Old News

Chili Cook Off Update
The Chili Cook Off is scheduled for noon on Oct 30. It is at capacity.
Covid precautions are recommended. We will have indoor and outdoor seating availability.
Don't forget your place settings. (Muffin Tins to hold several types of chili are recommended for this event)
Desserts to share are appreciated.

Alert!!!! WE ARE SHORT OF CHILI COMPETITORS !!!!!
Contact Mary Jo Hobe 440-238-2356 or Claire Jencson 440-212-5101
if you can make chili or have questions

General Meeting will follow chili cook off at 1:30 pm.

SOUP SUPPER UPDATE

The Soup Supper is scheduled for November 14th from 4 to 6 pm at Camp Onwego. Reservations are limited to a maximum of 50 people. This is strictly an indoor, sit-down event. As you know, the cabin is relatively small for a group of 50. Seating is tight with our soup buffet set-up, and there is no outside ventilation except to open windows. If it's a cold day, we will be using the fireplace and wood-burning stove to keep us warm, and it will be extremely difficult to have fresh air circulating in the cabin. Therefore, members who wish to attend should be fully vaccinated. We ask you to respect our request to keep our members healthy and safe even though we will not ask you to bring proof of vaccination. We believe we can rely on our members to honor this precautionary expectation. If you have already registered and will not be vaccinated by November 14, please contact Rita Bennett to cancel your reservation. ([email protected] is preferred or leave Rita a message at 330-468-6229). We expect to schedule the Soup Supper again in the Spring of 2022, and we hope at that time we won’t have to restrict the number of attendees or request that attendees be vaccinated for our mutual health and safety.

Hike Leaders

Attention hike leaders: Scheduling for January and February 2022 hikes is in process until 11/15/2021 midnight (Eastern time) at this page.

Matt, Chief Pathfinder  [posted 10/15/2021-10/25/2021]

November & December Schedules Posted

The schedules have been posted on this page.

[posted 10/13/2021-10/20/2021]

Member Photo Contest

Attention to CHC photographers-- the deadline for Photos for the photo contest is October 30th.
The rules and categories are in the Newsteps and also on the CHC Website. Also on the Website you can find the entry form where you can print it .
To get to the Photo contest information on the Website just go to members only- sign in,
click on Members home page, Click Annual Photo Contest. At the end of the first sentence you will see Entry Form click on the underline and print.
Any questions contact Chris or Denise.
Good Luck!

Don't forget about November 20th for the judging by the Cleveland Photographic Society.
Directions for the judging will be in the November Newstep.
Chris & Denise [Posted 10/13/2021 to 10/31/2021]

Club Elections

Club elections are in progress now until 11:59 PM ET on October 15. Follow the instructions you received to cast your online ballot.

Note: on the ballot, director candidate Gene's name was misspelled as Glen. I apologize for this error.

Maureen [posted 10/1/21-10/15/21]

Attention Hike Leaders

November and December 2021 schedules at the link posted on the Hike Scheduling page. Notify Matt by 10/3/2021 of any changes to them.
Matt, Chief Pathfinder [Posted 09/29/2021 to 10/03/2021].

Avoiding Phishing Scams

Have you ever received an email purporting to come from a member of the club asking you to purchase gift cards for donation to some charity, or for any other purpose? Have you ever received a message with a club member’s name as the sender, but with a weird email address or an odd message?

As most of you know, emails of this type are a scam known as phishing. But just in case you aren’t aware of phishing, these scams attempt to get your personal information or money. Please note: the club does not make requests like this of its members (or of anyone else), and it would not authorize a member to make requests like these to our members.

How would you know it’s a scam? Some things to look for are described on the Federal Trade Commission’s Consumer Information page which discusses how to recognize and avoid phishing scams. Here is the link to the FTC’s Consumer Information page: https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/how-recognize-and- avoid-phishing-scams. If you are in doubt, check it out. Thank you.

[posted 9/29/21-10/13/21]

October Newsteps Posted
Attention members - the latest issue of our club's newsletter has been posted to the member's section.

