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The new ALDHA banner is hung over the stage at the Alexander Arts
Center at Concord University for the 31st annual ALDHA Gathering.
The GATHERING
at Concord University in Athens, W.Va.
... and the Appalachian South Folklife Center in Pipestem, W.Va. ...
...
THE 2012 ALDHA GATHERING was at Concord University in Athens, W.Va., on a colorful fall weekend in mid-October. We hope to post as many photos as we can, and use others for the winter newsletter, which is being bumped up to 16 pages to accommodate photos and stories from the Gathering. So by all means, please send us photos that you took during the Gathering. Email them to newsletter@aldha.org. Please help us out!




ALDHA's new board of directors for the coming year poses for a photo on Sunday afternoon. At that morning's business meeting we elected Judy Young and Sue Williams and re-elected Kip Redick as members-at-large, re-elected Robert Sylvester as membership secretary and elected Rick Hatcher as treasurer.

Front row, from left: Sue Spring, recording secretary; Noel DeCavalcante, Sue Williams and Judy Young, members-at-large.

Back row from left: Mike Wingeart, coordinator; Kent Wilson, assistant coordinator; Kip Redick, member-at-large; Sly Sylvester, membership secretary; Randy Anderson, member-at-large; and Rick Hatcher, treasurer.

Stepping down from the board were T. Scott Dowling as treasurer and Janet Hensley and Bill O'Brien as members-at-large.

(H. Dean Clark)




Things getting busy at the registration desk at the Appalachian South Folklife Center in Pipestem, W.Va., on Friday, Oct. 12.

(Frank Burley)




Three members of the Class of 1985, including Chuck Wood at far right and Todd Gilbreath, center, who was attending his first-ever Gathering. Todd gave one of the testimonials at the opening night program. At left is Gary Calvert, aka "Clam." Together they made quite a racket when the Class of '85 was called.

(Frank Burley)




Randy Anderson, aka "Chuck Norris," at the Thursday night pre-Gathering cookout for the core volunteers. Randy is an ALDHA board member and the long-distance hiking chairman for the Florida Trail Association. He conducted a workshop on the Florida Trail during the Gathering.

(Frank Burley)




Linda "Earthworm" Patton chats with Membership Secretary Robert "Sly" Sylvester at the folklife center Thursday evening.

(Frank Burley)




Nancy and Kent Wilson from Tennessee. On the trail, he's "Mr. Blister" and she's "Singing Sister."

(Frank Burley)




ALDHA coordinators past and present who were at the Gathering this year, in reverse chronological order from top to bottom:

Mike Wingeart, 2010-present
Jojo Koby-Burley, 2007-2010
Mark Hudson, 2005-2007
Bill O'Brien, 1997-1999
Noel DeCavalcante, 1995-1997


(H. Dean Clark)




Jack Jenkins, aka "Kentucky Jack," helps staff the registration desk on Friday at the folklife center.

(Frank Burley)




"Billy Goat" greets friends at the Gathering.

(Frank Burley)




Denise "LadyBug" Hill shared her 1,445-mile journey on the Buckeye Trail with Gathering attendees during a workshop. She was the first woman solo thru-hiker of the Ohio trail in its 60-year-history. She has also thru-hiked the A.T. and finished the PCT in 2008.

(Frank Burley)




Jon Phipps, "Rodknee Dangertrail," hanging out at the rec hall of the folklife center.

(Frank Burley)




Robert Croyle, aka "Red Wolf o' da Smoky's," overcame some last-minute complications and made it to another Gathering. It was a good thing ... Red Wolf was this year's "last man standing" during the roll call of class years. He thru-hiked the A.T. in 1971.

(Frank Burley)




Longtime ALDHA member Tim Messerich, aka "Bascom Grillmaster," in the rec hall at the folklife center. Tim is president of the RPH Cabin Volunteers Club and organizes the annual RPH work trip every year in New York.

(Frank Burley)




Jim Sample of Pennsylvania came to his first Gathering this year and is planning to thru-hike the A.T. next year. He pitched in during the Gathering with an all-important task: making sure the ALDHA coffee pots were kept perking their precious black liquid.

(Frank Burley)




The indomitable Bob Peoples, owner of Kincora Hiking Hostel in Tennessee, brought two 2012 southbounders to the Gathering with him. "Mountain Laurel" and "Softwalker" are a brother and sister SOBO team who doubled up on a testimonial at the Friday night opening.

(Frank Burley)




Our host at the campsite, Shelli Osbourne, director of the Appalachian South Folklife Center.

(Frank Burley)




To look at or download a copy of the program from the 2012 Gatheirng, click on the image of the cover at left. It's in PDF format so you'll need Adobe Reader to open it. Adobe Reader is a free program you can download online if you don't already have it.

(Cover photo by Justin Lichter)





The Post-Gathering Work Trip

See the short video clip from the start of the work trip and you'll get a sense of what our work trip participants went through this year. Many thanks to H. Dean Clark, aka "Crooked Sticks," for the photos and the video. See more work trip and Gathering photos in the winter newsletter, coming soon.



Standing around waiting for the rain to stop, with a few rolls of thunder to make things interesting.

(H. Dean Clark)




Huddling under the canopy of a hatchback. The rain eventually did stop and they accomplished quite a bit of trail work.

(H. Dean Clark)




Not sure what Kent is up to here but the effects of the rain have obviously gotten through.

(H. Dean Clark)




"Redhat" even wears a red hardhat.

(H. Dean Clark)




Pitching in on sidehill trail work.

(H. Dean Clark)




Kent Wilson standing in the pouring rain.

(H. Dean Clark)






Trailhead
New Boots Gathering Grapevine Springer Fever
A.T. Companion Headlamp Material Work Trips Side Trails