BACK AT IT: The Lawrence Hopewell Trail’s Saturday Morning Walking Club will hit the trails again on Saturday, June 5, after a long hiatus caused by COVID-19. Masks are optional. Members are pictured during their last walk in October 2020.

By Anne Levin

For a growing group of nature enthusiasts, the morning of the second Saturday of each month has become a tradition. That’s when the Saturday Morning Walking Club takes to the Lawrence Hopewell Trail (LHT) for some exercise, socializing, and appreciation of the outdoors.

The club has been on hold since October. Now that pandemic restrictions are lifting, walkers are scheduled to resume their monthly gatherings. But instead of the second Saturday, the group’s June walk is set for this Saturday, June 5, which is National Trails Day.

“That’s more of a reason for us to celebrate,” said Becky Taylor, co-president of the Lawrence Hopewell Trail and host for the walks. “I thought it would be nice to link in to an event that recognizes the importance of trails.”

Taylor came up with the idea of the walking club a few years ago, when she and LHT co-president Eleanor Horne were looking for ways to engage the community.

“We had some wonderful events already, like the Full Moon Ride and the Trail and Treat bike ride,” Taylor said. “But they are big and take a lot of work, and involve a lot of people. We wanted something much more low key and more consistent. Personally, I think it’s so much fun to get out on the trail and talk with people, and enjoy nature. I decided at one point, ‘I belong to a book club and we’ve had so much fun. Why can’t we do a similar thing with walks?’”

The word got out. “We just invited anybody who wanted to come out to join us,” Taylor said. “As I chatted with the first ones who came, I told them, ‘You are now a member of the club.’ Now we have 150 people who have come out at least once, and many several times. There have been regulars. Over time, we’ve really gotten to know each other. Some people bring friends, but we’ve made friends, too. Some bring their dogs and their families.”

While getting exercise is a key goal, the walks are not meant to be overly strenuous. This weekend’s stroll will be 2.7 miles round-trip. Participants will meet at the Bergen Street entrance of Village Park, close to Gordon Avenue in Lawrence Township. They will cross over Keefe Road, enter Mercer Meadows, and wind across a field before going down a path leading toward the barn of the Pole Farm. “We don’t want to overdo it this first time out,” said Taylor. “We just want to get everyone back together again.”

The club’s walks are a year-round activity. “I remember that first year when it started getting colder, I thought we should pause over the winter,” said Taylor. “But too many people wanted to walk. So we kept going, although the walks aren’t as long in winter. Summer can actually be more grueling.”

After initially halting in March of 2020, the club members resumed walks this past September and October before pausing once more.

“At this point, I feel very joyous that we can get back out,” Taylor said. “I want to make it clear that if anyone wants to wear a mask, that’s fine. We won’t be asking people if they are vaccinated, though it’s fine to share if you want to. We don’t want to be invasive.”

Participants should meet at 9:30 a.m. in the parking lot at Village Park. For more information, visit lhtrail.org.