Once in an Eight Year Experience!

 

Appalacian Trail Conservancy's Biennial Meeting to be in North Carolina this summer

 

What: A family friendly event!

When: July 19-26

Where: Western Carolina University, in Cullowhee, and on the Appalachian Trail.

 

 

 

The event is hosted by the five southern Appalachian Trail maintaining clubs, and convenes Trail managers, hikers, and fans to celebrate and conserve this iconic National Scenic Trail. The program includes 137 organized hikes, 72 workshops, excursion trips to some of the region’s best activities, and evening entertainment with live music, dancing, and story-telling.

 

 “This event is only held in the southeast once every eight years, so we’re excited to bring this informative and entertaining event to North Carolina to showcase the A.T. and the surrounding beauty,” said Appalachian Trail Conservancy Regional Director Morgan Sommerville.

 

Organizers expect 1,000 participants of all ages for the celebration of the A.T. The Biennial also serves as the general business meeting of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy’s membership; this meeting will take place on Saturday evening, July 20.

 

Details of the many day and evening activities include:
• Planned hikes on the A.T. and other regional trails
• Workshop topics covering hiking, trail maintenance, natural wonders, cultural history, and volunteer leadership development.
• Excursions of rafting, zip-lining, touring Asheville’s booming art scene, and visiting the Carl Sandburg Home and the Biltmore Estate.
• Live Music from Southern Exposure and Buncombe Turnpike
• Contra Dancing
• Presentations about hiking long trails
• Cherokee Storyteller

 

For more information and registration visit: www.appalachiantrail.org/2013biennial.
Registration opens April 1, 2013.

 

The Appalachian Trail Conservancy’s mission is to preserve and manage the Appalachian Trail – ensuring that its vast natural beauty and priceless cultural heritage can be shared and enjoyed today, tomorrow, and for centuries to come. Volunteers and federal officials working to build a continuous footpath along the Appalachian Mountains founded the ATC in 1925. Stretching from Georgia to Maine, the A.T. is approximately 2,180 miles in length, making it one of the longest, continuously marked footpaths in the world.  Volunteers typically donate more than 230,000 hours of their time doing Trail-related work each year, and about 2 to 3 million visitors walk a portion of the A.T. each year. For more information about the Appalachian Trail Conservancy visit: www.appalachiantrail.org