Walnut Creek’s Walking Buddies is celebrating 25 years of group outings on trails in the city and surrounding communities.
The Walnut Creek Seniors Club program averages about 25 participants a week, coordinator Rolando Salazar wrote in a Nov. 11 anniversary post. The group adopted its name Sept. 1, 2001.
Tuesday walks begin at the designated trailhead at 9:15 a.m. and generally finish around 10:45 a.m., according to the anniversary listing. Routes cover approximately four miles on flat paved or gravel trails.
The group’s Walking Buddies page lists Seniors Club membership and agreement to a liability waiver as participation requirements. Prospective walkers can contact Salazar at [email protected] to confirm arrangements and receive weekly route information.
Salazar and Lou Ann Maihofer now coordinate the program, with Maihofer leading the walks. They have identified about 55 or more routes, allowing the group to visit a different location most weeks.
Members including Clement Choy, Sonia Rodriguez, Dave Gee, Anita Kent, Teresa Lee and Virginia Lombardo help during outings, Salazar wrote.
The anniversary also recognizes earlier organizers. Maureen Fischl, the first coordinator, spent roughly a decade arranging Tuesday and Thursday outings. Rob Laaback helped lead hikes and drove the city van.
Around 2010, Salazar took responsibility for Tuesday walks alongside John Walkinshaw. They mapped routes and began emailing participants descriptions and meeting locations.
After Fischl stepped away, Anne Sheldon and Mona Taucher coordinated Thursday hikes, with members leading more demanding outings.
Activities stopped during the COVID-19 pandemic. Afterward, participation in Thursday hikes declined until those outings ended, leaving the Tuesday program. Walkinshaw moved to Rossmoor and joined a hiking group there.
Former coordinators recently reunited for lunch to mark the anniversary, Salazar wrote.
