24th Anniversary Hike at Indiana Dunes State Park

12 PM CT, 1 PM ET

we are celebrating the 24th anniversary of Rick’s Hiking and Fun Group, by retracing the steps of the 8 hikers on our first hike ever, way back in September 2001.

Length of hike about 7 miles, with options to shorten to 4 miles or 5 miles, some moderate climbs, but nothing too steep.

• Beginning at the State Park Nature Center, we will start out on beautiful trail 9, around the back edge of the Beach House Blowout, and descend through the middle to the lakeshore.
• At the Furnessville Blowout, anyone who wants to go only four miles can continue on trail 9 as it loops back to the Nature Center.
• The rest of us will continue on the beach, and hike along it to the place where trail 10 returns to the woods and through Paradise valley. We will follow trail 10 inland to the trail 2 boardwalk.
• At this point, anyone who wants to go only six miles can continue on trail 10 back to the Nature Center.
• The rest of us will cross the Great Marsh on the boardwalk, and continue on trails 2 and 8 over the marsh bridge and back to the Nature Center, for a total of about 7 miles

Dear Friends--

a few days after the terrible September 11 terrorist attacks, i began working on starting a hiking group. this was my fifth attempt to start a group since 1995, mostly through ads in the Chicago Reader newspaper. i had enjoyed hiking, backpacking, and other outdoor activities most of my life, and starting a group where i could easily and frequently find people for hiking and other outdoor pursuits was a cherished goal of mine.

in my prior attempts, i had not experienced much success, but the recent devastating world events had given me a new urgency to bring people together in healthy, positive community experiencing the outdoors and each other.

there were 8 people at our first hike on September 29, 2001, and i started an email list for a future group. i ran more Reader ads (and later advertised on Craigslist), had two more hikes in the rest of 2001 with 14 and 9 in attendance, and by New Year's, i had a mailing list of about 50 people.

in the following year, i was able to hold hikes, and later, other events with reliable attendance at least a couple times a month, and have been able to maintain this to the present day. in 2009, i put the group on meetup..and that is how i am addressing all you fine people right now.

the thread of community was stretched rather thin in the months of uncertainty during the early Pandemic, but a robust schedule of cyber-events kept us connected, until we started gathering again in late summer in the safety of the beach.

in 2023--after some unsuccessful attempts in the past--i have found some reliable event organizers who have been providing excellent event experiences faithful to the vision of a caring community of people who love the outdoors--and each other--that i'd had over twenty long years ago.

this was important for two reasons--first, by 22 years after i started the group, age and physical disabilities had compromised my ability to lead the vigorous outdoor experiences i'd had in the past.

second, visiting my far-flung children and grandchildren had kept me away from the Midwest for as much as 3-4 months a year.

i'm grateful to the dozen of so people who have been creating and holding events in the last 2+ years since i expanded the leadership of the group, starting with Eileen and Jonathan, whom i first trusted with this role.

so thanks to Erin, my indispensible co-leader today, and all who join us as we walk the same route that the original 8 in the group took in that fraught September twenty-four long years ago. may we enjoy many more wonderful years together.

—Rick

The Dunes are to the Midwest what the Grand Canyon is to Arizona and the Yosemite is to California. They constitute a signature of time and eternity. --Carl Sandburg

Details

• Dogs are allowed on a leash
• You'll want to bring some water (and probably a snack if you go the long way)

Starting Location

We'll gather in front of the Nature Center deep in the Indiana Dunes State Park.

Nature Center, Chesterton, IN 46304

If you can't get a spot by the Nature Center, continue down the road a bit and park at the North Orchard Shelter. The short trail there will take you to the Nature Center.

Entrance

Unlike many of our hikes, this one is in the State Park. National Park passes are not accepted.

If you don't have a pass, at the gate it costs $7 for residents and $12 for non-residents. Annual passes are also available, and worthwhile if you visit more than a few times a year. car-pooling is also a good idea.