The Long Distance · PDF fileThe Newsletter of the Appalachian Long Distance Hikers...

INSIDE THEE-EDITIONWORK TRIPS KEEPINGALDHA FOLKS BUSYn From RPH Cabin to theA.T. Museum, work tripshave been getting a handfrom ALDHA. Pages 8-10

AROUND & ABOUTOUR TRAIL FAMILYn News andnotes fromthe summer,including thepassing ofDaniel E.Hammer (inset). Page 3

WORKSHOP OFFEREDON SEARH & RESCUEn Read an update on ourSearch & Rescue Team,which will hold a workshopat the fall Gathering to signup new members. Page 6

CLASS OF 1974n Members of this pioneerclass gathered over thesummer to remark howmuch hair they had wayback then, and how hikingin dungarees was possible.Pages 10-14.

TABLE OF CONTENTSCoordinator’s report . . . . 2Around & About . . . . . . . 3Gathering news . . . . . . 4-8Work trips . . . . . . . . . 8-10New Members . . . . . . . 16ALDHA Almanac . . . . . 17Hikers Muse . . . . . . . . . 18ALDHA Store . . . . . 19-23Registration form . . . . . 24

NOTE: The deadline for thewinter edition is Nov. 1.

The Long Distance HikerThe Newsletter of the Appalachian Long Distance Hikers Association

Vol. 25, no. 3 ‘ALDHA News That Fits We Print Since 1983’ Fall 2014

By MIKE CUNNINGHAM“Hiker Miker”

On June 28, Russ Charest, Roger Hib -bert, Bill O’Brien, Jim Sample and I wereat the parking lot just north of Salisburyto greet and feed hikers. The next day wewere joined by Karen Berger, Sly, Hud-son and Big Lu.

Altogether on both days we fed 31 hik-ers total. Most of them were thru-hikers,one was a ridgerunner, a few were sec-

tion-hikers. Most of them hung out for anhour or more. This was great. We got tohang out with current-year thrus and com-pare our experiences to theirs. They wereuniformly nice people. One thing I foundsurprising is that many of them preferredcold bottled water over soda.

There were some suggestions for im-proving the hiker feed next year includingmoving it to a location so that it is not justafter a town stop. The location suggestedwould work but it may require permission

from the landowner. Philosophically the idea of a hiker feed

detracts from the idea of a wildernesswalk, but the A.T. is not a wildernesswalk, and having been on the receivingend of hiker feeds as well as making delistops from Maryland to Vermont, I cansay that food that is not heat-the-water-and-dump-it-in is greatly appreciated.

Many thanks to all who made this pos-sible and especially Russ who providedthe grill as well as all the cooking.

Eating it up: Hikers get burgers, dogs, info

It’s been 32 years since the first Gath-ering, so this year’s Gathering will be the33rd annual event. Appropriately we willdedicate this Gathering to the memory ofthe only person to have attended everysingle one of the previous 32 Gatherings,Fred Waigand, aka “Slopoke,” who diedearlier this year at 93.

While we remember and miss Fred,we will also look ahead, starting with anopen forum to discuss ways to cope withan expected influx of inexperienced hik-ers once the film version of Bill Bryson’s

book, “A Walk In The Woods,” hits the-aters next year.

In addition we will have the oldest fe-male A.T. thru-hiker, “Mamaw B,” theyoungest solo female A.T. thru-hiker,“Chipmunk,” and the man who turned 84during his 2-year A.T. hike, “Cimar -ron,” each do a workshop sharing their

trials and triumphs during their respectiveage-defying hikes.

We have two workshops on filmmak-ing, including one by our feature presen-ter, Chris Gallaway, who will show apreview of his A.T. film Saturday night.

Find updates posted as they becomeavailable on our website, www.aldha.org.There you will also find the Ride Boardback up and running. It allows you topost messages for either a ride or a riderto share the costs of driving to the Gath-ering. The more the merrier!

Gathering set for Oct. 10-12

Bill O’Brien

‘Hiker Miker’ Mike Cunningham, left, promotes the Gathering at this year’s ALDHA Hiker Feed in Connecticut.

See additional Gathering-relatedstories including information on

meals and tenting on Pages 4-8.

2 The Long Distance Hiker Fall 2014

Climbing Black Balsam Knob, wherethe Art Loeb and the Mountains-to-Sea trails overlap, I noted the sur-rounding environment announcing

the approach of fall. It was mid-August, butup in the highlands summer is short. Standingatop the knob I could see the ridges of SmokyMountains National Park off to the west andthought about the many hikers who walkedthrough snow drifts earlier in the spring.These NOBOs will have either already fin-ished their hike or be somewhere in Maineapproaching Katahdin. In another monthsome of the first SOBOs will be through thelower elevations of the mid-section of theA.T. and starting to climb up to the balds ofthe southern mountains, reaching over 6,000feet on Roan Mountain, just north of where Istand.

So it is now fall along much of the A.T.,the wilderness does not pay attention tohuman calendars. Everyday a group climbsKatahdin, weather permitting, and revels intheir accomplishment. One of my daughter’schildhood friends is a SOBO hiker this year.She is in the middle of Pennsylvania as Iwrite this. Don’t blink, you’ll miss Sarahcrossing over the Mason-Dixon Line, andsoon she’ll be climbing into Shenandoah.

Another great fall tradition, dear to thetribe of long-distance hikers, is the ALDHAGathering. This year we return to Massachu-

setts and Williams College, camping at EricWhite’s beautiful farm, and watching the sun-rise over the north shoulder of Mount Grey-lock — at least I will watch the sunrise;others will be snoring inside their tents.

Those of you coming down from Maine,keep an eye out for NOBOs who have justfinished their hike and offer them a lift.Those of you from the mid-region of thetrail, give a SOBO a lift to the Gathering. Ifyou see any hikers out there on the A.T. inthe next couple of weeks, encourage them tocome join the festivities. As Walkin’ Jim’ssong clearly proclaims, “Come along withme, to the Gathering again, To see myfriends of the trail, And my trail of friends.”

One last thing to think about as you pre-pare for the Gathering this year, ALDHA is avolunteer organization and needs folks to stepup. There will be an election for a couple ofnew board members. We also need a newmerchandise coordinator. If you’d like to getinvolved, please contact me.

Thanks to all the current volunteers whomake ALDHA happen! See you in Massachu-setts.

Sincerely,

Kip RedickCoordinator

The Long Distance HikerSeptember 2014 Vol. 25, no. 3

Editor-in-ChiefBill O’Brien

The Long Distance Hiker is published fourtimes each year by AlDHA, the Appa la -chian long Distance Hikers Association,a 501(c)3 nonprofit registered in newHampshire at 10 Benning St., PMB 224,West leb anon, nH 03784.

Membership is open to all. There are nopre requisites to join. To sign up, fill out andmail the form on 4, or go online towww.aldha.org/join.html.To contact us via email, write to us at:[email protected]. Our home page is athttp://www.aldha.org. if you need tocontact the folks below, see Page 17.

ALDHA CoordinatorKip redick

Assistant Coordinatorrandy Anderson

TreasurerMike Wingeart

Membership Secretaryrobert Sylvester

Recording SecretarySue Spring

At-Large Board Membersron Bungay ’15ryan Hamler ’14

Jim niedbalski ’15rhea Patrick ’14Jim Sample ’15Judy Young ’14

Gathering Coordinatorsrandy Anderson, program

Jim niedbalski, facilities noel DeCavalcante, campsite

eric White, campsite Outreach Coordinator

Judy Young2015 Companion Editor

robert SylvesterWebmasterBill O’Brien

Merchandise Coordinatorsryan Hamler & Judy Young

A.T. Museum Representativesnoel DeCavalcante & Bill O’Brien

DEADLINE FOR NEXT ISSUE: NOV. 1Mail items to [email protected] or to 181 Highland Ave., Meriden, CT 06451

No copy of this newsletter may be posted onlinein whole or in part without the editor’s consent.

From ALDHA’s coordinator

Coordinator Kip Redick looks toward the Smokies from Black Balsam Knob in North Carolina.

Hoping to see new thru-hikers in fall

Fall 2014 The Long Distance Hiker 3

Blurbs gleaned from emails, ALDHA’sFacebook pages and elsewhere about folks youknow and love from your Trail Family:

FOOD IS A GREAT MOTIVATORWhen current-year thru-hiker “Naked Ninja”

was at Trail Days, he stopped by the ALDHA tentand wound up joining our group. A few weeks laterhe got the PDF of the summer newsletter and read itwhile continuing to hike north. He made a mentalnote of the Hiker Feed we were organizing for lateJune in Connecticut, and sure enough, his pacelanded him in Salisbury on the final day of the feed.

