Family gets ‘Trudge’ all to themselves

Although attendance at Glendale’s annual Brand Park Turkey Trudge hike dropped from 20 people to three, the Metz family didn’t seem to mind.

Part-time naturalist Dave Moreno, who leads the two-mile hike each year, was unsure just before 1 p.m. how many people would show up for the two-mile hike.

“But if anyone shows up, we’ll go,” he said.

Margaret Metz and her two children, Amanda, 16, and Sean, 8, arrived with just a minute to spare.

The Montrose family regularly participates in Moreno’s hikes behind Brand Park, and Sean can narrate the trail by heart.

Moreno led the family in stretching at the base of the trail by the Doctors’ House Museum and encouraged everyone to bring water.

The family did not show up to work off any extra holiday pounds though.

“I don’t think we ate enough to warrant that,” said the mother. “It’s just nice to get out and get some exercise.”

“It’s also great for Sean to burn off some energy,” she added.

Sean continued to run ahead, mirror Moreno’s backward hiking and talk about his new toy from Black Friday — a cap gun — throughout the hike.

“Let’s go up Widow’s Peak,” he said as he hurried up the hill while his mother and sister hiked up an easier path.

Widow’s Peak, a brief, steep incline toward the top of the hike, drained his energy a bit and helped him decide backward hiking was perhaps a little tiring.

The crisp air after Saturday’s rain kept the hikers cool as they trudged up 200 feet of elevation into the afternoon.

“We heard about the hikes from the city’s [Community Services and Parks Department] e-mail blast,” Metz said. “And we try to make it to as many as we can to spend time outside.”