Spoken under different circumstances, the thoughts that follow could be interpreted as ‘motherhood’. Indeed, over the past 5 summers, there was sparse reason for such talk. Suddenly this summer we observe a thirst for hiking in the heatwave. Why so?

It may have to do with the reality of the covid-19 disruption, which for The Cyprus Strollers resulted in the cancellation of 8 scheduled activities; a serious figure, in a January – May season of 20. Many of us have come out of the lockdown feeling numb, that we had been deprived of Spring and Easter.

When a partial lifting of home confinement was announced and enabled the hike of 23 May, the government had imposed a limit of 10 per group. The Cyprus Strollers, as well as one other hiking club, respected this limit on the day. Some members decided to stay home for some more time, puzzled as to what the near future would bring v-a-v covid-19. Other members chose to get out into nature in self-organised groups of 3 or 4. There have even been gentle members who, having been selected for the 23 May hike, they applied for the 30 May one that followed, stating that they appreciated that their places could/should have been offered to other applicants, who were not chosen for the first outing. Here is a thank you message to all of you, mentioned above.

Dire situations are, of course, a time for testing friendships and honouring relations. The covid-19 crisis was no exception. A couple of members decided to leave the club, in an ungracious manner, creating alternative outings to the scheduled 23 and 30 May events; they set up a new, splinter group, and campaigned fervently among members of The Cyprus Strollers to follow them in hiking in these 2 dates and through June and July. Hiking as a sport is experiencing steady growth since we started, and hikers now have one more choice.

We take this opportunity to reiterate a few key principles of this club.

• The Cyprus Strollers will continue to respect government-imposed regulations. This applies to any restrictions from covid-19. We will apply such restrictions without dodgy interpretations
• The Cyprus Strollers will continue to take the high temperatures of Cyprus summers very seriously. Measurements have proven that a hike at temperatures exceeding 21°C is putting your health at risk. The same goes for walking under the direct sun; a heat stroke, dehydration and exhaustion can strike anyone, other than young extreme athletes
• The Cyprus Strollers is a social club built from the initiative of Xenophon, and led by him at significant cost, without any subsidy, grant, or donation from any direction; your attendance is free of charge.
• Notwithstanding the above, we do ask of your contribution. Namely, your greeting as you meet up in the morning, your greeting as you depart in the afternoon, open communication, your thought of the day, a smile, a cheer, as well as your participation at the meals that follow the hikes; because as many will testify, hikes without the ensuing meals and their inspired conversations are half the fun.

This is the essence of the club, ‘Hiking made Pleasant’, as the club logo tells. Join us on 4 October for the start of season 13. Visit the website a few weeks earlier, for the new Schedule.