But in Salisbury, you hit two roads, and when hesaw no sign of the Hiker Feed at Route 44, he washoping that newsletter story wasn’t just a mirage.His persistence paid off, and as he crossed Route41, there we were, waiting for him. (That’s him tothe right of Hiker Miker in the photo on Page 1.)

In a side note: As “Ninja” was enjoying thesnacks, shade and fellowship, he and ALDHAboard member Jim Sample (also in the photo) fi-nally recognized each other. Turns out it was Jimwho signed up Arlen at Trail Days!

HITTING A ROUGH PATCHKeep “Wood Chuck” (aka Chuck Wood) in your

thoughts. Our intrepid promoter and monumentmaker recently got laid off and is undergoing newmedical issues with his leg. He had hoped to makeit to the Gathering but it doesn’t look good. If youget a chance, thank him for all he does for us.

JOHN MUIR WOULD BE PROUDChris Stiles came to our rescue in the last

newsletter with an I.D. for a photo taken at theTrail Days Hiker Hangout, showing a past thru-hiker and his girlfriend sharing a smooch.

In checking out Chris’s Facebook page, wecouldn’t help but notice a photo of his tattoo, and hegraciously agreed to let us share it here in thenewsletter. As you can see in the image at right, hequotes the legendary naturalist John Muir in beauti-ful lettering, above the symbol for the A.T.

That’s got to be one of the most impressive trailtatts we have ever seen. Thanks, “Caveman”!

(P.S. Anyone have another trail tatt they’d like toshare with us? Email [email protected].)

ANOTHER ENDURANCE RECORD SETThis time it’s for the Pacific Crest Trail. Joe Mc-

Conaughy, 23, a recent college grad from Seattle,smashed the record for an assisted hike on Aug. 10,entering Canada 53 days, 6 hours and 37 minutesafter leaving the Mexican border.

Joe averaged 50 miles a day to complete the2,660-mile trail, running on the downhill and flatsections and taking full advantage of a support teamconsisting mainly of three buddies from Boston Col-lege. He destroyed the old record by six days. (Therecord for an unassisted hike remains 60 days, 17hours.)

He lost 18 pounds during the hike. And that wasdespite already having the trail name “String Bean.”

Congratulations, bro!

LOOKING FORWARD TO GATHERINGDavid Gwinn of South Dakota wrote that he and

his wife, Gina, are looking forward to the Gatheringin Massachusetts, where he plans to take a breakfrom presenting his annual first aid workshop.

“I hope you can find another hiker to give this. I will be enjoying the purely passive experience ofattending other presenters’ programs,” he wrote.

After doing this workshop for nearly 20 years,you get to take it easy, “PereGwinn”!

THE PASSING OF DANIEL HAMMERLongtime ALDHA member Dan Hammer died

on July 29 at his home in Virginia Beach, Va. Hewas 83. As Mary Sue Roach recalls, “Hammer” en-joyed parking his pickup in Damascus every yearand sitting on the tailgate to tell trail stories andmeet the hikers during Trail Days.

LONGTIME HIKER PAUL GUyON DIESSandra Friend passes along news of the death of

long-distance hiker Paul “Bear Bag Hanger” Guyonin Florida, of a heart attack. He thru-hiked the A.T.and was working on a section-hike, having hikedwith several ALDHA members over the years likeBilly Goat and Rub-a-Dub. Paul had also hiked theFlorida Trail.

GOOD LUCK ENFORCING ITMember Robert Rubin posted a link on Facebook

to a New York Times story announcing the decisionby the National Park Service to ban drones fromflying over the A.T., at least until the park servicecan develop a full-fledged policy. As David “LoneWolf” Blair observed, “Who will enforce this fool-ishness?”

CORRECTIONIn the summer issue, we misspelled the trail

name of Robert Croyle. He spells it “Red Wolf o’da Smoky’s.”

Bill O’Brien

PAST COORDINATOR HELPS TALK UP GATHERINGFormer ALDHA Coordinator Henry Edwards made his annual trek north with his wife anddaughter and went for a day hike on the Appalachian Trail in Connecticut, visiting Rands Viewand other sites in Falls Village and Salisbury. Between Rands View and Giant’s Thumb, we raninto a couple of southbounders, and while talking with them, another group of thru-hikerscame by heading north. We chatted about trail names and other standard trail talk until Henryremembered to plug the fall Gathering, so I gave them the pitch and hopefully we’ll see a fewof them find their way to Massachusetts in October. Here’s hoping Henry will also be there!

— Bill O’Brien

NEWS & NOTES FROM ALL AROUND ALDHA

CHriS STileS


By NOEL DeCAVALCANTEAnd JIM NIEDBALSKI

Campsite / Facilities Coordinators

There is plenty of room for all ofour tents on the Carmelite Fields withbeautiful views of Mount Greylock. Atone time years ago the CarmeliteFields belonged to the Carmelite Reli-gious Order and the friars lived in thebuildings above our tenting area. Nowa private family lives there.

When arriving at Eric White’s homeand farm at 237 Oblong Road,Williams town, MA 01267 (about fourmiles from Williamstown), go up hislengthy drive. You’ll see two signs:TENTING and PARKING.

TENTINGGo to the end of his property and

turn left, following the signs to tentingand the turn-around area, where youcan stop, unload your gear, find a sitefor your tent, move your gear to it,and then move your vehicle to theparking area across the driveway.

There are a few designated parkingspots for campers, RVs, disabled andcamping staff. There will be someonearound to answer any questions, orfind Noel DeCavalcante.

Port-a-potties will be located prima-rily in the tenting area.

PARKING AT CAMPSITEAs you leave the tenting area, fol-

low the signs for PARKING and REG-ISTRATION. We must keep tentingand parking areas separated for safetyreasons. Sleeping in your vehicle in theparking area is OK and we plan tohave a port-a-potty located near there.

GPS COORDINATES TO ERIC’S42.6859564, -73.2454982

BONFIREThere will be a bonfire Friday and

Saturday nights (firewood supplied byEric, what a guy!!) from around sunsetto 1 a.m. Remember quiet hours startat 10 p.m. The bonfire will be locatedin the “least noise-transmitting spot”we can find that won’t be a mud hole ifthere is a lot of rain. In any case,sounds carry, especially in the quiet ofthe night. This is somewhat of a trickysituation. However, we can all help ifwe keep three things in mind.

1) EARPLUGS for lighter sleepers,stuffed in tightly.

2) THOUGHTFULNESS by thebonfire folks, keeping the noise down.

3) UNDERSTANDING on the partof everyone: understand the other guyor gal’s position; we all want to havefun whether you are a “night owl” oran “early bird.” And, let’s not forgetthe family in the home above us. Let’snot keep them up all night.

POTABLE WATERDrinking water is located on the

driveway by Eric’s house. Look forthe sign and hose and help yourself.

REGISTRATIONIt will be located in the large white

barn (built in 1912) behind the parkingarea, from 1 to 5 Friday afternoon.

On Friday night it will be at the ’62Center on campus, and on Saturdayand Sunday in Greylock Hall.

DOGSDogs are permitted in the camping

area if they are kept on a leash, arewell behaved, and the owner cleans upafter them. They are not permitted atregistration. Service dogs are OK any-place in ALDHA areas, but still mustbe kept on a leash at all times.

Dogs are allowed on campus, theymust be leashed (or under control) andcannot be left unattended outside ofbuildings. No pet dogs allowed inbuildings. Cole Field is an area oncampus, not far from the Student Cen-ter, that is popular for locals to walktheir dogs. It has ample parking.

PARKING AT WILLIAMSA parking permit will be issued for

each ALDHA vehicle. Parking on theWilliams College campus will be in theparking garage. Follow Route 7 north,about a half-mile past the intersectionof Routes 7 and 2, and turn right onWhitman Street, and take the first righton Adams Memorial Theater Drive.

Be advised: the lower levels of thegarage have a clearance of 6 feet, 8inches. If your vehicle is taller thanthat, use the open-air top level.

SHOWERSALDHA registrants will be allowed

to take showers in Lasell Gymnasium,

between Paresky Center (dining hall)and Griffin Hall (workshops). Whileyou have to cross to the other side ofRoute 2 to access the gym, it is pedes-trian friendly: vehicles are required tostop at designated crosswalks.

Use the Spring Street entrance tolower level and show your nametag togain entrance. Bring your own towel.Empty lockers are available, but bringyour own padlock. The hours:

Friday — 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.Saturday — 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.Sunday — 1 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.*Monday — 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.

