ALDHA - West Gathering this Weekend

While I was hiking up in northern Oregon, I ran into Warner Springs Monty up in Cascade Locks. "What the heck you doing up here?" I asked him.  He responded saying that he was doing some "trail angeling," and then he was going up to Wenatchee, Washington for the ALDHA-West Gathering . "Cool," I said, "Can I get a ride up to Panther Creek tomorrow?"

Blunt as I may have been, I certainly had a heightened sense of curiosity surrounding this event on Septenber 19-21 and the ALDHA-East Gathering event on October 10-12. What the heck goes on at these events?

I spent a little time with Weathercarrot this past weekend, and I learned a lot more about what goes on.  These gatherings are similar to the Pacific Crest Trail Kick-Off events in that they provide programs and workshops for hikers to attend.  Much more than that, they are events where hikers get to hang out, talk trail, and just be a hiker. 

For those of us who have been bitten by the hiking bug, these events are necessary. Popular culture blesses going to college, incurring debt, getting a desk job, having a family, getting a mortgage, and blah, blah blah.  Taking six months off to go hike a trail goes against that norm, and for those of us who do it, we need a support system that blesses long-distance hiking.

I won't make it to either of these events this year, and the Pacific Crest Trail Kick-Off will continue to be my support event.  Nonetheless, I hope to get to one of these gatherings.