125 miles. 18 MetroParks. 7 days.

By now, most Miami Valley residents know of Five Rivers MetroParks and have been to at least one facility; however, lots of people are not aware of just how many facilities there are or where they are located throughout the county. Former MetroParks employee Angie Sullivan wanted to do something to raise awareness about the park system and educate the public about the fantastic albeit untapped resources to which they have free access. “Most folks I talk to might be familiar with one or two parks they frequent, but when I tell them we have 25 facilities located throughout the county, they’re shocked,” Sullivan says. Thus, the Kettering resident decided to do something that would showcase all Five Rivers MetroParks has to offer:

Sullivan, along with her fiancé Shane Sheldon, will hike to each MetroPark in just one week.

The couple will cover about 125 miles in approximately seven days, blogging, tweeting and snapping photos of the parks along the way. “We thought this would be a great way for people at home to take a virtual tour of all the MetroParks,” says Five Rivers MetroParks Outdoor Recreation Department Director Greg Brumitt. “It’s imperative during this election season that we make sure the voters know exactly what they get with a ‘yes’ vote – or what they’ll miss out on if they vote ‘no.’ Our park-wide festivals and entertainment events are fun, but if you just visit the parks during festivals, you’re not getting the whole picture. Park Trek will raise awareness of all our facilities in a context of nature and conservation, the core reasons why citizens founded the MetroParks in 1963.”

Park Trek will start and end in downtown Dayton. A kickoff celebration took place at Issue 4 campaign headquarters before they took off for RiverScape MetroPark, then lunched at the PNC 2nd Street Market. Then, Sullivan and Sheldon headed off to Eastwood, Huffman and Carriage Hill MetroParks. The next day, the couple traveled to Taylorsville, Aullwood Garden and Englewood MetroParks. Monday’s stops included Trotwood’s Wetland Mitigation Bank, then on to camp at Germantown MetroPark. On Tuesday, the couple will hike to Twin Creek and Possum Creek MetroParks, followed by Cox Arboretum and Sugarcreek MetroParks on Wednesday. Hills & Dales, Sunrise and Wesleyan make up day six of Park Trek, and Sullivan and Sheldon wrap up the first-ever Five Rivers MetroPark facility circumnavigation at Wegerzyn Gardens, Island and Deeds Point MetroParks. The public is invited to welcome Sullivan and Sheldon back when they reach Deeds Point at approximately 9:30 a.m. Friday, Oct. 30. “We’ll be tired, for sure, but hopefully it will all be worth it to make people aware of this great park system they have,” Sullivan says.

Sullivan and Sheldon say they understand the importance and unique value of Park Trek, and they are looking forward to getting to know the MetroParks in a new way as well as generate awareness about the park system. “I know what people might think when I tell them Shane and I are going to hike 125 miles in a week,” Sullivan laughs. “But we love taking on challenges like this. It took us five months to hike the 2,170-mile Appalachian Trail, so I think it’s safe to say we’re prepared for Park Trek.”

Follow Angie and Shane's Park Trek on their Trail Journal blog, Facebook, Flickr, and Twitter.