Linking America Through Hiking Trails

By Mary Margaret Sloan

When I was a girl growing up just outside Washington, DC, my family spent weekends at our cabin near the Appalachian Trail. My brothers, sister, and I would go out in the morning after breakfast, hike up to Buzzards Rock and take the day to walk the ridge trail. We hiked the same five miles back-and-forth again and again. It was always exciting for us, not just because we saw a different plant or evidence of deer or squirrel, but because we knew that that five-mile piece was part of a much larger 2,100-mile trail which stretches from Maine to Georgia.

The idea of trails both close to home and in the backcountry led the American Hiking Society to found National Trails Day in 1993. For the last dozen years, American Hiking has celebrated National Trails Day on the first Saturday of June. We are proud of this thriving annual celebration, birthed in a very different America than today, one in which “urban sprawl” and “the obesity epidemic” were background rumblings rather than the alarming headlines of today. American Hiking’s reason for launching National Trails Day was, rather, a celebration of the myriad benefits trails provide: recreational opportunities for us humans, a means to protect conservation corridors for wildlife, and a way to engage an increasingly busy nation in the joys of nature.

On Saturday, June 5, approximately 900 events around the country will celebrate National Trails Day. This year’s theme, Trails and Health . . . A Natural Connection links trail activities with improved health. National Trails Day is a great time to start a physical fitness program, which can be continued throughout the summer.

A Hiker’s Vision for America’s System of Trails
The American Hiking Society envisions an America of places and people connected by footpaths through the natural world akin to the national road system, but on an intimate, human scale. Such a network of trails will make it possible to walk from one’s back door to the backcountry and back again without leaving pathways.

This grand system of America’s trails will include multi-purpose, multi-use trails, brought about by local and regional cooperative planning. These trails will serve a variety of purposes including transportation, recreation, and the conservation of plant and animal species. They will accommodate bicycles, horses, and other modes of transportation. This vision of cooperative invention among many trail interests — known broadly as Trails for All Americans — was published and endorsed by trail advocates, including hikers, in 1990 and formed the impetus for National Trails Day. American Hiking Society’s special interest is in the establishment and protection of footpaths. Our goal is to literally and symbolically link communities, forests, and parks to one another by footpaths and multi-purpose trails.

The National Trails System’s scenic trails, including the Appalachian, the Continental Divide, and the Pacific Crest scenic trails should be the rallying vision of the conservation movement in the 21st century. The eight national scenic trails provide the skeleton for many thousands of miles of conservation corridors, while the 14 national historic trails (including the Lewis and Clark, Trail of Tears, and Pony Express trails) offer a focal point for the preservation of historic sites and travel routes that illustrate America’s story. Together, they are the spine of grand conservation and preservation vision that involves many trails and open spaces.

Ours is a vision in which footpaths are integral features in the lives of communities and people, in which people recognize and understand the benefits that footpaths bring to America, and in which footpaths are so treasured that an America without them could not be imagined.

Be a Part of Our Trails Vision
American Hiking Society invites you to attend a National Trails Day event held in all 50 states. Children love the chance to explore all kinds of trails, and many National Trails Day events offer activities geared towards kids.

Portland, Oregon: Trek with the Friends of the Columbia Gorge on June 22 on game trails and across steep meadows, through soothing oak groves, and conifer-cloaked ridges. View waterfalls and mountains too.

Boise, Idaho: Join Boise’s REI store as it begins construction of the first phase of a three-mile trail system. Tasks include dirt work, sign installation, pruning, and other projects suitable for a wide array of age groups. All volunteers will be provided lunch and drink.

San Fernando, California: Learn different levels of trail maintenance from the Los Angeles River Rangers. View the Fire Education Program Mobile Exhibit along with a Forest Service Wildland fire engine. Tools and lunch will be provided. Persons attending need to be dressed and equipped to do four hours of trail work.

Green Valley, Arizona: Leaving early to avoid the heat, join the Green Valley Recreation Hiking Club on the historic de Anza Trail, which was traveled by Spaniards between Mexico and California. Led by the hike master, the trip accommodates all levels of senior hikers.

Visit www.AmericanHiking.org to find an event near you. We hope to see you out on a trail on June 5, 2004!

Mary Margaret Sloan is president of American Hiking Society, a national recreation-based conservation organization. She does trail volunteer work, is on the board of several environmental and recreation organizations, and is an avid hiker. 301-565-6704 x 204; mmsloan@AmericanHiking.org; www.AmericanHiking.org