Hygge Hike draws large crowd

By RICHARD JENKINS

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MONTREAL, Wis. - The full moon may have been behind clouds for most of the night, but it was just about the only thing that stayed away from the Montreal Ski Trails Saturday night as the third annual Hygge Hike drew record crowds.

"(We're) beyond pleased, we never expected to have this big of a turnout," said Rebecca Holm, one of the Northern Iron County Engaged Residents members who helped organize the hike. "Coming off of having the first Hygge Hike with five participants and then the second year with about 20 to 30 snowshoers, this year definitely exceeded our expectations."

Well over 200 people attended the hike, with organizers saying they parked more than 100 cars near a trailhead where the hike began. People came from as far away as Minnesota to attend the night-time snowshoe event.

Holm previously explained hygge - pronounced "hoo-ga" - is a Danish word meaning "the art of building sanctuary and community, of inviting closeness and paying attention to what makes us feel open-hearted and alive."

The event raised donations of just over $1,000, according to Holm.

"The donations will be used for future NICER projects and ... part of it is also being used for trail maintenance, the Penokee Rangers are also going to be getting a portion of the proceeds," Holm said.

Candle-lit luminarias lined the route, which Holm said was a 1.5-mile loop, with an additional 0.25 miles for anyone interested in hiking the short spur trail to the Montreal whistle overlooking the city.

Along with the luminarias, several bonfires were set up along the route and one area featured fire dancing performances.

Holm credited Gerry Nasi - who set up the bonfires - and all the community members who helped set up for the event's success.

Keeping with the night hike theme, Holm said organizers had encouraged participants to wear glow sticks or lights when on the trail.

"I would say 95% did wear some sort of glow stick, lights, LED lights, things of that nature," Holm said.

Although organizers canceled the accompanying chili cook-off this year as a precaution during the coronavirus pandemic, Holm thought the pandemic may have helped explain the crowd of snowshoers that attended the hike.

"With the pandemic, I think community members are just looking for something fun to do. Being this is an outdoor event and people aren't really congregating and you're able to social distance on the trails, I think that attracted more people," she said.