ESVA Historical Facts
ESVA 25th Anniversary celebration presentation
- The first ESVA club was the Evergreen Wanderers. FS Family Wanderers, Capitol Volkssport Club and SeaTac Volkssport Club followed. Preston Johnson signed the Articles of Incorporation and ESVA was founded. The AVA charter is dated 6-20-1984.
- The second President of ESVA, Bill Pook, was an award designer. Dorman Batson has also been designing awards for ESVA for several years. Eleanor Borgardts is the long time editor of The Pathfinder, now known as The Northwest Pathfinder upon joining with Oregon.
- Evergreen Wanderers hosted the AVA convention in 1987. ESVA hosted the AVA convention in 2001. in 1990 the IVV Presidium was held in Washington, the first time is was held outside of Europe.
- ESVA Washington challenges provided opportunity to see new places and notice new things.
- On April 26, 1986, a motion was passed that persons be appointed in Eastern and Western Washington to assist in coordination of volkssporting.
- The Over-the-Hill Gang hosted the first walk across the border July 10-11, 1993 in conjunction with the Surrey Trekkers.
- Ocean Shores has been a popular walk area. Evergreen Wanderers held the first marathon at Ocean Shores. The weather was not cooperative. Walkers were pelted with rain coming down sideways. Hopkins Telephone Pioneers continued the walks and a bike at Ocean Shores. Capitol Volkssport Club followed with events in 2009 with rain, hail, snow, wind and sun. This seems to be a walk where you can experience everything in 10K.
- Remember over 20 years of ESVA sponsored events at Northwest Trek? How many times did you watch the bears and beavers? One of the prettiest walks was the year it snowed. Another year the park was closed due to high winds. ESVA also has donated two memorial benches at Northwest Trek.
- Yes, volkswalks give you an opportunity to walk mountains, hills, deserts, streams, grasslands, cities and towns. What else can you do and see so much of Washington? There have been brewery walks and winery walks. There have been hikes in Mt Rainier National Park and up Mount St. Helens. Don't forget the many wildflowers you have seen. You see rattlesnakes, emus, deer, elk and many other forms of wildlife. Yes, even llamas have done volkswalks (after coming to Orting via ferry from Vashon Island.)
- Variety is what you like. How about swimming an event in water not above your ankles? And, yes, there has been a roller skating event. I think these were in OR. Did we want to mention we have clubs that have taken us on tours, even a club that offered clothing optional walks?
- Do you remember the walk on water? It rained so hard the night before the event, the trail was under water and we walked in ankle deep water.
- Several walkers have met on the trail and later were married. There was a wedding walk around 1988. The wedding was performed by Alisa Johnson at the check point. The walkers were John and Marci Sneddon. Nancy and Pat Walen were married in a church on the route of the Longview YRE. Walkers could start the walk, attend the nuptials, then finish the YRE. Others who have met and married are Carolyn and John Warhol and Marcia Stein and Raymon Fauerbach.
- Some funny things have happened. Remember the club who would do the chicken dance when a walker completed an event/distance milestone? Do you like Bed and Breakfast Inns? We have had two Bed and Breakfast series (with an opportunity to stay at the start point.) You could walk over the Narrows Bridge or along the John Wayne Trail. Were you there to walk at Shaw Island and tried to get off to walk, only to have the nuns that manage the ferry landing say "no, no, don't get off here, this isn't Friday Harbor?"
- Remember the walks in Teanaway? It rained and rained and rained the last day. They had to have tractors pull the cars out of the lower parking lot. The wind blew so hard through the valley the bikers had to walk their bikes part way.
- ESVA walkers have seen everything. You could walk with a leprechaun, the Easter Bunny, pass a house with its Christmas tree hung upside down from the ceiling, pass by the Nutty Narrows, a special bridge to help squirrels cross a very busy street in Longview, and watch for crocodiles on Puget Island. ESVA does truly offer everything to everyone.
