Sewing, pickleball, gardening and music are among Aiken Senior Life Services' focal points from day to day, and yoga instructor Cheryl Murga has helped add hiking to the list over the past several months.
Murga, a native of Jackson, New Jersey, got plenty of queries about how she manages to stay in good shape, and she provided some guidance: "It all comes from being active."
She invited her questioners to join her for a hike. The idea was an instant hit, resulting in the formation of a hiking group that hit its first trail in September 2023 and has now stretched its legs, normally on one weekend per month, in such locales as Boyd Pond Park, Redcliffe Plantation State Park, Hitchcock Woods, Barnwell State Park and Edgar Brown Lake.
Some hikers, looking for more frequent fellowship, have joined Murga and friends Linda Phile and Roz Nuesch for extra mileage — sometimes on dirt, and sometimes opting for pavement.
The smaller group, numbering about 12-13, convenes multiple times per week, including a Monday gathering in Citizens Park at 10 a.m., "and then we try to meet at least twice a week after that," Nuesch said.
Murga added, "Before the yoga class, we meet, and we do like four or five miles at Citizens Park, and then during the week, we'll meet and do something else."
Virginia Acres Park, largely known as the home of H. Odell Weeks Activities Center, is another locale of choice, and it's all familiar territory for Murga, a Sierra Club-certified hike leader, with a keen desire "to keep people social, to keep people moving," she said. "There's so many reasons to get out there in the environment. That was the main goal."
Phile recalled, "This group has been life-changing for me. My mental health has improved. My physical health has improved. My social life went from nothing to amazing."
Recent events included an April 13 gathering in Aiken State Park, in cooperation with Aiken Land Conservancy, with the organization's executive director, Peter Kleinhenz, shedding light on salamanders, titmice, carnivorous plants and other creations along the way.
"It's been an amazing adventure," Phile said, "and I'm looking forward to keeping it going."
Nuesch noted that hopes are for the group to establish a Facebook page as a way of improving communication. "We try to meet a couple of times a week," she added.
Phile noted that would-be hikers can expect some friendly tips from Murga, by way of email and texts, involving such possible concerns as mud, snacks, water, binoculars, ticks and mosquitoes.
Murga confirmed that surprises can be welcome, such as the sudden appearance of a great blue heron, or unnerving, such as the sound of gunshots close to a hike site, or the evidence of a recent visit by wild boars.
One "not-so-nice surprise" was an alligator stretched across a trail, forcing hikers to consider whether to take a short, extremely cautious detour or to backtrack on the four miles they had already covered. Some of South Carolina's relative newcomers, she noted, are apparently unaware that much of the state is alligator habitat.
Murga, who also occasionally offers an ASLS presentation on foraging, added that her role as a hike leader includes sharing protocol, such as the principles of ethical foraging; respecting the environment and the animals that live there; and honoring the "carry-in, carry-out" concept — leaving no litter or other debris behind.
