On New Year's Day 2011, Jane Gintout was reeling from being diagnosed with leukemia the previous week and was just days away from heading to the hospital where she would spend much of the next few months.
Happily for her, Gintout spent the first day of 2012 in a much better place — taking an invigorating walk in the woods at Pocahontas State Park as part of the park's "First Day Hike" event that proved wildly popular and seemed the start of a New Year's tradition.
"I may be at the back of the line, but I'm walking," said Gintout of Mechanicsville, who was accompanied by her husband, Tony, and put a couple of walking sticks to good use. "I get winded on these hills … but when I was down, I couldn't go from my den to my bedroom without stopping. It's just amazing."
Gintout was talking about her overall well-being compared to last year, but she could have been referring to the weather: blue sky, soft breeze, temperatures in the 60s. Was this really Jan. 1? You couldn't have asked for a better day to stroll through the forest in April, much less the second week of winter.
"Perfect," said Pocahontas Chief Ranger Perry DeMay, who was expecting 20 people to go along on the park's inaugural New Year's hike and wound up with more than 80. Traffic was backed up at the park's entrance just before noon when the walk was scheduled to step off from the area near the boat ramp. "First Day Hikes" were held at parks around the state and the nation on Sunday, but none could have been more enjoyed than the one at Pocahontas.
"This was just awesome," said Julie Fields of Chesterfield County, who brought along 20 friends for the hike and was carrying the party back to her house afterward for soup and chili. "My goal is do 20 hikes this year, so this is the first."
The idea behind the hike was to help people get their healthy New Year's resolutions off on the right foot, but the event also served as a good excuse for visitors to see the park at a time of year when many don't think of going on an outdoor adventure.
Pete Fundinger lives 10 minutes from the park and is a frequent visitor but, until Sunday, never on New Year's Day.
"It sounded like a fun thing to do," Fundinger said as he walked along the 2.5-mile Forest Exploration Trail.
DeMay's 9-year-old son, Austin, and his young legs set a torrid pace for the hike, which included a wide range of ages as well as a few dogs on leashes, but Perry DeMay still stopped from time to time to share stories. At Split Rock, a boulder shaped like a human heart cleaved in two, DeMay said this spot was a favorite of Fannie Julia Gill, whose family owned the property before it became a public park. Soon after Gill died, the legend goes, the rock split. "It's almost like the land was brokenhearted," DeMay said.
Ross Wright Jr. of Ashland celebrated his 23rd birthday at the park. He and his family came to join the hike but got caught in traffic, so they walked the trail in reverse and passed the long column of ranger-led walkers at Split Rock.
His mother, Lynda Wright, said the family spent New Year's in England a few years ago, and their hosts introduced them to one of their traditions: a New Year's Day hike. They'd always thought of doing the same one New Year's back home but hadn't until they heard about the Pocahontas hike.
"It was going to be a perfect day, so we decided we'd get out and do it," Lynda Wright said.
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