Columbia River Volkssport Club was chartered August 31, 1984. As a way of celebrating the club's anniversary, I reached out to some of the earliest members asking for a bit about what they remember ...
Lena Davis
CRVC beginning 1984? My first walk was in 1986 at Tryon Creek State Park, a CRVC walk. There was an article in the Oregonian about Judy Berry and her Girl Scouts and volkswalking [see below]. Their next walk would be 9/13/1986 at Tryon Creek. I was on the Rotation Diet to lose 10# to fit in some of my clothes and my neighbor, a diabetic, needed to exercise too. We had been walking in our neighborhood and were ready for a challenge. We went out with snacks, water and made the 10K, we might have walked a circle twice. (My first long cut.) I joined the club that day, hoping to get more info on upcoming walks. CRVC meetings were held at the Scout Office on Bangy Rd off I-5. I did not attend as I am not familiar with the west side of Portland and I don't drive at night. I did attend a meeting in Parkrose at Marge Lusby's house. We filled out start cards for the preregistered walkers and I got home at 11:30 pm. Judy Berry and Judy Noel planned the walks at that time. CRVC only club in the area. Silverton had the only YRE. Then volkssporting took off.
Marge Lusby
MEMORIES So many memories!!! so I shall just ramble. Way back in the late 1980s and early 1990s we some times handled 500 or so walkers with only 3 or 4 people. We always had to have hat pins and medals. Sometimes we didn't get them in time for the walk and we had to mail them all out to the walkers. Pre registration was also very important so the walkers would be assured they would get the hat pins and medals before we ran out. So before the walk, those we had had to be packaged with hand written pre reg cards (hundreds) ready for the walkers to pick up at the walk.
In the beginning you had to have water at the every check point and you had to have manned check points so you can imagine how we were going to do that at our first Columbia River Gorge walk. Well we didn't and were we ever in trouble with the "Volks police" and at that time all trails had to be marked (no written directions) so more trouble for CRVC and at that same walk our route took us onto Thunder Island in Cascade Locks and unbeknown to us the Klamath Falls Cave men were having a camp out there and wouldn't let our walkers walk through it But everything got solved that day thanks to the walkers
I could talk for hours. I think you all know that CRVC was started by Judy Berry and her Girl Scout group. So thank you Judy for so many good times with CRVC.
In the beginning you had to have water at the every check point and you had to have manned check points so you can imagine how we were going to do that at our first Columbia River Gorge walk. Well we didn't and were we ever in trouble with the "Volks police" and at that time all trails had to be marked (no written directions) so more trouble for CRVC and at that same walk our route took us onto Thunder Island in Cascade Locks and unbeknown to us the Klamath Falls Cave men were having a camp out there and wouldn't let our walkers walk through it But everything got solved that day thanks to the walkers
I could talk for hours. I think you all know that CRVC was started by Judy Berry and her Girl Scout group. So thank you Judy for so many good times with CRVC.
The Sunday Oregonian, May 22, 1988
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