Will Hike for Hops is a group of friends that enjoys outdoor recreation and a cold one. When they completed all 71-miles of the High Line Canal trail in 2021, the Conservancy had to learn more about their adventure. Here’s what the group had to say:

We are a group of friends that often find ourselves enjoying a local brewery patio on a Sunday afternoon. When 2020 was coming to an end and we were facing a new year with continued limited social gatherings, we decided to make our weekends more interesting and active. Hiking the High Line Canal trail was the perfect project! We have all enjoyed biking, hiking and running portions of the trail over the decades.

With the help of The Guide to the High Line Canal, we got started in January of 2021 and hiked the trail over 18 days throughout the year, allowing us to enjoy the diversity of the trail throughout the seasons. A crucial element of our trip planning was selecting a brewery located in the area we would be hiking – 14 in total (a few we visited twice).

Our group consists of landscape architects, electrical designers, government employees and homebrewers. The hikes allowed us to see projects, from parks to neighborhood developments, that we had a hand in designing. It was interesting to see how the trail has evolved over the years and to experience sections that were new to us. The High Line is an amazing experience in recreation, nature, history and art. We are fortunate to have the trail in our community.

We are excited about the future of the High Line and plan to bike the trail in 2022.

Cheers!

Greg Cieciek, Sarah Cieciek, Dawn Keller, Eric Keller and Heather Runkel

Check out the breweries they visited at segments along the way: