Another year of wild, wacky adventures has come to a close! Every year around this time, I look back at the CVT calendar for the previous 12 months, and I’m always amazed at how many activities we managed to pack in, and 2017 was no exception. Here is just a partial list, in no particular order:
- The Great Asheville Adventure (Hiking and sightseeing in Asheville, NC)
- Beach Week II (Hiking, kayaking, and horse tours in Corolla, NC)
- Blackberry Delight (Day hike and festival in Shenandoah National Park)
- Blaze N’ The Hood (Series of neighborhood hikes around Richmond)
- Cap to Cap Challenge (Series of section hikes from Richmond to Williamsburg)
- False Cape & Caledon State Parks (Backpacking trips)
- Floatzilla V (5th annual James River float in Scottsville)
- Gappy Trails 2017 (Series of day hikes, mostly in the Blue Ridge Mountains)
- Kayaking with Dolphins (Virginia Beach)
- Paintball (Taking out your aggressions on your fellow Trailblazers)
- Polar Plunge (Fundraising event for Special Olympics)
- Presidential Range (Hiking in the White Mountains in New Hampshire)
- Shenandoah Classics (Day hikes to Old Rag, White Oak Canyon, Hawksbill Mountain, and more)
- Smith Mountain Lake State Park & Cumberland Gap (Camping trips)
- White Blaze Trail Daze (Series of A.T. section hikes in Shenandoah National Park)
This doesn’t include the many holiday events, social gatherings, and other activities we’ve had throughout the year. Hopefully you were able to get out and join us for some of the fun! Of course, none of these would have been possible without your leadership, participation, support, and enthusiasm. Many thanks to those of you who helped make these great memories happen by volunteering your time and talents to plan and lead these events for CVT. And thanks to everyone for sticking with us as we transitioned away from the Meetup community to our own website earlier this year.
Of course, we can’t look back on 2017 without remembering our good friend Mike Scalf, whom we lost back in April. Mike’s love of CVT and the outdoors was apparent on the countless memorable day hikes and backpacking trips he led for us, and we continue to miss his contributions to the group and his presence on the trail. Many of you have had personal losses of your own in 2017, and to you my wish is for 2018 to be a year of health, happiness and healing.
We have lots of exciting events in store for the coming year, many of which are already popping up on the calendar. More on those to come. If you are new to the group and not sure how to get started, I encourage you to join us at our meeting on Wednesday, January 17th. You’ll have a chance to introduce yourself, ask questions, and offer your suggestions for future events!
Thanks for reading…see you on the trail soon!
Thank. You Brian & Kim for another fun-filled year of CVT. It has been a tough year for me but I could always depend on my CVT family to pull me through.
Thanks for the new website Brian. We are now more than just a Meetup Group but one that has a personal touch of belonging to others that love the outdoors as I do!!
Wishing CVT success & many new adventures for 2018!
Thanks Carole! And thanks for all of your help with the party planning and the weekday hikes!
Thank you to all the organizers for all their hard work and dedication throughout the years. It’s much appreciated.
Thanks Sonja! Happy New Year!
I second the gratitude for the many MANY hours you put in to create our amazing new website from scratch. I know it tested your sanity. But the finished product is something you should be so proud of. And it keeps evolving and changing, and gets better every time adjustments are made. I think it’s a fantastic tool that will carry us way into the future. And it also feels really good to be independent of a hosting website that gave us such little control over how things looked or worked. Finding new and creative ways to grow the group will be fun, and I think that having an independent website will attract members that are more likely to stick around and grow with us into the future. I can’t wait to see where the years will take us!!! Here’s to many more adventures-cheers and Happy New Year to all. -Kim
Aww, thanks partner! I couldn’t do it without you to coming up with all of these great adventures. Your laughter and enthusiasm is contagious and keeps everyone coming back! Looking forward to lots more fun in 2018!
And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul. John Muir
Thanks for helping me do both.
Thank you for helping us out with the Christmas party and the James River hikes!
Just read this. Wow I had an amazing year of adventures, fun and laughter, great food, friendship…all with CVT. Thank you soo much everyone!