Your Connection To the Outdoors
Thinking about being outdoors more now that winter is almost over? Remembering the warm sun on your skin, the fresh smell of new leaves and a soft breeze caressing your brow? Add a friendly campfire, crickets chirping, and stars twinkling through the trees. How about taking a backpacking trip this year?
Berkshire Backpacking Workshop
Noble View Outdoor Center (Russell, MA)
Saturday, April 23, 2016
Attention 20- and 30-somethings, the AMC Berkshire Chapter invites you to get involved in our Young Members group. This group promotes a variety of activities geared toward the interests of young outdoor enthusiasts. Our next social gathering will be a happy hour (technically a happy three hours) at Fort Hill Brewery in Easthampton.
At the event, we’ll facilitate a short discussion of the possibilities for this group, but it’s mostly just a chance to meet each other and have a fun evening out.
Did you know that the AMC has an office in Amherst? Did you also know that the AMC, and the Berkshire Chapter, are principal stewards of the New England National Scenic Trail? In fact, we were key actors in getting the trail designated as a National Scenic Trail. Come along to the Amherst Office open house to learn more about this and other conservation projects in our own back yard, including the Connecticut River Paddlers Trail, and research on high alpine plants in the White Mountains.
If you're interested in family activities, you're invited to our next Family Programs meeting. We will be discussing possibilities and asking for input on future family programming, from short weekend hikes to camping trips and everything in-between. The Family Programs committee exists to meet the needs of our family members, and it is your input that will determine the types of exciting kid-friendly adventures we arrange.
Whether you'd like to become a Chapter leader, or just want to improve your outdoor skills, you're invited to attend. Training emphasizes group dynamics, leaders' responsibilities, trip planning/management, weather emergencies, incident/accident scene management, leader awareness, and decision-making.
Registration is required. For more information see the listing in Activities.
Join AMC Family Outings for a fun relaxed Winter Weekend roughly 1 ½ hours west of Boston at Noble View Outdoor Center. Enjoy a weekend of hiking, snow shoeing, cross-country skiing, sledding, snowmen and snow angels, good food and good fun! Accommodations are comfortable/cozy and well heated with wood stoves, but rustic. The twin beds have mattresses, but we bring pillows, sheets, and blankets or sleeping bags. We need to be flexible regarding sleeping arrangements which may be co-ed to keep families together and some kids will be in sleeping bags on the floor.
Family President's Day Weekend at AMC's Noble View Outdoor Center in the Pioneer Valley, about 1-1/2 hours west of Boston. Activities include hiking, snow shoeing, x-c skiing, and family 'snow fun' like sledding or making snow people! The accommodations are rustic, but comfortable and cozy, heated by wood stoves. The twin beds have mattresses, but we bring pillows, sheets, and blankets or sleeping bags. We need to be flexible regarding sleeping arrangements which may be co-ed to keep families together and some kids will be in sleeping bags on the floor.
Submitted by Heather Wyman, AMC Berkshire Family Programs Chair
On May 17-18 2014 I led an exciting family backpacking trip to the White Mountain National Forest with 12 Scouts and fathers (AMC members as well) meeting Karen and Al from the PVHC at Galehead Hut. Planning the trip was tricky because originally, 21 people were paid or scheduled to hike, and some of the group needed to cancel last minute, including one parking lot casualty due to a stomach bug. Thanks goes to Lori Tisdell of the PVHC, who just finished her Culinary degree at HCC, who helped design a working menu of dinner and breakfast foods for the self-serve hut. Muah!
Skiing, Sledding, Snowshoeing. Bring your own equipment or rent skis and snowshoes from the shop. There is a lodge and fire pit outside for non-skiiers that want to mingle. Fee applies for skiiers only. Potluck! Bring food to share for 1:30 lunch. RSVP to Heather Wyman @ Squareroot123@Gmail.com or 413-454-8424
Please review the meeting agenda. We need to spend at least 45 minutes on the budget, and since we'll be discussing some items that will cost money, it will need to be the last item.
The meeting will be held at Courtyard Marriott Hadley, 423 Russell St., Hadley MA (across from the Campus Plaza Shopping Center). They'll be wheeling in vegetarian soup, garden salad, turkey club sandwiches and cookies at about 5:30 PM - please let me know by a few days beforehand if you want a hummus sandwich instead.
AMC Western Massachusetts