TH UR SDA Y , D E C E M B E R 29, 20 16
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GO TAKE A HIKE! No, really: 5+ reasons you should join the New Year’s Day Hike By JOHN ETHEREDGE jetheredge@shawmedia.com
M
ark Harrington, the Oswego native and retired teacher, did not hesitate when asked to provide us with his top five reasons why people should join the annual Kendall County New Year’s Day Hike. In fact, Harrington, who helps lead the hike every year, couldn’t keep his list to just five reasons, adding a sixth just for good measure. This year’s hike will be on Sunday, Jan. 1, beginning at 10:30 a.m. on the trails in the Hoover Forest Preserve, located along the south bank of the Fox River at 11285 Fox Road in Yorkville. Each year about 75 area residents of all ages join the hike – regardless of the weather. Those attending are asked to bring two cans of soup – one to be warmed in a communal pot over an open fire and enjoyed after the event and the other to be donated to the Kendall County Community Food Pantry. Harrington said as in past years the hikers will cover a distance of about two miles in about 90 minutes, with frequent stops for observation and informational talks. “It’s not a full blown marching hike. We might hike for three minutes and then stop and talk. Or if we spot something we’ll stop and talk about it,” he said. Harrington, who received training in outdoor education at Southern Illinois University and has served as a docent at Morton Arboretum in Lisle, said he likes to discuss different aspects of nature with his fellow hikers. “I do try to change it up. One year we talked about woodpeckers and owls, another year it was about foxes and coyotes,” he said, adding, “Still other years we’ve talked about hibernation and plant identification.” As in past years, Harrington said everyone is welcome to show up at Hoover on Sunday morning and join the hike. For folks who may be on the fence about it, Harrington provided the following reasons they should get out their hiking shoes, put on a warm coat and gloves and head to Hoover on New Year’s Day morning:
Shaw Media file photo
Mark Harrington takes time out from hiking to read an excerpt from the book “Stranger in the Woods” to young hikers during last year’s hike.
1. Get out and enjoy nature in the woods.
“It’s amazing how many people who join the hike don’t realize these facilities are right here. They come away saying, ‘I feel like I’m on vacation.’ You get that feeling whether we are at Hoover or at the Richard Young/Lyon Forest Preserve. That’s why I like to call our local forest
preserves ‘mini-national parks.’ You really don’t have to travel out of state to really enjoy nature. We have it right here, but so many people don’t even think about it.”
2. You never know what you’ll see.
“One year we were hiking on the over-
look at Hoover and I was talking about the clarity of the river because at this time of the year it is at its cleanest. It all starts with the insects and how the fish eat them and that has helped bring back the bald eagle. Just when I said that, a
See NEW YEAR’S HIKE, page 6