GIVING BACK OVER THE HOLIDAYS

Dear GNHA Members,

Happy New Year! If you'e like me, you're already pulling out the 2025 calendar to plan your hiking and backpacking trips for the next 12 months. I can't wait for our club's annual events like our Annual General Meeting and Spring Campout.

Something new that I hope becomes a staple on our calendar: Participation in the Make-A-Wish Foundation's Trailblaze Challenge. We're excited to share that our club is putting together a team to hike the one-day, 28.3-mile hike on May 3.

This is a great opportunity to do numerous training hikes, meet fellow hikers and build up your stamina for an epic hike. And of course, you'll help raise funds for Make-A-Wish. For more information about the GNHA Team and the Trailblaze Challenge, please reach out to Mike Griffith at mwgriffith@gmail.com.

If you simply want to ensure you don't miss any of our regular hikes, we'll be sending out emails soon for members who need to renew their membership. If you don't hear from us, that means you've paid for 2025. We'll send out notices later this month.

Finally, I'm happy to share that our club has raised more than $1,000 to help Conserving Carolina in its recovery efforts from Hurricane Helene. Thank you to everyone who contributed to this effort and your donation will help repair trails that our club frequents. Can't wait to see everyone in the new year! And if you have ideas for events that you'd love to see from GNHA this year, don't hesitate to reach out and suggest one.

See you on the trail, Damien Pierce GNHA President