About Our Walk Leaders: Part 1

We are fortunate at Berkeley Path Wanderers Association to have wonderful walk leaders who volunteer their time to lead groups on path adventures. It takes time to create a walking event, from planning the route to deciding what to talk about along the way. This month, we would like to highlight one of our longtime walk leaders, Sandy Friedland.

Sandy Friedland was so enamored with Berkeley that she named one of her children David Berkeley. He later became a singer-songwriter, but Sandy has been singing the praises of the Berkeley paths for a long time and has led walks for more than 20 years. She has also served as a past president, newsletter writer and editor for BPWA. Along the way, she met interesting neighbors who used the paths to exercise, socialize, or walk to local stores and parks.

Over the years, she has led many creative walks. One that gained a great deal of attention was her Bingo walks. She took 25 pictures while walking along a path and created Bingo cards for a scavenger-hunt-style event. Children had so much fun on the walks that adults requested one too. So many people showed up that she divided them into two groups, gave them Bingo cards, and had them start at opposite ends of the designated route so they would meet in the middle. The winning team received BPWA T-shirts. She recalls it as a joyful day.

Her routes are often planned spontaneously. She walks around, notices interesting things, and gathers ideas. Then she uses Google Maps to map out the route and incorporate interactive elements. She gets excited about sharing what she learns and sees with others and highly recommends that families ditch their phones and connect with one another. “There are so many wonderful things to see and learn about,” she says.

We are so grateful for our path leaders. For them, it’s not just a walk, it’s a devotion. A devotion towards community and connection. We welcome you to join us on a path adventure!