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Founded in 1876 by a group of scientists, educators and outdoor enthusiasts, the Appalachian Mountain Club is the oldest outdoor recreation and conservation organization in the United States. The original goal of the club was to explore, map and protect the mountains of New England, with particular focus on New Hampshire’s White Mountains. 

One hundred fifty years later, AMC remains dedicated to fostering the protection, enjoyment and understanding of the mountains, forests, waters and trails in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions. Over 90,000 members — including nearly 6,000 in Maine — across 11 chapters comprise the club’s vibrant and passionate outdoor community. 

The footprints of AMC’s work track far and wide, from its famous hut system in the White Mountains and the development and maintenance of the Appalachian Trail to its venerable and beloved guidebooks — such as the White Mountain Guide and the Maine Mountain Guide — and the conservation of 157,000 acres in Maine’s 100-Mile Wilderness. 

To celebrate its sesquicentennial and its miles-long list of great accomplishments, AMC created the “AMC 150,” a 2,000-mile relay from Virginia to Maine. The event began in late winter and is weaving a sinuous route through the 12 states and the District of Columbia on its way to the finish line deep in the Maine woods in mid-September.  

“We knew we didn’t want just one big event at a single location, and the relay idea was a really good way to tie together the regions where we operate,” said Parker Depond, the Content and Community Coordinator for the AMC 150. “The moving event links our members, facilities, activities, lodging, conservation, trail work and scientific research.”

The AMC 150 kicked off with road biking along Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park, followed by backpacking on the Appalachian Trail just north of the park. Since then, there’s been more of both of these sports, as well as day hiking, paddling, trail work, outdoor education programs and a variety of special events. Activity levels range from accessible, relaxed and easy to moderate, vigorous and strenuous.

“The goals for the AMC 150 are the same as our mission statement,” said Depond. “We’re taking a look back at our history and how we’ve influenced the various regions over the years, like the historic White Mountains hut system. We’ve also got an eye on the future and the next 150 years of outdoor enjoyment and understanding of the places we work.” 

The AMC 150 is moving through New Hampshire now and is expected to arrive in Maine on Aug. 8. Participants will bike from AMC’s Cold River Camp near Evans Notch across the state line to Fryeburg. Next will be paddling on the Saco River, trail work on Mount Cutler, road biking to Freeport, hiking on Bradbury Mountain and sea kayaking on the Midcoast. Whew.

The relay revelry will meander along the Atlantic to Penobscot Bay and Mount Desert Island before turning inland and heading to Bangor, Milo, Brownville and Katahdin Iron Works. The long journey will finally reach Medawisla Lodge in the heart of AMC’s Maine Woods Initiative lands on Sept. 19 and conclude with a hike to the 3,650-foot summit of White Cap Mountain, led by Steve Tatko, AMC’s vice president of land and conservation. 

“Maine and our large scale conservation project is the future of our organization. Outdoor recreation, sustainability, stewardship, education, habitat protection, climate resilience, community connections — it’s all happening here,” Depond said. “It’s everything we stand for and want to be a part of. The AMC loves Maine, the wild nature, the people.” 

The official green and gold AMC 150 pennant is being handed off from group to group and event to event from start to finish. A GPS unit is also being passed along for real-time tracking. You can find the live map and a wealth of information about the relay at www.outdoors.org/amc150. Check it out; it’s really cool see the event in progress. 

AMC member or not (yet, anyway), you are invited to participate in the relay. Pull up the online map and take a good look at what’s happening and where over the next couple of months. Choose your difficulty level, the activity and the location. Fill in the registration form, and you’re off the races, so to speak. Have so much fun.

Carey Kish of Mount Desert Island is a Triple Crown hiker, freelance writer, and author of three hiking guides. Connect with Carey on Facebook and Instagram and at [email protected].