The Gathering packs a lot into a little amount of time, from the kickoff Friday night to the closing Sunday evening. In fact, there will be things you just won't be able to get to because of other things going on. But don't worry. Some workshops are being repeated during weekend, and most of the popular workshops are presented year after year at ALDHA Gatherings, usually with new folks making the presentation but sometimes with the same person. So if you miss something this year, you'll just have to come back next year.
Registration hours, locations . . . .
If you are arriving during the day on Friday, head for the campsite in Williamstown where you can pitch your tent and register for the weekend. If arriving later, you can register on campus. (Note: Please don't arrive at the campsite before Friday.) Here's the schedule for our registration desk:
Friday: noon to 4 p.m. — Campsite, near 237 Oblong Road, Williamstown, Mass. .
Friday: 5 to 6:45 p.m. — MCLA's Church Street Center, 172 Church St., North Adams, Mass. .
Friday: 10 to 11 p.m. — Church Street Center, MCLA campus (start time depends on end of evening program in same location) .
Saturday: 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. — Sullivan Lounge, Amsler Campus Center, MCLA .
Sunday: about noon to 1:30 p.m. — Sullivan Lounge, Amsler Campus Center, MCLA .
Checklist of things to bring . . . .
Here are 8 things to keep in mind when packing for the Gathering weekend, INCLUDING your best trail photos to submit in the annual Earl Shaffer Memorial Photo Contest.
Special guest, Buzz Caverly . . . .
We are excited to announce that longtime superintendent of Baxter State Park, Buzz Caverly, will be on hand Sunday for an informal conversation with ALDHA members about his 40 years at the helm of the park that is home to Mount Katahdin. He is especially proud to talk about his years of interaction with Percival Baxter, the former governor of Maine who gave Baxter Park, including Katahdin, to the people of the state of Maine. He'll also have copies of a new book that tells his life story and the story of the park as well. We hope folks will want to meet this legend of the trail, who is traveling down from Maine for the weekend and is making a special side visit to join us for the Gathering -- his first.
Jan Benschop, in concert . . . .
On Saturday afternoon, we are pleased to have musician, singer-songrwiter Jan Benschop performing in a mini-concert of sorts at Church Street Center on the MCLA campus. The concert runs from 3-5 p.m. Saturday and all members of the MCLA community and the public are welcome to attend. (It's free!)
Post-Gathering work trip. . . .
On Monday, Oct. 10, meet at 8:30 a.m. at the campsite to head out in a convoy to join up with local AT volunteers on the south slope of Mount Greylock. We'll be carrying roof materials to Nopel Shelter. We'll drive approximately 30 minutes to the Jones' Nose day-use parking area and carry about 20 pieces of metal roof about 1.5 miles up to the shelter. The trail is moderate, except for a short steep section just before the shelter. Materials will be stored at the shelter over the winter for installation in 2012. Questions: Call Cosmo at 413-822-0094. You should probably pack some work gloves and long pants and long-sleeved shirt for this work party. Camping is available at the shelter for those wishing to stay overnight on Monday.
Contra dance lives on! . . . .
We are excited to have The Flying Garbanzos perform their acoustic fiddle and accordion music in the best of New England and Appalachian traditions for our annual ALDHA hoedown. Just listening to their music is enjoyable, let alone dancing with your fellow hoofers, so we hope you'll check out the contra dance this year. Get a sample of what the band sounds like and find out more about where the dance will be held on the Contra Dance page.
Showers . . . .
Folks have been asking, so here's the answer: Yes. Showers will be available at MCLA from noon to 4 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday. Bring your sundries and towel. ;-)
Ride Board. . . .
Don't forget to keep checking the online Ride Board in case a fellow hiker needs to hitch a ride to the Gathering, or if someone has room and is looking for a rider. The Ride Board!
Town information, directions, GPS, etc. . . . .
If you haven't gone back and read the summer newsletter insert about the Gathering in a while, you may want to take another look at it before you head to the Gathering. The last page especially is chock full of info and links to all the important town services in North Adams and includes the address and GPS location of the campsite in Williamstown, where you should head on Friday.
Day hikes on Saturday . . .
The Massachusetts A.T. Management Committee is sponsoring a number of hikes on the Saturday of the Gathering and all ALDHA members are welcome to tag along. Find details of the hikes — and what you need to do now — on the hikes page.
Photo Contest. . . .
The annual Earl Shaffer Memorial Photo Contest will be held once again this year, so search your memory (the digital one, that is!) and print out your best photos for display in the photo gallery at the Hiker Fair. For details on the categories, check out the Photo Contest page.
Workshops, slide shows and panel discussions . . . .
