All this fun for only $1

Back in the fall, I came across a group page on Meetup.com for weekly walks and hikes around my general vicinity. Some of the longer ones that included canoeing as well didn't interest me but I signed up to just get updates on the other ones. Over the course of late fall and into 2010, it was interesting to read the new walks that were scheduled (but I never joined in). Most were just around older neighborhoods in the area and the first formal one of the year was a 6 mile walk around Lillie Park.

Big A, Hooch and I have been to a section of it that was originally a gravel pit but never to the surrounding paths in the wooded area. I didn't formally RSVP until after talking to a coworker who was interested in this group too so together, we decided to give it a try which was about a month ago.

Fast forward one month and 2 snowstorms later and the week of the walk arrives. I'm still thinking what kind of walk this would be. Are the trails maintained or are we walking through 2 feet of snow? Someone leaves a comment on the group's page about what to wear and Melissa, the organizer, said that she went last week and only had on workout shoes and clothing. This should have been my first clue that she was crazy.

The morning of the walk arrives (e.g., yesterday) and I layer up as much as possible - t-shirt, turtleneck, tights, 2 pairs of socks, fleece pants, zip up sweatshirt with a hood (the group was going to lunch afterwords so I couldn't risk hat hair), boots, gloves, and winter coat.

We arrive at the right spot at the right time and loiter outside as everyone arrives. There was a pretty good turn out. I would guess about 15 people (which included one lone man) and 2 dogs. There was one woman that looked like a pro - she had brought walking sticks. I don't know why but there is a $1 fee for some of these events so after everyone arrived, we handed Melissa our $1 and headed out. Melissa had gone a little ways into the park when she arrived and said that this walk would be 'extreme' because there is about 2 feet of snow and that it would be about 12,000 steps. As is my nature, I didn't believe it. Anyone in a wool fedora, Skechers, works from home, and has a 9 month old Golden Retriever that bucks like a horse on his leash is automatically suspect.

As we begin to head out, it's not too bad. We have to sludge through snow but being in the middle of the pack, most of the sludging is done from the poor sap who started first. A few moments later, Melissa stops us all and asks who has a good sense of direction in order to lead the group. I have to admit that scared me more than a little bit. A woman in spandex pants, boots and a fleece headwrap took over then.

We continue on a bit but the walk gets harder even with being in the middle of the pack. At a fork, the group goes right as I longingly look at the path some previous suckers...I mean, walkers had made to the left. I guess this was suppose to be part scenic tour too but it was hard not to watch the feet of the person in front of you to look around. We crossed a boardwalk and when looking around for a minute before returning to the person's feet in front of me, I gathered that in any other season, this was probably a marsh. On the other side, we stop so some can give their dogs water. It is at this point that my coworker and I turn to each other and give the "WTH?" look. We decided then and there that we were going to turn around and take the shorter route. We informed Melissa of this and she then blurted out "We've lost 2 already and it's only .75 miles." Another couple, Bill and Melissa, decide that they too will turn around since they aren't sure if their dog Sam could make it all the way in these conditions.

After exchanging phone numbers in order to meet up for the planned lunch afterwards, the new (and smarter) group heads out as the others continue on. I lead them back to the fork in the snow and take the trail that someone had already carved out for us. A little ways in, I notice that the footprints are heading in the opposite direction. I tried not to think of why that might be and removed any horror movie plots that had popped into my head.

Along the way, we stop and take a break and read the instructional signs that pop up along the way and chat and take pictures. We get to another fork in the snow and I know that the path to the right is leading us away from the road so I take the one on the left. This "path" isn't nearly as clear as it was previously and before we know it, we end up in a strip of clearing where the electrical towers are. Straight ahead: the section of Lillie Park that I was familiar with but there was no way down to it so we ended up blazing a new trail down the clearing. In the distance, I can see cars so I know salvation is near but this trek isn't easy. Bill and Sam go ahead of us to make a trail as us girls walk, getting increasingly sweaty, and continue to chat.

About a third of the way down, we take a break and Melissa remembers the cinnamon schnapps (Hot Damn, to be exact) that is in her coat pocket. In nearly knee high drifts of snow and with the electrical towers humming overhead, we stand in the clearing passing the bottle around. I'm not a big drinker and I haven't had Hot Damn in a coon's age but boy, did that ever hit the spot.

We continue to walk through the snow with the wooden fence and the cars going by getting ever so much closer (and stopping one more time to finish off the Hot Damn). Finally, we made it to the asphalt sidewalk in which I nearly pulled a Pope and got down and kissed it.

From here, the walk back to the parking lot was a piece of cake and the four of us decided not to wait for the group and just head to lunch ourselves. With Sam tuckered out and fast asleep in their vehicle, we enjoyed a very fun and festive lunch of gyros, hummus and as a treat from Melissa, baklava.

I don't know whatever happened to the rest of the group but I know that I loved the group that I ended up walking with even if this did make my plantar fasciitis a lot worse that it was at the start of the day. Just meeting Bill and Melissa was well worth the $1.


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A pictorial overview of the walk: