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What we’re about

Welcome to the St. Louis Urban Walkers group founded by Joe Lawler in October 2011. Joe died unexpectedly in December 2024, but with your support and engagement, the Leadership team would like to continue his mission in the Greater St. Louis Metropolitan area.

Here are a few of the plans and guidelines that an organizational group of 14 who met in January developed:

  • Meetup Spot: For all of our walks, we will include the meetup spot (with a GPS address if possible), the approximate length in miles, whether there are hills on the walk, and if there will be interesting sights along the way. If a post-walk restaurant visit is planned, it will be mentioned in the walk description.
  • Days/ Hours: We typically walk on Saturdays, starting at 10:00 a.m., for two hours, and for a distance of between two and three miles.
  • Routes: We hope to use Joe’s routes if they can be located. However, we also welcome Walk Organizers who can either plan a route or lead a walk (or both). If you have a route in mind, please let Beth know.
  • History: If we post a route and you are familiar with some interesting history along the route or in the neighborhood, please let Beth know.
  • Leaders: We are all potential walk leaders. We encourage you to step up and lead a walk if you can. You don't have to be an organizer to lead a walk. Talk to Beth if you are interested.
  • Weather Cancellations: Our goal is to schedule at least one walk per month. Scheduled walks will be canceled if thunderstorms, heavy snow or ice, or severe heat or cold weather is forecast. If any of these weather conditions are expected, we will announce the cancellation on the Meetup page and in the Facebook group by 7pm the night before the walk.
  • Weekday Walks: Several people at the meeting requested midweek walks, so be on the lookout for those.
  • No Nature Walks: This is an urban walking group. All walks will be located in urban neighborhoods in the city or county. We may expand into St. Charles County if there is interest. We will not plan any nature walks. There are other Meetup groups that do that. However, on our urban walks, we may occasionally walk through city parks as we explore.
  • Social: Beth will have name tags for anyone who wants to wear one on future walks so we can all get to know each other’s names.
  • Dues: The yearly Meetup dues will be $3, payable to Jerry “Dr.” Durrwachter prior to your first walk. These dues help to defray costs associated with using the Meetup platform. You can pay the $3 by Venmo (@jerrydurrwachter) in advance or in cash on the day of your first walk. If you pay through Meetup, only $2.25 of your $3 will go to Jerry to cover his fees.
  • Photos: Please share your "Walk" photos with us on Meetup and on Facebook.

For questions about payment, contact Jerry by email at [happytrails57@gmail.com](mailto:happytrails57@gmail.com).  For questions about walking routes or logistics, contact Beth by email at [evonbehren2@yahoo.com](mailto:evonbehren2@yahoo.com).