SAIL Senior Hiking Club sets next hike for the afternoon of Thursday, July 27

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, July 27. Seniors should meet at the Swan Lake Senior Center for transportation to the trailhead, which will be chosen by the group participating that day.

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 Steve Hutchinson at 747-6859 or email him at shutchinson@sailinc.org. The calendar includes hiking, orienteering, kayaking, and other events for seniors, youth, and the disabled.

• SAIL events calendar for July 2017

Sitka Community Hospital launches Active August Fitness Challenge geared toward walking and biking

Commuting by bicycle or on foot is an economical and environmentally responsible way to simultaneously meet your needs for transportation, physical activity and fun all in one! In the month of August, Sitka Community Hospital will hold a summer fitness challenge encouraging Sitka residents to leave the car behind and instead enjoy a walk or bike ride as they do their regular errands and commutes.

Sitka residents can start logging trips at any point to be eligible for weekly drawing by completing one or more non-motorized transportation trips a week. On Tuesdays, starting on Aug. 8, one local resident will be selected to win a $100 gift certificate to a local business, the second-place winner will get a free class at the Hames Center. Cyclists or walkers who participate in all four weeks of the challenge will be entered into the grand prize drawing.

“Sitka really is a great place to experience on foot or bike and because we are compact, have courteous drivers, and a mild climate it’s possible to combine exercise with basic commuting. Every day lots of people in Sitka are doing just that,” Sitka Community Hospital Director of Health Promotion Doug Osborne said.

Participants can enter online at http://bit.ly/walkbikesitka  or drop off a hard copy at the Hames Center, Sitka Public Library, Sitka Public Health Center or Oceanside Therapy Center.

For more information, visit sitkahospital.org or call 747-0373.

• Sitka Community Hospital Active August Challenge Brochure 2017

SEARHC launches Southeast Wellness in Action fitness program in August

The SouthEast Alaska Regional Health Consortium (SEARHC) is launching the Southeast Wellness in Action fitness program, which takes place from Aug. 1-27 in several communities throughout the region.

The goal of the program is for people to get at least 30 minutes of healthy, physical activity each day during August. Participants are encouraged to walk, bike, swim, hike, dance, mow the lawn, play children’s games, garden, gather subsistence food, chop wood, etc., just get moving. There are 1,440 minutes in a day, so make 30 of them active.

Participants can register by going to http://www.surveymonkey.com/r/wellness-in-action or contacting their local SEARHC Health Educator (in Sitka, contact Heleena vanVeen at 966-8914 or heleenav@searhc.org) between July 17-28. The program also is available in Juneau, Kake, Klukwan, Klawock/Craig, and Haines (click this link for local contacts and program information). Participants will submit a weekly activity log to their local contact by noon on Monday to be included in weekly drawings for prizes.

SAIL Senior Hiking Club sets next hike for the afternoon of Thursday, July 13

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, July 13. Seniors should meet at the Swan Lake Senior Center for transportation to the trailhead for Herring Cove Trail.

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 Steve Hutchinson at 747-6859 or email him at shutchinson@sailinc.org. The calendar includes hiking, orienteering, kayaking, and other events for seniors, youth, and the disabled.

• SAIL events calendar for July 2017

Sitka Cancer Survivors Society to host celebration walk at Path of Hope park

A sculpture by Stephen Lawrie on the Path of Hope trail in Sitka.

The Sitka Cancer Survivors Society is planning a celebration event at 2 p.m. on Sunday, June 25, in honor of June being Cancer Survivor Month.

The society invites all those interested in joining them in walking through the “Path of Hope” park, celebrating with cancer survivors their families and friends.

Come meet the board members find out what we are all about, how we got started, and what we do to help support all those dealing with cancer. Refreshments will be served by the Sitka Emblem Club #142. Come and enjoy the beautiful park, and celebrate with fellow cancer survivors and their families.

The Path of Hope Inspirational Park is located on Moller Drive, behind Sitka Community Hospital and behind the running track at Moller Field.

The Sitka Cancer Survivors Society provides support for Sitka residents undergoing cancer treatment, and survivors of cancer. Any questions, please contact Carolyn Fredrickson at 623-7028.

• 2013 SCSS Path of Hope Brochure

KCAW-Raven Radio to host Only Fools Run At Midnight on Saturday, June 24

Mark your calendars! Sitka’s wildest running event, the 14th annual Only Fools Run at Midnight, is coming up at 11:59 p.m. on Saturday, June 24, with a brand new course. The race starts and finishes at Harrigan Centennial Hall and follows the Sitka Sea Walk (so no roads to cross, making it safer at night). KCAW-Raven Radio is delighted to bring you this costume-clad evening full of family fun and prizes.

Registration info and race details are available at kcaw.org, and the entry fee is $20 ($25 the night of the race). Prizes will be awarded for fastest finishers, best costumes, and wackiest centipede (five or more people attached in some form or fashion). Creativity is encouraged.

There are t-shirts for the first 200 to register, and lots of entertainment and fun to keep folks wide awake for the midnight run. Funky pre-race entertainment will be provided by the Sitka Fine Arts Camp staff.

For questions and more information, visit www.kcaw.org or contact Ken or Rachel Fate at 747-5877 or send email to foolsrun@kcaw.org.

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SAIL Senior Hiking Club sets next hike for the afternoon of Thursday, June 22

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, June 22. Seniors should meet at the Swan Lake Senior Center for transportation to the trailhead, which will be chosen by the group participating that day.

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 Steve Hutchinson at 747-6859 or email him at shutchinson@sailinc.org. The calendar includes hiking, orienteering, kayaking, and other events for seniors, youth, and the disabled.

• SAIL events calendar for June 2017