Warren Wasescha, Sun Lakes Hiking Club

November marks the start of the Sun Lakes Hiking Club 2023-24 hiking season and, hopefully, much-needed cooler weather! Our first event is a Welcome Back picnic for returning hiking club members and is open to anyone else living in Sun Lakes or SunBird who is interested in learning more about our club.

The Welcome Back picnic is on Nov. 3 from noon to 2 p.m. at the Oasis Park ramada located in Sun Lakes Phase 1 at 9049 E. Sun Lakes Blvd. South. The club will provide fried chicken. Please bring a side dish or dessert to share and a non-alcoholic beverage for yourself. If you are a member, RSVP through the Meetup site so we can estimate how much chicken to order. After lunch, there will be a short club meeting to orient newcomers to the club and to announce next year’s special hike destination.

Also, mark your calendars for the Dec. 1 club meeting, which will be held at the Chandler REI store. Just in time to build your gift list, you’ll learn about what’s new in hiking equipment from store specialists.

Our club hikes at three different intensity levels on Mondays and at a Moderate level on Wednesdays, from November through April. We hike the entire Phoenix Valley, as well as an occasional hike in the Payson, Prescott, Casa Grande, and Tucson areas. You can check out current and past hikes on the club’s Meetup site, as well as learn more about our club. Simply type in “Sun Lakes Hiking Club” into your web browser to learn more. Have questions not found on the site? Email Paul Feeney at [email protected].

We also have a once-yearly, multi-day Special Hike in areas like Palm Springs, Prescott, Tucson, and more as a way to hike new trails and to further build social connections. This year’s planning team has put in a lot of good work making sure this season’s Special Hike will be a memorable one. You won’t be disappointed!

Like the idea of hiking with others? We are a friendly, inclusive group who welcome all able-bodied hiking enthusiasts! Our club’s goal is to make group hiking fun, challenging, social, and safe.

Hiking is one of the many rewarding activities you can do in our community. We hope you will join us this season!