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Published August 20, 2008
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Take a Hike
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| By Emily Schultheis |
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| The Lafayette Ridge Trailhead is easily reached from the south-east entrance of Pleasant Hill Rd, East Bay Regional Parks parking lot across from Acalanes High School Photo Andy Scheck |
After over 30 years, the Lafayette Hiking Group is still together and still organizing trips for the city’s residents to find an escape in nature.
Alison Hill, the group’s current leader, said she joined in the 1980s as a way to stay active and spend time in the outdoors. “Most people don’t like to hike by themselves, so it’s a way to meet people with similar interests in the area,” she said.
The group coordinates with the Lafayette Parks, Trails and Recreation Commission to organize regular hikes, usually on the second and fourth Saturdays of each month. While these hikes are sometimes less frequent in the winter months, the group functions basically year-round.
According to Hill, the number of people on each hike varies depending on the weather and the level of interest in the hike’s location. Generally, a hike can have as few as three or four people or as many as 20.
Anyone interested in hiking can meet the group at the Lafayette Bart Station on the morning of the hike. More experienced members lead hikes on a volunteer basis.
Group members say the Lafayette Hiking Group stands out from other groups because of its informal nature and smaller, more intimate hikes. “We don’t have huge numbers of people on the hikes,” Hill said. “Some of us prefer a smaller group – we feel a little more in touch with nature."
Julie Post-Allen, a group member who has led several hikes, said she enjoys the group’s choice of destinations. “You go places you’ve never heard of – kind of secret spots,” she said. “It’s nice that you can rely on a leader to lead you to these places – from Mt. Tamalpais to Mt. Diablo to the shorelines.”
Post-Allen was recruited to the Lafayette Hiking Group through her family – her mother was a member of the group since it first began. The group has a number of “core folks,” Hill said, who have been involved in the group for years and frequently lead hikes. But the group is now using new methods of communication – posting the hike schedule on the City of Lafayette Web site, and setting up an e-mail address to answer questions and inquiries from interested community members – in order to recruit new members.
Group member and former Lafayette Parks, Trails and Recreation Commission member Fran Sticha said her favorite part of the group is the connections she makes with other group members. “I can’t stress how wonderful it is to have people you’ve known for a really long time,” she said, adding that the hikes provide an opportunity for “talking, great friendships, and working out life’s problems.”
For more information about the group’s activities, see the hike schedule posted on the City of Lafayette Web site, or e-mail the Lafayette Hiking Group at lafayettehiking@comcast.net. |
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| Reach Emily Schultheis at: info@lamorindaweekly.com |
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA