Your Connection To the Outdoors
In this issue we discuss:
Follow the link to see this month's Newsletter
Join us for our Annual AT Volunteer Gathering!
If you already volunteer or are interested in volunteering with the Massachusetts Appalachian Trail Maintainers come over and meet with all of our volunteers. We will recap what we have done this past year, future plans, gear swap, as well as breakout sessions!
The gathering will be on February 1st, 2020 9 AM- 2 PM at the Taconic High School 96 Valentine Rd, Pittsfield, MA
RSVP at at@amcberkshire.org by January 27th.
We hope to see you there!
AMC’s Annual Summit celebrates the people who make AMC’s mission real everyday–our dedicated volunteers! Whether you’re a lifelong member or a newcomer interested in discovering all AMC has to offer, Annual Summit is for you!
Location: Four Points by Sheraton Hotel and Conference Center in Norwood, Massachusetts.
Cost: Early Bird Special - By 12/31 $40, $50 after
In this issue we discuss:
Follow the link to see this months newsletter
We recently received a hiking incident report from a leader in the New York-New Jersey Chapter of the AMC. The report describes an injury that occurred on a recent hike, what happened after that injury, and the essential equipment that the hike leaders and hikers did and did not have to help them through the subsequent hours spent on the trail awaiting a rescue. Below we include the original report (names have been elided). Following the report, we offer comments including a list of 10 essentials that each hiker should carry on every hike.
The Dalton, Massachusetts community has created a movie celebrating Kay Woods' life and devotion to the Appalachian Trail! She was a trail enthusiast and volunteer for many years in Massachusetts. You can check it out here: Kay Wood Movie
The Dalton AT Community Members have created a short film to commemorate Kay Wood and her devotion to the Appalachian Trail. Kay Wood was a founding member for the Massachusetts AT Committee, a thru hiker, Dalton Community member, and avid trail volunteer.
The video will have its premiere showing at the Dalton CRA's new building at Mill and Main Streets in Dalton on Tuesday October 15th at 6:30pm. Come see the story of this iconic AT volunteer to whom we owe so much for what we enjoy on the Trail today.
The AMC Berkshire Chapter mourns the passing of Karen L. (Blackburn) Daniels. Karen was one of our finest hike leaders and a much loved member of our Tuesday hiking group, Karen passed away on Friday, August 23. We will miss Karen's kindness, her quiet leadership, her generous sharing of knowledge of the natural world and especially her friendship.
There will be a Celebration of Life service on September 4 at the Colonel Forestiere Funeral home in Agawam.
Follow this link for further details.
Do you enjoy the outdoors and want to learn more about how to protect the outdoor places you love? Join us for a Leave No Trace Workshop, led by the Appalachian Mountain Club, focusing on fostering stewardship through our own practices in the outdoors. We will spend an hour hiking on the beautiful trails in Stanley Park, periodically stopping along the way to discuss the 7 principals of Leave No Trace. This is an interactive course, with users encouraged to bring fresh perspectives and questions for conversation surrounding sustainable habits in the outdoors.
It was a very hot day, but that did not deter locals and through-hikers from gathering to celebrate Great Barrington’s connection with the Appalachian Trail on Saturday, July 20, at Beartown State Forest. The 7th Annual Great Barrington Appalachian Trail Community Day included trail maintenance at Glen Brook and Hemlocks overnight sites in Mount Everett State Reservation and a guided wildflower walk around Benedict Pond led by Judy Schumer. A longer hike was cancelled due to weather conditions.
AMC Western Massachusetts