Sonoma County Wanderers

Welcome to The Wanderers! You have just discovered Sonoma County's most active hiking group! We love to hike...during the week, the afternoon, the weekend and even by the light of the full moon! If you love to hike, you have just found your new home! But the most important part of this message is to FIND A HIKE and sign up...NOW! I've found that the newcomers that jump right in and start hiking are the ones that become a strong part of our Wanderer hiking community.

We are about the journey as well as the destination.  We are striving to meet the hikers that fall into the middle zone...people that enjoy moderate mileage with moderate altitude gain with a challenge thrown in occasionally at a moderate pace!    We are a group that wants to explore and constantly include new hikes while doing our favorites on a regular basis.   Although we have members as young as 12, most of our members fall in the 45-70 year old range.

Our outings will normally be in the 5-14 mile range. We are looking for people that are looking to improve their fitness level or are maintaining their current level. If you are a moderate hiker that is hiking frequently you will find our hikes quite enjoyable. If you are a new hiker or have recently just got back to hiking then our pace might be challenging for you at first until you fully get back into wandering on the trails. We do average a speed of 2.5-3.0 mph and we keep going. We wait at trail junctions and those of you in the front will have to wait and those of you in the rear will find that the group starts off when you are safely within sight.  Oh and YES, there will be altitude gain included in almost every hike. You will need to be comfortable and happy with walking uphill.  You also will need to be steady on your feet for the down hills.  Once again, we stop briefly to keep the group together from time to time but we do keep going with the exception of our lunch/snack break.  

A word of caution-if you haven't been hiking regularly you will need to give yourself some time and consistent participation to be comfortable with the group's pace. Most people that start with us think our pace of 2.5-3.0 is fast until they have completed 4-5 hikes.  Don't get discouraged after one hike. A common comment I get from new hikers is that they didn't have time to enjoy the scenery. Trust me....as you continue with the group, you will find yourself being very comfortable with the pace and will fully enjoy the scenery.  

Our group size is limited so please DO NOT sign up for a hike unless you are 100% sure you will be there. If you cancel last minute (after 5pm the preceding day) or are a no-show then we will need to excuse you from the group. If you take a spot, that means that someone else is not able to hike. Make sure to show up!

We are about hiking. If you are into plant, mushroom, scat or bad mood studies then this group is not for you. Although we love pictures and encourage photographs, if you are having a hard time staying with the group, you will need to let others take the photos until you find yourself able to keep up.

I'm not a professional hiker or guide and I don't have specialized training in first aid so I need to hold everyone completely responsible for their own safety and well-being. What I do have is a love of the outdoors and a desire to be there..whenever possible. I also have knowledge of many local hikes and am ALWAYS exploring new ones! Come join me and we will simply enjoy this gorgeous area that we live in, find new adventures, laugh, talk and probably learn something new every hike while making new friends.

Please don't get discouraged if the first couple of hikes seem hard. Just keep on joining in. If there is one thing I know, the fun, health benefits and confidence arrive in spades, with repetition.

Happy Trails!

Leigh

P.S. We are hiking under covid conditions so bring a mask and be prepared to step off the trail to maintain a distance from others. You are responsible for your own health and safety during COVID conditions.