Jim and Aleta Plouffe are two of SEM's newest and youngest leaders. They first showed up at a Thursday night Red Line the Blue Hills (RLBH) hike in June 2006. They were quiet, at first, but, they were clearly good hikers with a love of the outdoors. At the end of the season, the group was asked if anyone would help register the RLBH attendees for the next year, and Jim volunteered. Jim ended up being RLBH registrar, cartographer, and co-leader all at once. And they both started coleading other hikes. Soon they both became leaders. Jim is now vice chair of the Hiking Committee. At the end of this article, you'll see what Aleta is busy doing!

We asked Jim and Aleta how they came to be involved in the AMC, and why they decided to become leaders.

Q: What made you two show up on that first Thursday night RLBH hike?
Jim & Aleta: We used to hike the Blue Hills together for exercise and to be together away from the TV. Then we joined the AMC. When we got our first Breeze, we saw the RLBH weekly hike listings and thought the Thursday evening hikes would be an excellent way to begin AMC hiking.

Q: Why do you hike?
Jim & Aleta: We started to hike for exercise and fresh air. Now we hike for exercise, seeing friends, making new friends, communing with nature, and seeing new places that you can only reach on foot.
Jim: I also like the adventure and challenge of the more advanced hikes.

Q: What is your personal payback for leading?
Jim: I enjoy leading others into challenges they are capable of, but wouldn't attempt otherwise.
Aleta: I became a leader after Jim did. We started this hiking adventure together, so it was the next natural step.

Q: Do you have a favorite hike or hiking story?
Jim: My most memorable AMC hike was the two night backpack at Mount Greylock State Reservation. It was a cold wintry weekend in the teens, but we cooked a group meal and stood around the campfire talking until bedtime. The next day we hiked the entire day and came back to an even better campfire.
Aleta: I remember the first time we tried to hike up Mt. Lafayette, Lincoln, and Little Haystack. With only a 20% chance of showers, we headed up Little Haystack. Off in the distance we heard thunder, but we trekked on. At the top, it was raining and freezing, and there was no way we could make it across the ridge, so we turned back. Half way down the mountain, we got stuck in a lightning storm and had to wait it out, soaking wet, under a rock outcropping. It was fun, and one of these days we may actually finish the trail!

Hiking is a family affair for the Plouffe's. John and Mary, Jim's parents, regularly attend Thursday night RLBH hikes, as well as other hikes. And Jim's sister, Louisa, her husband, and their 2-year-old son Elyas (in a baby backpack) come occasionally.

When asked if anything was planned for the spring, both leaders started to smile. You see, Sean Michael is due in May! The happy parents-to-be already have a baby backpack so he can hike with them this summer. And the Plouffe's famous spare bedroom used for hiking equipment, the so-called "hiking room"? Well, we know what's going to happen to that now!