With the pandemic curtailing indoor activities, local clubs, including the Elverson Walking Club (EWC) and the Berks Community Strollers, are offering alternative recreational activities by scheduling outings in February and March. All walks are free and open to the community.

Clyde Godschall, EWC founder and hike leader, announced that hikes will return with a walk along the Horseshoe Trail on Sunday, Feb. 21. "We will slowly begin to restart our hiking schedule on Sundays," he reported in the EWC newsletter. "The hike (on Feb. 21) will take us to a recent relocation of the Horseshoe Trail where it leaves French Creek State Park and crosses Geigertown Road. (It) circles around the gun club and enters the Hay Creek Reservoir and its trails."

Participants will meet at 1 p.m. at the large parking area on Geigertown Road near the entrance to the South Birdsboro Archery Rod and Gun Club, located 1.1 miles west from Route 345. For GPS users, the address is 500 Geigertown Road, Douglassville.

The Strollers will hike the Muhlenberg Rail Trail on Saturday, Feb. 27. The group will meet at 10 a.m. in the parking lot off Montrose Avenue in Laureldale. For more detailed directions, readers may contact Christa, the hike leader, at 610-926-5182.

The Strollers will hike at Laurel Run Park on Moll Avenue in Reading on Saturday, March 6, at 10 a.m. More details, including directions, are available by contacting Deanna, the hike leader, at 610-929-3109.

On Saturday, March 13, beginning at 10 a.m., the strollers will hike at Liberty Fire Company in Sinking Spring. The GPS address is 836 Ruth St., Reading. For more information, readers may contact Angie, the hike leader, at 484-794-7813,

The Strollers will join EWC for its annual Fire Tower Hike in French Creek State Park on Sunday, March 14. The Fire Tower Hike is a 3-mile loop hike consisting of 2 miles to the tower, followed by an opportunity to toast marshmallows and hot dogs at the pavilion. Attendees should bring their own marshmallows and hot dogs.

The group will meet hike leaders Allison Garl and Lynn Bates at the Fire Tower Road parking area at 11:30 a.m. The GPS address for the outing is 651 Fire Tower Road, Birdsboro. Pets will be welcome. The rain date for the Fire Tower Hike is Sunday, March 21.

Although the fire tower itself is no longer accessible to the public, there is a pavilion with picnic tables located in front of the fire tower. According to http://www.facebook.com/HopewellFireTower, when there is a high risk of fire danger, the fire tower is used by French Creek State Park personnel to search for wildfires. The 80-foot structure offers views of the surrounding woods, making it easier to spot smoke.

For more information about EWC hikes, readers should contact Godschall at 610-913-0284 or at 610-413-6281 on the days of the events.

It is recommended that participants wear masks during the outings to protect fellow hikers.

Cancellation of hikes by the Berks Strollers is announced at 8 a.m. on WEEU.