Hike-A-Thon 2011

Fall 2011 -

On Saturday Oct. 22, Miami University students and Oxford community members gathered together behind the horse stables (next to the soccer/rugby fields on 73, about a mile down) to fill Miami’s natural areas.

The annual Hike-A-Thon saw a larger number of participants than in years past. In fact, they ended up running out of the free “Take A Hike” T-shirts and had to collect addresses to send them to people who could not get them that day.

The event featured free hiking from 8am to 5pm, a handful of Audubon-led bird walks, several naturalist-led hikes for elementary students, and Dewitt House history tours from 9am to 2om.

Hike-A-Thon was sponsored by Oxford Community Foundation, Miami University Employee Health and Well-Being, Outdoor Pursuit Center, and Miami University special events.

This year, MOON Co-op was there to hand out snacks and water, as well as university volunteers who helped guide hikers and give out T-shirts.

Every participant was asked to sign in, and provide their T-shirt size, before they are given a map outlining the hiking areas.

The map highlights the trails that are part of Hike-A-Thon.  There is a one mile, three mile, and for the really advanced hikers, a five mile.  All hikes are contained within the natural areas.

GreenHawks Media writer, Amanda Schumaker and I decided to take on the three-mile hike, so we could be home by dinner time.

The trail takes you north from the parking lot, alongside Harker’s Run, up to Bonham Road.  From here, you cross the road, and continue north.

The three-mile hike then loops around, and turns back south, which eventually meets up with the original trail.  The trail takes you through several different types of forest, and the wildlife is abundant.

 

By: Ariana Williams