Nevada mom - Tonya Sorem

Tanya and John Sorem pose for a photo during one of their many hikes together. Contributed photo

By Marlys Barker Contributing Writer

No one has to tell this Nevada

Tanya Sorem has made hiking her top hobby in life.

“I have always enjoyed the outdoors,” said Sorem, 37, who was born and raised in Elk River, Minn., about 30 minutes northwest of the Twin Cities. “I grew up tent camping with my family on our summer vacations.” Sorem, who ended up in Nevada after marrying hometown native, John Sorem, graduated from college with a degree in recreation and leisure with an emphasis on outdoor recreation. In college, her love of hiking was shown as she planned a “thru-hike” of the 2,200-mile Appalachian Trail.

“I’ve always enjoyed the outdoors,” Sorem said. Her first job out of college was as a naturalist at an environmental learning center in southeast Minnesota.

Now working as part of the Sorem family business in Nevada, she said it wasn’t until her second daughter was born that she emphasized her desire to hike.

In 2017, when her youngest daughter was 1-and-a-half, “our family began our first 52 Hike Challenge,” she said. This challenge means the family attempts to hike at least one mile on a trail 52 times in 52 weeks.

“We completed the (2017) challenge with one week to spare and immediately began our second challenge.”

The family wasn’t as successful in 2018, but she said, but they were able to wrap up their 2019 challenge not long ago and have now started their 2020 challenge.

“By starting a new challenge each year, it motivates us to make this a priority,” she said. Proudly, she shares, “since January 2017, we have hiked together as a family a total of 124 times and (have hiked) over 300 miles and in 16 different states.”

One thing that Sorem and her family have embraced with their challenges is the idea of hiking in all seasons. “We log just as many hikes November through March as we do April through October,” she said. “Winter is one of my favorite times to hike. There are no mosquitos or ticks. I don’t have to worry about getting into wild parsnip or poison ivy. There isn’t much foliage, which makes it easier to see the landscape or animals in the woods. And, after a fresh snowfall, it is easier to see all the different animal tracks in the snow.”

The 52 Hike Challenge does require a lot of planning, Sorem said. And, it has forced the family to search out the trails in and around Story County. “I discovered so many new trails and was amazed at how many miles of trails are really out there for us to use.”

Her family loves Robison Wildlife Acres, just south of Nevada, and McFarland Park near Ames, which has quite a few miles of trails that “lead through the woods and up and down the hills along the creek and also along the South Skunk River.” mom to ‘take a hike!’

Ledges in Boone County is always a favorite, she said, as it gives a little extra challenge and incredible views.

“Outside our local area, we enjoy hiking up along the North Shore of Minnesota, Loess Hills State Forest in western Iowa and around the bluffs of the Mississippi River in eastern Iowa. Other favorites are Indiana Dunes State Park and National Park, and almost anywhere our travels take us. I’m not sure we have ever found a trail we didn’t enjoy.”

Sorem mostly hikes with her family but said she has made an effort to share her love of hiking with others, too. “I try to schedule a few group family hikes throughout the year, and every year for my birthday, I plan a hike with my friends. I also enjoy getting out with other moms to snowshoe or hike.” One of Sorem’s community commitments is being a Girl Scout leader in Nevada. She is trying to instill her love of hiking to her troop members. “Our troop has adopted the Hertz Woods Nature Preserve Trail here in Nevada for the 2019-2020 year. The girls take care of it and pick up trash on a monthly basis,” she said.

Another hiking challenge that Sorem is working on with her family is one that started back in 2017 — the Minnesota State Park Hiking and Passport Club. “Each Minnesota State Park has a designated ‘Hiking Club Trail’ and along the trail is a password that you write down in your logbook. By accumulating passwords and miles, the girls can earn patches and stickers and eventually free nights of camping. It will take us years to accomplish all 68 designated trails, but it is still fun to do.”

Sorem believes that hiking will be a lifelong hobby for her and for her family, which in addition to her husband and two daughters, also includes Tally, the family’s golden retriever, who likes hiking trails more than walking around town.

At this time, her girls look forward to hiking. “My 8-yearold is a slow and steady hiker. She takes her time and chats and sings during the entire hike, and she ‘stops to smell the roses,’ but she can keep going and really enjoys her time out there. ... My 4-year-old goes fast and hard when she hikes ... but tires quickly and starts complaining after one-and-a-half to two miles and wants to go on her dad’s shoulders. I have no shame in a little bribery when it comes to her,” Sorem admitted.

Last year, the Sorem family spent 3,485 minutes on trails, which doesn’t include travel time and time researching new hikes, or the time “dreaming about being on the trail,” she said with a laugh. “We try to camp in locations that have good hiking so that we can hit up multiple trails in a weekend.” Hiking is a hobby Sorem would strongly recommend to anyone. “Hiking is an easy, free, accessible activity. It can be done on a paved trail in the middle of the city, or it can be on a single track trail far away from civilization,” she said.

She also boasts the incredible hiking opportunities of Story County. “There are over 90 miles of land and water trails managed by Story County Conservation, plus many more managed by local communities. As long as you have a pair of shoes, you can set out on the trail!”

Even if you can’t leave the Nevada area, you have excellent choices. “There are three short trails you can try out — Hertz Woods Family Preserve, which is a wide, crushed limestone

trail; the paved Indian Creek Greenbelt trail that runs right through town; and Robison Wildlife Acres that is south on S-14.”

Sorem basically is saying, “Go take a hike!” “As long as you have a pair of shoes, you can set out on the trail. Iowa doesn’t charge entrance fees to get into their state parks, nor do most of the county parks in Iowa charge a fee. ... And if you’re looking for a way to become more involved with trails, trail maintenance and trail development in Story County, you can join the Trails Advisory Committee through Story County Conservation.

“There are countless benefits for spending time out in nature, and I encourage everyone to give it a try!”

(*Some of Sorem’s favorite resources for finding hikes are the AllTrails app, Google maps (it is amazing the different trails you can find by zooming in on an area), and the “Best Easy Day Hikes” series put out by Falcon Guide Books. You can find Sorem on social media sharing about her family’s travels at Good Times and Sunshine on Facebook, Goodtimes_and_sunshine on Instagram and she occasionally blogs at www.goodtimesandsunshine.com. She shares with hopes to inspire others to get outdoors and explore more!

Hiking is the favorite hobby of Tanya Sorem, of Nevada. Contributed photo

Tanya Sorem, her husband John and their two daughters spend a lot of time hiking together. Contributed photo