The UMRA Hiking Club is now an official UMRA special interest group. Hiking is a great way to connect with others, enjoy nature, and keep yourself healthy and young! Our club motto is “hike for fun and fitness.”

What does it mean to be recognized as an UMRA special interest group? For one thing, it means we can have a page on the UMRA website to share information about the club, including when and where hikes will be held and how you can sign up to participate. Organized in late 2021, the club already has 25 members. 

Based on the recommendations of our founding members, hikes will be held twice a month, on the second and fourth Mondays, starting at 9:30 am. Because the club formed just as winter approached and many members are newbies to winter hiking, hikes will be held only once a month from January through March 2022. Our first hike of the new year will be on Monday, January 10.

Members will be asked to share their favorite trail by leading a hike once a year. Starting in April, we will begin our two hikes a month schedule, with one of the hikes being more challenging at a city, county, or state park. I’m betting by next winter we will be ready for the full schedule all year round!

Our club web page is still in the design stage, so if you are interested in becoming a member and wish to participate in a hike, please email [email protected] to let me know.

—Bev Moe, UMRA Hiking Club chair