Arrive and check into Joe Dodge Lodge, welcome reception, dinner and orientation

Note: Arrive and check into Joe Dodge Lodge, welcome reception, dinner and orientation

Arrive To: Joe Dodge Lodge--Pinkham Notch Check-in is available from 3:00pm, though rooms may be open earlier. When you check into your room you will receive your arrival packet containing your name tag, updated schedule, and other important information. We will review during orientation.

Afternoon: WELCOME RECEPTION: 5:00-6:00pm in our private meeting room with fresh fruit platter, mix of cheeses & crackers, ice water and lemonade; BYOB

Dinner: Dinner begins at 6:00pm and typically includes fresh-baked bread, soup, salad, a delicious entrée (vegetarian option available with advance request), and homemade dessert.

Evening: ORIENTATION: After dinner, we will have an informative overview of the program including a review of the updated daily schedule, responsibilities, safety guidelines, emergency procedures, your gear, and answer any questions you may have. Please be aware that program activities and scheduled times could change due to weather and other local circumstances. In the event of changes, we will alert you as quickly as possible. You are about to embark on a new Road Scholar learning adventure in association with the Appalachian Mountain Club designed for Beginner-to-Intermediate levels of hiking. Led by an AMC staff, you will have daily activities such as hiking, stream exploration, wildlife and plant identification with an AMC naturalist to learn first hand about the forest ecology and natural history of Pinkham Notch. Our last night will be spent at the AMC’s unique back-country hut Lakes of the Clouds.

Lodging: Appalachian Mountain Club Joe Dodge Lodge

Meals Included: Dinner

Hike Safe presentation, stream and forest exploration and hiking. Evening presentation on mammals of the White Mountains.

Note: Hike Safe presentation, stream and forest exploration and hiking. Evening presentation on mammals of the White Mountains.

Breakfast: Available from 6:30am. Enjoy a tasty buffet family style in the dining room. Buffet includes eggs, pancakes and waffles, bacon and sausage, home fries, and home baked items. There will also be yogurt, fruits, and cereals. Coffee, tea, juices, and ice water is also included.

Morning: 8:30 am HikeSafe Presentation: The AMC staff will provide an interactive program on hike safety, specifically geared toward the children. The children will learn how not to get lost in the woods and what to do if that should happen. A fun, informative presentation. 9:30 am Stream Exploration AMC Staff will lead a hands on aquatic and terrestrial stream critter investigation. We’ll explore a slow moving section of the Cutler River in search of its inhabitants. From 6” Spring Salamanders to tiny stone flies. The river will never be the same once you’ve discovered all the animals that call it home.

Lunch: Taken in the Pinkham Notch Visitor Center. Sit down lunch in the dining room. Choose your own sandwiches, soup, and dessert.

Afternoon: Afternoon hikes: We will embark on an easy 2 mile hike in Pinkham Notch. AMC Staff will discuss plant and animal identification along the way as well as safe hiking techniques and tips. We will be back by 5 pm for down time before dinner.

Dinner: Dinner, served family style, begins at 6:00pm and typically includes fresh-baked bread, soup, salad, two delicious entrées (vegetarian and non), and homemade dessert.

Evening: EVENING PROGRAM: Mammals of the White Mountains AMC staff will present an interactive presentation on White Mountain Mammals. Using our mammal skins and skulls collection from Moose to beaver. Learn all about the mammals that call the area home.

Lodging: Appalachian Mountain Club Joe Dodge Lodge

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Note: Morning hiking and afternoon free-time

Breakfast: Available from 6:30am. Enjoy a tasty buffet family style in the dining room. Buffet includes eggs, pancakes and waffles, bacon and sausage, home fries, and home baked items. There will also be yogurt, fruits, and cereals. Coffee, tea, juices, and ice water is also included.

Morning: Meet your AMC guide for a 4 mile morning hike to a scenic vista. We will explore the trails in search of animal tracks and sign. We will use our new knowledge from Monday evenings Mammal program

Lunch: Sit down lunch in our dining room.

Afternoon: FREE-TIME Take the afternoon off to explore the area with your family. AMC staff will offer recommendations and “must see” places in the area.

Dinner: Dinner begins at 6:00pm and typically includes fresh-baked bread, soup, salad, two delicious entrées (vegetarian and non), and homemade dessert.

