Here's a guest blog from friends of the fest, Warm Peet.

In addition to being loyal sponsors of our A.T. Festival, the great folks behind this company will be joining us in person, again this year. Stop by their tent to pick up a pair of great hiking socks and learn more about their mission. (You could also win a pair of their socks in our raffle!)

Since launching the company in 2021, we’ve been able to donate more than $11,000 to nonprofits leading the charge in issues that matter most to us: Outdoor Recreation, Nature Conservation, Suicide Prevention and Mental Health services. We are firm believers that being outdoors and staying active are integral parts of our mental, emotional and physical health.

Warm Peet is more than just amazing socks; giving back will always be our #1 goal. Support from our customers and events like this A.T. Fest are why we can continue sharing 100% (that’s right, 100%) of our profits. Just to name a few, we’ve been able to give to The Trevor Project, The Appalachian Trail Conservancy, Nordson Green Earth, Teens to Trails, Head Strong, The Suicide Crisis Lifeline and We Are the 22.

What’s next for Warm Peet? We currently have no-show athletic socks and some new designs in the works. Our newsletter is the best way to stay up to date on when new products will become available. Until then, our OG Hiker Crew socks are still getting five-star reviews from every single person who wears them! They have made their way off the trail and into the gym, on bikes, at work, or the couch :)

We absolutely love this A.T. Fest and everything it sets out to achieve. It’s also where we launched our socks in 2021—we literally took our first steps there—so we may be a bit biased. We can’t wait to be a part of this year’s event, because it creates an opportunity for people to come together to celebrate, support and protect the A.T. and the Great Outdoors. We look forward to sharing our vision and our socks with the outdoor/hiking community…they’re our peeps! We want to keep their feet happy, while they keep their minds healthy.

Fun fact! Did you know it takes 9 minutes and 39 seconds to make a pair of Warm Peet socks? We’ve challenged ourselves to think about all the things we can achieve in just ten minutes to make a positive impact on someone else, on the world, or even on ourselves. Just another way we try to give back and spread some kindness.

Looking forward to seeing you in June.

Stay Warm,
Your friends at Warm Peet

The A.T. gives us amazing vistas and hikes, natural wonders and zen moments. It's a privilege to give back a little to the Trail that gives us so much.

At our first Bears Den Volunteer Day a wonderful crew of A.T. appreciators gathered to clear fallen branches from a campground, clean up litter left behind at the overlook and re-establish water breaks to protect a side trail. 

We also took the opportunity to talk about the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club and all the many, many volunteers who work throughout the year to keep the Trail and its environs in great shape. We even got to talk to a group of Boy Scouts and day hikers about Bears Den and what it takes to keep it the beautiful spot it is.

Bears Den Trail Center's caretaker Glen provided our crew with coffee and donuts. (Many thanks!) The event was co-sponsored by the Blue Ridge Chapter of PATC, the Round Hill A.T. Community and the Appalachian Trail Festival in The Gap. Response was so positive, that we all decided we want to do it again.

You can find out more about the Bears Den Trail center at their website. To learn more about the amazing trail maintenance work of PATC, check out their website (and consider becoming a member, if you aren't already).

We talk a lot here on the A.T. festival website about what you should be planting. (Hint: Go native!) The flip side of that coin is what not to plant and what to "un-plant."

That's where one of our festival partners comes in: Blue Ridge PRISM. This hard-working nonprofit began as a volunteer-driven organization dedicated to reducing the negative impact of invasive plants in the northern Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. Effective invasive plant control is a community and neighborhood issue because these aggressive plants know no boundaries.  Flowing water, birds, hikers, vehicles and animals' scat all help to spread their seeds.

​Have you seen a thick vine squeezing the life out of a tree? In our area, too many Asiatic bittersweet vines are doing just that. Have you seen a mat of grass smother forest wildflowers? Japanese stilt grass might be the culprit. Talk to the folks from Blue Ridge PRISM at the festival and ask your questions. (You might want to bring pictures of any plants you're wondering about!)

Plus, throughout the year, Blue Ridge PRISM offers virtual and in-person workshops that can teach all of us how to identify and eradicate invasive plants in our area. Upcoming events include:

• April 10, 1-3 p.m. Identifying invasive plants. 
• April 12, 1-3 p.m. Management and control of invasive plants. 
• April 19, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. All about Callery Pear with guest speaker David Coyle.