George and Patty, Editors
[posted 9/21/2021-9/30/2021]

September & October Schedules Posted

The schedules have been posted on this page.

[posted 8/22/2021-8/31/2021]

September Newsteps Posted

Attention members - the latest issue of our club's newsletter has been posted to the member's section.

George and Patty, Editors
[posted 8/21/2021-8/31/2021]

ALUMINUM CANS reminder

Please drop off your rinsed cans to the pump house area when you come to camp for hikes or the general meeting on Saturday 8/7.
Lucy [posted 8/7/2021]

Hike Schedule Changes resulting from construction projects, road or parking lot closures, and the like:

Hike 22h on Friday, Oct. 22nd at 9:00 am at Bedford Reservation.
This hike is being moved from the Hemlock Creek parking area to the Hermits Hollow parking area. Gene [posted 10/21/21-10/23/21]

Hike 19o at the Shaker Nature Center on 10/19/2021, 7:00 PM:
There will be an event at the Shaker Nature Center on Tuesday evening, 10/19. They have requested that we park nearby. The best place will be on South Park Blvd, on the part that goes towards Lee Rd. If you know your way, please park on that road eastbound as close as possible to where South Park splits. If you’re not sure about where to go, follow your GPS to the Shaker Nature Center driveway, where I or someone else will be there to give you directions. The hike will start at the split in the road, only about 100 yards southeast from the driveway. If you have any questions – or if you get lost – please call Bob [posted 10/19/21-10/20/21]

Hike 16n on October 16th, 2021at 2 pm. Move location from Coe Lake to Wallace lake. This is due to the Harvest Festival at Coe Lake that day. Alan [posted10/13/21-10/17/21]

Just a reminder that the Ashtabula wineries and covered bridge hike is this Saturday September 25th.
We are meeting at Ferrante Winery at 10:30  at 5585 State Route 307.  This is a 12 mile  with a 6 mile option.  Those hikers that are just doing the 6 mile option-- I will be shuttling the drivers of those cars back to Ferrante.  Carry water, lunch or snacks, food can also be purchased at some of the wineries.  Socialize during and after the hike.  In the schedule it said see Newsteps.  The article was not in the September Newsteps so if you have questions call me. Denise [posted 9/23/21-9/26/21]

Hike 15h--Parking for 09/15, Hike H, Wendy Park
Park in the Wendy Park Parking Lot at the end of Whiskey Island Drive.
From Edgewater Park: Drive East on Whiskey Island Drive into Wendy Park; Continue driving straight going under the Lake Link Trail Bridge to end of road; Parking lot is on the right. Jeff [posted 9/14/21-9/16/21]

Due to a current road resurfacing project on Columbia Rd. in Olmsted Falls, access to Rocky River Reservation via Columbia Rd is limited or delayed.
Please allow extra time to reach RRR or use an alternate route such as Valley Parkway to access any hikes. Matt [posted 9/14/21-9/30/21]

Hike the Country hikes (6o & 7m),
7:30 pm Sept 6 - Bedford, Meet at Bedford Square.
10:00 am Sept 7 - Mayfield Hts, Golden Gate Shopping Center.
If you are available to be a substitute leader for either of these hikes, please contact Ken or Lucy. Ken will be delayed in returning to Cleveland due to an out of town situation.
Lucy/Ken [posted 9/5/21-9/7/21]

Hike 28j (August 28-7 miles) at Camp Onwego will be starting at 1:00 pm instead of 2 so everyone can be back in time for dinner (Volunteer Appreciation). The hike will be going around Hinckley Lake. Ron [posted 8/24/21-8/29/21]

Willow Bend on Aug. 15 & 29th have gatherings all day that was booked...So hike 15h & 29f will be moved to Lagoon at 9am. Diane [posted 8/13/21-8/29/21

For hike 16g at Oak Hill on Monday 8/16, Route 303 is closed between state road and 176 from 8/16 to 8/20. The detour eastbound is 303 to 94 to 271 to 303. Shirley [posted 8/11/21-8/17/21]