Evening: A fun, family friendly night hike lead by AMC Naturalists where we will explore the night-life of Pinkham Notch.

Lodging: Appalachian Mountain Club Joe Dodge Lodge

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Note: Paddling on the Androscoggin River with Great Glen Outdoor Center

Breakfast: Available from 6:30am. Enjoy a tasty buffet family style in the dining room while you revel in stories and take part in conversation with your fellow participants while you fuel up for the day's activities.

Morning: After breakfast, pick up your packed lunch for the adventurous day on the river. We will meet our river guides from Great Glen Trails Outdoors Center and spend the day on the river

Lunch: Have lunch on the river, continuing the conversations and learning with the AMC Naturalists and Great Glen Staff

Afternoon: FIELD TRIP CONTINUES: We will paddle on the Androscoggin exploring the river and observing wildlife along the way. At around 4:00pm, we will drive back to Joe Dodge Lodge for some "down" time before dinner

Dinner: Dinner begins at 6:00pm and typically includes fresh-baked bread, soup, salad, a delicious entrée (vegetarian option available with advance request), and homemade dessert.

Evening: We will organize our gear and get ready for the hike to Lakes of the Clouds Hut. There will be Naturalists/guides to help prep participants as the get ready to embark on a fantastic overnight of adventure the following day.

Lodging: Appalachian Mountain Club Joe Dodge Lodge

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Mount Washington Auto Road, Mount Washington Summit Exploration, Tour of the Mount Washington Observatory and Hike to Lakes of the Clouds Hut

Note: Mount Washington Auto Road, Mount Washington Summit Exploration, Tour of the Mount Washington Observatory and Hike to Lakes of the Clouds Hut

Breakfast: Available from 6:30am. Enjoy a tasty buffet family style in the dining room. During breakfast take in the amazing views out the window toward Wildcat Ridge.

Morning: We will meet at 9 am and get a ride up the famous Mount Washington Auto Road. AMC Guides will share the history of the Road and the natural history as we drive up the 8 mile historic carriage road.

Morning: At the top we will head into the Sherman Adams Building which houses the Mount Washington Observatory. Mount Washington Observatory is a private, non-profit scientific and educational institution. Its mission is to advance understanding of the natural systems that create the Earth's weather and climate, by maintaining its mountaintop weather station, conducting research and educational programs and interpreting the heritage of the Mount Washington region. We will get a tour of the weather station by Observatory staff.

Lunch: We will eat our trail lunches at the summit.

Afternoon: After lunch we will hike down to Lakes of the Clouds Hut from the summit of Mount Washington, a 1.5 miles moderate hike. Lakes of the Clouds Hut, highest of all the AMC Backcountry Huts at 5,012 feet above sea level, is one of the most storied locations in the hut system.

Dinner: Dinner begins at 6:00pm and typically includes fresh-baked bread, soup, salad, a delicious entrées (vegetarian and non), and homemade dessert. Served family style in the hut dining room with amazing view right out your window.

Evening: EVENING PROGRAM: the AMC Lakes of the Clouds Hut Naturalist will provide an evening program at the Hut. Junior Naturalist program for youth where the Hut "Croo" help to promote interest in the natural environment through educational programs. Most evening programs at the hut will revolve around the delicate Alpine environment and effect of climate change.

Lodging: Appalachian Mountain Club Lakes of the Clouds Hut

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Hike from Lakes of the Clouds hut to the summit, Ride the Mount Washington Cog Railroad down the mountain.

Note: Hike from Lakes of the Clouds hut to the summit, Ride the Mount Washington Cog Railroad down the mountain.

Breakfast: 7 am at the Hut

Morning: After breakfast, we will pack up and hike up to the summit of Mount Washington. This is a 1.5 mile moderate hike. At the summit, we will board the Mount Washington Cog Railroad, the first Mountain Cog Railroad in the US. At the base, we will hear about how the workshop is building another biodiesel engine. After the talk, we will meet an AMC van and get transported back to the AMC Joe Dodge Lodge for lunch.

Lunch: Our final lunch together will be a sit down lunch prepared by our chefs. The program concludes with lunch. Showers will be available at this time for cleanup before your trip home. We hope you have enjoyed this exciting new program and will return for other rewarding Road Scholar learning adventures in the future. Best wishes for all your journeys!

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch