We’ll be adding more detail to the mobile guide all week leading up to the Gathering. Your printed program will be available when you pick up your packet at registration.
GENERAL SCHEDULE:
Friday, October 9
12-4:30 Registration (CUB 126)
5-7 Dinner (DC)
7pm Opening Session (Ballroom)
Opening: Bill O’Brien, Gathering program coordinator
Welcome: Janet Riggs, Gettysburg past president
Joe Gleason, ALDHA coordinator
Hawk Metheny, ATC vice president
Dedication: Chuck Wood and Bill
Testimonials: Guest appearances
ALDHA song: Andy Boyes
Class roll call: Brian O’Malley
Class of 2026: Joe, Brian and Bill
Featured speaker: Derick Lugo
Gathering Games: John Jordan
9:45pm Orientation for 1st-Timers & Dreamers
10pm-1am Campfire (Farm)
Saturday, October 10 (workshops run from 9am-5pm)
7:30am-10am Breakfast (DC) You must have a meal ticket, pre-purchased.
8am-4:30pm ALDHA Central (CUB 126) our information center, any questions, please come see us.
9am-4:30pm Hiker Fair & The ALDHA Store (Ballroom) check out vendors, authors, trail info and more.
11:30am-1:30pm Lunch (DC) You must have a meal ticket, pre-purchased.
2pm-5pm Battlefield Hike You must sign up in advance in CUB 126.
5pm-7pm Dinner (DC) You must have a meal ticket, pre-purchased.
7pm-8:30pm Feature Presentation (Ballroom)
Featured Speaker: J.R. Harris returns to an ALDHA Gathering, this time as our featured speaker. His book, “Way Out There,” captures some of the exciting adventures he has had while exploring different corners of the globe.
9pm-1am Campfire (Farm)
Sunday, October 10 (workshops run from 1:30pm-5pm)
7am-7:45am Sunrise Service (Farm)
7:30am-10am Breakfast (DC) You must have a meal ticket, pre-purchased.
9am-10:30am Annual Membership Meeting (Masters 110) Mara Auditorium
10:30am-11am Group Photo (Masters or Ballroom) An annual tradition, don’t miss being in our Gathering photo.
11:15am-12pm Gathering Games Another round of fun competition.
11:30am-1:30pm Lunch (DC) You must have a meal ticket, pre-purchased.
3pm-5pm ALDHA Board Meeting (Science 300) we welcome new board members for initial orientation.
5pm-7pm Dinner (DC) You must have a meal ticket, pre-purchased.
7pm-8:30pm Feature Presentation (Mast 110) Leonard Adkins will sharre rare images he has compiled from up and down the AT.
8:30pm Gathering Games winners (Mast 110) Winners will be announced.
8:45pm Closing of the Gathering (Mast 110) Final announcements and reminders.
WORKSHOP SCHEDULE
Location Key: MAST = Masters Hall, McC = McCreary Hall, SCI = Science Center
Workshops, Saturday Morning
9am-10:15am One Hundred Years of the ATC (MAST 108)
9am-10:15am Wildflowers of the AT (MAST 110)
9am-10:15am Section-hiking: Past, Present, Future (MAST 117)
9am-10:15am The Cohos Trail (McC 101)
9am-10:15am The Apostle of Happiness (McC 115)
9am-10:15am The AT Thru-Hiker’s Companion (McC 202)
9am-10:15am The Enchanted Land of Nepal (SCI 200)
9am-10:15am Five Trail Epiphanies (SCI 300)
10:30am-12pm ATC:The Next Hundred Years (MAST 108)
10:30am-12pm Ask the Class of 2026 (MAST 110)
10:30am-12pm How to Section-hike the AT (MAST 117)
10:30am-12pm The New England Trail (McC 101)
10:30am-12pm The Continental Divide Trail (McC 115)
10:30am-12pm Scars on the Mountain (McC 202)
10:30am-12pm Sights & Hikes in Peru and Chile (SCI 200)
10:30am-12pm Tails From the Trail (SCI 300)
Workshops, Saturday Afternoon
1:30pm-2:45pm AT Museum Symposium (MAST 108)
1:30pm-2:45pm Mountains to the Sea Trail (MAST 110)
1:30pm-2:45pm How to Stay Found (MAST 117)
1:30pm-2:45pm The IAT on the Emerald Isle (McC 101)
1:30pm-2:45pm Day-Hiking Most of the AT (McC 115)
1:30pm-2:45pm VIDEO: The Long Start to the Journey (McC 202)
1:30pm-2:45pm Help! I’m Back in the Real World (SCI 200)
1:30pm-2:45pm The Great Eastern Trail (SCI 300)
3:00-5:00pm Backpacking in Michigan (MAST 108)
3:00-5:00pm Up on Cove Mountain (MAST 110)
3:00-5:00pm LANDNAV and Compass Skills (MAST 117)
3:00-5:00pm Hop-scotching Along the IAT (McC 101)
3:00-5:00pm Benton MacKaye Trail (McC 115)
3:00-5:00pm How Hiking Has Changed Since 1973 (McC 202)
3:00-5:00pm First Aid and Mental Health on the Trail (SCI 200)
3:00-5:00pm Spelunking for Beginners (SCI 300)
Workshops, Sunday Morning
1:30pm-2:45pm Forum: Diversity on the Trail (MAST 110)
1:30pm-2:45pm The Centennial Trail (MAST 108)
1:30pm-2:45pm You Can Do It (MAST 117)
1:30pm-2:45pm Electronics on the Trail (McC 101)
1:30pm-2:45pm The John Muir Trail (McC 115)
1:30pm-2:45pm VIDEO: The Long Start to the Journey (McC 202)
1:30pm-2:45pm The Class of 1976 (SCI 200)
1:30pm-2:45pm The Future of ALDHA (SCI 300)
Workshops, Sunday Afternoon
3pm-5pm Trail Jeopardy! (MAST 110)
3pm-5pm Below the Rim (MAST 108)
3pm-5pm Dog Sledding in Alaska (MAST 117)
3pm-5pm The AT Barstool Debate (McC 101)
3pm-5pm Pacific Crest Trail (McC 115)
3pm-5pm Gentrification and the AT (McC 202)
3pm-5pm A 58-Year Love Affair (SCI 200)
3pm-5pm ALDHA Board Meeting (SCI 300)
Camping
- Free camping at Redding Farm
- No vehicles in tenting area
- Port-a-johns available
- Pack out your trash
- Quiet hours begin at 1:00 a.m.
Food
- Dining Center (meal ticket required)
- Bullet Hole Café
- The Commons Coffee Shop
- Gettysburg restaurants