Livingston County residents are being encouraged to ring in the New Year with an outdoor hike.

The Friends of the Island Lake Recreation Area will host their annual First Day Hike on Wednesday from 1 to 4pm on the Hickory Ridge hiking trail. The hike is presented in partnership with the Crossroads Group of the Sierra Club, which helped the Friends group build the trail with REI support. There are two hike length options; 2.5 miles and five miles. It’s said to be an easy trail and hard to get lost as it’s essentially walking around in a big circle. There is also typically a hot chocolate station and a fire at the start/finish. Organizers say First Day Hikes are a great way to get the year started off right and the event usually draws a big crowd, so they don’t try to keep the group together as much as usual. Attendees are asked to arrive 15 minutes early as the hike will start on time.

More information about the hike and routes can be found through the provided link. (JM)