Year 2010 was a solid one for the chapter, with special growth in one of our most popular offerings, Hiking at a Relaxed Pace (HARP) having record turnouts each week. Many new hikers have first learned about the chapter from joining their friends on these hikes, and later joined A.M.C. We also picked up a number of trip leaders this year, with several earning their embroidered fleece jackets. The weekend and mid-week hiking programs have also been solid, despite health concerns among some key leaders. We have also begun offering a kayaking program, in addition to our hiking, biking snowshoeing and cross-country skiing activities. We now have a presence on Facebook. Chapter membership has remained relatively constant, at around 700 members.
Our website, at www.amcmohawkhudson.org has been exemplary, under very capable management by our webmaster, Jeff Carden. Our quarterly newsletter, On the Western Slope, has continued to be attractive and informative under the editorship of Sharon Bonk. A strength, and an attraction, of our Chapter is our use and exploration of wonderful local natural areas, including such places as Dyken Pond, Harvey Mt., Pine Cobble, Cherry Plain, Roeliff-Jansen and Mohawk River State Parks, Huyck Preserve, Tivoli Marsh, Corning Preserve, Vroman’s Nose, Hannacroix Ravine, Tyringham Cobble, Hollyhock Hollow, and the Greenport Conservation Area. Many of these and other “local hikes” are described on our website. This year we have expanded the number of website trip report write-ups, many with photos. This gives our readers more of chance to see what opportunities we provide and what we are all about.
Our chapter was represented at all AMC all-club gatherings. We had two very well-attended major chapter weekends – at the Colonial Inn in Vermont and at AMC’s Highland Center. We elected a full slate of officers at our November Annual Meeting in Albany, and have just one vacancy going into 2011, that of Publicity Chair. Newly-elected as Chapter Chair was Stacey Michon, and newly-elected as Vice-Chair was Art Fontijn. Our long-time Trails Committee Chair, Clark Galloway, has hung up his lug soles, after some 55 years of doing trailwork, including our Section 33 of the Long Path since the trail was conceived in 1966. Taking his place with enthusiasm is John Tifft. Under John’s leadership, we hope to provide stewardship on the trails in at least four natural areas. Veteran outdoors enthusiasts, Mary Folsom, in conservation, and Martha Waldman, in membership, are also new faces on the executive committee for 2011.
We continue to make use of our personalized “business cards” out on the trail. We tell people we meet on our trips that we are hikers/bikers/kayakers/skiers from the local chapter of the Appalachian Mountain Club, and if they seem interested in learning more about us, we can hand them a card that gives them a contact person, phone number, and our website address. The motto of the chapter is, “Regional Hiking Opportunities for People of All Abilities.” To that end, we are hoping in 2011 to begin reaching out and offering an outdoor walking program that is aimed at individuals with limited physical stamina and/or experience.
Special thanks go out to our Regional Director, Henry Schreiber, who provided much-needed assistance with our Bylaws review and revisions this year, as well as for support in many other ways. Also, thanks go out to the volunteer support staff at AMC headquarters, most notably Faith Salter, Terri Morrow and her membership staff, and Roger Scholl.
Wally Herrod, Outgoing Chapter Chair
