Old News
This page displays our archive of past news items. Items are listed in reverse chronological order when they were moved to this page.
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:
- 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?
- What barriers get in the way of enjoying or visiting Cuyahoga Valley National Park? What barriers prevent you from achieving your desired experiences?
- What strategies do you recommend the planning team consider to address barriers and/or key issues and opportunities?
- What activities, facilities, and services would make you feel more welcome, safe, or satisfied with your experience?
- 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]
Club members who received a printed schedule will notice that it is different from the ones posted online. The printer made an error; we apologize for not catching it and will discuss the issue with our printer. Matt, Chief Pathfinder [posted 3/3/21-3/19/21]
Hike 1G (South Chagrin on March 1 at 9:30)-location change from Jackson Field to "Look About Lodge".
Victor
(posted 2/28-3/1/21)
March 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 2/21/2021-2/28/2021]
Hike Leaders
Matt, Chief Pathfinder [posted 2/16/2021-2/23/2021]
CHC Does Not Cancel Hikes in Advance
CHC policy is to NOT cancel hikes in advance. Hikes can be cancelled in progress for dangerous weather (lightning, tornado warnings, etc.)
It is up to the individual hiker to determine if rain, ice, or snow should determine their participation in a hike.
Hike Leader Responsibilities
It is the responsibility of the hike leader to find a substitute leader in case he or she is unable to lead their hike. If a leader cannot be found in advance of the starting time, a substitute leader can be selected by the group in attendance.
Location Changes
If the starting location of a hike needs to be changed, an eblast can be sent out to members. However, the leader should assign someone to be at the listed location to direct anyone who did not receive the information to the new location
[posted 2/10/2020-2/17/2021]
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
The January 1 Hikes are Cancelled
If you downloaded either the one or three-column December schedule prior to 12/25, note that although two hikes were listed for 1/1, these hikes have been cancelled due to the large number of people who usually participate.
[posted 12/30/2020-1/1/2021]
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]
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 12/3/2020-12/17/20]
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]