Who is ALDHA?

ALDHA, or the Appalachian Long Distance Hikers Association, was formed in 1983 as an outgrowth of the first Gathering held the previous fall. It was created to fulfill a fourfold purpose, namely:

1) To represent and promote the welfare of the Appalachian long-distance hiking community;

2) To provide service in a cooperative spirit with other Appalachian hiking organizations;

3) To provide education on the use and preservation of Appalachian long-distance hiking trails;

and 4) To provide opportunities for interaction and camaraderie within the Appalachian long-distance hiking community.

ALDHA is a nonprofit corporation registered in New Hampshire. Our mailing address is ALDHA, 10 Benning St., PMB 224, West Lebanon, N.H. 03784. Our e-mail address is aldha@aldha.org.

In addition to the Gathering, ALDHA sponsors two annual Trail-Aid Work Weekends. The work trips are generally held in the spring and fall, usually in two or more locations. The weekends provide long-distance hikers with a means of giving back to the trails they hike.

Besides work weekends, ALDHA has taken an active role in trying to address other trail-related issues, including the issue of backpacker etiquette and the efforts to finally protect the Appalachian Trail corridor across the summit of Saddleback Mountain in Maine.

ALDHA publishes a quarterly newsletter, The Long Distance Hiker, with news and articles of interest to long-distance hikers. The group prints an annual membership directory with hundreds of hikers indexed by name, state and trail name. And it launched this home page on the Internet on the first day of summer ’96. It’s been a handy place to put things like directions to the Gathering, public notices, and, amended as of October ’98, a copy of our bylaws.

Membership in ALDHA is open to anyone and costs $10 a year per family. The fall Gathering costs $10 per person. So registration & dues for the Gathering comes to $20 for an individual, $30 for couples. Use the registration form elsewhere in this Web site to join, renew or register for the Gathering.

For those who don’t like to have to pay their dues every year, there is a lifetime membership category where, for $200 per individual or family, you can pay your dues once for the rest of your life. You’ll be guaranteed receipt of our four quarterly newsletters and annual membership directory every single year, provided you keep us up to date on your current address! (NOTE: This does not include the annual registration fee for the Gathering, which is currently $10 per person.)

Members of the 2007-2008 board of directors are:

Jolene Koby-Burley Coordinator

Sanne Larson-Bagby Assistant coordinator

George Andrews Treasurer	Sue Spring Recording secretary	Marsha Lee Membership secretary
Richard Bailey (’09) Member-at-large	Robert Croyle (’08) Member-at-large	Karine Kelleher (’08) Member-at-large
Wayne Krevetsky (’09) Member-at-large	Leslie Mass (’08) Member-at-large	Scott Wyatt (’09) Member-at-large

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