* May be open earlier on Sunday

HIKER FAIRIf you represent a trail club or ven-

dor and would like to have a table atour Hiker Fair, contact Ron Bungay [email protected].

The Hiker Fair will open Saturdaymorning in Greylock Hall on theWilliams Campus and will run untilSunday afternoon.

riCHArD Wix

A view of Eric White’s field in Williamstown, Mass., and the tents and trailers that were set up for the 2011 Gathering, as seen from the roadleading up to Mount Greylock. We’ll be camping at the same spot this year for the 33rd annual Gathering in Williamstown, Oct. 10-12.

It’s the 33rd installment of our fall traditionCONTRA DANCE

The Flying Garbanzos will againprovide the music, with a guest caller,for our contra dance on Saturdaynight.

The dance will begin at about 9p.m., following Chris Gallaway’s fea-ture presentation at 7 p.m in the ’62Center.

The dance venue will be FellowshipHall of First Congregational Church, ashort walk from the ’62 Center. Thedance will conclude between 11:30 andmidnight.

The church steeple is seen at left,with the moon, during the 2011 dance.

THEGATHERING

Take time to study your programon Friday to pick out the work-shops and presentations you reallywant to attend, then check out afew of the other things you can do:

HIKES ON THE A.T.There will be a hike on the A.T.

to Mount Prospect in the GreylockRange on Sunday, Oct. 12, at 9a.m., meeting place TBA.

Depending on the number ofhikers and vehicles, there will bean option for a strenuous 3-mileround trip or an easier 1-mile roundtrip, or a combination of both.

Mount Prospect offers an excel-lent view of Williamstown, andyou’ll also be able to see the camp-site from the vista.

THE CLARK ART INSTITUTEWe would be remiss in not urg-

ing you to check out this world-class museum while you’re intown. The South Street facility justunderwent a multi-year, $100 mil-

lion expansion and renovation. Itscollection includes 19th-centuryFrench and American art. Admis-sion is $20; it’s open 10-5 daily.

WILLIAMS COLLEGE MUSEUM OF ART

This museum is located rightacross Route 2 from Griffin Hall,where most workshops will be heldover the weekend. Current exhibitsinclude Americana and Americanart ranging from the Hudson RiverSchool to Georgia O’Keefe. Themuseum is open daily 10-5 except

Wednesdays, and admission is free.

SPONSORED By THE WOCALDHA is grateful for the spon-

sorship of the Williams CollegeOuting Club and the generous sup-port of its director, Scott Lewis, aswell as the help of Cosmo Cata-lano, technical supervisor of the’62 Center, without whom thisGathering would not have beenpossible.

Faculty, staff and students ofWilliams College are welcome atall of our activities free of charge.


By JIM NIEDBALSKIFacilities Coordinator

Meals at Whitman’s Dining Hallin Paresky Student Center areavailable for purchase on our web-site on the Gathering registrationpage.

Prices are $8 for breakfast(7:30-10:30), $10 for lunch (11:30-2) and $11 for dinner (5-8) on Sat-urday; Sunday brunch (11-1:30) is$10 and dinner (5-8) is $11. Afive-meal plan offers a $5 discountfor $45 (see aldha.org/join.html).

These meals are not AYCE butoffer four different food stations —a char grill rotisserie, specialty sal-ads, made-to-order deli sandwichesand a vegan station with a teppan -yaki grill.

There might be a limited num-ber of meal tickets available forsale at registration Friday afternoonand evening, but no guarantee.There will be no cash sales formeals at Whitman’s.

Cash sales for non-meal items(beverages, etc.) will be availableat Whitman’s during its mealhours, and the adjacent Lee Snack

Bar will be open for cash salesfrom 8:30 p.m.-2 a.m. on Fridayand Saturday and 8:30-midnight onSunday.

The ’82 Grill (pizza, paninis andbeer), in the basement of Paresky,will be open for cash sales 8:30p.m. to 1 a.m. on Friday, Saturdayand Sunday nights.

Within a 5-minute walk fromcampus, there’s a Thai, Indian andanother new restaurant, along witha Subway, two pubs with typicalpub fare, and a great deli, PapaCharlie’s, that sells sandwichesnamed after theater and other starslike Zonker Harris and Stephen

Collins. A little bit farther is agreat pizza joint and two Ameri-can-cuisine restaurants.

Meal tickets may be limited for campus dining facilities

Things to bring

Students in Whitman’s Dining Hall at Paresky Student Center.

WilliAMS COlleGe PHOTOS

A sample of the fare served inWhitman’s Dining Hall.

You definitely don’t want to come allthe way to the Gathering in Williams -town and realize you forgot somethingback home. While this list is not all in-clusive, it will help to jog your memoryabout stuff you really wish you hadlast time.

Apples: Bring your state’s best applesto compete with others in our an-nual Apple Contest, featuring somenifty prizes from the AlDHA Store.

Photos: Same with your best trail picsfor our annual photo contest. Cate-gories: Beauty of the A.T.; Beauty ofAnother Trail; Flora and Fauna;Humor; and Trail Community/Main-tenance.

Earplugs: The best guarantee of agood night’s sleep. Wherever youtent, noise will find you so be ready.

Coffee cup:Once againwe’ll providethe coffeeand tea, youbring thecup.

Camera: if it’son yourphone ornot, you’llwant to haveit with you.

Chargers:Williams has Wi-Fi, sokeep batterycharged.

Headlamp:For findingyour way atthe tentsite.

AT Passport: Bring your new pass-port or get one at the Gathering soyou can collect the stamp, seenabove, made especially for thisGathering. Passports may be soldat the Gathering. (They’re helping toraise money for the A.T.)

Nametags: if you want to recycle oneof your favorite neck wallets from aprevious Gathering, by all meansbring it along.

Poles and pegs: You won’t forget thetent, so make sure you don’t forgetthe rest of it. While you’re at it, packthe ground cloth, sleeping pad andsleeping bag, too. (And a pillow!)

Camp chair: enjoy the view of Grey-lock from outside your tent.

Cooler: There are no restrictions atour campsite this year. And if youwant to pack your own food, it’sgood to have a cooler for that, too.

The Gathering

Wi l l iamstown, MA SKy FRI SAT SUN MON

ALMANAC Oct.10 Oct.11 Oct.12 Oct.13

Sunrise . . . . . . . 7:01am . . . . 7:02am. . . . 7:04am . . . . 7:05am

Sunset . . . . . . . . 6:18pm . . . . 6:16pm. . . . 6:15pm . . . . 6:13pm

Moonrise. . . . . . . 7:55pm . . . . 8:39pm. . . . 9:27pm . . . 10:18pm

Moonset . . . . . . . 9:22am . . . 10:26am. . . 11:26am . . . 12:19am

Moonbright . . . . . . 83% . . . . . . 76% . . . . . . 70% . . . . . . 63%

(Calibrated for just north of Pittsfield, Mass.)

Take some time to explore your surroundings

Here are some of the highlights ofthis year’s Gathering program:

n Progress of the international Ap-palachian Trail in north America, fromKatahdin to Crow Head.

n Ask the A.T. Class of ’14 – if you'rethinking of hiking the A.T., here's yourchance to ask any questions youhave of the best experts in the field.

n lightweight Backpacking – Gearand methods to lighten your pack to 5or 10 pounds while remaining warm,safe, fed and dry.

n england Coast to Coast (Wain-wright’s route) – Join Gretchen Yealyas she describes this walk, which hasbecome one of the premiere long dis-tance trips in the world.

n Tips on Filmmaking – Keynotespeaker Chris Gallaway will providetips on how to share your adventureson video with passion and profession-alism.

n Women and Backpacking – Comehear about backpacking for womenfrom a two-time Appalachian Trailhiker and ridgerunner.

n Trail Diet: Picking the right Foodsfor the long Haul – This isn't as easyas it sounds. Dan Feldman, author ofthe book “long Distance Hiking,”presents his method.

n Spiritual rambling – Slides and apresentation of the practice of spiri-tual walking on long distance trails.

n True Wilderness: The AdirondackMountains and the Trans Adirondackroute – True Wilderness is a four-season showcase of the east'slargest forest preserve and thenewest long trail to cross it.

n The Future of the AT – A panel dis-cussion led by ATC executive Direc-tor ron Tipton, with audienceparticipation, looking at the possibleimpacts on the trail from the movieversion of Bill Bryson’s book, “A Walkin the Woods.”

n european Peace Walk – learnabout this cross-border initiative seton creating a trans-national walkwayalong the borders of Central europeto celebrate the present europeanculture of peace.

