Since moving to Chicago in 2010, I have been blessed by meeting some of the most wonderful people named Michael in the world. Prior to meeting my husband Michael, I dated two different Michaels and became good friends with my sister’s best friend Michael. When I finally met my soul mate Michael about a year after moving here, he introduced me to his best friend Michael (now mine as well) who stood up in our wedding with our other friend Michael officiating. Question: did you know that Michael was the most popular name for boys in this country for like forty years?

Just after the new year, our best friend, who henceforth will be known as Mike, started on one of his normal discussions about dreams and goals for his life. Strategically, he sold us on the idea of going on one hike every month. Michael would drive the car, Mike would plan the trips and I would, well, hike with Mikes.

For our first hike, we lucked out on a warm winter weekend in January being able to hike outside at the Indiana Dunes State Park, not too far out of Chicago in northwest Indiana — a state, I otherwise tend to speed through on my way home to visit my family in Metro Detroit. The dunes were a bit snowy and muddy, but otherwise it was a perfect adventure. We trekked about three or four miles up some dunes and down to the beach where you experience the wonder of Lake Michigan, all while surrounded by smokestack factories, just down the shore on either side. Standing on that beach, soaking up the sun on rare warm January afternoon, we vowed to come back again this year.

The weather wasn’t as cooperative in February, when a storm brought several feet of snow a few days before we had planned to go on our next trip. We decided that maybe the outdoor part of our hike would be shoveling our car out. I was little help, as we have one small shovel and mop bucket for digging out snow. After about 40 minutes, the Mikes were able to pull our trusty sedan away from the curb and head on an indoor hike at the Garfield Park Conservatory in Chicago’s Garfield Park neighborhood.

The conservatory was one of the first of its kind and is still one of the largest in the world. The chief architect Jens Jensen designed the building to house plants from many species and many climates all over the world, an idea that revolutionary for the time. There were warm rooms full of cacti or forest trees and cool rooms full of beautiful flowers and even a koi pond with a Dale Chihuly installation.

We rewarded our cultural betterment by eating at Inspiration Kitchens, this awesome American-style cafe in Garfield Park that hires students and has helped “hundreds of individuals gain the skills they need to find employment and exit homelessness and poverty.” Basically, they’re doing god’s work and their brunch is on point.

In March, we went to Kankakee River State Park, where we strolled around the mostly flat and even land surrounding the Kankakee river in central Illinois. We walked about 9 miles through the park, which had a designated trail for biking and plenty of folks out riding horses. We had to keep our eyes out for what comes along with heavy horse traffic. It’s definitely not my favorite hiking location, though I would like to try it again with rented bikes.

We did our longest hike yet at Swallow Creek Woods near Orland Park, Illinois, in April. This hike began and ended with a steep stairway climb up the “100-foot bluff” that makes for a sick toboggan or sled hill come winter and very well could be our December hike this year as well. We walked about 10 miles through the trails, taking time to enjoy the spring day that was finally upon us, escaping from our congested urban lives. This hike was celebrated by eating obscene amounts of tacos and copious adult beverages upon returning from our intense leg work out.

Last month, I went with the Mikes for my first time to Starved Rock State Park — a national treasure and a true favorite among the group, even if both Mikes took a nasty spill on the muddy trails. I attribute my ability to stay surefooted to actually wearing hiking shoes when I go on a hike. Although the mud was an annoying byproduct of the rainy May morning that preceded our hike, the other byproduct was a series of magnificent waterfalls. Mid-hike we took a break to eat tuna salad sandwiches next to one of the waterfalls.

While I don’t know exactly how the hikes have improved my overall health, I do know that going on these monthly outings into nature has improved my quality of life. As much as I love city living, taking the time to reconnect with nature and get myself moving has become something I look forward to every month. With the opening of the 606 in Chicago, we’re looking forward to another urban hiking adventure this summer. Here’s a short list of some other hikes we’re discussing:

• Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore (Glen Arbor, MI)
• Chicago Lakefront hike from downtown to Hollywood Beach
• Another out of state hike, possible for Mike’s birthday in October