First Day Hikes kicks off new year

Parks across region host events with varying degrees of difficulty

Celebrating the new year has become synonymous with fireworks, ball drops, Champagne toasts and, since 1992, hiking boots.

For those looking to kickstart their health resolutions, shake off the prior night’s partying or spend time outdoors, First Day Hikes brings the new year celebration to parks nationwide. On Jan. 1, parks across the region are hosting hikes with a range of difficulties to suit everyone from seasoned hikers to families looking for a few hours of fresh air.

First Day Hikes are the brainchild of the late Patrick Flynn, the former supervisor for the Blue Hills Reservation in Milton, Mass., who thought hot soup and a guided hike on New Year’s Day would encourage people to visit the park during the winter months. The first hike launched in 1992 with 380 participants. By 2012, hikes were happening in all 50 states with almost 55,000 hikers walking 133,000 miles of trails across the country last year.

For Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site, the new year will mark the park’s first First Day Hike. Paul Banks, the site manager, helped organize the new year hikes at other sites, and, after he was promoted at Schoharie Crossing, was tasked with bringing the event to the park.

“It’s exciting. I’m getting more and more phone calls, more people are interested,” said Banks, noting the park’s Facebook event has more than 100 people interested in joining. There will be no cap on the number of hikers.

The Schoharie Crossing hike will begin at 1 p.m., giving those who stayed up late ringing in the new year a chance to sleep in. Banks will lead the 5-mile hike along the tow paths, which highlight the region’s histo

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first place,” she said.

Schofield, 44, pleaded guilty in January to 12 felony charges, admitting he fraudulently filed absentee ballots in 2021 using the personal information of at least eight voters without their permission.

The federal probe that resulted in Schofield’s plea also led to the earlier guilty plea of Troy Council Member Kimberly Ashe-McPherson, who resigned from the panel.

A family plans out a trail to tackle while taking their First Day hike at Five Rivers Environmental Education Center on Jan. 1, 2021, in Delmar. Parks across the Capital Region are participating in the nationwide First Day Hikes — some for the first time, others continuing a long tradition — on Jan. 1.