n PCT Thru-hiking – Facilitated byveteran hiker and PCT expert (“oneheck of a single crowner”) WarnerSprings Monty (Monty Tam) and apanel of past PCT thru-hikers.

n Hiking Around Mont Blanc; France,italy, Switzerland – A dazzling array ofeurope’s highest peaks.

n Hiking iceland – Avid hiker Cindyross shares her experiences hikingin this unusual and fascinating land.

n Join Muir Trail – This presentationcovers logistics of hiking the JMTwhile whetting appetites for perhapsa PCT end-to-end hike.

n Camino de Santiago – A film onthe French-Spanish trail that focuseson the people met along the way.

n Hiking the Grand Canyon – Hus-band and wife share the wonders oftheir 2014 winter hike.

n israel national Trail – Deb “Maw”Tucker and luAnne “Tigger” Ander-son will share info, stories, food, andphotos from their 2011 hike.

n Basic Self Defense for Women –We will discuss risk-reduction strate-

gies and learn some basic self-de-fense techniques.

n Thru-hiking the Foothills Trail – Arecent 76-mile journey along theFoothills Trail on the South Car-olina/north Carolina border.

n A.T. Dreamers – A class for futureA.T. hikers and thru-hikers to learn,ask questions, meet with other“dreamers.”

n The Triple Crown – See beautifulimages and hear the major differ-ences between the three most popu-lar national scenic trails.

n Hiking the Pacific Crest Trail.

n The Colorado Trail – See and hearwhat it’s like to hike this magnificentand memorable trail.

n Bearbagging 101 – everything youneed to know about keeping yourfood from Yogi and BooBoo.

n Art loeb Trail – A 30-mile mostlyridgeline hike in the Pisgah nationalForest area of north Carolina.

n SnowFrog on the A.T. – A videopresentation of a 2013 A.T. thru-hikeat age 70.

n Owen Allen’s 1960 A.T. Thru-hike –Owen Allen relates his experiences ofhiking the trail in the “pioneer years.”

n Guthook’s Guides – See how newsmartphone apps work, hear aboutchanges for next year, and see whatother trails will get Guthook guides.


By MIKE WINGEARTALDHA Treasurer

As reported in the summer editionof this newsletter, we did not findmissing thru-hiker Geraldine Largayduring a weeklong search of the Mainewoods in May. She went missing inJuly 2013.

But we are continuing to get trainedand are preparing for the next mission.At this year’s Gathering we will have asearch and rescue workshop on Satur-day at 3 p.m. in Griffin Hall, Room 4.We will discuss this first mission indetail and share the plans for gettingand being ready for the next missingand/or lost hiker.

Information will be shared on whatonline classes can be taken and whereto get more training. I will have theapplication forms on site and we willbe setting up an alert system so we can

respond quickly to a situation on theAppalachian Trail.

One of the lessons learned while inthe field was the need to have every-one wear blaze orange so we could al-ways remain visible while stillsearching and stay in contact withother team members.

So, I ordered neon orange searchand rescue shirts and will have them at

the Gathering. They will be free forthose who participated in the first mis-sion. For those who join the teamnow, we will sell them for $15, basi-cally at cost.

I also will have on hand ALDHAsearch and rescue patches and decalsfor those who wish to have them. Theywill also be sold at cost.

There is still a lot of work andtraining to complete to become a certi-fied team and it starts with getting acertified team leader.

If you have any comments, quesionsor concerns, feel free to call me at443-791-9196 (cell) or send me anemail at [email protected] look for me at the Gathering.

Search & rescue team setfor Gathering workshop

PHOTOS BY MiKe WinGeArT

Members of the Largay search team on Poplar Ridge, above, and thelogo and motto for our SAR group, left, that will be used on T-shirts.

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

92-year-old hiker ‘Cimarron,’ whoturned 84 during a two-year A.T.hike, gives a delightful talk on boththe A.T. and Camino de Santiago,which he called ‘a piece of cake.’


The Appalachian Trail Conservancy’s annual mem-bership drive — now in its fourth year — will featurethe never-before-seen film, “The Appalachian Trail:

An American Legacy.”Filmmaker Sam

Henegar has been work-ing alongside the Ap-palachian Trail Con -servancy since 2011 tocreate this film. Theproject uses film reelsand photographs fromATC archives to tell thehistory of the A.T. andalso share some of thelesser-known qualitiesof the trail.

Henegar self-fundedthe film as a volunteer contribution, and 10 percent ofnet revenues generated by his project will be donateddirectly to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy.

The film includes interviews with familiar ATCfolks — David Startzell, Brian King, Laurie Potteiger,Bob Proudman, to name a few — and some not-so-fa-miliar people who you’ll recognize anyway as kindredspirits.

As in past membership drives, the movie will bepreceded by comments from some of your fellow trailadvocates and will also include what are being billedas “limited-edition” prizes. (See schedule at right.)

Watch a video trailer of the film at this link: http://youtu.be/SixMnS2446c

ATC showing new film in theaters this fallas part of its 4th annual membership drive

Author Sarah Mittlefehldt, an assistant professorof environmental studies at Green Mountain Collegein Vermont, will be the guest speaker at this year’sAppalachian Trail Museum symposium, heldduring this fall’s ALDHA Gathering inWilliamstown, Mass.

Her talk will be Saturday, Oct. 11,at 1:15 in Paresky Auditorium.

She is the author of Tangled Roots:The Appalachian Trail and American En-vironmental Politics, which came out in 2013. Init she delves into the history of how the A.T. waspermanently protected, how it took changes in atti-tude from simple farmer handshakes to complexlegal documents and, literally, acts of Congress tofinally bring the trail corridor into the public domain.

She and her husband are A.T. thru-hikers, and hewill join Sarah for her talk, providing musical ac-companiment.

The A.T. Museum has sponsored trail-relatedsymposia at nearly every ALDHA Gathering since1998, when the museum helped to celebrate the 50thanniversary of the first thru-hike by Earl Shaffer.

Since that time, the museum has established itshome in a 1700s mill that is right on the AppalachianTrail, in Pennsylvania’s Pine Grove Furnace State

Park. To help support the museum and its mis-sion, fundraisers are held from time to

time, and this year there will be asilent auction at the Gathering toserve that need. The silent auction will take place at

the Hiker Fair on Saturday only, Oct.11. The “close out” time for the auction will

be around 5 p.m. Saturday (the actual time will beannounced once things get organized.)

If anyone has any articles to contribute to the auc-tion or for a raffle, it will be greatly appreciated.Think of items of value in the attic or in a closet thatare gathering dust: maybe someone else could usethem, and it will help a worthy cause. Among theitems already donated are two Jansport packs fromLeslie Stoltz, in honor of the late Walkin’ Jim Stoltz.

Contact Larry Luxenberg, Robert Croyle or NoelDeCavalcante before or during the Gathering. [email protected] for a contact email address.

A.T. Museum to offer symposium,hold silent auction atGathering

The Appalachian Tr ailAn American Legacy

Experience the AT's magicand discover the unique history

of America's most cherished footpath

still waters imagery & media, inc. presentsin association with the appalachian trail conservancy and east coast mobile recording “the appalachian trail an american legacy”

written, produced, directed by sam henegar narrated by dan gold colorist cecil whitt audio jeremiah nave hiker steve henegar featuring music by ralph zurmühle appalachian trail conservancy coordinators javier folgar laurie potteiger steve paradis brian king

©2014 still waters imagery & media, inc. all rights reserved

MOVIE SCHEDULEOct. 9 from 8-10 p.m.Avalon Theatre5612 Connecticut Ave. nWWashington, D.C.

Oct. 16 from 7-9 p.m.Cintas Center at xavier University1624 Herald Ave.Cincinnati, OH

Oct. 23 from 7-9 p.m.The Carlisle Theatre40 West High St.Carlisle, Pa.

Oct. 25 from 7-9 p.m.Atlanta Technical College1560 Metropolitan Parkway SWAtlanta, GA

Oct. 26 from 6-8 p.m.Blumenthal Performing Arts McGlohon Theatre345 north College St.Charlotte, nC

To purchase tickets, go online to www.appalachiantrail.org/relive.Be sure to enter promo code “SOC14”for $5 off each ticket.

By DAVE HENNEL“Gourmet Dave”

WAYNESBORO, Va. — I’m looking for help find-ing some folks to volunteer to act as hosts at GraceHostel in Waynesboro for next year.

As you may know, Irma and Woody Graff, whofounded the hostel at Grace Evangelical LutheranChurch, have been living in New Hampshire and havebeen coming back to host the hostel for its six-weekrun. They can now only commit to host for threeweeks. The church has found another couple willingto host for a week. That leaves a week or two in needof a host.

