The Western MA Exchange

New volunteer Lori Duga shared the experience with her first trail maintenance day and her wonderful photos! Here's what she had to say: "I found my dream volunteer role: crushing rocks! In all seriousness, trail maintenance! Digging, leveling, building hiking trails and meeting people with the same interest as me. Today we began building a stone staircase on the NET: New England Scenic Trail, section 2 in MA. It will probably take all of next season, but camping platforms and a privy are to be built as well. I just learned so much today! I love that!!!" Thanks Lori, the other volunteers, and Connor and Audrey for working all day in the heat to make our trails better and safer! FACEBOOK »

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This book is a gorgeous exploration of perspective, perception, and the passage of time, with an underlying environmental message that is timely and poignant. The book has a rhythmic, calming narrative about the stone and its place in the world with a changing environment and stunning illustrations of cut paper, pencil, collage, and paint. So bring the kids and enjoy this one mile accessible trail as you read the story. You can bring a picnic lunch and enjoy the view of the valley at the picnic table near the large cottage. Noble View Outdoor Center is located at 635 South Quarter Road, Russell, MA. Follow the gravel road about a half mile to the parking lot. The All Persons Trail starts there.

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. Our first Constant Contact newsletter was sent on Monday, July 27th. If you didn't receive this mailing and would like to receive 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! SUBSCRIBE »

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.

Fourteen hikers joined AMC Western MA hike leaders Jeannette Pierce and Kathy Kindness, and AMC staff member William Poole, for a relaxed 4 mile hike with gorgeous views of the East Branch of the Westfield River. While this was geared towards new members, all were welcome and the hike included folks from their twenties to eighties. Hiking is for everyone! Come join the fun! MORE PHOTOS »

The group learned about the importance of sustainable trails: why they exist, how they are maintained, the role that trail crews play in keeping them sustainable, and the involvement of land managers. We have another trails sustainability hike planned on this section of the trail on the evening of Wednesday August 5th. Check out AMC Outdoors Connector for more! AMC OUTDOOR CONNECTOR »

With summer in full swing, we would like to highlight the Chapter's Paddling Committee. Led by Co-chairs Deb Weisenstein and Bonna Wieler, the Committee plans a variety of paddling activities in the warmer months of the year. 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 on June 27-28 and a beginner whitewater clinic for 20s/30s folks will be held July 18-19. Credit for these programs goes to AMC paddle leaders who have trained as paddling instructors with the American Canoe Association. The AMC 150 relay came through MA in late May, and we organized two paddling legs. One was on the Westfield River, linking AMC's Noble View Outdoor Center and the New England Trail. The other was 12 miles of the Connecticut River in Northampton with our partner organization All Out Adventures. 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. We have a women's flatwater paddle coming up July 24. Learn more about the Paddling Committee and find upcoming activities to join.

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We would like to share an opportunity for New England Trail (NET) volunteers and hikers who are interested in helping AMC's community science efforts. This is the New England Nature Watch, a project that AMC and NET partners administer using the iNaturalist app. The New England Nature Watch project was launched in 2021 and allows you to provide data on plants in the NET corridor to AMC. This helps us better understand the effects of climate change on plants along the trail, such as changes to flowering times and species distribution. INaturalist is an app that allows you to identify nearly any plant or animal you find. The app assigns a location and date of the photo taken and catalogs it online, where the iNaturalist community will help to confirm the identification. It can be downloaded on the App store for iOS devices and Play Store for Android devices. Once you've downloaded the app, you can join one or more projects that the AMC is monitoring: the New England Nature Watch, Flowers and Fauna of the Appalachian Trail Corridor, and the Northeast Alpine Flower Watch. Once you've joined the project, all you have to do is be near the NET, the Appalachian Trail corridor, or anywhere in the Northeast and take a photo of the plant or animal you want to identify. We have over 5,500 total observations of 570 species so far, and we hope you all are able to contribute!

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Highlights of the hike included huge pine trees, beautiful fern groves, a large cellar hole, lots of wildflowers, and a perfect lunch spot along the Clam River. Did you know that the Chapter offers hikes every Tuesday? Check it out on the Chapter Activities page of our website. MORE PHOTOS »

There are five more hikes in this annual series, ending on August 15^th in Williamstown. Come join the fun! UPCOMING ACTIVITIES »

When you open the map just click on the canoe icon for information about that location - a description of the lake or pond, photos, a website when available, and directions. Everything you need to plan your next paddling outing. And remember, the Chapter offers many opportunities for guided paddling outings in Western MA. You can see the full list on our Chapter activities page. Just click on the paddling icon and come join the fun! UPCOMING ACTIVITIES »

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Be on the lookout for these unusual plants on your next outing and share your photos if you find one (don't forget to tag us). As always, we remind you to follow the principles of Leave No Trace: take only photos, leave only footprints.