Light Up Trail Walk. (Eric Crump photos and video/H-F Chronicle)
About 450 people signed up for the first Light Up Trail Walk at Irons Oaks Environmental Learning Center. Irons Oaks Manager Cheryl Vargo thought that was a pretty good response for the new holiday event.
She was even more impressed with the number of people who braved rain on one night and fog on another to walk the trails, view holiday lights and stop for a s’more or hot chocolate along the way.
“It’s just made to be a quiet holiday stroll,” Vargo said.
From 6:30 to 9 p.m. on Dec. 21, 22 and 23, a lot of people showed up, including whole extended families. With those who registered at the gate, 618 people eventually signed up, although not all the preregistered people showed up, she said.
“We were hoping for a little snow, just a dusting,” Vargo said. “We got rain. It was OK. Everyone still had fun.”
On Saturday, Dec. 23, fog gave the woods a spooky quality, according to Ken Lambert, who walked the slightly muddy trails with his wife, Latanya, and two children, Kaden and Leigha.
“It’s got a Halloween feeling,” he said, but he thought the event was interesting and different, possibly a new holiday tradition to enjoy.
Santa Claus was posted in a gazebo at the end of the trail, and many of the walkers on Saturday stopped to greet him.