Summer Adventures Start Here!

There's a lot happening in the Western Massachusetts Chapter! Whether you're looking for a special event, hoping to try something new, or simply want to stay connected with what's going on, we've got something for you. This month we're excited to announce that registration is now open for our popular Connecting Women, Connecting with Nature Weekend, highlight the many opportunities available through our Paddling Committee, and introduce our new Constant Contact Chapter Activities and Updates newsletter to help you stay informed about activities, events, and volunteer opportunities throughout the year. Read on for details. Happy Summer,
Kathy Martin, Western MA Chapter Chair

Join Our New Chapter Updates Newsletter

Since 1999, we've sent a weekly email highlighting upcoming chapter activities, along with links to the Outdoors Connector (AMC's activity registration site) and the Western Massachusetts Chapter Activities page. Our goal has always been simple: make it easy for you to discover adventures and stay connected with our chapter. This month marks the beginning of a new chapter. Our longtime free email service is no longer available, so we've moved to Constant Contact, a platform that will allow us to create more engaging and informative newsletters. While the delivery method has changed, our mission hasn't. We'll continue sharing upcoming activities, and you'll also receive updates on special events, chapter news, volunteer opportunities, and other happenings throughout the Western Massachusetts Chapter. If you have never received our former Tuesday Hiker emails you can subscribe here. Our first Constant Contact newsletter will be sent on Monday, July 27. We've automatically subscribed many people from our previous email list. If you don't receive the first newsletter and would like to get them, please subscribe here. Before subscribing, please check your spam or junk folder in case the newsletter was filtered there. We look forward to keeping you informed and, most importantly, to seeing you outdoors with us!

Registration Now Open for the Connecting Women, Connecting with Nature Weekend

The AMC Western MA Chapter is pleased to invite you to register for our 5^th annual, Connecting Women, Connecting with Nature Weekend, September 18, 19, 20, 2026 at the Horace A. Moses Scout Reservation on Russell Pond in Russell, MA. This is a women-only event that uses an inclusive definition of women. We respectfully welcome all women including non-binary, gender non-conforming, transwomen and individuals who identify as a woman as the best expression of themselves. The cottages at Noble View are no longer available for use or lodging, so we have moved the fun to the Scout camp giving folks the option to stay in a bunkhouse cabin or camp in their own tent. You are welcome to settle in on Friday night to catch up with old, or make new friends over a light dinner. Saturday will be packed with a variety of traditional and non-traditional outdoor activities, 3 delicious meals and camaraderie. The fun and food will continue until the early afternoon on Sunday. If you have joined us before, you know the transformational calm that comes about from a weekend well spent with good women. If this is your first time, we welcome you. Just click here to register.

July Committee Highlight - the Paddling Committee

The Paddling Committee's goals are to get people on the water, teach safe boating skills, and build a community of paddlers who enjoy the waterways of western MA and elsewhere. Our programs have been growing this year with outstanding leaders and new participants, including new leaders in the Albany area. We run training programs to teach basic flatwater and whitewater boating skills to kayakers and canoeists. This year's flatwater clinic was held on July 7 at Barton Cove in Gill, MA. A whitewater clinic for LGBTQ+ folks was held on the Deerfield River in June 27-28 and a beginner whitewater clinic for 20s/30s folks took place July 18-19. Credit for these programs goes to AMC paddle leaders who have trained as paddling instructors with the American Canoe Association. A series of well-attended trips for LGBTQ+ whitewater paddlers on the Deerfield River Lower Fife Brook section happens monthly on Friday afternoons, May through September. And a new series of evening park-and-play whitewater sessions on the Tariffville section of the Farmington River is starting up. Learn more about our Paddling Committee including upcoming activities on the Paddling Committee's webpage.