I’ve met with Pastor Pingle at Grace Church aboutfinding volunteers from either the community or fromALDHA. The week runs from 5 p.m. on Mondayuntil 9 a.m. Sunday, for whichever week you are host-ing. The hostel opens at 5 p.m. and closes at 9 a.m.,so hosts would have the day to themselves. Theywould also get help from members of the church whohelp out from 5-8 p.m. and 7-9 a.m.

It’s the overnight shift that is hardest to fill andwhere the volunteers are needed most.

Do you know of any folks interested in volunteer-ing to spend a week in beautiful Waynesboro helpingthe wave of northbounders coming through town inlate May and June? If so, by all means contact me [email protected]. Many thanks!

Help at hostelsought for nextyear in Virginia

If you’re looking to own . . .

ALDHA Care help available

Mike Evans, “The Grateful Greenpeace Guy”who thru-hiked the A.T. 1995 and the PCT in ’98, islooking to sell his Terrapin Station Hostel near FrontRoyal, Va., and the northern entrance to ShenandoahNational Park.

The hostel, which sleeps about 15, currently oper-ates from late April to early July but the season couldbe extended depending on the new owners.

Evans plans to do a workshop on the history of thehostel at this year’s Gathering.

HOSTELS

Speaking of hostels, ALDHA has a program inplace to help free or low-cost hostels during peakthru-hiker season. Dubbed ALDHA Care, it pairshostels with volunteers who are willing to spend aweek or so helping the hostel owners or caretakersmanage the increased number of hikers comingthrough at that time. For information, contact Robert“Sly” Sylvester at [email protected].


ALDHA WORK TRIP ROUNDUP

By RON BUNGAy“Yellowshoes”

The 2013 Gathering work trip had 19 volunteerstransport lumber over a rocky rugged section of theTuscarora Trail in Pennsylvania. Imagine that!

At the time only the footers, post and some floorframe work were completed. Since that work trip theshelter is nearing completion. Work to be completed

includes fastening the metal roof and staining therailing and logs.

The pictures above show the almost completedshelter. Unfortunately, on the day I was there, it wascloudy. On a good day the shelter affords a viewworth — well, worth trekking on some of the worstrocks to be found. Pennsylvania, what can I say!

The Potomac Appalachian Trail Club appreciatesthe contribution by ALDHA volunteers.

Remember the Shippensburg work trip?

We will offer two options for work trips after theGathering, on Monday, Oct. 13, which is the Colum-bus Day holiday. Both trips will meet at the campsiteat 8:30 a.m. Monday.

One work trip will involve A.T. boundary moni-toring, led by the Appalachian Trail Conference’s

Alison Scheiderer, in North Adams. The other will be trail work nearby on the A.T.,

led by Cosmo Catalano, who secured the ’62 Centerfor the Gathering and serves on the A.T. Committeeof the Berkshire Chapter of the Appalachian Moun-tain Club.

Join us for another post-Gathering project

By RON BUNGAyALDHA Board Member

This past Gathering Larry Luxenburg ap-proached me about heading up the renovation ofthe basement at the Appalachian Trail Museum.Without hesitation I agreed to take on this chal-lenge.

I promptly enrolled Mike Wing eart to help inthis endeavor. I have helped Mike in buildingshelters along the Tuscarora Trail and this hasled to a good friendship.

The architect’s plans call for dividing thespace into two areas. The museum section willhouse exhibits that would be of interest to young-sters — “the future of the trail.” The other sidewill house utilities.

Work began in the spring and we have hadseveral work trips. The project has involved sup-porting ceiling joists, replacing posts, cleaningstucco off walls, removing an unusable set ofstairs, removing an oil tank, pointing the stonework and power washing.

Soon a new concrete floor will be poured anda dividing wall erected.

We are well on the way to reaching my goalof having the work completed on the museumside by the end of the year.

ALDHA getsdown and dirtyfor this project

PHOTOS BY rOn BUnGAY

MiKe WinGeArTRon Bungay showing evidence of powerwashing in the A.T. Museum basement.

Mike Wingeart working on ceiling beams.


By BILL and AMy BANCROFTFor the Ralph’s Peak Hikers Volunteer Club

The 2014 RPH work weekend was a huge suc-cess! In terms of the number of participants and proj-ects accomplished, this was our most successful workweekend in nearly 10 years.

On average, 30 people per day turned out for theweekend, including 10 current thru-hikers, as well asALDHA members Mark Dingus, Mark Hudson, TimMesserich, Kevin Reardon, Mark Sierzaga and us.

The various projects are detailed as follows:n The vandalized post and mileage sign at RPH

were replaced.n Several lengths of rotted treadway lumber

were repaired near the shelter.n To complete the renovation started in 1995,

T111 siding was installed under the shed area of theshelter. Additionally, the entire shed area and onepicnic table were painted with a red wood stain.

n The Seth Lyon Memorial Bridge painting proj-ect was completed.

n The Gerry Messerich Memorial Flower Gar-den on the RPH grounds was cleaned up andweeded.

n A total of 10 water bars north and south of

RPH were cleaned out.n The trail directly south of the bridge was

cleared of overgrowth.n A new bulletin board was installed inside the

cabin, replacing one that was burned by vandals 10years ago.

n 17 large rock steps (roughly 200-300 poundseach) were installed on the Stormville Mountain stepproject. This project is 90 percent completed and

will continue into 2015.n The door of the outhouse at

Morgan Stewart Shelter was re-placed.

n Maintenance was done on theouthouse at RPH, including some

painting and lime treatment.We are very thankful for ongoing generous sup-

port from ALDHA, B-Dry Waterproofing, ChelseaForest Products, Richard Carroll, and Thalle Indus-tries. We continue to use equipment generously do-nated by L.L.Bean in 2012.

We also appreciate the local businesses who as-sisted us with food, Stormville Pizza and Frankie’sSuperette of Hopewell Junction.

30 people a day showed up for RPH workPHOTO GALLERyAT ALDHA.ORGMore photos by Fred Sternand others at the rPHwork trip will be posted onthe web, www.aldha.org.

PHOTOS BY FreD STernVolunteers paint the footbridge near RPH Cabin, above, while Tim Messerich and Kevin Reardon align the new mileage sign and post, below.


CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: MikeMartin in an old manganese mine inVirginia; Dana Totman at Bly Gap inNorth Carolina; a sign warning ofdogs somewhere in the South; MarkStrittmatter and Bill Southwick at ashelter in or near the Smokies; MikeMartin on a roadwalk in Virginia;Mark Strittmatter, Denny Powell andothers at Addis Gap Shelter in Geor-gia (note the hay on the floor andbunks); and Williams Store nearSnowden and Monroe, Va.COnTriBUTeD PHOTOS


40-YEAR A.T. PIONEERS

ON SEPT. 23, 1974, I climbedMount Katahdin via the HuntTrail. It was an early Fall dayand I saw my first snowflakes of

the season. While it was exciting to be at thetop of that beautiful peak for the first time,what made the day most memorable for mewas that I was finishing my end-to-end trekof the Appalachian Trail which I had begunon Springer Mountain on April 2.

This was a hike that I had dreamed ofdoing for many years. During the firststormy and difficult weeks on the Trail, Iwondered at times if I had made the right de-cision to embark on such a trip. Lookingback on it now, it was one of the most ex-traordinary experiences that I have ever had,and one that I will never forget. There is acertain magic about a long-distance trail, justas there often is with an old railroad or high-way.

The Appalachian Trail took me through akaleidoscope of terrain, vistas, weather, his-toric sites, towns, people, flowers, wildlifeand experiences. Being on foot, brought allthose things very close to me on a veryphysical and personal level. Rememberingthe trip and recounting my experiences oftenstir emotions that are difficult to describe

and are probably best understood by otherswho have experienced a long-distance walkof their own.

In preparing for my hike I did as muchreading about the Trail and about hiking andbackpacking as I could. I found the booksThe Complete Walker by Colin Fletcher, andAppalachian Hiker: Adventure of a Lifetimeby Edward Garvey, to be extremely helpfulin my choice of hiking equipment. AlthoughI had extensive experience in day hiking inthe Catskills, Adirondacks and Taconics, Ihad never backpacked for more than three orfour days at a time.

I spent several months planning my hike,using the 10 trail guides covering the lengthof the Trail, and the Appalachian Trail Con-ference Mileage Fact Sheet. Guide books,food and supplies that I thought would notbe readily available in the towns along theway were packaged at home and readied formailing. I set up a mail drop schedule basedon an average speed of 12 miles a day.

