The idea of a Manual Hiking Club, developed by Sarah Fischer (12) and Erin Bridges (12), still is unofficial due to possible injuries. The two seniors proposed the idea earlier this year.
“Mr. Wooldridge is worried about kids getting hurt while hiking and thus, having the potential to put liability on the school. Long story short, we’re still trying to get the club authorized,” Bridges said.
“[Right now,] the hikes we go on are all outside of school and organized through a group on Facebook,” Fischer said. “We haven’t really had a so-called ‘sign up,’ but about 30 people showed up to our interest meeting…We’re probably going to plan another one soon, but I’m not sure where.”
The start of a hiking club came about after Bridges and Fischer had chemistry together last year. According to Bridges, even though they hadn’t known each other beforehand, Bridges and Fischer eventually found that they had a lot in common, especially a love for the outdoors. The next summer, they and some friends hiked together at Jefferson Memorial Forest. That was where Fischer proposed the idea for Hiking Club.
“I really hope that the club will be authorized so we can meet more on a bi-weekly basis. We don’t have anything set in stone, so it’s hard to get people interested in a club that’s not truly real yet. I hope that it will continue into next year and that students will get as excited as we are about the outdoors,” Bridges said.
