My first hikes were guided. I’ll bet your were, too. Very few of us ever take to the trail solo without going with someone else first.
I clearly remember several occasions when my grandfather would lead the clan up Watatic Mountain behind his farm in Ashby, Massachusetts where everyone would pick blueberries and eat a picnic lunch. I must have been very young because I remember my grandmother along on at least a couple of those outings and she was sick for a long time and died the year I started school. Little hikes can make big impressions on very young kids—something to consider if you have kids or grandkids.
I was lucky that I grew up in a time and a place where we could, literally, walk out the door of the house and go for a hike or, at least, an exploration in the woods. So once I got my start, I was good to go on my own, to learn in increments as I went. I did one hike that I remember with a Boy Scout troop and climbed a mountain or two with a town recreation program and a church group. Any of those would have been a good start on an Active Outdoors lifestyle.
Not all kids are that fortunate and many today are so enamored of team sports, TVs and computers that they never take to the trails even if they have the opportunity. Sad.
But even if you are well past being a kid, guided hikes are worth considering If you’ve never done any hiking at all, a guided hike is a great way to get started. If you’ve already done some hiking, a guided trek is a way to safely push beyond the limits of your experience. It’s also a wonderful way to meet like-minded souls of all ages and ability levels. And, if you are an experienced hiker, leading a group hike or just tagging along with one is a wonderful way to share your experience and knowledge with people who can learn from it.
Here in the northeast, the Appalachian Mountain Club and its regional chapters probably account for more guided hikes than every other organization combined. In fact, I went to their home page one time and under “Get Outdoors,” clicked on local programs and then narrowed the search to “hiking”, and found that they had 783 guided hikes and walks scheduled between Memorial Day and the end of the year. They have hikes for kids, hikes for seniors, hikes for beginners, experts, couch potatoes, fitness freaks and everyone in between. If you can’t find a guided hike that interests you among those choices, you aren’t looking.
A couple of years ago, my sweetheart Marilyn and I joined one of the AMC’s 50+ hiking adventures and did a few easy climbs in the White Mountains from the AMC Highland Center in Crawford Notch. Though we aren’t normally the type to hike in a group, we had a wonderful time.
Another time, I joined a naturalist-lead Wildflower Hike with an AMC group on Mount Washington in NH. I learned more about the alpine ecosystem in that one hike than I had in a dozen excursions on my own or with a companion.
The Green Mountain Club and the Adirondack Mountain Club (www.adk.org) and a plethora of smaller, more local organizations offer dozens upon dozens of guided hikes throughout the summer. Whether you are out for your very first hike or you just want company on your thousandth, try going out with a guided group. I’ll bet you’ll learn something. Life isn’t a spectator sport. Get out and enjoy!
National Trails Day
The first Saturday in June is probably the biggest day of the year for guided hikes. It’s National Trails Day, a huge event sponsored by the American Hiking Society. There are hundreds if not thousands of events scheduled across the country. The very best of these events are where volunteers get their hands dirty helping to maintain the trails they enjoy free of charge the rest of the year.
Go to the web address above, scroll down and click on the state you want to go hiking in. You’ll find something fun to do, probably within a few miles of your home.
Even if Trails Day and all its events have passed when you read this, don’t despair. The organizations which put on Trails Day events will have others scheduled throughout the year.
Sunapee, Ragged, Kearsarge
Mount Monadnock gets most of the attention in southern New Hampshire but there are other substantial hills that are well worth exploring. A group called The Sunapee-Ragged-Kearsarge Greenway Coalition is looking to protect and promote hiking in that area. This year, they offer a program of eight guided hikes to introduce newcomers to the best of the area. They maintain 75 miles of public trails, incorporating 14 separate blazed hikes open to all at any time, free of charge.