AMC Berkshire Chapter

Trip Date: Sunday, March 31st, 2019

Initially the trip was scheduled for the Porkbarrel section of the Westfield, which is totally dependent on natural flow. During the week, the level would rise and then fall, as if to tease us. By Saturday afternoon, it was obvious that we had to change plans.

The Quaboag is always a good choice. Although the scenery is not as splendid as the Porkbarrel, the paddling is a half-step up. Moreover, whereas all in the group had run the Porkbarrel not all had run the Quaboag. Variety is a good thing.

The AT Committee has finalized our Project Schedule for the 2019 season.  Projects offer a wide range of experiences from off-trail boundary maintenance to light duty days at Upper Goose Pond Cabin.  This link will be updated as the season develops:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1iDbOZ3hNSzqLfk1bl-LTI1jIrxeMsLcvAKXnVa4A2G4/edit#gid=0

Projects are also listed on Outdoors.org under AMC Volunteer Activities:

On February 12th, the United States Senate voted 92 to 8 to pass legislation that included permanent authorization of the Land and Water Conservation Fund ( LWCF). The LWCF, which is supported by a share of the income the federal government receives from off-shore oil and other leases, is the principal source of federal funds for land acquisition for parks and reserves as well as  for recreational developments.

More than 75 current, former and prospective Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) Berkshire Chapter volunteers, spouses and friends, Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC) and Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) staff met recently in Great Barrington at the 17th Annual Appalachian Trail (A.T.) Volunteer Gathering to share information and find out more about volunteering. The meeting was organized by Christine Ward from the Great Barrington Trails and Greenways.

We are excited to announce that The Berkshire Exchange, the Chapter's periodic newsletter, will resume publication in Spring 2019! We have a brand-new newsletter in store for you and we need your help! What are we looking for?

Jan Alicia Nettler, former Chapter Chair, recently led a challenging hike on the Holyoke Range accompanied by 16 senior citizens, most in their seventies. Her goal was to prove that "older people still can do more than people expect us to do." Her article on the activity was recently published in the Daily Hampshire Gazette. Read the full article here.

With half of the autumn leaves still on the trees and the other half covering our path ahead, we all gathered by our cars. Some of us put on our gloves, and some of us wished that we had brought gloves; the cold fall weather came quickly. We exchanged names (and repeated them a few times for memory), reviewed our plan for the day, and then we began our hike.