New England National Scenic Trail | Local Meetup

Come spend an evening with the Appalachian Mountain Club to learn more about the New England National Scenic Trail and hear music inspired by the trail, performed by NET Artist-in-Residence Ben Cosgrove. The evening will also include the opportunity to learn about the history of canoes in North America from writer Norman Sims and find out how you can take a canoe on the Massachusett's stretch of the Connecticut River Paddlers Trail. Light refreshments and snacks will be provided. Ben Cosgrove is a young composer, essayist, and multi-instrumentalist whose work is guided by his deep interests in landscape, place, and ecology. He has performed all over the country and released several well-received albums of original music, and his writing has appeared in Orion, NorthernWoodlands, Appalachia, and other publications. In the past he has collaborated with the National Park Service, the National Forest Service, the Schmidt Ocean Institute, and other organizations, and he has held fellowships at Middlebury College, Harvard University, and the Vermont Studio Center. In 2017-18, Ben is working as an artist-in-residence with the New England National Scenic Trail, a long-distance hiking trail linking Long Island Sound to New Hampshire.

Norman Sims is a retired honors professor from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and a past president of the International Association for Literary Journalism Studies.Canoes: A Natural History in North America is his sixth book. A longtime whitewater canoeist and an active member of both the Appalachian Mountain Club and the Wooden Canoe Heritage Association, Sims has a small collection of antique Morris wood-and-canvas canoes.

Founded in 1876, the Appalachian Mountain Club promotes the protection, enjoyment, and understanding of the mountains, forests, waters, and trails of America's Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions.This event has ended, but we have lots of upcoming activities! See our activities page for things to do.