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Stepping out and keeping fit

By Meg Olson

A growing crowd has been taking to the streets of Point Roberts twice a week. Up to two dozen walkers meet Tuesdays and Thursdays at different locations around town, spend an hour getting some fresh air and exercise and then gather for a little sustenance at a group member’s home or a local restaurant. “We walk and then we eat,” said Bev Griffiths, one of the program organizers. “It’s a social time.”

On Tuesdays the group starts at Lighthouse park and walks to the marina and back, using the new trails being developed by the marina. They end up at Sally Roberts’ home on Marine Drive. “It’s been wonderful and really gratifying,” Roberts said. “We’re a completely non-exclusive group and welcome everyone, whether it’s one time or every time,” she said.

On Thursdays they venture a little further afield. In February, the group took the community van to Maple Beach and walked all the way up Roosevelt and Province to the Cannon home on Shady Glen Avenue. On another outing they walked from the Roof House restaurant to Monument Park and then back for coffee and muffins. A favorite jaunt is from Lighthouse Park to the Dockside Café for breakfast. “We hope to expand our explorations off the Point using the community van once the van can go into Canada,” Roberts said. The Whatcom Transportation Authority is currently working on permitting for the van in Canada.

Esther Rosenthal said the walking program was a goal of a team of six local seniors who attended the Comprehensive Health Education Foundation conference in Seaside Oregon in October. “It’s one of the best forms of exercise and everyone can join in,” she said. Previous walking programs were less successful, she said, because of time conflicts with things like the Wednesday senior center lunches. Tuesday and Thursday morning walks don’t take participants away from other local events and add another social occasion to the calendar for local residents. “It’s a good time and good for us,” Rosenthal said.

Future excursions may include a jaunt around South Beach starting from Trinity Lutheran Church, or a little offroad adventure. “We’re finding all these different trails.” Walks start at 8 a.m. on the dot on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. Drop in at the senior center at the Gulf Road community center to find out where upcoming walks are planned, or call Roberts at 945-1804.

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