A Proud Day for Connecticut Trails

If you took Connecticut’s entire system of blue-blazed hiking trails and straightened it out into one continuous line, you’d be able to walk from downtown Hartford all the way to the shore of Lake Michigan. Tack on the spectrum of other blazes here and who knows where it could bring you.
That’s a lot of trail raveled up in our little state, but then again, we’re a state that loves its trails. This weekend, we’ll show the rest of the country just how much.
Saturday, June 3rd is National Trails Day, a celebration of the footpaths leading us to health, peace and a better understanding of our natural world.
Although Trails Day is celebrated throughout all fifty States, Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Canada, our "little state" led the pack in 2005.
"Connecticut had the most events in the nation last year," said Adam Moore, Executive Director of the Connecticut Forest and Park Association. "Roughly ten percent of all Trails Day events in the nation were held in our
state."
According to the CFPA, the state coordinator for Trails Day, Connecticut will again lead the nation with over125 events. The complete and updated schedule is available online at http://www.ctwoodlands.org./ From hiking and biking to birding and trail maintenance, 86 communities all over the state have some activity registered with the CFPA.
Moore attributes this high participation to the state’s large population of outdoor enthusiasts and the wealth of natural resources in which they live and play.
"We have so many people living in such close proximity to the outdoors," said Moore. "All of the communities in Connecticut, in particular the urban communities, have an extensive system of trails, parks and open spaces just out the front door."
Not only are the resources there, but so is the interest. According to the Department of Environmental Protection’s Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan (SCORP), 86% of state households and 72% of state individuals either walk, run or hike as a recreational activity.
But even if these figures don’t reflect your daily routine, this weekend will provide plenty of opportunity to try something new.
"Participating in a Trails Day event is a great way to start," said Moore. "They are scattered across the state, so you can pick one in your neighborhood or go to a part of Connecticut that you have not seen before."
Central Connecticut will be especially busy this weekend. Hikes for all abilities are scheduled in Berlin, Newington, Rocky Hill, Middlefield and Middletown, while the Whethersfield/Rocky Hill Heritage Bicycle Path will see its Grand Opening. In addition, the Connecticut Chapter of the Appalachian Mountain Club has a flatwater paddle slated for the Mattabesett River in Cromwell.
After the busy day in the woods, Northeast Utilities in Berlin will host the Trails Day Potluck Dinner, where Gary St. Amand of the State Department of Health will be the featured speaker. St. Amand, an experienced hiker, climber and paddler himself, works in the Department’s Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Program and sees a direct link between getting outside and overall health.
"We definitely support physical activity and the attention that Trails Day draws to it," said St. Amand. "What I like about hiking is that pretty much anybody can do it. You just need to get out and walk. It’s the easiest form of exercise there is."
Like Moore, St. Amand also believes that hiking in Connecticut is especially convenient.
"I like that it’s so accessible," he said. "You really don’t have to go very far to find a hiking trail."
St. Amand, whose presentation is called "Trails and Public Health," has been doing lectures on the topic for six years.
And he practices what he preaches, too. The fifty year-old from Newington rides his bike to work each day in Hartford, while his two dogs keep him busy walking both on and off the trails.
Another major theme of Trails Day is that responsible recreation leads to preservation, something St. Amand is certainly familiar with. St. Amand has led trail maintenance projects at Ragged Mountain in Berlin for years. He will be leading a group there Saturday to work on erosion control and welcomes all to join him.
"We need volunteers," he said.
If trail work doesn’t sound exciting to you, a few hours with St. Amand may change your mind.
"We’re going to be using specialized tools called griphoists," he explained. "We can move rocks up to two tons. We carry all of our equipment in our backpacks."
A former Director of the Ragged Mountain Foundation, St. Amand and his fellow outdoorsmen pioneered the conservation of this popular hiking and climbing spot.
"We were the first group of rock climbers to acquire a major rock climbing area in the country," said St. Amand. "The area has been used recreationally for sixty years, but no one had really maintained the trails there."
The RMF changed that seventeen years ago and their legacy is literally preserved in the stones they work with.
"We started in 1989 using basalt rock to build and maintain the trails," said St. Amand. "All our work there is done in stone. We’re very proud of that."
There are many groups contributing to Trails Day in a number of ways. From land trusts to corporate sponsors like Tilcon and Connecticut Water, the community at large has responded to the importance of this event.
In addition, the DEP’s Parks Division has waived parking fees so all residents, regardless of their economic situation, can celebrate the trails around them. Just last week, Governor Jodi Rell announced that Bank of America donated $10,000 to the state’s No Child Left Inside initiative, a gift that will provide 2,500 foster families with free season passes to Connecticut’s state parks.
The CFPA has also been working to reach more residents through its WalkConnecticut program. This initiative is meant "to introduce all citizens to the joys of outdoor recreation through walking and learning, in order to promote a lifelong connection with the land." From developing Braille walks to encouraging people of all backgrounds and ages, the CFPA has been a leader in promoting healthy lifestyles through the use of trails. In this same spirit, the CFPA will lead a walk this Saturday through the wheelchair-accessible John R. Camp Demonstration Forest in Middlefield.
"By no means are the events all long-distance, strenuous hikes," said Moore. "There is a wide variety of activities to choose from. Some are suitable for those in wheelchairs and those pushing strollers. Others are family hikes geared towards children."
Whatever category you fall into, the tangle of trails here in Connecticut leaves you with many options. You may not end up at Lake Michigan, but we have our own wonders to be proud of. This Saturday, discover some for yourself.