Front Row: Tom Zemke, Mary Hill, Matt Shriver, Dennis Zigmunt, Kay Thomas, Sandy Mednick, Diana Bedwell, Laurie Rosenbloom, Dana Thomas, Pam Marshall, Linda Schmillen, Laurie Malatesta. Back Row: Tom Wellman, Joyce Raidle, Barb Kripps, Alex Elijew, Beverly Kim, Charlene Elijew. (Photo by Ruth Bindler)
Ruth Bindler
On April 27, Sandy Mednick achieved 4,000 miles in White Tanks Regional Park with the PebbleCreek Hiking Club. Sandy and her husband, David, moved from Washington, D.C., to PebbleCreek in 2011. Sandy started hiking and made her way slowly to her first 1,000 milestone. Then, as she made friends in the club and the club increased its weekly guided hikes, Sandy’s miles accrued quickly. In addition to hiking, Sandy practices yoga, enjoys cards and walks with friends, is a member of the Shalom Club, and works as part of the stage crew in the Renaissance Theater. She also was the club secretary and now serves on the Hiking Club Safety Committee, which provides vital services to the club. A medical kit and Garmin InReach are carried by the leader on all club hikes, mandatory safety items are part of each hiker’s personal packs, radios ensure that the leader and sweep are in easy contact, each club meeting features a “Safety Moment” to keep members focused on safe practices, and any time a hiker needs to turn back or obtain assistance, a review is conducted for any lessons that might be learned. As the weather turns warm, a focus on adequate water and electrolytes, cooling towels, and umbrellas are important for all.