State Route/SR 3 will be closed beginning August 18th, for 45 days.  The suggested detour is W. 130th.
Anyone reaching the camp from I-71, north or south, connects to SR 3, to get to Kellogg Rd. Rita [posted 8/11/21-10/03/21]

These are alternative directions for West-siders to Camp Onwego --From I71. Travel east on Rt 303 to W130th. Turn right on W 130th south to Laurel Road. Turn left on Laurel. Take Laurel to stop sign at Stony Hill. Turn right. Take Stony Hill to Ledge Rd. You’ll travel through two stops.  Turn left on Ledge Rd. Continue on  Ledge east past Rt 94 (traffic light).  Kellogg is at the stop sign. Turn left. Barb [posted 8/11/21-10/03/21]

For hike (8i) on Sunday, August 8 at 11 am at the Rocky River Reservation, the location changes from Little Cedar Point PA to the Nature Center overflow parking lot. This is due construction on the bridge over Cedar Point road.  Alan [posted 8/6/21-8/9/21]

The start location for Hike 1m (2 p.m. on Sunday, August 1) will be moved from Little Cedar Point picnic area to the Rocky River Nature Center overflow parking lot, because of construction on the Cedar Point Road bridge. Kim [posted 7/31/21-8/2/21]

Hike 12h on Aug 12 at Holbrook Hollow has been postponed from 9:00 to 10:00. Bring your lunch and socialize after the hike. The pavilion has been reserved from 8:30 to 1:30 hoping we can encourage people who no longer hike to join us. Alice [posted 7/31/21-8/13/21]

Hike Leaders

Scheduling for November and December 2021 hikes is in process until 9/15/2021 midnight (Eastern time) in the Members Section on the Hike Scheduling page.
Matt [posted 8/16/2021-9/15/2021]

Notify me of any corrections by 8/5/2021 of the tentative September and/or October schedules on this page.

Matt, Chief Pathfinder  [posted 7/28/2021-8/5/2021]

August Newsteps Posted

Attention members - the latest issue of our club's newsletter has been posted to the member's section.

Kathy and George, Editors [posted 7/21/2021-7/31/2021]

Attention Hike Leaders

Scheduling for September and October 2021 hikes is in process until 7/15/2021 midnight (Eastern time) in the Members Section on the Hike Scheduling page.

Matt [posted 6/15/2021-7/15/2021]

Attention Hike Leaders

Hike 21p on June 21 at 7 pm will start at the UPPER EDGEWATER SHELTER (west of Edgewater Beach) on top of the hill. Thank You.
Rose [posted 6/20/21-6/21/21]

Scheduling for September and October 2021 hikes is in process until 7/15/2021 midnight (Eastern time) in the Members Section on the Hike Scheduling page. Matt [posted 6/15/2021-7/15/2021]

Allow extra time for hike 10n-Thursday, June 10th at Oenslager Wildlife Sanctuary/Wolf Creek Environmental Center, 6100 Ridge Rd as pipes are being laid. One lane traffic before Ridgewood. Susan [posted 6/8/21-6/11/21]

Responsible Hiking Guidelines (Effective June 2, 2021)

Ohio Governor DeWine declared a state of emergency and imposed certain restrictions on activities In response to the coronavirus (covid-19). Nearly all these restrictions have been eliminated as of June 2, 2021. Many members have indicated certain practices adopted by the CHC during the state of emergency have been helpful for hikers and wish them to continue. The board approved updated Responsible Hiking Guidelines at its June 1, 2021 meeting. See link. [posted 6/2/2021 -6/10/2021]

See below for starting points for hikes affected by the above closure.
Hike 22b-Saturday May 22nd: move it to Orchard Hills Park
Hike 19b-Saturday June 19th: move it to Chagrin Russell Uplands
Katherine [posted 5/14/21-6/19/21]

Geauga Park District has CLOSED Veterans Legacy Memorial for one year for maintenance issues.
Hikes scheduled there from May 10, 2021 should be moved to an alternate location.
Please notify eastside hike leaders ASAP.
Thank you
Katherine [posted 5/11/21-5/31/21]

Hike Leaders

Attention hike leaders: review the tentative July and August schedules at the link posted on the Hike Scheduling page. Notify Nancy by 5/27/2021 of any changes to them.
Matt, Chief Pathfinder [Posted 05/23/2021 to 05/27/2021].