I took three weekend “shakedowncruises” in the Fall that were very helpful ingetting me acquainted with my gear, al-though they did not particularly prepare me

PHOTOS BY JOnATHAn CleMenT

Mike Martin, A.T. Class of ’74, approaches a barn in a rocky Virginia field on his way north.

The A.T. Class of 1974 held a re-union in June where they reminiscedover the good times and bad from 40years ago. They also mourned their

trailmate, Walkin’ Jim Stoltz, seen onthe overleaf on Tinker Cliffs in ’74.

By JONATHAN CLEMENTA.T. Thru-Hiker, Class of 1974

Continued on Page 14 Jonathan Clement on Baxter Peak, Sept. 23, 1974.

12 The Long Distance Hiker The Long Distance Hiker 13Fall 2014

The Appalachian Trail was where it all began. That’s where this boy first learned to call himself a man. It was the wind that taught me how to spread my wings, It was the path that led me on to other things.

The late Walkin’ Jim Stoltz, seen on Tinker Cliffs in Virginia in 1974 during his first A.T. thru-hike 40 years ago this year, from his signature song, The Appalachian Trail.

PHOTO COURTESY OF JONATHAN CLEMENT, ALSO FROM THE A.T. CLASS OF 1974

14 The Long Distance Hiker fall 2014

Museum carves niche as host of A.T. reunionsBy NOEL DECAVALCANTE

ALDHA Representative to A.T. Museum

Every June we celebrate the reunions (in five-yearincrements) of hiking the Appalachian Trail at the Hallof Fame Banquet and the A.T. Museum Festival.In 2015 the banquet will be Friday, June 5, at Al-

lenberry Lodge in Boiling Springs, Pa., and the A.T.Museum Festival will be the next day, Saturday — Na-tional Trails Day — at Pine Grove Furnace State Park. It is not too early to start planning for these fun

events and special reunions with your hiking buddiesof this lifetime achievement, hiking the AppalachianTrail from one end to the other.

As you well know, not many have hiked the entiretrail and you are a member of a relatively small andelite group that has accomplished what most people canonly dream of. That is why it is so important to keepthis spirit alive and get together with friends who haveendured hardships that other people can’t even imag-ine. Start calling and emailing them now and join infor the fun and festivities; it will be something you willwant to do every five years.More details will be posted in the winter and spring

newsletters. The A.T. Musuem contact person is LarryLuxenberg, [email protected]. Membersof the Classes of 1980, 1985, 1990 and 1995 are expe-cially encouraged to organize. Hope to see you there.

bill o’brienMembers of the Class of 1974 including Benny Coward, Jonathan Clement and Karl Hartzell at Pine Grove Furnace State Park, Pa., this summer.

courtesy of benny coward

This year marks the 40th anniversary of an incident on the Appala -chian Trail — and it’s not a happy one. Joel Polsen, at far right, waskilled by a gunman at Low Gap Shelter in Georgia less than twoweeks after this photo was taken, the first such slaying on the A.T.Benny Coward, left, and Chuck Barnhardt started with Polsen atSpringer on April 17, when this photo was taken.

for hiking day after day with a 40- to50-pound pack. With a great deal ofanticipation, and some trepidation, Iheaded south to Georgia to begin myadventure.I would stop into towns on an aver-

age of once a week to pick up mailand food, relax in a motel or B&B,and get a much needed shower. My overall daily mileage average

was 13.5 miles. My longest day was25 miles in Virginia. Once I was inshape, 20-plus mile days weren’t toohard to do. I carried 40-50 pounds in a large

Kelty pack. My primary gear con-sisted of a light one-person tent, anunleaded gasoline-powered cook stovewith cook kit, and a lightweight downsleeping bag. I carried a 35mm Asahi

(Honeywell) Spotmatic II single lensreflex camera that had a 50 mm lens,along with a 200 mm telescopic lensand some extension tubes for closeupsof flowers.

Continued from Page 11

40-year A.T. pioneers

Freezing cold in Georgia in April.

Reunion hikers visit the A.T. Museum in June.

fall 2014 The Long Distance Hiker 15

BOOK REViEW

New ‘colorful’ bookon Colorado Trail

By JUDY YOUNG“Gray Jay”

THIS IS A WONDERFULMEMOIR that will appeal toboth hikers and non-hikers.Bill is an accomplished long-

distance hiker. So he describes thefacets of the trail that all hikers wouldbe attuned to, such as elevationchanges, treadway conditions, trail-heads and, most importantly, watersources. But he captures the asceticsof the journey, which appeal to anyonewho loves the mountains, hiker or not.He “paints” a picture that the mind

can grasp of the beauty and majesty ofthe Rocky Mountains. His descriptionof the colors of the flowers, trees andgrasses — even the absence of them —makes you feel you can see and smellthem. He aptly describes the shades ofgray in the clouds and the ever-chang-ing sky. Bill’s vast use of descriptivevocabulary so enhances the senses, thestory just flows along, making it aneasy read.I love his inclusion of the colorful

characters he and his hiking partner,“Northern Harrier” met, both on thetrail and in towns. They had many“trail angels” who helped them alongthe way … folks who picked them upfrom the trail and delivered them backto the trail. The towns for re-supply aresometimes many miles from the trail.Bill includes many of the lessons

learned from long-distance hiking. Heintertwines excerpts from his otherhikes that are relevant to hiking theColorado Trail. As all long-distancehikers do, he developed philosophiesthat include honoring the earth byusing Leave No Trace methods. Herealized that the trail is what it is, andno amount of complaining will changeit. His attitude is to take it as it comesand enjoy all facets of the trek.Finally, the cover he chose is beau-

tiful, eye-pleasing, and brings thereader right into the journey, beforeever opening the book. Because it isso enticing, many non-hikers will wantto read it.I’ve read the book twice. I hope to

hike the CT next year … so I will readit several more times. The appendicesinclude information about trailmileage, a glossary of hiker terms, andreferences for planning. And his praisefor the Colorado Trail Foundation andGuide will give me a head start in thepreparations. I highly recommend thisbook for anyone who loves the out-doors.

A Thru-Hike of the Colorado TrailPrint edition: 210 pages,$14.20.E-edition: 17.7 mb file size,$5.99 Kindle edition.Both available online throughamazon.com.

‘Gray Jay’ wins recognition asTrail Dames ‘woman of year’The Trail Dames is a hiking club for

women who like to hike, dance, kayak,laugh and make new friends. Membershave been in the background at manyALDHA Gatherings, often holdingworkshops to help explain who they areand what they do to encourage otherwomen to join their adventures. For the last three summers, the Trail

Dames has sponsored the Summit, thecountry’s first hiking and backpackingconference just for women. This yearthe Summit was held June 20-22 inBoone, N.C.During that meeting, the group sur-

prised “Gray Jay” Judy Young with itswoman of the year award. Gray Jay isa member of the ALDHA board of di-rectors and our outgoing outreach co-ordinator. She has presented workshopsat past Gatherings and works tirelesslyin the background at trail events andfestivals to represent and promote herother favorite hiking group, ALDHA.At the 2011 Gathering in North

Adams, it was Gray Jay who organizedour first Friday night reception, goingso far as to coordinate a color schemethat even extended to the cupcakes.The com pliments on her new award

flowed on Facebook when news of itwas posted in late June. “A big congratulations to you,”

wrote Douglas Walker. “You certainlydeserve it for all you do for the hikingcommunity everywhere.”“You’re the trail dame of the year

every year in my book!” added“Razor” Rhea Patrick, a fellow mem-ber of the ALDHA board. The presentation caught Gray Jay to-

tally by surprise. “Never in my wildest dreams did I

think I would be honored this way!” shewrote on Facebook.

contributed photosA Trail Dames hike along the Berea Forest Trail in Kentucky in Au-gust with Marie S. Ruf, Rita Parks, Susan Pierce, Debbie Rafferty,Jeanne Box, Carla Shulse and Judy Young.

‘Gray Jay’ with her new award.

KEEP iN TOUCHWiTH

ALDHA

NEWSLETTERSubmit somethingto The Long Dis-tance Hiker.

[email protected]

WEBSiTEAlways in need ofyour photos fromALDHA events.

