In September, Team and Trail will travel the northern route from Seattle to the New York area. The purpose is practical and focused: to hold a series of informal coffee meetups in selected towns, document the work in real conditions, and continue building the foundation’s practice of open, low-barrier conversation about trails, responsibility, and steady progress.
The schedule is anchored by a professional conference in New York on September 17 and 18. The days leading up to it will be spent on the road. The route moves through Glacier National Park, continues across Montana and the northern plains, passes through Minneapolis and Chicago, includes a stop in Cleveland, and continues through Pittsburgh before reaching the New York region. After the conference, the return path goes through Philadelphia and then home to Alaska.
Along the way we will schedule a limited number of morning coffee meetups in larger towns. The format remains the same as previous efforts. A location and time are posted the evening before. Anyone who wants to join is welcome. There is no formal program, no presentation, and no expectation beyond showing up and talking. These conversations have proven useful for exchanging practical experience about outdoor work, leadership under ordinary pressure, and the habits that keep people and projects moving.
Lodging preferences lean toward independent roadside motels when they are available and in reasonable condition. The choice is deliberate as these places are consistent with the straightforward nature of the work and provide a quiet base for early starts and end-of-day notes.
Content from the trip will include short visual records of light and landscape, documentation of the meetups, and longer pieces that place the foundation’s approach in the context of actual miles traveled. The goal is not spectacle. It is accurate representation of the work as it happens.
Team and Trail exists to support clear thinking and reliable action in outdoor and leadership settings. Time on the road in varied conditions is one way we test and refine that support. The northern route offers a useful mix of scale, distance, and community stops without unnecessary complication.
If you are near one of the posted meetup locations in September, you are welcome to join. No preparation is required. Simply arrive ready to talk about the trails you are currently on, whether those trails are physical, professional, or personal.
Details of specific meetup locations and times will be shared on our channels as the trip progresses. We look forward to the conversations.