Appalachian Long Distance Hikers Association
The Appalachian Long Distance Hikers Association or ALDHA is a non-profit organization founded in 1983 to support and promote the interests of Appalachian Trail long-distance hikers. It "was the first organization of long-distance hikers in the United States".[1]
The ALDHA authors the annual Appalachian Trail Thru-Hikers' Companion (19th edition: ISBN 978-1889386799), a guide to hiking the Appalachian Trail. It also publishes a quarterly newsletter, The Long-Distance Hiker.
The "Endangered Services Campaign" sponsored by the ALDHA provides backpacker etiquette education[2] and encourages hikers to "act responsibly when they are in trail towns as well as on the trail."[3] One slogan in the campaign is "Just because you live in the woods doesn't mean you can act like an animal."[4] The campaign began in 1990 with the publication of a list of behavioral expectations for hikers staying in hostels.[2]
An annual event is the ALDHA Gathering with hiking- and trail-oriented workshops.[1] It is usually held over Columbus Day weekend and has hundreds of experienced hikers in attendance.[5]