the Gathering

I've been mentioning this event for a long time and we finally traveled last weekened to the Appalachian Long Distance Hikers Association annual Gathering, held October 5-7 in Gettysburg, PA.

ALDHA is a self-described "laid-back" organization. It only costs $10 per family to join, it's run entirely through volunteer efforts, and their main function is holding this annual hiker reunion. However, I must say, that for a "laid-back" group, they put on a very professional conference.

The conference was held at Gettysburg College, a small, but modern facility. Camping was included as part of the $10 (per family) registration fee, and was located on a farmer's field, just outside of town. The campsites were drive-in, and they had port-a-potties as well as a tank of potable water.

The event began with opening ceremonies which included a few speeches, a few thank-yous, some singing and slides, and "roll call", where they announce each year and if you thru-hiked that year, you get to stand up. Everybody claps, and you also get a chance to see who else you might have hiked with in the past has shown up. Because we only ever knew the trail names of other hikers it would be difficult to track them down, although internet message boards are making this easier. However, for many years, this event would be the only way to get in touch with old friends. We saw Caveman of Ohio, April Showers, Early Bird, finally met Martini and Rossi in person (we chased them clear from Georgia), and of course the Umbrella Lady, Habitual Hiker and their faithful dog, Mac.

Saturday and Sunday were filled with over 50 different sessions, which ranged from presentations on how to pitch a tarp to screenings of films that hikers have made about their journeys. I attended sessions on the Pacific Crest Trail, biking from Washington State to Maine, and a screening of Lion King's movie "Walking with Freedom on the PCT". The sessions were informative and well-done by the presenters.

We ended up cutting out of the conference early on account of a phone call from Jamie, announcing his presence in Pittsburgh. We haven't seen Jamie and Trish in a long time, so we hurried back to watch the Steelers with them at Ryan's place.

We are definitely going to make the Gathering an annual tradition. Hikers in general are some of the most generous, friendly, chill people I have ever met, and being around that crowd helped to rekindle some of my serenity, which I've been losing a bit since coming back home.

This event is definitely geared towards hikers of all experience levels, including "dreamers" - so if you think you might want to hike the AT or another long-distance trail some day, definitely check out the ALDHA website. The event is held every year around Columbus Day weekend.