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SAIL Senior Hiking Club sets next hike for the afternoon of Thursday, Feb. 21

The Sitka office of Southeast Alaska Independent Living Inc. (SAIL) has announced its next Senior Hiking Club hike will be from 1:30-4 p.m. (note time change) on Thursday, Feb. 21. Seniors should meet at the Swan Lake Senior Center for transportation to the Indian River Trail trailhead.

Normally, the group picks the trail on the day of the hike, but occasionally a trail is picked before the event. SAIL makes trekking poles available for hikers to use (trekking poles are great on ice or uneven terrain, and they help seniors keep their balance), and hikers are encouraged to bring ice cleats such as YakTrax during the icy months of winter.

SAIL offers Senior Hiking Club events for those age 60 or older once a month, usually on the second or third Thursday. There is a $5 fee, but nobody will be turned away because of finances. The hikes are open to people of all abilities and fitness levels. To learn more about the Senior Hiking Club, check out our January 2013 post introducing the club.

To learn more about the Senior Hiking Club, senior and adaptive kayaking trips, senior cycling events, and and a variety of other outdoors skills and survival classes, contact SAIL ORCA (Outdoor Recreation and Community Access) program coordinator Joel Hanson at 747-6859 or email him at jhanson@sailinc.org. The calendar includes hiking, orienteering, kayaking, and other events for seniors, youth, and the disabled.

• SAIL events calendar for February 2019

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SAIL Senior Hiking Club sets next hike for the afternoon of Thursday, Feb. 14

The Sitka office of Southeast Alaska Independent Living Inc. (SAIL) has announced its next Senior Hiking Club hike will be from 1-3:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 14. Seniors should meet at the Swan Lake Senior Center for transportation to the Green Lake Road trailhead.

Normally, the group picks the trail on the day of the hike, but occasionally a trail is picked before the event. SAIL makes trekking poles available for hikers to use (trekking poles are great on ice or uneven terrain, and they help seniors keep their balance), and hikers are encouraged to bring ice cleats such as YakTrax during the icy months of winter.

SAIL offers Senior Hiking Club events for those age 60 or older once a month, usually on the second or third Thursday. There is a $5 fee, but nobody will be turned away because of finances. The hikes are open to people of all abilities and fitness levels. To learn more about the Senior Hiking Club, check out our January 2013 post introducing the club.

To learn more about the Senior Hiking Club, senior and adaptive kayaking trips, senior cycling events, and and a variety of other outdoors skills and survival classes, contact SAIL ORCA (Outdoor Recreation and Community Access) program coordinator Joel Hanson at 747-6859 or email him at jhanson@sailinc.org. The calendar includes hiking, orienteering, kayaking, and other events for seniors, youth, and the disabled.

• SAIL events calendar for February 2019

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SEARHC, Stride 365 co-host Run for Heart Healthy Month on Saturday, Feb. 2

The SouthEast Alaska Regional Health Consortium (SEARHC) and Run Sitka’s Stride 365 program will co-host the Run for Heart Healthy Month on Saturday, Feb. 2.

Runners should meet at 9 a.m. for a 9:30 a.m. race start at the O’Connell Bridge Lightering Facility. The cost of the five-kilometer race and two-mile walk is a donation of $10. Proceeds benefit the city‘s Electrical Department Fund, which provides relief to lower-income residents who need help paying their utility bills.

Each month SEARHC and Run Sitka (#runsitka) host a Stride 365 event on the first Saturday of every month, with proceeds going to a different charity in Sitka. For more information, please contact Lesa Way by email at lesaw@searhc.org, or by phone at 966-8804 or 738-3924.

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SAIL Senior Hiking Club sets next hike for the afternoon of Thursday, Jan. 31

The Sitka office of Southeast Alaska Independent Living Inc. (SAIL) has announced its next Senior Hiking Club hike will be from 1-3:30 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 31. Seniors should meet at the Swan Lake Senior Center for transportation to the Blue Lake Road trailhead.

Normally, the group picks the trail on the day of the hike, but occasionally a trail is picked before the event. SAIL makes trekking poles available for hikers to use (trekking poles are great on ice or uneven terrain, and they help seniors keep their balance), and hikers are encouraged to bring ice cleats such as YakTrax during the icy months of winter.

Also, there will be a senior kayaking pool training event from 1-3 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 24, at the Blatchley Middle School swimming pool.

SAIL offers Senior Hiking Club events for those age 60 or older once a month, usually on the second or third Thursday. There is a $5 fee, but nobody will be turned away because of finances. The hikes are open to people of all abilities and fitness levels. To learn more about the Senior Hiking Club, check out our January 2013 post introducing the club.