[email protected]

FACEBOOKPost your hiking

news, photos, etc.Search for ALDHA at facebook.com

EMAiLQuestions aboutprograms, dues,

other issues: [email protected]


ALDHA SHARES

New members and renewals (that hadpreviously expired)as of Sept. 1:

steve adamsdennis allenGerald andersonpenn ashley-

lawrence and Kyle& elin lawrence

brad betchelchuck bowlerretha bramlettadam brandauaaron & erin bulgerGerald burgercarol & tom burnsann christoffelpat & brenda dalyhaskel a. davis

felipe deandradeKathleen dearbornthomas docziMarion domínguezwilliam downesGregory duffyJames fischerGray fowlerliam Gallagherchester Greenrichard Gurneycraig haireamanda hartleylinda hascupdiane hedgesJohn & Katherine

hedrickwilliam hoaglandcarol horowitzanna huthmakerKerry iliff

barbara Jenningserica JongenKevin Kratzchris Kuivenhovenlarry KunkJeff lamontsteve lightholderryan linnGene & Glenn

lorandeau andGene lorandeau ii

Mary Macdonaldtrina MazzuchelliJoel & patti

Mclaughlinann Mebaneandrew

Meisenheldertammy l.r. MeserveZack Mitchellshawn Moore

timothy Mooreian l. Mossandrew Myersrick peckJoseph petrsoricKenneth philbrickthomas porterantonio pretepierre provostMel Quecantony rayGary richardJohn robinsonpeter sauberlinda smarshandrew & louann

smithtrisha smithamanda sotoKirk & cheryl

st. peter

alan stanevichrichard stevensKerry stewardalbert stoffaMurray stovaleleta sucsyscott tannercara thomas

& rachel Morganthomas tomczykGrace tynereric von Gleichchris Voresrandy walkerfrederic wardMarion wattsrichard weberrichard welshdaniel werthmanrobert whitneybonnie worthy

Gretchen yealyMichelle ZehrJames Zumwalt

Tax-deductible donations since thelast newsletter:dick andersonron burgersydney evansMark hudsonanna huthmakereric Jongenandrew Myerspeter passalacquarubèn rosales Jeff taussig

— Many thanks!

Window decals showyou’re a member ofALDHA and areavailable online ataldha.org/store for$1.50 plus postage.

They’re printed ingreen on white.

New members & returneescheck your mailing label to see if you owe dues. Mail the form on page 11 with your dues or

do it online (and pay online) at http://form.jotform.com/form/10562609918 ... better yet, optfor a life membership and never have to worry about your annual dues again.

Now you can purchase2 new specialty patchesThree years ago, then-Coordinator Mike Wingeart

initiated two new ALDHA patches, one to help newthru-hikers commemorate their recent end-to-endhikes of the A.T. The other was for anyone who tookpart in an ALDHA work trip. If you didn’t finish hiking the trail in the past year

or participate in a recent work trip, you were notable to get one of these new patches. After several requests from members who wanted

to be able to buy the patches, the ALDHA board hasacquiesced, and now you, too, can own a “I HikedALDHA Way” patch. Same goes for the ALDHAwork trip patch.They are available for sale on our website store,

www.aldha.org/store, for $1.50 each, and willbe sold at the ALDHA Store during the Gathering. We are also selling blaze orange search-and-res-

cue T-shirts with the ALDHA logo. These are the official shirts of our SAR team for future missions.(See related story on Page 6.)

According to Membership Secretary RobertSylvester, we set an all-time record for membersin late August with a total of 1,751 memberships.So far there have been 451 new memberships in2014. Much of that can be attributed to Jim Sample

and Randy and Luanne Anderson who signed up100-plus new members under the auspices of theALDHA Shares campaign. Anyone can take part:You just pay a one-year’s membership of $10 for

a friend or acquaintenance, and then see if thatperson likes ALDHA so much he or she renewson their own a year later. It’s that simple.With four months and the Gathering left to go

before the end of the year, it’s still possible to hit1,850 to 1,900 members. Considering that only five years ago at year’s

end, we were down to 982 members, that’s quitean accomplishment.Let’s see if we can hit the2,000-member mark before the end of 2015!

ALDHA membership hits record

http://form.jotform.com/form/10562609918

fall 2014 The Long Distance Hiker 17

ALDHA ALMANACwhere to email officers, other key peopleALDHA Coordinator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kip redick . . . . . . . . . . . . “Hippy Kippy” . . . . . . [email protected] Coordinator . . . . . . . . . . . . randy anderson . . . . . . . “Chuck Norris” . . . . . . . [email protected] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mike wingeart . . . . . . . . . “Wing-Heart” . . . . . . . . [email protected] Secretary . . . . . . . . . . . robert sylvester . . . . . . . “Sly” . . . . . . . . . . . . [email protected] Secretary . . . . . . . . . . . . . sue spring . . . . . . . . . . . . “Mama Lipton” . . . . . . [email protected] Program Coordinator . . . randy anderson . . . . . . . “Chuck Norris” . . . . . . . [email protected] Facility Coordinator . . . . . Jim niedbalski . . . . . . . . . “High Octane” . . . . . . . . . [email protected] Campsite Coordinator . . . noel decavalcante . . . . . “Singing Horseman”. . . [email protected] Campsite Facilitator . . . . eric white . . . . . . . . . . . . “Mini Mart” . . . . . . . . . . [email protected] Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . robert sylvester . . . . . . . “Sly” . . . . . . . . . . . . . [email protected] Editor & Webmaster . . . . bill o'brien . . . . . . . . . . . . “Sprained Rice” . . . . . [email protected] Trip Coordinator . . . . . . . . . . . . ron bungay . . . . . . . . . . . “Yellow Shoes”. . . . . . . [email protected] Coordinators . . . . . . . . Judy young & ryan hamler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [email protected] Coordinator . . . . . . . . . . . . Judy young . . . . . . . . . . . “Gray Jay” . . . . . . . . . . [email protected]

ALDHA’sfour-fold

statementof purpose

Ito representand promotethe welfare of

the appa -lachian long

distance hiking community.

IIto provide service in a cooperative

spirit with otherappalachian hiking organi-

zations.

IIIto provide ed-ucation on the

use andpreservation ofappalachianlong distance

trails.

IVto provide

opportunities forinteraction and

camaraderie withinthe appalachian

long distance hiking community.

KEY TRAiL DATES Oct. 10-12

the 33rd annual Gathering atwilliams college in williams -

town, Mass.

Jan. 16-18southern ruck at nantahala

outdoor center, wesser, n.c.

Jan. 23-25northern ruck at bears den

hostel in bluemont, Va.

Feb. 1deadline for spring newsletter.

March or Aprilthe annual spring meeting of

aldha will be held in lateMarch or early april,

with exact dates and locationset at this fall’s Gathering.

May 15-17 trail days in damascus, Va.

July 17-242015 atc biennial conference

at shenandoah university inwinchester, Va.

BOOTS McFARLAND

Visit bootsmcfarland.com to see more of Geolyn Carvin’s cartoons.

THE AT HiKER APPGuthook’s Guides and ALDHA haveteamed up to bring you a new way toplan and carry out your hike along the

Appalachian Trail using anapp for either the iPhone orAndroid platform. it taps intothe latest info from ALDHA’sA.T. Thru-Hikers’ Companionand all the technical info you

will need from actual GPS measure-ments of the trail by the app’s creator,Ryan Linn, aka “Guthook.” A portion ofthe proceeds support ALDHA’s trail pro-grams. Scan the QR code above or visitwww.sierraattitude.com/athikerapp/

AndroidiPhone

http://www.sierraattitude.com/athikerapp/




1what is thebiggest healththreat facinghikers on the

appalachian trail?2who is the

only livingmember of thea.t. hall of

fame class of 2014?3which trail

town dedicatedthe aldhahiker pavilion

on May 31 this year? 4aldha’s first

search andrescue missionwas for which

missing hiker?5aldha’s 2014

spring meetingwas held atwhich trail hos-

tel on the a.t.?

Test yourmemory ofthe previousnewsletter:

1. lyMe disease 2. paMela underhill 3. waynesboro, Va. 4. Geraldine larGay 5. bears den

HIKERS’ MUSEThe late Walkin’ Jim Stoltz coined this term when he did a workshop at the 2009Gathering where hikers could share stories, poems, songs or other musings.Send your creative output, commentary, etc., to [email protected].

The Forest Belongs to Those Who Walk in itfull of life and struggling, my fingers prickle as i climb with heartpounding and blood surging.

this gloomy atmosphere of lashing rain, cold, and clouds is distantfrom spring, but cozy.

amidst a fragrance of freshness, apple blossoms capitulate towarm zephyrs and whiten the ground; spring is firmly set, prepar-ing for summer.

nature is a mirror reflecting the attitudes of its partakers, frustration has a way of compounding itself. i’m gratefulmosquitoes don’t wear backpacks; their appetites would becomeinsurmountable.

