Pioneer Valley Hiking Club
Pioneer Valley Hiking Club (PVHC) was founded in 1991 by Ray Tibbetts at his store, Backpacking Etc., as a way for outdoor enthusiasts to meet and share their passion for hiking and nature. The club has grown beyond Ray’s wildest expectations: for the past thirty years, PVHC has offered a wide variety of hiking and other outdoor activities throughout the Pioneer Valley.
Our membership has grown to over 250 people and our schedule offers a hike (or a bicycle ride, or a kayak) almost every day of the week. Our schedule runs year-round, even in the dead of winter. We have yearly weekend trips to the Adirondacks, the White Mountains, Vermont, Maine, and other destinations.
PVHC is committed to offering activities for hikers at every ability level. Every week we have easy strolls on a bike path or around Ashley Reservoir. For the more ambitious, we have plenty of opportunities to do 5-8 mile hikes on hills and mountains of the Pioneer Valley.
We periodically do section hiking on the Massachusetts and Connecticut portions of the Appalachian Trail or the New England Trail. And we have plenty of activities for the hard-core hiker. Many of our members have either completed, or are working on, hiking all 48 of the 4,000-foot mountains in New Hampshire’s White Mountains in conjunction with the club. Once they finish those, some members start working on all 67 mountains over 4,000 feet in New England and/or the “Winter Whites.” Our experienced members have provided solid and supportive mentorship to newer hikers in meeting new goals, whatever those are.
PVHC members strive to take care of both the hiking trails and each other. We have maintained Sections 1 and 2 of the Massachusetts portions of the New England Trail for many years. Our club was instrumental in building the bog bridge that makes Section 1 passable. We are now working on making a portion of that section of the trail handicap accessible. On the trail, we adhere to a policy of “no hiker left behind.” The aim of every hike leader is to get everyone back to the trailhead safe, happy, and ready to take on the next challenge. We welcome new members at any time!