A 1,500-mile relay came through Concord on Monday as part of a months-long celebration of the Appalachian Mountain Club’s 150th birthday. Don’t be embarrassed if you didn’t notice.
“It happens to be a Monday, so I’m the only one,” said Michael Barry, a volunteer with the Boston chapter of AMC who was the sole participant in Monday’s 28-mile segment of the relay. His road-biking trip began in Manchester, coursed along State Street in downtown Concord and ended at the Boscawen Park and Ride in Penacook.
By contrast, Barry pointed to Saturday’s segment of the relay, which entered New Hampshire from Lowell, Mass. “It had 12 people,” he said.
The biking segments are part of the unusual relay, which began in March in western Virginia, the southernmost state where AMC operates, and will end in Maine. Since then, the months-long celebration has moved north with daily segments that involve biking or hiking or paddling.
“Each leg of the relay contributes to a continuous route across the Northeast, showcasing the diversity of AMC’s outdoor legacy,” is how the group puts it.
Upcoming segments in New Hampshire include climbing Mt. Kearsarge, gravel biking in Hanover, paddling the Connecticut River and backpacking on the Appalachian Trail. The relay ends mid-September at AMC’s Medawisla Lodge in central Maine.
“It’s a celebration of the 150 years of the club,” said Barry, who lives in Arlington, Mass., and has a home in Waterville Valley.
Various celebratory events are scheduled at the AMC’s lodges in Cardigan, Highland and Pinkham notch.
To learn more or participation in upcoming segments, see www.outdoors.org/amc150/
