A look back: Hiking spree Shield Assistance

Christy Counterman, Marketing Assistant

During the 50th Annual FHS, Bill Wilkerson, Bill Barnes, and Annette & Eric Thorson volunteer during Shield Assistance in 2013.

If you’ve seen the phrase, “Is attaching the hiking spree shield more challenging than actually hiking the eight trails?” in any of our publications, you’ll be glad one of our dedicated volunteers started a tradition that has lasted for more than 20 years.

Hikers of all ages at the 2016 Shield Assistance, celebrating the park district’s 95th anniversary.

The late Bill Barnes, a Summit Metro Parks volunteer from 1992 to 2022, often handed our Fall Hiking Spree shields to visitors at F.A. Seiberling Nature Realm and was sympathetic to those who were having problems attaching the shields to their staffs. In 2000, he started taking home first-year hikers’ staffs and attaching the shields to them, but returning hikers still had to do the job themselves. So, Bill gathered fellow volunteers Dick Bennett, Lloyd Bresley, Doug Dawes and Bill Wilkerson to host the first “Shield Assistance” workshop. They were surprised when hikers showed up with not only the current year’s shield, but handfuls of shields from years past. People had tried tape or glue, and often accidentally bent the tiny nails attempting to affix their rewards.

Bill Barnes had two hiking staffs, one adorned with Summit Metro Parks spree shields and another with shields from his travels.

Thousands of shields and many years later, the crews have changed but the spirit of the event remains strong. We look forward to seeing you after you complete this year’s spree! Visit the Fall Hiking Spree webpage for a list of this season’s Shield Assistance days.

For more stories like this, check out Green Islands magazine, a bi-monthly publication from Summit Metro Parks. Summit County residents can sign up to receive the publication at home free of charge.