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Second of Two Parts
By Cherith Glover Fluker | For the Birmingham Times
Darryl Washington, Chris Lewis and Nathaniel Rutledge have been friends since playing basketball together at Ramsay High School in the 1980s. On August 11, 2014, the three stood at the trailhead of Ruffner Mountain Nature Preserve at the end of their first hike, and they made a pact.
“We looked at each other, drenched in sweat with every limb of our bodies in pain, and said, ‘Let’s do it again next week,'” said Rutledge, a retired Bessemer police chief.
More than a decade later, they still do it every Saturday at 7 a.m. on Ruffner Mountain. What started as three grieving friends holding each other accountable has grown into Birmingham Mountain High Hikers (BMHH), which has introduced more than 1,000 people to hiking.
A New Tradition Takes Root
Their classmate and former teammate Cedric “Froot” Cole died suddenly in 2014, pushing the three men to think harder about health, brotherhood and staying connected.
“After the death of one of our classmates and teammates, Darryl Washington, Nathaniel Rutledge and I started to hike to become more conscious of our health,” Lewis said. “Our initial goal was to hike as brothers for each other.”
Washington, now CEO of Jefferson County Greenways, had already reconnected with the outdoors as an adult and served on Ruffner Mountain’s board. He found solace in “nature bathing,” a practice of intentional stillness where the outdoors provides a necessary hush against the demands of professional life and caregiving.
His social media posts about these quiet moments sparked curiosity among friends who were eager to join him. At the time, Washington noted, they lacked any formal strategy; they were simply three friends seeking a deeper connection to the land and a stronger brotherhood.
The group’s expansion was fueled by organic curiosity. Lewis noted that the sheer volume of interest their social media generated was unexpected. More and more people inquired about joining their weekly outdoor excursions.
Birmingham Mountain High Hikers (BMHH), has introduced more than 1,000 people to hiking. (Provided)From Three Friends to a Growing Community
The Saturday morning tradition has grown from a simple weekly hike into a series of gatherings that bring people together at every stage of life. Along the way, BMHH has created its own traditions, including the “Chief Birthday Hike” in July, celebrating Rutledge’s birthday; a year-end holiday gathering; and the group’s annual participation in the MLK Drum Run 5K each January.
That sense of community stretches across generations and personal milestones. At 69, Sanovia Muhammad hiked with the BMHH in preparation for her summit of Mount Kilimanjaro. For Lily Fancher, also a longtime member of the group, the experience began much earlier. As a toddler, she explored the preserves from her father’s back as he hiked with the group.
Together, their stories illustrate how Birmingham Mountain High Hikers has made the outdoors a shared experience for people at very different points in their lives.
Creating Space on the Trail
For its founders, BMHH was never only about exercise. They were intentional from the start about who they wanted to reach.
“Black people have always had a relationship with the land and the outdoors, but we have not always been visible or well represented in the modern outdoor recreation movement,” Washington said. “We wanted to create a space where Black residents could see people who looked like them hiking, exploring, and enjoying Birmingham’s natural areas.”
Lewis said many friends grew up minutes from Birmingham’s preserves without knowing they had access. Walking to Hawk’s View Overlook and looking out over the city, he said, brings a different connection to the outdoors and to Birmingham itself.
Rutledge, who later served on Ruffner Mountain’s board and as an inaugural member of the Jefferson County Greenways Foundation Board, said the group’s purpose expanded while remaining open to everyone. For him, there is real satisfaction in creating opportunities for people who may not have always seen themselves represented on the trails to experience the outdoors and find a sense of belonging there.
“Truly, everyone is welcome,” Rutledge said.
Where History and Healing Meet
Washington said the trails carry history worth sitting with: Jefferson County Greenways’ preserves intentionally maintain relics from Birmingham’s mining era, a reminder of “the sacrifice, challenging working conditions and loss of life many Black ancestors endured in the development and growth of our beloved ‘Magic City.'”
The hikes have their own folklore. On one outing, the group followed an unmarked trail into a quarry so still that Rutledge named it “the sepulcher,” after the biblical tomb, and has since returned with willing hikers.
“I have found that hiking is spiritual,” Rutledge said.
Twelve years in, the founders measure success less in membership numbers than in what has not happened: no major illness among the group’s core participants, a consistency Lewis credits to the mission the three of them set out with from the beginning. Washington and Lewis eventually moved away from Birmingham; Rutledge made sure the hikes never stopped.
“When we walk together, encourage one another and make room for everyone,” Washington said, “we can improve our individual health while strengthening the health of our entire community.”
BMHH continues to welcome new hikers to its Saturday morning tradition. Those interested in joining can follow Birmingham Mountain High Hikers on social media for weekly hike details and meeting information.
