One Step at a Time

Sonoma County Outdoors, a group on the popular Meetup.com site, has quickly developed into the largest walking and hiking club in Petaluma. The pace is brisk, the vibe is non-dating friendly and the host, Marv Guggemos, runs a tight ship. 

“This isn’t Match.com, although sometimes people wish it was because everyone is so nice,” said Marv Guggemos, 53, who by day is a sales professional in the automation and control industry. 

Guggemos’ additional membership rules include “be nice,” “no whining” and an oft-repeated  hint that although there is no cost for his leadership Guggemos would humbly accept all forms of red wine. 

Sonoma County Outdoors was born of Guggemos’ own desire to lose weight and start a healthier, happier and more active stage in his life. 

“It was a totally selfish endeavor on my part. I wanted someone to walk with and I wanted to have fun,” he said of the spark. 

Since last February, with help from an iPhone app, Guggemos had tracked his calorie intake and exercise in order to lose weight. His goal was to drop 50 pounds in six months, which he did on his own.   

“But I’d lost weight before and gained it all back so I knew I had to make a lifestyle change. I looked at gyms, but I had to be honest with myself. I knew I wouldn’t stick with a gym,” he said. 

Walking was really helping. A Mondays-only commute to San Francisco inspired him to spend his lunch hour walking the 300-plus Telegraph Hill steps that rise straight up from North Beach to Coit Tower. 

“The first time I did it I lost my breath at about the sixtieth step. The next week I got farther and after a few weeks I was jogging past that sixtieth step, which was really rewarding,” he recalled. 

By September, Guggemos was looking for hiking groups but couldn’t find anything close to Petaluma that met regularly. He also didn’t want to drive four hours round-trip to hike two. 

“I was talking to Jen and Joel who own and they said I could use Brixx as a meeting place if I started my own walking/hiking group, so I did,” he said. He credits Brixx and his other round-up point, , with creating a welcoming and supportive ambiance from the get-go. 

On Tuesdays Marv’s tribe meets at Brixx and on Wednesday at Aqus Café. Both groups start walking at 6:10 p.m., no exceptions. Walks on Tuesday of four-plus miles stick to a brisk pace with Wednesday’s three-plus mile trek moving a bit slower. Groups return to the watering holes by 7:30 p.m. There are half-day and full-day weekend hikes with routes, meeting spots and other details posted on Meetup.com. 

“People want to get out and do things. They want to meet people and make new friends. And they want to get some exercise on a regular basis. They just need someone to facilitate it. To make it easy for them,” said Guggemos, who likes to maintain a light, friendly atmosphere  at all gatherings. 

“We’ve even had some people join online, then contact other members before they even show up on a hike and try to get together outside of the walks. That’s exactly what will get you kicked out pretty quick,” he said with a deep laugh. 

Since launching his walking group, the normally shy Guggemos said he has made nearly a dozen good friends and he’s watched many friendships bloom. That’s why he added social activities that can include spouses or significant others. Several mini-groups within Sonoma County Outdoors enjoy dinners, movies, wine tasting or even a pub crawl. 

Guggemos has developed quite a reputation for fun, doing things like walking a whole group of 30 or more through the tiny just to offer a show-and-tell opportunity between the owners and potential future customers. 

“We were right there and it smelled so good, so we just marched in,” he confessed. 

With membership quickly approaching the 375 mark with about 70 to 80 dedicated members, Guggemos said the unanticipated reward of leading the biggest walking group in Petaluma is the warm fuzzy feeling he gets when walkers thank him. 

“It’s really rewarding when someone tells me, ‘Marv, if you weren't doing this, I wouldn't be doing it either. I'd be sitting at home doing nothing. Thank you for everything you do.’”