Saturday and Sunday will be packed with workshops, seminars and slide shows. Among the items you can expect to find on the program will be how-to sessions to prepare for a hike on the A.T., information about other trails, and conversations with interesting folks. We thank all of our presenters for stepping forward to volunteer to do these programs, because without them there simply wouldn't be a Gathering. We welcome three very special presenters this year: Documentary filmmaker Lynne Whelden of "Five Million Steps" fame will premiere his newest film, about his adventures on the Continental Divide Trail, on Sunday afternoon at this year's Gathering. He's driving up from North Carolina overnight on Saturday, so we thank him for making the special trip to be with us for this event. We would also like to welcome first-time presenter Sierra Gladfelter, who with Eben Yonnatti will share stories and photos from their hike in the Himalayas, near the Tibet border. And last but not least, we are grateful to have our Saturday night feature presenter, Andrew Skurka, put on two workshops during the day on Saturday, including one in which he'll share his secrets to ultra-ultra-lightweight backpacking. We are also proud to announce that for the first time in anyone's memory, we will have a workshop on the Israel National Trail. Presenting this program will be several folks who hiked the trail earlier this year: LuAnne "Tigger" Anderson, Randy "Chuck Norris" Anderson, and Deb "Maw-ee" Tucker. And finally, we are grateful to return to our lineup a wokshop devoted to the premier hiking trail in New York's Adirondacks, the Northville Placid Trail. This trail hasn't been covered in a workshop at the Gathering in 10 years, so our presenter, Tom Wemett, has agreed to do this one twice during the weekend, once on Saturday and again on Sunday.
Here's a list of just some of the workshops and slide shows you will get at this year's Gathering: Premiere showing of the film "Overexposed: My Strange Life on America's Toughest Trail," about the Continental Divide Trail by documentary filmmaker Lynne Whelden . Panel discussion geared toward MCLA students (open to all) by Shane O'Donnell and Mark Hudson: Hiking the Appalachian Trail . Slide show by Ryan Linn: The New England Trail: Cohos to Connecticut on the Other Long Trails . Workshop by Susan Powell: Lightweight Backpacking and How to Lighten Your Load . Slide show by Sandie Sabaka: Trekking in Nepal's Khumbu region, with no porter and no guide . Panel discussion, featuring members of the Class of 2011 who will field any and all questions from next year's class of A.T. dreamers . Slide show by Arlette Laan: The Arizona Trail and Grand Enchantment Trail . Film: 25 Years of ALDHA, the 2006 silver anniversary film by Weathercarrot . Slide show by Gretchen Yealy: England's Coast to Coast Walk . Slide show by Lawrence Dragon: Cycling the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route, Canada to Mexico . Workshop and slides by Deb Tucker and others: Walking the Land of Israel on the Israel National Trail . Slide Show by Rick Bombaci: "Seven Moons on the Appalachian Trail" . Workshop by Jack Tarlin: Planning the Dream . Slide show by George Meek: Hiking the Florida National Scenic Trail . Workshop by Andrew Skurka: Lightweight Backpacking & Skills Clinic . Slide show by Rick Guhse: The bid for an Alabama Trail . Separate workshops by Mark Hudson and Rush Williamson: The Superior Hiking Trail in Minnesota . Workshop and slide show by Jim Foster: Climbing Kilimanjaro . Slide show by Jojo Koby-Burley: The Chilkoot Trail in Alaska . Workshop by Brad Cook: Trail Dreams, a 33-year dream to hike the A.T. is fulfilled . Museum symposium: The legacy of Benton MacKaye . Slide show by Sierra Gladfelter and Eben Yonnetti: Circling Annapurna and Manaslu near Nepal's border with Tibet . Workshop by Steve Barbour: Discovering Kentucky's Sheltowee Trace . Slide show by Paul LaBounty: An early spring hike of the GR7 in Spain's Andalusia region . Workshop by David Gwinn: First Aid for Long-Distance Hikers . Slide show by Ralph Ferrusi: From Springer to Front Royal in 1974 . Workshop and slides by Peter and Joyce Cottrell: A Taste of Newfoundland and Labrador . Slide show by Mary Lou Recor and Chris Hanna: From Denver to Durango on the Colorado Trail . Panel discussion led by Terry Harley-Wilson: The Subculture of Long-Distance Hiking on the A.T. . Slide show by Tom Wemett: Hiking the Northville-Placid Trail . Workshop by Carl Rush, Dennis Quinn and Monty Tam: Ultra-Lightweight Gear . Slide show by Gretchen Yealy: A Tour of Mount Blanc . Workshop by Hawk Metheny: Hiking the John Muir Trail . Slide show by Rick Bombaci: Walking the Line in the Canadian Rockies . Workshop and slides by Seth Levy and Steve Pinkham: Hiking the southernmost section of the IAT, north from Katahdin . Workshop by Don Hudson: Development of the IAT in Europe . Workshops by Walt Anderson: Two-part presentation on the Geology of the IAT . General overview of the IAT in Canada and the U.S. by Dick Anderson and Don Hudson . A film by Shane "Jester" O'Donnell: "Wizards of the PCT" (Check out the trailer for this movie here. . Slide show by Ryan Linn: Sand and Snow: A PCT Thru-Hike . Panel discussion by veteran PCT hikers on the Pacific Crest Trail . Film by Weathercarrot: The Pacific Crest Trail, a snapshot in time . Workshop by Tom Banks: Leave No Trace practices and principles .
