“The Fall Hiking Spree is invigorating. Once you get out there, you don’t want to stop.”
Sisters Vanessa Roberts and Ramona Culver have enjoyed walking in the Metro Parks for years, and the trails have been the source of many good memories.
“She used to put worms down my back!” Vanessa said when we talked with her during the 2015 Fall Hiking Spree, still amazed by her older sister’s actions when the two were growing up. Despite enjoying time outside, Vanessa admits she is afraid of worms and bugs. (Last summer, the grasshoppers along Prairie Trail in Springfield Bog Metro Park proved almost too much for the guidance counselor at Akron’s Miller South School for the Visual and Performing Arts.)
Ramona’s husband proposed to her in Goodyear Heights Metro Park in the 1980s. “I said, ‘I don’t know,’ ” she remembered with a laugh. Fast forward: The couple has been married more than 30 years.
Before the start of the 2010 Fall Hiking Spree, Ramona told Vanessa they were going to complete the spree together. That introduction to the annual spree came at a good time.
After Vanessa’s young daughter passed away, the 2011 hiking event was her therapy. Vanessa completed all of the trails that year — but not just the 14 trails on the spree. She said she completed all of the hiking trails in the park district.
“It was soothing,” Vanessa remarked. “It was my stress reliever.”
Now, going into the 2016 spree, the ladies each have six hiking shields, and their goal is to “fill up” their staffs one year at a time.
“The Fall Hiking Spree is invigorating,” Vanessa declared. “Once you get out there, you don’t want to stop. If we missed a year, we’d be upset about it.”
Their favorite hike in 2015 was the Ledges Trail in Liberty Park, where they stopped inside the nature center and enjoyed a warm fire in the fireplace.
Ramona said she finds the trails inspiring. “Nature is so captivating. We see so many people on the trails. Everyone is courteous and friendly, and we feel safe.”
The 53rd annual Fall Hiking Spree is the largest and longest-running event of its kind in the nation. Trails range from easy to challenging. Choose the trails best for you.
Complete any combination of at least eight designated trails (but only one Hiker’s Choice) between September 1 and November 30 to receive rewards. First-year hikers earn a hiking staff and shield. Veteran hikers earn the shield.
To find out how to sign up, when you can join a naturalist-led hike, and how to attach your shield, visit the Fall Hiking Spree website.
2016 Fall Hiking Spree Kickoff
Sunday, August 28, 12–3 p.m.
Munroe Falls Metro Park / Lake Area
Get a head start on the 53rd annual Fall Hiking Spree and meet a naturalist and mascots at Maple Beach Shelter. (To receive your hiking shield, all other hikes must be completed September 1 through November 30.)
Hiking forms will be available and Fall Hiking Spree T-shirts will be for sale.
Additionally, representatives from Cleveland Clinic Akron General will be on site to kick off the 2016 “Healthy Strides” series. Twice each month during the Fall Hiking Spree, visitors can join a naturalist for casual 1- to 3-mile “Healthy Strides,” preceded by a brief, informative talk by physicians and caregivers. Topics will change each session based on the leader’s specialty.