Mendocino County holds unmatched incredible natural wonders, from the rocky shoreline cliffs of Fort Bragg to the greenery in the sunlit corners of Ukiah. The Hiking Club gives students the unique chance to traverse Mendocino County’s many hiking trails, witnessing for themselves these breathtaking sights. Two club members, Noah Edelman and Amanda Mucho, provided their opinions on the club, and what their time in it has been like.
According to Edelman, “I joined mostly for the social aspect. I’d heard a lot about it and I saw that a lot of my friends were in it, so I figured I might as well join.” He elaborated on this, saying, “I deepened and developed my relationships a lot more by socializing with them in that environment.”
Mucho had a similar point of view, saying, “I really like spending time outside and meeting new people. I also know a lot of people in the club…I’ve gotten to know a lot of people better through it.”
Edelman, like Mucho, loves spending time in Mendocino County’s outdoor scene. “I have also come to appreciate that it’s taking advantage of the fact that we are in a beautiful natural area. I appreciate the overall idea of the club.”
Edelman, describing his favorite memory made in Hiking Club, said, “We went on a hike at the coast. It was quite nice. It was a beautiful hike and it was a very nice day.” Later, he admitted, “All of the hikes have been fantastic and I have wonderful memories with the club.”
Mucho also described an experience she remembers fondly, saying, “We recently went to Montgomery Woods. Another club member and I decided we were going to go all the way up a mountain.” Smiling at the memory, she explained, “We kept on saying, ‘We’re not going any higher’, but we went higher.” Mucho later added, “It wasn’t the typical hike people think of, where you stay on the trail one-hundred percent of the time. There was exploring and just teenagers being teenagers.”
When asked what he would say to someone considering joining Hiking Club, Edelman said, “Absolutely go for it. It’s a fantastic environment and everyone here wants to have you. I think it’s simply a fantastic club.” He later added, “it’s an opportunity that’s almost bad not to take advantage of… We can take advantage of the fact that we have all of this natural beauty around us and all of these hikes we can go on. It’s an important part of being where we are to do this.” Mucho, when asked the same question, said, “You won’t want to back out if you join. It’s addicting.”
If you’re interested in joining, follow them on Instagram at uhs.hiking.club and attend their weekly meetings at lunch on Tuesdays in F9.
