First Annual Old Fashioned Picnic
By Ellen Miller
We had a wonderful time at the WCOG picnic!
Lisa Snyder picked me up that morning for the ride to REI. When we arrived there, we saw the usual hiking gang (Jim Norvill, Scott Harriss), some WCOGers who rarely attend hikes (Charles and Maggie Cohn!) and a few other intrepid hikers (Carol Robinson, Alpha Bennett, Stephanie Rauch, Caryll Rinehart, Colin Smith, and Jack Bacon). We sorted everyone into carpools and set out shortly after 9:00am.
The ride to Lake Lanier was interesting - Lisa, Scott and I rode with Jim and “Ranger Bob” Durgan of WCOG hiking legend, so we got clarification on some oft-told stories of long-ago adventures.
When our caravan arrived at the pavilion, we saw that a great deal of thought and effort had been put into this event - Judy McDowell and Fay Swennes were busy putting finishing touches on the décor and arrangements, and various people were unloading food, games and hiking gear.
Shortly after we arrived, Scott Harriss and I took off with a merry band (including Jack Bacon, Alpha Bennett, Vicki Hamilton, Lori LeDuff, Mike Moore, Stephanie Rauch, Tom Redmond, Esther Powers, Abigail Rivera, Carol Robinson, Colin Smith, Lisa Snyder, and some hikers we hadn’t seen in a while Andy Ward!), to hike the 3.8 mile trail around the park; the weather was very warm, but not as humid as it had been a few weeks earlier when we had scouted the route. We found just enough cool breezes and wildflowers remaining in bloom to keep things interesting (Scott is so useful at times like that!), and we enjoyed chatting as we hiked the scenic trail - but I was dreaming of the feast to come…
As we walked along, we met a really scruffy group of hikers coming the other way. Oh - I mean a very presentable group of hikers coming the other way! Jim was leading a shorter hike for those who weren’t confident that they could handle the more strenuous hike - or perhaps they just wanted to get back to the food more quickly Donald, Nathalie & Max Brown, Mish Barbour and her friend Matt, Charles Cohn, Sandra Mooreland, and Caryll Rinehart.
When we finished the hike, music of the 60s and 70s welcomed us back to the pavilion (thanks to DJ Jim), and the grill - Ranger Bob’s purview - was emitting a wonderful aroma. There was a spread of the usual cookout delicacies - all the fixins for hamburgers, hot dogs and veggie burgers; a variety of pasta and fruit salads; every kind of chip imaginable; sodas and juice; and desserts too numerous to mention.
Also present were new arrivals who looked suspiciously unsweaty - Dan and Celeste Strohl and Ellie and Bob Torstrick, to name a few. They had arrived in time to partake of the conversation and lunch rather than the hikes, but promised to consider a hike at a later time, in the future, yet to be determined.
We feasted. I was so hungry and everything looked/smelled so good - I hadn’t had a grill-cooked hamburger and chips in ages - that I wolfed everything down. And yet Ranger Bob was still cooking, and the burgers smelled so good - so I had another one, and it was delicious!
As we relaxed, conversing and enjoying the photo album of long-ago hikes, Dan officially welcomed us and presented an introduction to racewalking for the non-racewalkers among us - and Charles Williams was his Vanna White (that is, if Vanna every wore hiking boots). Despite Charles’s unconventional footwear, there was so much interest in the demonstration that it was moved to the parking lot where there was room for a full racewalking clinic.
I stayed at the pavilion, enjoying the music and visiting. It was so relaxing and such an enjoyable way to spend the day.
Soon it was time to pack up, return to Atlanta, and have a watermelon-seed spitting demonstration in the REI parking lot. But that’s a tale for another day.
Lisa Snyder:
When I first moved to Atlanta from Denver almost 5 years ago, I didn't have the perception that Atlanta was a very 'active' community. I was wrong. I found several goups that were very active in promoting health and well being and one of those was the Walking Club of Georgia (WCOG). Since joining this group, I have forged many relationships and gone on many journeys with them. My most recent was a trip to Lake Lanier for the annual picnic/hike. It was a great experience. Meeting people from all aspects of life. On that beautiful day, we set off on our 3.8 mile hike. We experienced the beauty of Georgia. Walking over bridges, through woods, clearing and just enjoying the company of each other. It doesn't matter if you are 91 or 16. In the backwoods everyone is the same. Getting in shape and being part of the team is priceless. After the hike we had fun learning from the top notch race walkers. They gave free walk lessons to those interested. So many took advatage. Hiking and wakking is such a delight. Keep moving America.
Keep moving everyone, the walking/hiking club of Georgia is just what you need to get your day started.
The cost of membership $24, getting in shape and being part of the team - Priceless ! I love this group !
Tom Redmond:
Esther and I had just joined the WCOG a few weeks before the picnic. This was our first chance to hike together with these new friends. We drove to the Lake Lanier picnic site early on this June 14th, my 62nd birthday, and joined in with the group planning to hike before the meal. What a great way to start a new year!...a great trail, long enough to ensure good exercise, relaxed enough to enjoy conversations with new friends along the way....great planning, to help the hike a good experience without too long a drive to get to it.
Along they way you are reminded of the many reasons that hiking appeals: This powerful exercise to keep you in better shape; these trees that always remind me that I am in the midst of living beings that are much older than I am; this quiet time away from the usual pace and noise of life; these wildflowers that go so unnoticed yet live out their lives in perfect living communities deep in the woods; this hiking stick I carry that is now 50 years old and served me well in my youth and with family journeys to the mountains of North Carolina.
We all arrived back at the picnic site just in time for the best food I think I've tasted in a long while. Yes, it may have been the hike, but I know now that this club has some of the best cooks around. I don't know when a hot dog and a hamburger have tasted so good (thanks to Ranger Bob's fireside techniques). All who brought favorite salads and veggies helped to make this a remarkable feast. And who made that incredible chocolate cake with the chips in it! Clearly Judy, Fay, and Jim’s planning and careful coordination of this event paid off.
Full as we were, many joined Dan, Charles and others in the parking lot for some practical tips and practice in the art and science of race walking. I think many were much better at it than they might have thought. Well led and instructed, and a lot of fun, too. When I consider what comes next after many years of running, race walking is a perfect future transition.
I look back on this day and remember the wonderful diversity of people together sharing this remarkable hiking enthusiasm. Good new friends for sure!
So, when's the next hike?
Jeri White:
What a great time I had at the annual WCOG picnic. I had to drop out of the club several years ago and was very happy to rejoin the group. I met some really nice people and learned the mechanics of racewalking (didn't try it but watched). We had two very good teachers. I've been practicing "the walk" since the event. It really does elevate my speed and makes walking easier.
It was a beautiful day for a picnic; thanks, Jim and other committee members for arranging with the weatherman to have lots of sunshine. I was certainly ready to eat when I arrived at Lake Lanier. With all that wonderful food I'm glad I saved room to do lots of sampling.
I look forward to being a participant in some of the upcoming events of the club. I was so happy to see water in the Lake, it was beautiful and inviting. What a very nice beginning.