Health & wellness
BY VANESSA HOLT
The Woodlands Hiking Club has taken several longer excursions to locations like Iceland.
The Woodlands Hiking Club takes several expeditions each year outside of Texas, including a trip the group made to the Catskill Mountains in 2024.
PHOTOS COURTESY THE WOODLANDS HIKING CLUB
The Woodlands Hiking Club members plan nature walks for tness, friendship and community
Rene and Jenette Champagne took part in hikes to locations including Iceland as part of the club.
Membership in The Woodlands Hiking Club has taken club President Jenette Champagne to locations around Texas and as far as Iceland in the past 12 years, but the group o ers activity levels for a wide range of outdoor enthusiasts, she said. Champagne said she and her husband, Rene, moved to The Woodlands from Florida and joined the club in 2012, but the club was formed in 1982 as a way to provide safe group hiking activities. The club holds day hikes several times each month that are within about an hour of The Wood- lands as well as monthly weekend camping trips further away. Several times a year an extended trip is held out of state or out of the country. The most recent international trip was a September hiking trip to Iceland, and a trip to Maine is planned in Septem- ber, she said. The overview Champagne said there are about 60 active members in the group, with about 20 often going on the longer expeditions. Members do not have to be from The Woodlands, however, with membership including those from Huntsville to Baytown. Hikers can go at their own rate, such as those who want to go slower and bring cameras for bird or nature photography. A Saturday morning hike might be 5-10 miles, but not all participants hike the entire length, she said.
“We go at a pace where it builds our heart rate,” Champagne said. “I feel like my joints are in good shape, my legs are strong, and also I think it helps our balance as well—it’s all these things that are important as we get older.” Who it’s for Members must be 18 and over, Champagne said. Those interested in becoming a member should submit an application with their rst $25 annual membership dues. According to the club website, members should discuss their intent to engage in hiking with their physician and know their own physical limitations. Get involved Monthly meetings are held at 6:30 p.m. the rst Wednesday of the month from September to May at the W.G. Jones State Forest O ce, 1328 FM 1488, Conroe, according to the group’s website. December meetings are replaced by a holiday party. Champagne said membership in the club has been a valuable experience to get to know those in the community and to see more of the world. “I’d like to say that joining the club has literally changed my life because I have now explored places in Texas and around the country that I never would have gone to otherwise, and I also feel like it’s de nitely been bene cial for my health,” she said.
The club also takes day trips to places like the Lake Houston Wilderness Park.
Essential hiking supplies
Snacks
Hiking pole
Day pack
Comfortable shoes and socks
Water
Multiple layers of clothing
www.woodlandshikingclub.org
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THE WOODLANDS EDITION
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