Dayton Hikers - First Annual TVT hiker challenge
Have you been wanting to get out and hike more but feel a little intimidated? Don't know where to go or not wanting to hike by yourself? Well that's where DaytonHikers.org comes in!
Dayton Hikers - First Annual TVT hiker challenge
Have you been wanting to get out and hike more but feel a little intimidated? Don't know where to go or not wanting to hike by yourself? Well that's where DaytonHikers.org comes in! They have a page on meetup.com where they have a calendar full of different hikes from 2 to 21 mile day hikes. They do overnight and weekend backpacking trips and sometimes just simple camping trips. They even have female leaders who lead different women's retreats around different parks.
Dayton Hikers was started by Andy Niekamp in August 2009 after he realized there was no active hiking groups in the Dayton area. They don't have meetings, fees, or newsletters. They just go hiking! There are several volunteers that help run the group and lead different hikes. They even offer kid friendly hikes!
I recently attended their biggest event of the year, the Twin Valley Trail Hiker Challenge at Twin Creek and Germantown Metroparks, where over 120 hikers attended.
The challenge was to choose the distance you want to attempt or to try to hike the whole 31.4 miles of trails in 1 day. They had shuttles you could call at different check points in case you couldn't make it. It was a "hike til you drop" type of event! My buddy and I camped friday night with everyone to wake up at 5:30 am. We hiked the whole 31.4 miles in 9.5 hours and received a 31.4 hiker sticker! Over 40 people finished the entire 31.4 mile hike that day. After the hike, they had a huge cookout for everyone where we got to mingle with all the other hikers, talk about the outdoors, and eat some amazing food.
It's pretty fast and easy to get involved in Dayton Hikers. Just visit www.daytonhikers.org and click on the "join" button. They have meet ups several times a month at different parks and at all different skill levels. They even partner with Miami Valley Outdoor Club and Metro Dayton Hikers Group. They also post classes, events, and hikes that are offered by Five Rivers Metroparks. Grab a friend and join and start meeting other fellow hikers while enjoying some nature!
