Category: RATC History

Founding of the Roanoke Appalachian Trail Club in 1932

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Are you tired of partisan bickering? Join us at 10:30 am tomorrow for a bipartisan celebration of the Appalachian Trail at the Pearisburg Community Center in Giles County. Google Earth map link here.

  • State Senator John Edwards (D-Roanoke) and Delegate Joseph Yost (R-Pearisburg) will speak, showing the bipartisan opposition that Mountain Valley has earned due to its disregard for landowners and the environment. Edwards and Yost simultaneously introduced legislation in the 2016 session of the General Assembly to rescind the state’s current survey law.
  • Diana Christopulos, President of the Roanoke Appalachian Trail Club, will recall why we love the Trail and Trail towns like Pearisburg
  • Songwriter Leslie Brooks will provide entertainment, including her new anti-pipeline ballad.
  • Strange Coffee will offer coffee and donuts, with all proceeds donated to the Roanoke Appalachian Trail Club!

See you there!  WANT TO DO MORE? SEND A COMMENT TO THE VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY BY AUGUST 22. A SAMPLE LETTER AND ALL THE OTHER INFORMATION YOU NEED ARE HERE.

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WHAT: Pot Luck and Annual Meeting featuring Leonard Adkins on “Visual Histories of the AT” – vintage photographs selected from the archives of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, the National Park Service, historical societies, long-time trail enthusiasts, and local Appalachian Trail maintaining clubs wonderful photos. Leonard will have all 6 of his books available. Great as a gift for someone who loves the AT.

WHEN: Saturday, March 4, 2017 ~ 6 to 9 pm

WHERE: Christ Lutheran Church, 2011 Brandon Avenue, SW, Roanoke VA (near Patrick Henry High School)

Leonard (Habitual Hiker) is a longtime member of RATC, and tomorrow’s program will be based on the 6 books he has authored or co-authored as a visual history of the Appalachian Trail.

Please bring a covered dish to share – all are welcome.

Here is what you will be seeing:

The Appalachian Trail Conservancy and Arcadia Publishing are pleased to announce that Leonard M. Adkins has completed his eight-year labor of love. The colorful history of the trail along its entire length from Georgia to Maine is now featured in six volumes of Arcadia Publishing’s Images of America series:

Along the Appalachian Trail: Georgia, North Carolina, and TennesseeRead more »

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The first time I hiked the AT in Maine, I had to quit early. The challenging pathways were much more than I had expected.  The next year, after better planning and training, it was a joy,  and Maine is now just about my favorite state on the AT. Where else can you see a moose on the trail?

RATC members have a chance to explore the AT in Maine (over 240 hikes) with lots of help and company this year at the Appalachian Trail Conservancy’s Biennial Conference.

And there is more – they need volunteers. So check the details below and on their website if you are interested in attending (registration begins in May) or volunteering. Here is the story:

The Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC) holds a conference every two years at different locations in the Eastern US. In 2017, the conference will be held in Maine at Colby College in Waterville, Maine August 4-11, 2017.  This week-long event includes over 240 hikes, numerous workshops, and excursions to local areas of interest. The conference will also include ATC’s 41st membership meeting. Each evening there are exciting adventure presentations and stellar entertainment. The event draws people from around the world, but primarily from locations along the nearly 2,200 mile Appalachian Trail (A.T.).   At the last conference held in Maine (1997 Sunday River), 1,380 people participated.  We anticipate 1,500 attendees in 2017.

For more information:

Conference website: www.atc2017.org

To Volunteer: www.appalachiantrail.org/Maine2017Volunteers

Contact for Volunteer info, mail to: Volunteers2017@ATconf.org

To be a Sponsor or Exhibitor, mail to: Exhibits2017@ATconf.org

 

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MERV.1Our RATC family was deeply saddened by the loss of Mervin Brower on February 20, 2016.

To allow better travel conditions for his Canadian family members, Merv’s memorial service will be held Wednesday, April 20th, 2016 beginning at 11 a.m. at First United Methodist Church, 125 W. Main Street, Salem, VA.

Merv came to Salem, Virginia in 1991 as a General Electric engineer. His 40+ year career  with GE Canada, General Electric and TMEIC was studded with accomplishments: he received several patents in the steel industry, presented technical papers to the IEEE, taught and developed courses for steel and aluminum process industries, was an author of several technical papers, was a recipient of several management awards for individual creativity and achievement, was a lifetime senior member of IEEE, and travelled throughout North America and around the world serving customers.

Read more »

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Wind River 1J

The crest of Wyoming’s Wind River Mountains follows the Continental Divide and includes more than 40 peaks over 13,000 feet high, with lakes above 11,000 feet high full of trout. Join Dan Phlegar of RATC as he shares photos and stories from over two decades of hiking in the Winds.

Bring a pot luck dish to share. All are welcome!

WHAT:  RATC Holiday Potluck

WHEN: Saturday, December 5, 6:00 PM

WHERE: Christ Lutheran Church, corner of Grandin & Brandon, Roanoke

Wind River 2

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AWITW Grandin poster“A Walk in the Woods,” Bill Bryson’s tale of walking about 800 miles on the Appalachian Trail, will premiere in Roanoke at the Grandin Theater on September 2, with Robert Redford playing Bryson and Nick Nolte looking about right for the part of Katz, his out-of-shape hiking partner. Evening shows will be at 5:15, 7:15 and 9:15. Check the Grandin website for more details, including weekend matinees.

Part of the filming occurred on our own McAfee Knob, and its iconic image is featured on the film’s posters, though not exactly to scale! While it is great to have the Knob’s image in the movie, on Virginia license plates and on billboards and websites, the increased traffic (already going up 55% each year for the past 5 years) has a downside as well in terms of trash, graffiti, lost hikers and overcrowding.

Roanoke Appalachian Trail Club, the all-volunteer organization that maintains over 120 miles of the AT, including McAfee Knob, started a task force in May to assist the paid Ridgerunners with education, outreach, trash removal and “eyes on the trail.”

You can help! From 6 to 7 pm Friday, September 4, there will be a fund raiser for RATC’s McAfee Knob Task Force at the CoLab (1327 Grandin Road, Southwest, Roanoke) in Grandin Village. $20 includes food and drink from River and Rail and Parkway Brewery, and the first 50 people in the door will receive free tickets for the 7:15 showing that night.