By Yvonne Merrill
Special to the Insider
Every hiking season has its rewards beyond the physical benefits of movement.
Winter brings a denuded forest, cooler temperatures, the absence of bugs and vistas otherwise hidden. Hikes in the spring bring quick changes from sparse woodlands to sudden emerging life: spring peepers, songbirds and a plethora of wildflowers. Summer is challenging with the heat and humidity, followed by autumn respite and vibrant color schemes.
Hiking with others provides a sense of safety and security. You are less likely to get lost, and if something happens, you are not alone; of course, there is the experience of meeting new people and camaraderie among acquaintances and friends. This reassurance makes even the most challenging hike seem easier and more manageable.
The Bear Creek Hiking Club hikes twice a week, every Tuesday and Thursday. Hikes may be suspended for inclement weather, severe summer heat, or holidays, but otherwise, they continue throughout the year.
Participants meet at a local site for most hikes and carpool to the trailhead. Depending on the hike, a multi-car shuttle is used for some hikes.
BCHC is named after the Bear Creek trail system, a network of trails extending over 14 miles near Robbins, established and maintained by William and Lynn McDuffie of Robbins. The McDuffies’ organization, Foothills Outdoors, describes the trails on their website at wlrmcduffie.wixsite.com.
Most BCHC hikes are three to five miles long and take about two hours to complete. Afterward, the group usually eats lunch at a local restaurant. Hike locations range from nearby, such as Southern Pines Reservoir and Pinehurst Greenway, to Raven Rock State Park or Morrow Mountain, a good distance away, and anywhere in between, such as Bear Creek and Troy Nature Center.
Once a year, the group may head to the Blue Ridge Parkway for an autumn hike in the mountains. This variety of locations offers adventure and discovery, making each hike a unique experience.
A schedule containing 22 upcoming hikes is emailed to participants every few months. Participants choose the hikes they attend. Although there is a regular core group, some people hike seasonally, others are hit-and-miss, and some hike only a handful of times yearly.
The club’s current active participants are from Moore County; most are retired, although neither condition is required. The weekday hikes make it difficult for working people to attend, but hikers from anywhere and of any age are welcome. Everyone can be a part of our hiking community. There are no dues, no meetings, and no membership requirements.
BCHC was started in 2008 by Kathy Hussey and Linda Koontz, two teachers from
Robbins/Westmoore, NC, with the aid of Hubert Lathan from the Piedmont Hiking Club. Donna
Christianson and her husband, Brian of Seven Lakes West, were instrumental in leading the group when Hussey and Koontz could not continue.
Now, Al Geiger, Sandy Rudolph, and Kathi Ribet work together to keep the hikes going. Kathi is the only remaining active hiker from the original group. Al Geiger of Seven Lakes South coordinates the schedule, which includes almost 30 different hikes.
The club’s mottos are “We Hike to Eat” (and we do after every hike. Hikers brought brown bags and chairs spaced 6 feet apart during COVID), “On the Trail at 90” (which two hikers are quickly approaching), and Donna Christianson’s favorite, “Rest is Rust, Motion is Lotion.”
As a participant for the past eight years, without the leadership of this Club, I would have never found and enjoyed this number and variety of trails, let alone found my way through the forest without getting lost or experiencing anxiety about getting lost. Sometimes, I don’t feel like going, but I do. But I never, after hiking, wish I hadn’t. If hikers plan to hike, they are requested to contact Al Geiger at alangeiger3@gmail.com the day before for planning purposes.
