 9 and follow directions from I-77 above.
A map will be published in our newsletter, which should be in the mail around Labor Day. (If you check the 2004 Membership Directory, you will find a map of the camping area and campus on Page 46.)
*** NOTE: Large RVs will have a tight squeeze on these side roads, as well as at the entrance to the Folklife Center. Please drive carefully and make room for oncoming traffic.
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