Zoo walker records 5,500 miles
Ruth Huffstetler begins her walk through Riverbanks Zoo and Garden at 8 am each morning
By Cindy Thompson

Ruth Huffstetler at Riverbanks Zoo and Garden before her morning walk Photo by Cindy Thompson

It's 8 am at the Riverbanks Zoo and Botanical Garden. The air is cool, the animals are stirring, and zookeepers are making their rounds before the opening hour arrives. Annie Ruth Huffstetler begins her trek at the Botanical Garden, setting a steady pace while absorbing the sounds and scenes that surround her. Today, she will record an additional five miles in her walking journal.

Annie Ruth Huffstetler has walked about 5,455 miles...and counting...on the grounds of the Riverbanks Zoo and Garden. She is a charter member of the PrimeTimes Zoo Walkers, a health education and exercise program for people 55 years and older. She has been walking at the zoo since Palmetto Health started the program in 1996. Since then, the zoo has become a little bit more than just a good place to exercise for Huffstetler. It has become a place to meet with friends, a place to reflect on the past, and a place to look to the future.

Over the course of 5,455 miles, Huffstetler walked many remarkable miles with Riverbanks staff, who often share stories about the animals and their jobs at the zoo. She walked fun and inspirational miles with PrimeTimes friends, making new memories together and recalling old ones. She walked proudly beside her husband Roy for 3,265 miles before he lost his life to Alzheimer's Disease. And she continued to walk during her battle with breast cancer.

At the Zoo's entrance there is a path of engraved bricks, each with a story to tell. One of those engraved bricks reads: "Annie Ruth Huffstetler 2006; 5,000 Zoo Miles" And nearby is another brick that reads: "May 30, 2005, in Memory of Roy Huffstetler Jr." Roy and Annie Ruth Huffstetler are as much a part of Riverbanks' history as the Zoo is a part of theirs.

Today, Huffstetler is setting her sights on 5,500 miles. Making her way around the zoo's perimeter, she stops to visit the meerkats, one of her favorite animals. Then, checking her watch, she heads toward the Ndoki Lodge to meet with her fellow zoo walkers. They catch up on the news of the day, and settle in for a morning seminar.

PrimeTimes' Zoo Walker program recently celebrated ten successful years. There are more than 17,000 PrimeTimes members in the greater Columbia area, and more than 400 members have participated in Zoo Walkers.

Monthly Zoo Walker meetings cover a range of topics such as health and fitness, nature, horticulture, and conservation. There are also annual celebrations and holiday events. In addition, the program offers walking incentives and health screenings.

Members are allowed to walk in the Riverbanks Zoo and Gardens beginning at 8 am, before the grounds are open to the public. Zoo Walkers must be members of both PrimeTimes and the Riverbanks Society. The lifetime fee to join PrimeTimes is only $5.

PrimeTimes is a community service offered through Palmetto Health that provides health seminars, educational classes, travel opportunities, insurance assistance, and other services. For more information call Palmetto Health Baptist PrimeTimes coordinator Mary Bundrick at (803) 296-5978.