I noticed that the Hamilton County Park District has posted information for this year's hiking staff program. If you are not familiar with it, the hiking staff program is a neat program where you can hike 7 Hamilton county park trails within the course of a year and then qualify for a hiking staff or emblem. It is a neat little challenge and a great way to introduce younger family members to some of the great park trails in the county. Many of the trails are under a mile in length all the way up to the 7.8 mile outer loop of the Shaker Trace Trail at Miami Whitewater Forest.
The link to an Adobe PDF file that can be printed out is at:
http://www.hamiltoncountyparks.org/rec_trails/Hiking_Staff_Record_2008.pdf
You will need a copy of the free Adobe Reader to view this file. It contains more information on the program, and a list of trails and the parks they are located in. The hiking staffs are only $3.00, and then you can purchase emblems for $2.00 for each following year you complete the program.
It is pretty simple to complete 7 trails within a year, and there are probably a few who could easily do it in a single day. I think it is a fun way to introduce kids to the fun of hiking, and they should get a kick out of working toward their very own hiking staff. I completed this for the first time last year with my three daughters, and plan to do it again this year. I will be sure to add my trip reports and photos as each trail is completed.
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