It was a trip to Italy that would set the Williams Lake Wanderers afoot. After travelling with some ladies from Salmon Arm and learning about their own hiking group, the Shuswap Lady Striders, Bette McLennan was inspired. Upon her return from Italy, she gathered some local friends and together they created a group to wander with in and around Williams Lake.
“It first started as word of mouth,” McLennan said. “We knew a lot of people who wanted to do this but didn’t want to go alone or didn’t know where to go,” she said. The group was small when it began in 2013, but it eventually grew enough to have 60 members in one year. The city of Williams Lake helped the Wanderers get up and running by setting up a Facebook page and printing brochures for them.
Today, there are about 30 people registered as wanderers, but McLennan said it’s always a guessing game over who will show up at an activity. “Sometimes there’s someone you don’t see for ages and then suddenly they show up,” she said. It’s all part of the Wanderers’ culture, which takes a somewhat laid-back approach to its outings. “It’s non-committal,” said Linda Isfeld, one of the co-founders. “Whoever shows up does what’s scheduled.” The group meets about three mornings a week and set off for two hours on a bike, a kayak, a pair of skis or on their feet.
Having few expenses, the Wanderers only charge $10 for an annual membership, allowing for the occasional Christmas lunch or scavenger hunt. They have also donated money to the Williams Lake Cycling Club to help maintain biking trails they’ve benefited from on their outings.
“There’s something peaceful about walking in the forest and connecting with nature, it keeps you younger and healthier,” Isfeld said. There’s nothing better than going out for a walk and having McLennan around to identify the birds and trees, she said.
But nature isn’t the only benefit of joining the Wanderers. Indeed, the social aspect is what keeps long-time member Linda Hicks going. She said knowing there’s a group to go out with motivates her. Without the Wanderers “it wouldn’t be as fun,” Hicks said.
The group has attracted people from all over, like Jeanne Robinson from Colorado who spends her summers in the area with her husband. Robinson loves to hike, so she wanted to find different places to explore during her visits in the Cariboo. The Wanderers welcomed her and she’s been hiking with them since. “They’re all very lovely people,” she said. Most of the members highlighted how sharing their perspectives and ideas in conversations together makes for a fun and interesting time spent outdoors.
McLennan said that for some members, participating with the Wanderers has “awakened a new interest or activity they haven’t done before.” The group allows members to discover trails they never knew existed and return with their own friends and families to share their favourite spots.
Even McLennan and Isfeld, who have both lived in and explored the Williams Lake area for years, said they've found new trails thanks to the group and its members.
