Woods Walk fulfills Walking Club goals for group from Trinity Services
Members of the Walking Club at Trinity Services are stepping closer to completing their first Woods Walk after taking on the Forest Preserve District's annual hiking challenge.
On a recent Thursday, the Trinity Services Walking Club met at Prairie Bluff Preserve to hike the 2.75-mile looped trail, bringing members one step closer to earning the commemorative medallions awarded to Woods Walk participants who complete seven of the 10 selected trails.
Walking Club is among the many services offered at Trinity Services, a New Lenox-based nonprofit organization that provides services to individuals with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities and mental health needs. Walking Club has about 70 members in all, but not all walkers participate every time, said Erin Malinowski, a behavior analyst with Trinity Services who helps facilitate the club.
"That's one of the guiding principles (of Trinity Services), to create as many opportunities as possible for people to try," Malinowski said.
Because the Prairie Bluff hike is one of this year's longer Woods Walk hikes, a smaller group of 15 to 20 walkers set off for an evening hike. Walking Club members have many different reasons for participating. Dan Gorog said he likes that it helps him prioritize spending time outside.
"It helps me clear my head, and it's good to be out and about," Gorog said, adding that his favorite Woods Walk hike so far was at Hidden Oaks Preserve, where the hilly terrain added a new challenge.
Michael Alvarez also appreciates Walking Club because it provides opportunities for exercise. In particular, he enjoys that it is outside, and he said participating in Woods Walk is nice because they get to see new places.
For others, being able to socialize with friends is another draw for both Woods Walk and Walking Club. Kara Szurgot said she enjoys being able to spend time walking with her friends and seeing new places. Robert Reed said he participates in the club because it's fun, plus he likes the bridges along the trails. He's also looking forward to a Disney trip, and completing the Woods Walk hikes is helping him get in shape.
Malinowski said she planned to start with the shortest Woods Walk hike and gradually increase the distance each week. However, their first outing, a half-mile hike at Keepataw Preserve, had to be postponed because of the weather, so it is now planned as their last hike.
The number of participants at their Woods Walk and Walking Club outings varies from week to week based on availability and other factors, but Malinowski said they try to offer additional opportunities as needed to help the Walking Club members meet their goals — both for Woods Walk and for their overall walking objectives.
She said they are planning a trip to Forked Creek Preserve — Ballou Road Access for this year's longest Woods Walk hike — a 4.25-mile, out-and-back hike along the Wauponsee Glacial Trail — to help Walking Club participants who are close to earning their Marathon Master award. This award is given to club members who walk 26.2 miles over the course of the season. Because it's a longer hike, she said they plan to make a day of it, packing a picnic to enjoy while they are there.
Although it is the Walking Club's first experience with Woods Walk, it isn't their first experience in the preserves. In the spring, the club met at Hadley Valley to walk the preserve's looped trail. The club is part of Trinity Services' Strive program, which encourages participants to strive to be as healthy as they can, Malinowski said. They track their activity through Walking Club and other physical exercise and also earn points for making healthy choices like not choosing a full-calorie drink. They even try different recipes and give them Yelp-style ratings so everyone can see what's popular and what they might like.
"It can be hard if you're the only one trying to be healthy. With this, everyone is trying, and it's motivating," she said. "The goal is to help everyone, not just the people supported but even the staff. It's good for everyone."
Get started with Woods Walk
Interested in earning this year's Woods Walk medallion yourself? Participants have until Nov. 30 to hike seven of the 10 trails. You can log your progress digitally via the Goosechase app (search for Woods Walk after downloading the app) or with a travel log available for pickup at five Forest Preserve visitor centers: Four Rivers Environmental Education Center in Channahon; Hidden Oaks Nature Center in Bolingbrook; Isle a la Cache Museum in Romeoville; Plum Creek Nature Center in Crete Township; and Sugar Creek Administration Center in Joliet.
This year’s featured Woods Walk trails are as follows:
- Hidden Oaks Preserve, Bolingbrook, 1.25 miles
- Keepataw Preserve, DuPage Township, 0.5 miles
- Prairie Bluff Preserve, Crest Hill, 2.75 miles
- Rock Run Preserve — Paul V. Nichols, Joliet, 2 miles
- Joliet Iron Works Historic Site, Joliet, 2.5 miles
- Hickory Creek Preserve — Hickory Creek Barrens, 3.5 miles
- Plum Valley Preserve, Crete Township, 2 miles
- McKinley Woods — Kerry Sheridan Grove, Channahon, 1.5 miles
- Monee Reservoir, Monee Township, 2.25 miles
- Forked Creek Preserve — Ballou Road Access, Wesley Township, 4.25 miles
The deadline for submitting a completed travel log is Monday, Dec. 7. Medallions for those who have hiked at least seven of 10 trails can be picked up at a visitor center or sent through the mail.
