If you haven’t worked it out yet, several years ago I ran arguably one of the fastest-growing hiking MeetUp groups in Victoria – The Hiking Society – from 2016 until 2018.
I launched it on the first weekend of September and by the end of that weekend we had 400 members signed up. Every weekend we would run day and overnight hikes all over Victoria.
It was such a wonderful time in my life when I met so many people from different walks of life. I also made many friends; some of which who are still close friends of mine to this day.
When I closed it down in 2018 and evolved into an adventure company, we had 5,000 members and 25 organisers involved.
But why did I start it? For several reasons, really.
The most obvious reason was so I could get out and hike more often with other like-minded people. Keep in mind that when I launched it I didn’t have any friends who were hikers.
It would also contribute to my website’s content by providing information about the various hiking tracks in Victoria.
However, what I love most about my hiking group in Melbourne, and I imagine it would be similar to other groups, is the people I’ve met.
I’m a big believer that everyone has a story to tell about why or how they stumbled across hiking and camping.
And everyone’s story is different in its own little way. Some started hiking for exercise, while others have a more intense interest in it.
And, as I have mentioned in various sections of this blog, I believe that one of the reasons why people don’t hike more often is that they don’t have anyone to go with.
Joining a hiking MeetUp is a great way to solve this issue because everyone who attends has some level of interest in hiking.
Furthermore, I have seen people turn up to my group’s hikes and not know anyone at all, only to make friends with a few others and then start spending time with them outside of the group.
So, if you are stuck for ideas of places to go hiking or people to go hiking with, find yourself a hiking MeetUp and join in.
They’re fun, mostly free, and you get to go to places that you may not have necessarily heard of before.
Based on my personal experience with it from back in 2016, I promise you that it will be the best decision you’ll ever make.
