Fund created to improve Sonoma Valley parks, honor founders of ’Bill & Dave’ hikes

Bill & Dave Hikes will live on.

Though the popular hike-leading duo retired in May, the Sonoma County Regional Parks Foundation has created the Bill & Dave Legacy Fund to honor Bill Myers and Dave Chalk, the longtime leaders of the popular hikes.

Myers and Chalk — both in their 70s — organized park outings for more than 20 years, but after more than 2,000 miles hiked, decided to hand over their duties to a 25-year-old parks programs assistant.

The new fund, which accepts donations from the public in honor of the hike leaders, will focus on park expansion, trail construction and maintenance at Hood Mountain and the SugarHood Complex, comprised of Sugarloaf Ridge State Park and Hood Mountain Regional Park & Open Space Preserve.

“Hood Mountain was always one of our favorite hiking destinations,” said Chalk. “We are honored to have a fund named for us that will provide an ongoing source of support for this beloved park.”

Myers, too, was flattered.

“Bill and Dave’s Hikes touched the lives of thousands of hikers over the past two decades,” he said. “I can think of no tribute we would like better than to have people support this land that brought us so much joy.”

The duo, both retirees from the Midwest, met in 2000 at a Sugarloaf Ridge State Park docent training and, while initially thought they didn’t had much in common, became fast friends

Myers worked for decades in sales and marketing in the electric utility industry, so he was a natural at promoting the hikes and growing their audience.

Chalk, meanwhile, was enthusiastic about enjoying the outdoors after spending his life indoors as a high school math teacher.

Their first trip, to the top of Bald Mountain, drew 13 hikers. But the pair worked so diligently — and provided enough fun that word spread — that they doubled the attendance in year two. By 2010, they averaged around 80 hikers a month.

The pair had an easy trail rapport, riffing off one another and having fun with their hikers while sharing their love of Sonoma County’s beautiful landscapes

Myers and his wife were architects of the Funky Fridays summer concert series, which raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for Hood Mountain and Sugarloaf. Having a fund to support Sugarloaf and Hood Mountain will help the parks reach their potential, said Steve Ehret, planning division manager at Sonoma County Regional Parks.

“Hood Mountain is an iconic park in the regional parks system, representing one of the few true wilderness experiences in Sonoma County,” Ehret said. “When joined with Sugarloaf Ridge State Park, it creates exceptional opportunities for diverse, nature-based trail outings, including multiday hikes.”

The fund may initially support projects including new trails, trail upgrades, camping facilities and access improvements to the Lawson and Santa Rosa Creek Headwaters Additions to Hood Mountain Park & Preserve, Ehret said.

The Bill & Dave Legacy Fund is a restricted account held by the nonprofit Sonoma County Regional Parks Foundation. Donations can only be used for the benefit of Hood Mountain Park & Preserve and the SugarHood Complex, said Melissa Kelley, the parks foundation executive director.

Donations can be made to the legacy fund at https://tinyurl.com/bill-and-dave

Myers and Chalk will be involved in prioritizing which park projects are funded. A small portion of the funds also will support the continuation of the hiking series, now led by Sonoma County Regional Parks and hike leader Alexis Puerto-Holmes. All group hikes are currently canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The nonprofit Sonoma County Regional Parks Foundation raises funds, fosters partnerships and advocates on for Sonoma County Regional Parks. It supports all 55 parks, trails and beaches in the regional parks system and manages multiple restricted accounts to benefit individual parks programs.

You can reach Staff Writer Lori A. Carter at 707-521-5470 or lori.carter@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @loriacarter