Responsible Hiking Guidelines (Updated 05/04/2021)

The CDC has issued new guidance and the Ohio Department of Health has updated its orders with respect to social distancing, facial coverings, and non-congregating. Consistent with these revised orders and guidelines, the board updated the CHC’s Responsible Hiking Guidelines. Please review them at this link.

Peggy, President [Posted 05/05/2021 to 05/15/2021].

Hike Leaders

Attention hike leaders - sign up to lead July and August hikes by 5/15/21 at this page.
Matt, Chief Pathfinder  [posted 4/15/2021-4/23/2021]

CVNP Seeks Input on Visitor Use Management Plan

Park Relations Chair Dave reminds us that the National Park Service is seeking input from the public to collaborate on the development of a Visitor Use Management plan for Cuyahoga Valley National Park.  Your input will help CVNP understand the needs, experiences, and desires of its partners, stakeholders, communities, and visitors. Please share your ideas. The initial comment period is open until April 9, 2021. It would be helpful if you respond to as many of the following questions as you can.

Topic Questions:

1. What experiences in Cuyahoga Valley National Park are most important to you? What kind of experiences do you want future visitors to have when they come to the park?
2. What barriers get in the way of enjoying or visiting Cuyahoga Valley National Park? What barriers prevent you from achieving your desired experiences?
3. What strategies do you recommend the planning team consider to address barriers and/or key issues and opportunities?
4. What activities, facilities, and services would make you feel more welcome, safe, or satisfied with your experience?
5. Other thoughts you'd like to share with the project team?

If you would like to provide input directly, please visit the CVNP website at https://parkplanning.nps.gov/document.cfm?parkID=121&projectID=92300&documentID=110589

If you prefer to provide your input indirectly, please contact any CHC officer or director (by email or on a hike) and let them know your thoughts. Dave will be meeting with our board at the April 6, 2021 board meeting to collect input from you and the board.  Thank you.   [posted 3/25-4/9/21]

Mila's hike 31J (Wednesday, March 31 at 10:00) will meet at the Headquarters at Lakefront Metro instead of the Gordon Park boat ramp.
Mila [posted 3/29/21-4/01/21]

Due to a location conflict with the Annual CHC 20 mi hike at Brecksville Nature Center on 3/28/2021 at 9AM,
Larry Clager's hike 28d will MOVE to CVNP Station Road Bridge PL at 9AM with the same hike description
Matt [posted 3/26/21-3/29/21]

March 14o. 6:00 pm SPRING FOR ICE CREAM HIKE. Parma Hts  Greenbrier Commons - the hike location is changed to Yorktown Lanes, 6218 Pearl Rd.  Meet in the back of parking lot. There is ongoing construction on Pearl Rd & access to Greenbrier Commons.  Lucy [posted 3/11/21-3/14/21]

Hike Leaders

Attention Members

Donna
[posted 2/10/2020-2/11/2021]

Remember to save your aluminum cans from your Super Bowl watching or other beverage consumption. Turn them into one of the can coordinators.

Lucy
[posted 2/5/2020-2/7/2021]

Hike Signup

The signup link and spreadsheet link for March/April 2021 hikes have been posted on this website in the Members only tab on the Hike Leading->Hike Scheduling page.

Hike 4b. This hike which is scheduled to leave from Lagoon PA will be moved to start from Little Cedar Point PA as the ford is closed at Cedar Point rd. and Spafford is closed from the west.

Wayne [posted 1/3/21-1/4/21]

January Newsteps Posted

Attention members - the latest issue of our club's newsletter has been posted to the member's section.  Remember to login with the id that you were sent via e-mail earlier this month.  The chc id no longer works.