— William W. GrahamGeorgia to Maine, March 3 to July 17, 1974

137 days, 2,043 trail miles, 3½ pairs of soles.(From a 1980s issue of the Long Distance Hiker)

The Ups and DownsBy “Lone Wolf” of 2014

up the hill, down the hilll, upthe hill, down the hill.

you don’t look up, you just lookdown,

for just more hill you’ll see.you don’t look up, for all you’ll

see is hill eternally.and gaps are funny things you

know,for after gaps, it’s just more

hill you’ll see.i used to get excited when gap

i’d see on map for downhill was for sure.but, in would sink reality, for

just another hill i’d see.

Tin Cans in the SkyBy “Lone Wolf” of 2014

i’m out here in this wilderness, watching tin cans in the sky. those jets, they go so speed-

ily, while step by step go i.technology’s so awesome,

you know it to be true,has passed us by so readily,and thrown us all askew.

PAPER CLiPS

Lover’sLeap

800 ft. above

bill o’brien

‘Lone Wolf’ stopped in at theALDHA Hiker Feed (see Page 1)and regaled us with a few selec-tions from what he called hisoral trail journal:

S.R.

THE ALDHA STORE APPALACHIAN LONG DISTANCE HIKERS ASSOCIATION

Bandanas, patches andapparel make great gifts

Visit the ALDHA Store at www.aldha.org/store

Although it’sonly fall, startthinking aboutgift orders for

the holidays sodelivery will bemade on time. More on Page 22

Holiday season approaches!

http://www.aldha.org/store

http://www.aldha.org/store

Gift Items in the ALDHA StoreA. ALDHA Ceramic Coffee MugUnique Handmade Ceramic Coffee Mug withALDHA Logo. No two are exactly alike! Createdand handcrafted especially for ALDHA by BillVan Gilder, son of the late trail legend Jean Cashin,in his shop just a potter’s throw from the Ap-palachian Trail in Maryland. $25.

B. ALDHA Bandana100% Cotton ALDHA Bandana in 10 differentcolors. Choose red, royal, yellow, gold, gray, green,orange (shown), light blue, light pink or purple. $5.

C. ALDHA Window StickerBurnt orange background for classic window decalsignifying that you’re a member of ALDHA.$1.50.

D. Springer and Katahdin PaperweightsTwo 3¼'' diameter replica of the U.S. GeologicalSurvey benchmarks atop the two termini of theAppalachian Trail. Cast in fine pewter. With feltbacking. Comes in clear vinyl-covered box. $39.

E. Gift Membership in ALDHAFill out the registration information for your intended recipient at www.aldha.org/join.html andpay online with PayPal, or use the form on Page 23.and mail with your check to ALDHA, then printout, trim and fill in the certificate below to give therecipient as a gift. $10 per year.

A.

B.

Detail of the imprint on themug at left

C.

D.

#print out and trimthis certificate, fillin the names andput it in a no. 63⁄4

envelope as astocking stufferor for any other

gift-giving occasion.

(Be sure to sendus the recipient’sinformation andpay for the gift. See Item E.)

E.

This is to certify thata Gift Membership in ALDHA

Has Been Entered for One Yearfor

Presented by

page 20

http://www.aldha.org/join.html

Shirts and Jackets

Hats and Accessories

A. Hunter Green Polo ShirtThis polo-style shirt in hunter greenfeatures the ALDHA logo embroideredin khaki-colored thread. Great for casualwork settings. 100% cotton. Available in S, M, L, XL, 2XLin both Men’s and Women’s sizes. $28.

B. Royal Blue Polo ShirtThis polo-style shirt in royal blue featuresthe ALDHA logo embroidered in white thread. Perfect for wearing to work in informal settings. 100% cotton.Available in S, M, L, XL, 2XL in bothMen’s and Women’s sizes. $28.

C. Nylon Lightweight JacketLightweight 100% nylon shell jacket with flannel lining and ALDHA logo embroideredin white stitching. Available in S, M, L, XL, 2XL. $35.

D. Cozy Fleece VestGray fleece vest with black piping and embroidered black ALDHA logo.Available in S, M, L, XL, 2XL. $36.

E.F.E. ALDHA Ball Cap

This ball cap is perfect for the trail or aroundtown to show off your support for ALDHA.It is Pigment-dyed color, 100% cotton twill,lightweight, low profile, unstructured withan adjustable slide closure so one size fits all. $15.

F. Hat/Lapel PinsAvailable in gold, black or silver. $4.

A. B.

C. D.

Shipping Advisory for the Holidays

E LEARNED FROMlast year to give you plentyof advance notice to getyour orders in early if youwant ALDHA merchandise deliveredin a timely manner during the gift-giving season. We will do everythingin our power to make sure your orderis shipped in time for the holidays, butwe ask that you give yourselves at leasta week between the time you place anorder and when you will receive it. Weship all orders via Priority Mail fromthe U.S. Postal Service. The less timeyou give us to package your items andmail them, the less time the PostalService will have to deliver them. Aswe get closer to Christmas, deliverytimes get longer and longer. So keepthat in mind and order early. Thanks! Happy Holidays to all Hikers,~ The Volunteers of ALDHA

page 22

W

Order Form

subtotal: $

shipping: $

total: $

Make check/M.O. payable to ALDHA

name __________________________________________________________________________________

address ________________________________________________________________________________

city _______________________________________ state ___________ Zip _____________________

phone ____________________________________ email _____________________________________

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

(blaze orange only)

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

to purchase any of the items shown in the aldha store, visitthe new online store at http://www.aldha.org/store or print out acopy of this form, fill in quantity, size (if appli cable), subtotalsand total, and mail it with your check to:

ALDHA10 Benning St. PMB 224West Lebanon, NH 03784

QUANTiTY(fill this in)

iTEM PRiCE SUBTOTAL(fill this in)

SiZES, M, L, XL, 2XL

SHiPPiNG CHARGESsubtotal shippingup to $3 . . . . . . . . $1$3.01-$15 . . . . . . $4$15.01-$30 . . . . . $8$30.01-$50. . . . . $11$50.01 and up . . $15

color:

silver - Gold - black

$25.00

$5.00

$14.95

$6.00

$28.00

$28.00

$28.00

$28.00

$16.00

$21.00

$36.00

$35.00

$16.00

$19.00

$15.00

$15.00

$11.00

$11.00

$39.00

$10.00

$39.00

$10.00

$3.00

$3.00

$3.00

$4.00

$1.50

$1.50

$1.50

XXl = $30

XXl = $30

XXl = $30

XXl = $30

XXl = $18

XXl = $23

XXl = $38

XXl = $37

XXl = $18

XXl = $21

ceramic coffee mug

bandana

2014 companion

tote bag

Men’s royal blue polo shirt

women’s royal blue polo

Men’s hunter green polo

women’s hunter green polo

30th anniversary t-shirt

wicking navy blue t-shirt

Gray fleece vest, black trim

Green nylon jacket

short sleeve t-shirt

long-sleeve t-shirt

search & rescue t-shirt

ball cap

coaster

Mouse pad

Katahdin paperweight

Katahdin pin

springer paperweight

springer pin

aldha patch

“i hiked aldha way” patch

aldha work crew patch

aldha hat pin (pick color)

harmony bumper sticker

“i brake” bumper sticker

aldha member decal


THE ALDHA GATHERINGWilliamstown, Mass., Oct. 10-12, 2014

Membership Renewal and Gathering Registrationname(s) ______________________________________________ current Member yes q no q date ________ / _______ / ________

address ______________________________________________ city, state, Zip _____________________________________________________

telephone (with area code) _______________________________ email address ____________________________________________________

trail name(s) _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

trails completed and years they were hiked _____________________________________________________________________________________

Memberships are $10 per family per calendar year or $200 for lifetime membership. Memberships filed after sept. 30 will also include the following year.

number of years _______________ x $10 per year = $_______________

lifetime membership $200 (does not include yearly Gathering registration fees)

Gathering Preregistration is $20 per person (children 17 and under are free)

number of people _______________ x $20 per person = $_______________

donations to aldha, a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, are tax deductible.

amount of donation: $ ______________ Total enclosed: $_______________

if attending the Gathering, please mail your payment no later than Sept. 15 to ALDHA, 10 benning st., pMb 224, west lebanon, nh 03784

or, register online at https://secure.jotform.com/form/10562609918 Questions? . . . email [email protected] 9/14

i would like to help aldha with: the Gathering q companion field editor q trail work q publications q publicity q aldha care q

How would you like your ALDHA publications delivered?

newsletter q pdf in email (with color) q paper (b&w)

Membershipdirectory q pdf in email (with color) q paper (b&w)

Go Green: PDFs reduce clutter and save money and trees.

http://form.jotform.com/form/10562609918

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