Possible workshop/discussion by Gail Lowe: How the AT has changed in the 2 decades between her thru-hikes. (Gail is still on her thru-hike so this workshop is tentative) .
Quilt raffle! . . .
A beautiful quilt made by Cindy Miller during the long winter months in Vermont will be on display at the Hiker Fair, where you can buy tickets for the raffle. All proceeds will benefit ALDHA. The drawing will take place during Sunday night's program, right after Trail Jeopardy, but you do not have to be present to win. (Still, it would be awfully sweet if you could pose for a picture with your newly won quilt!) Donations are $1 each or six for $5. NOTE: Click on the image of the quilt shown here for a detailed view of the pattern, which Cindy has dubbed "Springtime on Killington."
Hiker Fair . . .
In the college basketball gym at MCLA, we'll have a weekend-long hiker fair set up, starting Saturday morning. There will be a few vendors on hand, but mostly it will be trail clubs with displays boasting of their sections of the A.T. or other good hiking trails you need to check out. We'll also have all the new ALDHA merchandise laid out so you can buy what we've got on hand without having to pay shipping charges through our online store. (But shop early, since we'll only have a limited number of each item on hand. If you have to order something we've sold out of, you'll be charged for shipping.) 
Continuing a tradition begun by Ernst Banfield, "Raven," we'll have our annual Apple Contest, complete with a prize of some donated gear from REI to whoever wins the judges' favor. It's being organized by Sue Spring and Tom Evans, so be sure to bring along the pride of your state's apple harvest for a taste-testing contest that will be set up at the Hiker Fair.
Coordinating the Hiker Fair this year is Karine Kelleher, so contact her if you have any questions about the setup, etc. Email her at HikerFair@aldha.org.
Saturday night's feature program . . .
Saturday night, after a break for dinner, we'll have our feature presentation in the MainStage theater at Williams College in nearby Williamstown. Extreme backpacker Andrew Skurka will take us along for the thrills, uphills and CHILLS of his amazing roundabout of Alaska and the Yukon, mostly by foot, partly by packraft and cross-country ski, but all of it human powered and almost all of it solo. You won't want to miss it. In the meantime, check out a video interview of Andrew, produced by National Geographic, that we've posted here.
Other events . . .
There will be a session for folks who would like to offer comments or provide valuable information to update ALDHA's guidebook for long-distance hikers, The A.T. Companion. All current field editors are also encouraged to attend. People who've hiked the International Appalachian Trail will be welcome to a reception put on in town by the IAT folks, while the so-called Trail Dames will host a reception of their own, for women only, where they can find out more about what it means to be a Trail Dame. On Sunday morning, we will conduct ALDHA's annual meeting, where any resolutions from the membership are put to a vote, including a board resolution seeking to raise the cost of the Gathering from $15, which is what it now costs, to $20. (It was just $10 a person for 30 years and we can no longer keep up with inflation and other factors.) We'll be electing several members to the board of directors, as well as a new assistant coordinator. The winner of the Apple Contest will be announced. And ALDHA will award its highest honor, an Honorary Life Membership in ALDHA, to one deserving person.
Sunday night's closing . . . .
While many folks will have to hit the road for their return trips home, some will be able to stay over until Monday morning (and many in fact will be able to take part in our post-Gathering work trip). So we've got a special program lined up Sunday night at MCLA. First, Weathercarrot and Bill O'Brien will team up to offer Weathercarrot's rendition of Trail Jeopardy, which will seriously challenge hikers' knowledge about some of the most interesting yet little-known tidbits about the A.T., all in a fun and entertaining light. This is being scheduled as our Sunday evening entertainment, and there's a $100 gift certificate being awarded to the team that correctly answers Final Jeopardy, so bone up on your trail trivia, put together a 3-person team and vie to get in the game on Sunday. (See Weathercarrot during the weekend to sign up.) Finally, we'll close with a 30th Anniversary Gathering Slide Show made up of photos that YOU took during the weekend. Stop by the registration desk during the course of the weekend and download your pics onto our computer drive, and Sunday night we'll show the photos in no particular order to some appropriate music, giving us an immediate retrospective on the weekend that was.
