Over 100 people participate in park naturalist's final First Day Hike
Jan. 2—The crowd booed when Scott Kudelka announced Sunday morning that it was his last First Day Hike after 10 years of leading groups through the trails of Minneopa State Park every New Year's Day.
Kudelka will be retiring from his role as a Minneopa area naturalist on Jan. 9.
When he was first asked to lead the First Day Hike at the state park in 2013, Kudelka said he wasn't too thrilled about it. But it quickly became one of his favorite programs.
The free event is part of a nationwide initiative led by America's State Parks to get people outdoors and to start the new year off on the right foot.
"It's a community event. I get a lot of people that come back year after year, and I also get a lot of new faces. It's really fun to see people interacting and talking to each other," Kudelka said. "It's just been a really great event."
Twelve people came out for his inaugural First Day Hike, and 112 people, plus a dog, came out for his last one. The smile on the naturalist's face after seeing everyone was almost as big as the group that showed up for him.
The group serenaded Kudelka with "He's a Jolly Good Fellow" before the hike began.
Kudelka said it almost made him cry.
Mariya Bergquist initiated and led the serenade.
"We love Scott Kudelka and the job that he's done out here in Minneopa," she said. "... It's wonderful that he's able to start the next chapter of his life, and we will miss him."
Bergquist and her family have been participating in the First Day Hike since it started, while others, like Madison Vandersee, are newer additions to the group.
Vandersee moved to Mankato from Illinois to attend graduate school at Minnesota State University. The experiential education student also works with Maverick Adventures, an outdoor program that offers clinics, classes and trips for students to get outside.
Vandersee reached out to Kudelka last year and asked if he would be willing to lead some MSU students on a snowshoeing hike through the state park. He happily obliged.
After becoming acquainted with Kudelka, Vandersee began participating in his programs, including last year's First Day Hike. She said she enjoyed it despite it being -30 F at the time.
"There were probably about 50 to 60 people out here last year, which I thought was surprising because I wasn't sure if I was even going to come out with the weather," she said. "But it ended up being beautiful."
Kudelka wasn't as surprised as Vandersee was. He sees people of all ages come out for the event every year, regardless of weather or the state of the world.
During the pandemic, Kudelka had to stop his programs. He let everyone know that he would still be out at Minneopa doing a solo hike on the first day of the new year.
His solo hike turned into a group hike when 15 people showed up.
"There's definitely a group that's dedicated to wanting to be there every time," he said.
Vandersee thought it was awesome that Kudelka showed up for his last First Day Hike, and she was glad to be in attendance, experiencing it with him.
"It's exciting to see what the future brings him and what it will bring to Minneopa State Park," she said.
There is no word yet on who his replacement will be.
