When three friends who have shared 35 years of friendship signed up for the Metroparks Trail Challenge, we had no idea how much more it would become than checking parks off a list and getting in some extra steps.

Living miles apart can make it difficult to find time together and this challenge gave us the perfect reason to reconnect. Over the past few months, we’ve laced up our hiking shoes, explored new trails, and spent hours walking, talking, laughing, and catching up.

Each park offered something different—the changing scenery, peaceful trails, beautiful views, and little moments of nature that we might otherwise have missed. Our collective favorite (so far – we still have a few to complete) is Lake Erie. We walked it on a cloudy and drizzly day but somehow that made it even more beautiful. We laughed over getting lost a few times in various parks and did the whole 8+ miles at Kensington one day 🙂

The best part of this challenge was having the opportunity to experience it all together. We are so grateful that it brought us together to create lasting memories. -Becky