ADK - Genesee Valley Chapter

The agenda for this free and open to the public meeting is:

6:30 pm Weather Workshop: Forecasting tips and tricks while out on the trail. Join meteorologist James Gilbert for a presentation and Q&A session on weather and forecasting in nature.

7:30 pm Program: Twice Across the Continental Divide on Amtrak
by Jere Fletcher
Does a transcontinental train trip across the U.S. or Canada sound like an adventure on your dream list? How long will you be on the “road”? Where do you stop, and why? What do you wear? How do the dining cars work and what do they serve? Is it airline food? Will your experience and skills from the outdoors and backpacking be useful? Will the natives be friendly?

ADK-GVC member Jere Fletcher recreates his two-week journey in the late summer of 2020 on the Amtrak system twice across the Continental Divide. With stops along the way including three nights in Denver, traversing a glacier, summiting a peak, passage through a Colorado canyon torched by wildfire, across northern Nevada and the Sierras in California, walks through Portland, and confrontation with a punk. Suppose you arrive at Glacier National Park but with no vehicle? What are the options—can you ride the bears?

Fletcher’s first and only long-distance train travel had been in Europe during the Vietnam Era. He learned to sleep in a train seat overnight to a destination. When not on a train back then, he slept outside without shelter on several occasions. He traveled by train from Madrid, Spain, to near the top of Norway above the Arctic Circle, then back down the length of Sweden to Copenhagen.

After a gap of several decades, Fletcher resumed long-distance train travel in February 2020 with an Amtrak trip from Yuma in southwest Arizona back to Rochester. It began with two overnights on the Sunset Limited followed by the Texas Eagle. When Amtrak sent news of a roomette sale in June 2020, Fletcher was restless for a post-lock down adventure.

Fletcher has had a life-long interest in trains. His great-grandfather was a Tennessee railway entrepreneur in the late 1800s. He has summited more than half of the 46 Adirondack High Peaks, as well as peaks in the White Mountains, including Mt. Washington, along with Arizona’s Humphrey Peak and many in Spain and the Pyrenees. In 2016, he traveled the Camino de Santiago by bicycle and on foot. When he is not engaged in travel and adventures, Fletcher is an attorney here in Rochester, and has been active in the western New York Argentine tango community.

Our agenda for this free and open to the public event is:

6:30 pm Gear Swap! Our members will have gear on hand that they are looking to swap and sell. Besides being a way to buy or unload useful outdoorsy things, this is a great way to learn about outdoor equipment. So bring your wares, cash, or questions to the Gear Swap!

7:30 pm Program: Hiking the ‘O’ Route in Patagonia by Luke Nelson.
Luke spent 16 days in Patagonia along with several friends. During that time, they walked among penguins, spent 8 days hiking in Torres del Paine National Park (on the famous ‘O’ Route), hiked down to and along Grey Glacier, walked across several (single-person only) suspension bridges, witnessed avalanches, saw pumas, and watched live glacier calving.

Hiking among the many glaciers and mountains along the route, they witnessed fantastic viewpoints such as Cerro Torre, the needles of Egger and Fitz Roy (the King of Patagonia). The trip also included numerous wildlife sightings and, yes, the infamous Patagonia wind.