I hope you were able to make it out for a hike in our beautiful October weather. As a chapter, we were able to blow the leaves off the main Walls of Jericho trail all the way down to the campground at the bottom as well as trimming back growth and cleaning up trash along that section. Of course, more leaves will have fallen since, but we will clean it again in a couple months in preparation for the spring hiking season. We also received our first shipment of tools purchased by the statewide organization using a grant from the state. We received basic equipment such as safety glasses, hard hats, loppers and rakes. We will be getting another shipment by the end of the year so we will be fully equipped to maintain and build trails. Now all we need is you to come help us put the equipment to use!
The big event for November is that the Tennessee Valley Chapter of the Alabama Hiking Trail Society is hosting a presentation by AHTS President Joe Cuhaj on the Alabama Trail. The presentation will be on Saturday November 5th from 9:30am to 11:30am at the main branch of the Huntsville Public Library on Monroe Street. Please join us and invite your friends. The more people we have fueling this project the more progress we can make! To give some background, the Alabama Trail will be a 550-mile long wilderness footpath for hiking and backpacking that will stretch from Fort Morgan on the Alabama Gulf Coast to the Walls of Jericho on the Alabama-Tennessee state line. The trail will have a significant impact on the state and especially local communities along the trail route providing not only local wilderness hiking and camping adventures for individuals and families, but also creating a protected wilderness greenway and bring a boost to local and state economies through eco-tourism dollars. You can learn more about the Alabama Hiking Trail Society online at http://www.hikealabama.org/.
Our next meeting will be on Tuesday, November 15th, 2011 at 6:00pm at a location TBD in Huntsville. If you have any meeting location suggestions or requests, please let me know. For the meeting, we will be talking about the Alabama Trail progress and winter hikes and trail work.
Now is the time to start renewing memberships for 2012, please go to http://hikealabama.org/membership to renew your membership or to become a member and to help our organization and our voice grow. Notice that we have moved into the digital age and now allow you to get your membership online!
For updated news, links and events, please visit our website or Facebook page at:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Alabama-Hiking-Trail-Society-Tennessee-Valley-Chapter/186097912151
Statewide News and Events
- 2011 Fall Trail Work Week is scheduled for Nov. 7 – 12, 2011. We’ll be working on the new Coosa Trail in the Coosa WMA. Camping is available nearby. If you would like to participate, email Rick Guhse at for details.
Upcoming Events
-Saturday, November 5th, 9:30am Alabama Trail Presentation
We will be holding a public meeting Saturday November 5th from 9:30am to 11:30am at the main branch of the Huntsville Public Library on Monroe Street to discuss a new project – the Alabama Trail, a 550-mile long wilderness footpath from the Alabama Gulf Coast to Tennessee. The meeting will focus on trail building efforts in the Tennessee Valley and the impact the trail will have on the region.
-Tuesday, November 15th, 6:00pm November Meeting
The November meeting will be on Tuesday, November 15th at 6pm at a location TBD in Huntsville. We will be discussing Alabama Trail planning progress, upcoming trail work, and some winter hikes.
-Tuesday, December 20th, 6:00pm December Meeting
The December meeting will be on Tuesday, December 20th at 6pm at a location TBD in Huntsville.
I hope to see you all at our upcoming events and thank you for your dedication to our hiking pastime! Please do not hesitate to call or email if you have any questions or ideas.
Lucas Veverka
Alabama Hiking Trail Society
Tennessee Valley Chapter – Chair
