It’s that time of year again — time to take stock of the year behind you, time to look forward to the year that’s coming, and time to appreciate the good things in life.
At DC UL, we couldn’t do what we do without our remarkable group of assistant organizers. That’s why, in November and December, we’ll be featuring “Meet an AO” on Instagram and the blog.
These are the people thinking of trips, writing and posting the trip descriptions on Meetup, planning the route and carpool logistics, and then carrying out the trips, making sure that everyone is prepared and safe. When the trip is over, they’ve scoped out a place to grab some grub with friends, new and old.
In this season of gratefulness, we pause to acknowledge our dedicated team of assistant organizers. We’ve asked them a couple of questions, so you can get to know them a little better.
Assistant Organizers, we see what you’re doing out there, and everything that goes on behind the scenes. We appreciate you!
Meet Assistant Organizer is Alex, DC UL member since 2018, and Veteran Member after earning his stripes on a number of trips including Trout Run Valley and the Allegheny Front Trail.
“ I don’t always cook, but when I do, I use the Ti-Tri Sidewinder Cone by Trail Designs.”
Favorite trail food: I’ve never regretted bringing too much chocolate on a trip. I made sure I have some for each day in some form or another.
Favorite trail socks: I’ve been moving away from my Injinji Midweight Nuwool socks as of recently. Instead, I’ve been trying out cheap polypropylene liners under lightweight Darn Tough Hiker Micro Crew and finding them to fit the bill.
Something to know about me: I grew up in the woods of New England and did a lot of hiking in Vermont and New Hampshire.
My favorite “Type 2 fun” trip back then was getting hit with around 2 feet of snow on our descent of Mount Monadnock. By the time we arrived at the summit, only a few inches had accumulated on top of the six or so on the ground. But the trip leaders had a strong hunch that we were about to get dumped on. So there was quite a bit of rush to get to camp in the saddle. The top of the mountain is bald, so we couldn’t find the blazes. Our solution was to head down to the treeline and then look for blazes or the creek we should be camping near.
Unfortunately, we quickly found our boy-legs post-holing as we continued off-trail. So we decided to sit on our packs (think 1990s external packs) and sled down the mountain. This is the logic of a 12-year old, mind you. I remember hanging my insulated snow pants out on a branch that night, thinking they would dry better off the ground, which was accumulating snow rather quickly. In the morning, they were frozen stiff. I can still remember the feeling of forcing my legs through.
Favorite gear: I don’t always cook, but when I do, I use the Ti-Tri Sidewinder Cone by Trail Designs. My favorite clothing is the Montbell Tachyon Parka, for sure.
Thanks for chatting, Alex. See you on the trail!
Are you interested in becoming an assistant organizer? Read more on our site.
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