submitted by Marit Anderson
We held our annual Summer Pot Luck at Dunlodge on Sunday, June 10. Despite a thunderstorm and power outage, the party went on with candlelight, a full crowd, many delicious dishes and refreshments, and a wonderful speaker from the ATC Board, Shalin Desai. Shalin is a former AT thru hiker and Triple Crowner, who is interested in increasing the diversity on the trail. He is spearheading an initiative to support underrepresented communities on the Appalachian Trail through Affinity Groups. A Harvard business school graduate and soon to be law student at Vermont Law, he spoke eloquently and with conviction about his own experiences as a minority on the trail as an East Indian and LGBTQ association. Charlottesville PATC Vice President, Marit Anderson, is now a co-leader for the Women's Affinity Group and also spoke about her role with that position. The purpose is to reach out to Women, LGBTQ, African Americans, Veterans, Youth, Latino, and Special Needs population to provide information, forums, and group events to draw more diversity to the trail. The intent is that more varied people experiencing the trail will bring increased interest in trail maintenance, financial support, and overall support for the future of the AT.
We had another guest, PATC Supervisor of Marketing, Emeline Otey, selling maps, books, and other merchandise. Don White, PATC South District SNP District Manager was also present. With many guests and members to enjoy the evening, it was a well received by all.
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