Kathy and George, Editors
[posted 12/20/2020-1/2/2021

New Website Went Live During the Weekend of 12/4/20!

Thanks to those of you who tested the new website and gave us feedback.  To switch to our new website, the old website will be unavailable on Friday, 12/4 from 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm.  We apologize for any inconvenience.

• The public pages are accessible to all members and the general public.
• You will receive a separate email with your login id and initial password; this gives you secure access to the members pages.  This e-mail will be sent from [email protected] after the new website is activated; if you don’t see the e-mail check your spam folder.  The former id of chc will no longer work.
• You will be able to reset your password once the site is activated at the Members Home Page or the Members - Member Info menu option.  We on the Tech Committee are NOT able to view or change passwords.
• Passwords must be 10 characters in length and contain at least one uppercase letter, lower case letter, numeral, and symbol (@, #, $, !, %, ^, &, or *; spaces are  not allowed).
• Refer to the printed or electronic December 2020 Newsteps articles for information on navigating the new pages and changing your initial password.

During 2021 we will make additional edits and enhancements to the website.  We've designed the website to provide you a modernized and secure experience.

Contact us if you have questions or comments via e-mail at [email protected].

Best regards,
CHC Tech Committee
Roni, Maureen, Peggy, Barb
[posted 12/3/2020-12/30/20]

The January 1, 2021 President’s and Vice President’s Hikes are Cancelled

In the last few weeks, CDC and other authorities have indicated that next eight weeks will be the darkest days of the Covid-19 pandemic. The CDC's new guidance notes "[c]rowded events in outdoor settings have also been linked to spread of SARS-CoV-2, although it can be difficult to isolate the impact of crowded outdoor events from related indoor social interactions."

Although we had been cautiously optimistic, current conditions made us reconsider the wisdom of proceeding with the President’s and VP’s hikes. Among other things, our two hikes on New Year's Day would appear to be the type of "crowded event[s]" the CDC recommends we avoid because they create opportunities for congregating in groups before and/or after the hikes.

Earlier this week, the pathfinder committee recommended canceling these hikes.  After considerable discussion, the board decided it would be inadvisable to go forward with our plans for these annual hikes.

Why not wait to reassess until later in the month? Our rules do not permit cancellation of a hike on the schedule before the start time. That means the appropriate time to reassess our options for these two hikes was before publication of the January 2021 schedule on the website and before sending it out for printing and mailing.

We are disappointed that these hikes will not go forward because they are the traditional start for the CHC hiking year. The January 1, 2021 schedule of activities will indicate that they have been “cancelled due to Covid-19.”  Let’s hope that we will be able to reschedule these hikes for another time.

In the meantime, we can continue to hike responsibly on other hikes scheduled in December 2020 and January 2021 by following the Responsible Hiking Guidelines.

Peggy Koesel, CHC President
[Posted: 12/9/2020 - 12/24/2020]

Responsible Hiking Guidelines

In response to the coronavirus (Covid-19), the Governor of the State of Ohio declared a state of emergency.  The State of Ohio, local governments and park districts have imposed certain restrictions on activities in their respective jurisdictions, including gathering size and social proximity.

Until all restrictions on gathering size and proximity are lifted, hike leaders and hikers are responsible to hike in compliance with the Responsible Hiking Guidelines.
[posted ??-12/10/20]

New Curfews, Stay-at-home and Travel Advisories

From Peggy Koesel. CHC President

We have received email from a number of well-respected CHC members suggesting that we consider suspending hiking, particularly because there are curfews, stay-at-home and travel advisories in Summit, Medina and Cuyahoga Counties.

It does not appear that these advisories presently prohibit outdoor activities. Still, the Governor or local authorities may place further limits on activities. If there are expanded curfews, additional or further limits on gathering size and/or limits are placed on outdoor activities, we may have to suspend CHC hiking.

In the meantime, we expect every member to follow the Responsible Hiking Guidelines every day, on every hike. We do so out of respect for each other, for health care and other essential workers, and for our friends and neighbors in the communities where we hike. Please take care. [posted 11/20/2020-12/9/20]