How to Enjoy our Walks: A Step-by-Step Guide
In a sport as casual and fun as ours, getting started is easy. Show up at a Hosted Event, look for someone who looks like they've been around before, and tell them "I'm new. How do I get started?" We are all happy to help!
Finding Events
By 'event', we mean Volkswalks, Volksbikes, Volksskies or Volksswims. Swimming and Skiing events are not offered regularly in Oregon or SW Washington. There are two sources on this Website: Hosted Events and Map-Guided Events (also known as Year-Round Events or YRE's).
To find our hosted events, check this web site or sign up for a free subscription to our weekly email walk announcement for the latest information and news:
Sign up to receive event notices by email:
All events are open to everyone regardless of race, creed, color, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, or gender. We encourage all to participate to the best of their ability.
At the hosted events, you will usually find a table covered over with brochures. Most people come away with a handful of them. These will tell you of future events, both the hosted type and the map-guided Year-Round Events .
Year-Round Events usually consist of a "start box" located at a health club, hospital or large store that offers access at convenient hours. A start box may be a stand-alone podium or a two-drawer file cabinet. Contained inside are instructions, sign-in sheets and maps. These also require you to take an envelope or start card with you.
For YRE's, the checkpoint is usually some permanent feature along the route. It could be the name of a statue you will pass, the color of a house along the route or the number of steps on a footbridge that you cross. This insures that you complete the entire distance. Don't forget to bring a pen to write the checkpoint answer!
YRE's differ from Hosted Events in some important ways. These are unmarked and require the use of a map and directions. We devote a lot of effort to making these easy to follow. You follow the route on your own, at nearly any time convenient to you. YRE's must be completed during daylight hours for safety reasons.
We also send news releases to all of the main Oregon Newspapers, as well as The Columbian in Vancouver, Washington.
Registering
Each event has a specific start point. If it is a hosted event, there will be volunteers handy to guide you through the simple, one-minute process. You will be asked to sign a liability waiver, and then you will receive a numbered start card. There will also be maps with directions.
You are welcome to participate at absolutely no charge, though you must still complete the registration form. Those who participate for distance or event credit pay a modest fee (usually $3.00) at the start.
Typical Event
Hosted events are usually well marked using the popular pink arrows and spotted pink tape. Follow the markings or the instructions on your map. We usually have a checkpoint with water and a rest room. Volunteers at the checkpoint will mark your start card as you pass.
Most Volkswalks and Volksbikes are friendly to children - we like
routes that favor strollers. Wheelchairs are also welcome and we
accommodate them whenever possible. If a route is NOT suitable for either
or both, our brochures tell you why. Most clubs offer alternate routes for
wheelchairs and strollers.
Walk Difficulty Rating
- Easy walk on pavement or good trails with no significant hills. It takes the average walker two hours or so to complete a walk with this rating.
- Moderately easy. May be on trails that are not as well maintained. No significant difficulty with hills.
- Moderate walk. Some difficult terrain, substantial hills and/or steps.
- A more difficult walk, perhaps on poorly maintained trails.
- Very difficult, steep hills, rough terrain. For those in good physical shape.
Remember that nasty weather can make an event much harder to complete!
Finishing
With few exceptions, the finishing point is also at the start point. Turn in your start card so that we will know that you completed the event. Otherwise, we may have to send someone to go looking for you! And that's it. Don't forget to grab a brochure or two before you leave.
Awards
Those participating for distance and event credit carry two special booklets. At the finish table of Hosted Events, a volunteer will place an ink stamp in each book. One booklet shows how many events you have completed, the other shows the total distance you have covered. You can only receive one event credit per walk, but you can walk or bike an event more than once if you want more distance credits. You stamp your own book at Map-Guided events.
The clubs usually offer a variety of colorful pins, medals or patches that commemorate the event. These are popular collector items. Veteran walkers are sometimes covered in them! These awards typically cost a few dollars in addition to the registration fee.
Questions?
If you need more information, please visit one of the hosted events. There is nearly always a volunteer who is dedicated to assisting new walkers. Here is even more information from our national organization, the American Volkssport Association. You can also visit our contacts page and drop us a note.