New Years Eve Hike!

IF YOU ARE ATTENDING THE *NEW YEARS EVE HIKE*, send an email to IndianaDunesHiking@Gmail.Com with names of each attending so that I can notify the park on the total quantity of hikers.

The media information for those who don't use Facebook:

"Ron Seman leading holiday hike at Indiana Dunes State Park on Friday, Dec 31, 2021

Local hiking guru and advocate Ron Seman will be leading a holiday hike at Indiana Dunes State Park on the evening of Friday, Dec. 31, 2021, after the Indiana Department of Natural Resources and the Friends of Indiana Dunes were unable this year to organize their annual Christmas Eve morning hike.

“So I planned this unofficial and unsupported hike/stroll as an alternative to sitting at home,” Seman said. “Come and get the best microbes from the greatest biodiversity density in America.”

Hikers/strollers will stay on hard-packed surfaces throughout. The hike will BEGIN at 6 p.m. and end around 8:30 p.m.

THE ROUTE

*Meet at the Nature Center, with overflowing parking at the North Orchard and Wilson shelters.

*Hike the Nature Center Trail adjacent to the Nature Center to Trail 10.

*Hike Trail 10 east to the "T" where we meet Trail 2.

*Take Trail 2 to the half-mile boardwalk and say hello or sing to the beavers.

*Continue on the boardwalk to Trail 2 where it turns back into a dirt trail and go west until there is the turn to the right to go to Wilson Shelter.

*As Trail 8's small boardwalk heading to the Nature Center is closed for replacement, we’ll walk along the side of the road to the next turn to the right, which is the North Orchard Shelter, where we will take the very short trail—only a few hundred feet—back to the Nature Center and parking lot.

NOTES:

*It is recommended that you bring a FLASHLIGHT and a red one is even better. Often on night hikes only about one in five needs to have a flashlight on because all the other lights illuminate the trail sufficiently, but it’s still recommended that you bring one.

*WATER is always recommended in refillable water containers as 70 percent of Americans are chronically dehydrated.

*Dress in LAYERS as you can always cool down if needed. Currently the temperature is expected to be in the lower 30s with no precipitation.

*Wear comfortable and warm shoes/boots.

*The distance is very roughly 3.5 to 4.0 miles depending on how much one meanders. There are essentially no steep hill climbs and no sand.

*Hiking polls should only be used if you are not close enough to someone to trip them.

THIS IS NOT a DNR or Indiana Dunes State Park sponsored event. This is just a bunch of random people out on a guideless hike, which anyone can do on any day until the park closes at 11PM, after which time you should not be in the park.

This hike will take roughly 2.5 hours depending on the speed one is able to hike while keeping adequate distance from each other.

EMAIL IndianaDunesHiking@gmail.com with your name(s) stating you will be attending so we can notify the Indiana Dunes State Park and other authorities by the end of Thursday, Dec. 30.

For more information about hiking the Dunes, go toIndianaDunesHiking.Com "

DRIVING VIDEO from Chesterton's Interstate 94 Exit 26A and 26B : https://youtu.be/mqxqH2vhvxE