To learn more about the Senior Hiking Club, senior and adaptive kayaking trips, senior cycling events, and and a variety of other outdoors skills and survival classes, contact SAIL ORCA (Outdoor Recreation and Community Access) program coordinator Joel Hanson at 747-6859 or email him at jhanson@sailinc.org. The calendar includes hiking, orienteering, kayaking, and other events for seniors, youth, and the disabled.

• SAIL events calendar for January 2019

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Third annual Women’s March on Sitka, aka #WomensWave, takes place Jan. 19

Women throughout America will be marching again on Saturday, Jan. 19, and that includes in Sitka.

Cathy Lieser and Marian Allen lead marchers in the 2017 Women’s March. Note how the procession was long enough to completely wrap around St. Michael’s Russian Orthodox Cathedral with an overlap between the march leaders and trailers.

The third annual Sitka Women’s March (this year called #WomensWave) meets at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 19, at Crescent Harbor Shelter. The route will include a march up Lincoln Street, a loop of St. Michael’s Russian Orthodox Cathedral, and back down Lincoln Street to the St. Peter’s By The Sea Episcopal Church See House.

Women and allies in the country are marching and protesting again to make a difference and amplify their voices. This year they want to show their support to #MMIW – Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women.

Alaska can’t be silent about the following data: “Four out of five of our Native women are affected by violence today; the U.S. Department of Justice found that American Indian women face murder rates that are more than 10 times the national average. Homicide is the third leading cause of death among those 10-24 years of age and the fifth leading cause of death for American Indian and Alaska Native women between 25 and 34 years of age.” – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Homicide.

“Joining the march on Saturday, Jan. 19, in Sitka is sending a clear message to our community, our state and our neighbors: We all need to work together to eradicate the horror of living in a world of missing and murdered Indigenous women,” wrote Maite Lorente, one of the Sitka event organizers.

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Sitka to host inaugural Alaska Walk and Bike Conference on June 4-8

Are you looking for ways to make Alaska more walking and bicycling friendly? Sitka will host the inaugural Alaska Walk and Bike Conference on June 4-8.

While the agenda is still being finalized (a tentative agenda is posted below), there will be a two-day Smart Cycling class (from the League of American Bicyclists training program), and two days of work sessions about how to be a better bicycling and walking advocate. The last day includes a Saturday hike and bike ride, and maybe a harbor cruise.

Why is this conference in Sitka? Sitka is the only community in Alaska with both a Bicycle Friendly Community designation (Silver) and a Walk Friendly Communities designation (Bronze). This is a chance to see what works in Sitka, and some of the challenges it still faces in its efforts to become more walkable and bikeable.

Prices are low for this event — $25 for the Smart Cycling training on June 4-5, $25 for the Walk/Bike work sessions on June 6-7, or $40 for the whole conference. If we are able to secure the harbor cruise, there probably will be an extra fee for it. There also are special conference rates at the Aspen Hotel, which is downtown and within easy walking distance of most community facilities.

For more details, contact Doug Osborne at (907) 747-0373 or akwalkbikeconference@gmail.com.

• Tentative agenda for 2019 Alaska Walk and Bike Conference in Sitka

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SAIL Senior Hiking Club sets next hike for the afternoon of Thursday, Jan. 17

The Sitka office of Southeast Alaska Independent Living Inc. (SAIL) has announced its next Senior Hiking Club hike will be from 1-3:30 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 17. Seniors should meet at the Swan Lake Senior Center for transportation to the Harbor Mountain Road trailhead.

Normally, the group picks the trail on the day of the hike, but occasionally a trail is picked before the event. SAIL makes trekking poles available for hikers to use (trekking poles are great on ice or uneven terrain, and they help seniors keep their balance), and hikers are encouraged to bring ice cleats such as YakTrax during the icy months of winter.

Also, there will be a senior kayaking pool training event from 1-3 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 24, at the Blatchley Middle School swimming pool.

SAIL offers Senior Hiking Club events for those age 60 or older once a month, usually on the second or third Thursday. There is a $5 fee, but nobody will be turned away because of finances. The hikes are open to people of all abilities and fitness levels. To learn more about the Senior Hiking Club, check out our January 2013 post introducing the club.

To learn more about the Senior Hiking Club, senior and adaptive kayaking trips, senior cycling events, and and a variety of other outdoors skills and survival classes, contact SAIL ORCA (Outdoor Recreation and Community Access) program coordinator Joel Hanson at 747-6859 or email him at jhanson@sailinc.org. The calendar includes hiking, orienteering, kayaking, and other events for seniors, youth, and the disabled.

• SAIL events calendar for January 2019