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Frequently Asked Questions
Q:  Who are the East County Wind Walkers and What Do They Do?
A:  The East County Wind Walkers is a group of people who love walking and getting together with other people who love walking. We meet the second Thursday of every month, except December, at 7 p.m., to plan, organize, map out, and make available walks for the general public that are safe, noncompetitive and enjoyable for everyone. All walks follow the AVA Guidelines.  We would love anyone interested in Volkswalking to join our group.  We don't want anyone to feel intimated, or feel they will have to volunteer to do something they don't want to do.  We are a fun loving, friendly group.  If someone wants to volunteer to help, that's great.  If someone wants to just come and get to know us and walk with us, that's great too!
Q:  Does the club walk together?
A:  Yes, and no.  We usually schedule a club walk once a month, but with everyone's hectic schedules these days, three or four people may show up to do the club walk.  We are going to start scheduling some summer walks during the week in the evenings.  Check back for dates and times. 

Three or four of us usually walk every Saturday or so.  Other clubs in the area host a variety of Volkswalks, which we like to walk.  If there are no hosted walks, we will choose one of our YRE walks.  If anyone would like to join us, contact Regina Blake at (503) 665-0950, or reggie_blake@yahoo.com.
Q:  How fast do you walk?  What if I don't walk fast?
A:  We encourage people to walk at their own pace.  Volkswalking is a noncompetitive sport.  Several of our club members walk fast; the rest of us walk more slowly. Sometimes we stop to have lunch, or walk through a farmers market.  One great thing about Volkswalking is that we see areas and events on our walks that we normally would never see.  A lot of walks are in conjunction with another event.  An example is the East County Wind Walkers' Art Walk on July 16 that is in conjunction with the Gresham Art Festival.  
Q:  Do I have to start out walking a 10K?
A:  No, all of our YRE events, and most hosted walks, have a 5k option.  Some of our club members walk only 5ks. 
Q: What do I need to do a walk? 
A:  Really, only a good pair of walking shoes and a water bottle.  Most walks are on level sidewalks, in residential neighborhoods, or through the streets of towns.   All Volkswalks are rated on "level of difficulty," with 1 being the least difficult, and 5 being the most difficult.
Q:  Where can I find out what walks are available?
A:  You can go to the "Links" section of our website and click on AVA, or go to www.ava.org.  Another website for walks in Oregon is www.walkoregon.org.  There is also a bi-monthly publication called "The Northwest Pathfinder" which lists all Volkswalks in the Northwest.  The Pathfinder is available at most hosted event.  A subscription to the Pathfinder is $12 per year, sent to The Northwest Pathfinder, PO Box 3332, Albany, OR  97321-0715.
Q:  What does it cost?
A:  Volkswalking is all about getting people out there walking, getting healthy and meeting new friends.  So, there's no cost to just walk.   However, it's fun to keep track of how many kilometers and how many events you walk, so you can purchase event and distance books.  The books are always available at the hosted events, or at club meetings for $5 each.  We also have a new walker packet for $5.00 that includes the first distance and event books, along with some free coupons to walk events.  The usual cost of each walk is $3, which then entitles you to have the books stamped with the AVA stamp.  The first books you buy are for 10 events and 500 kilometers. When you get the required amount of distance or event stamps, the books are sent to the AVA and they send you a certificate, a pin, and a patch.  To make it even more fun, the AVA, OTSVA (Oregon) and ESVA (Washington) also have what are called challenges.  For instance, the AVA has a challenge called Worldwide Bakeries, which means, you purchase the book and every walk that passes by a bakery qualifies for a stamp in the book.  When the book has the required number of stamps (which varies from challenge to challenge), the book is sent back to whomever you bought it from, and they send you a certificate and a special patch created just for that challenge. You can check out the various challenges and where to purchase the books at www.ava.org/specialeventprograms.