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A Region Rich in Trails
By Esther Perne Saturday, June 3, is National Trails Day, a celebration now in its fourteenth year that inspires nearly a million enthusiasts across all fifty states to join this educational, recreational, fun-raising, fund-raising event. Always the first Saturday in June, National Trails Day provides an opportunity to thank all those who develop, support, and maintain trails; more importantly, it designates a time to schedule special events on local trails. In 2005, a record 1,132 events were registered with the American Hiking Society. In 2006, as the American Hiking Society celebrates its thirtieth anniversary, the 2006 National Trails Day slogan, "Experience Your Outdoors," is intended to encourage everyone to get outside, get active, and experience the wonders of their surroundings. Trails and hiking are at the top of this intention, but their social, therapeutic, community, and personal values are an integral part of the experience too, especially community.
For Central Maine, this region so rich in trails, in a legacy of waterways and woodlands, in small population centers and large connecting spaces, in civic organizations independent and cooperative, in individuals seeking solitude and individuals seeking sociability, National Trails Day is the link that brings them all together. On Saturday, June 3, there will be trail-oriented events throughout the region, "trails," of course, also meaning "rivers." Some are highly organized and publicized; some are quietly available. For the latter, the range of options is unlimited: land trust trails, town park trails, intown sidewalk trails, and even indoor trails, for all of which route information is available through town offices, chamber offices, health care facilities, and word of mouth. | ||
