It was the kind of Friday night that the late Ron Seman, trailmaster and sage of the Indiana Dunes, would have loved.
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The weather was clear blue sky, picture perfect. About 25 people participated in the Friday evening walk on one of Seman’s favorite trails — the number 9 and 10 trails at Indiana Dunes State Park that lead to a dune ridge with a panoramic view of Lake Michigan.
Seman, 64, died on June 26 in his sleep at his home in Chesterton, leaving behind his family and the many friends he led in hikes on the Indiana Dunes State and National Park trails.
Some of his admirers gathered at the Indiana Dunes State Park Friday for the hike, including his widow Susan Seman, who because of her ailments normally couldn’t go on her husband’s jaunts. The long walk through the woods was followed by a circle meeting on the beach bathed in a spectacular orange-flow sunset, where people shared memories of Seman.
Seman used to hold regular Friday evening hikes that started at the State Park’s Nature Center.
When he led a walk, Seman would share his vast knowledge of the dunes, plant and animal life. And sometimes, he would purposely throw in an entertaining embellishment that he would label a “10% story.”
“It’s really hard that he’s not here,” said Tiffany Yorek, 42, of Chesterton, a trail regular.
But Yorek noted that Seman had a way of building relationships and a community that will outlive him. Many of the people who went on his hikes became friends.
“There is still all the magic here. Every time we hike together, there is still that bond,” Yorek said.
Ryan Pagell, who was leading the hike Friday evening, chipped in: “He is going to be with us on every hike here and forever.”
As he walked through the hilly woods, Barry Tharp, 66, of Michigan City, recalled that he met Seman eight years ago on this very trail.
“I’ve never met anyone quite like him,” Tharp said, noting it’s a common refrain when people describe Seman.
Tharp estimates that Seman guided thousands of people on excursions on the Indiana Dunes trails.
When you met Ron, he had “an excitedness and vibrancy” about him along with a unique mix of attributes and talent, Tharp said.
Seman held a “really strong Christian faith” while being a “genius-level scientist” who was an expert on sound technology and computers, Tharp said.
His knowledge of nature was encyclopedic. One of his passions was to boost the monarch butterfly population in the Duneland region.
Four times a year, Seman would have his “Monster Dune Challenge,” where he would lead people on a trek on all 22 miles of the state park trails. He even would do the challenge in the middle of winter.
“It was a challenge enough, even on a good day,” Tharp said.
Ed Oziminski, 43, of Portage, happened to go along on one of the last hikes that Seman led in June. It was so hot and humid that day that all the hikers ran into Lake Michigan to cool off.
“If we had only known that it was the last time,” Oziminski said as he was walking toward the lake.
As she walked along the shore, Marcella Bernat, 71, of Hobart, related how Seman came into her life at a critical time.
Four years ago, Bernat was grieving the loss of her husband.
She met Seman, who urged her to get out of her house — the toxic drywall box as he would call it — and into nature.
So, for one year, Bernat said she would go practically every day hiking or canoeing with Seman.
Bernat said that Seman explained to her that he had been paid well for an invention, which enabled him to retire early and do what he really enjoyed. It was why Seman would go out on multiple hikes a day and be available to help people.
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“He was a giver. You would kind of live in a world of Ron, but it was a beautiful world,” Bernat said.
Bernat said that the year in nature was essential in recovering from her grief.
As a thank you, Bernat painted a picture of Seman paddling a canoe into the sunset. She said he cried when she presented it to him.
At the beach’s west end, Connor Zelasko, 33, of Chesterton, was getting things ready for the memorial circle.
Zelasko has been organizing a petition effort — 900 signatures so far — to get a dune within the state park named in Seman’s honor.
Indiana Department of Natural Resources officials initially told him no, Zelasko said, but he is not discouraged.
“These things usually take a few years,” Zelasko said.
Zelasko met Seman three years ago, which led him to join Seman in leading a regular Thursday night hike, dedicated to people working on recovery from alcohol and drug addiction. The walks attract about 40 people.
The hikes provide a way to “get back involved in life again.” Seman was a strong proponent of getting “in touch with nature” along with connecting with other people.
Seman’s death left Zelasko admittedly feeling “devastated and angry.” He said that he considered Seman to be a great friend and influence in his life. He said he also realized that he wasn’t alone.
“There are a thousand who felt like they lost a best friend,” Zelasko said.
Jim Woods is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.