The “I Hiked Acton’s Trails” Program

At this time of Covid-19 emergency, one of the safer and approved ways to get out of the house is to go for a walk in a non-crowded place. If you are using this escape hatch, you might want to check out the “I Hiked Acton’s Trails” program administered by the Acton Recreation Department.
To participate in the program, begin by downloading and printing  this form. The form lists all 16 Acton conservation areas, and has a place to fill in the date walked, observations made (e.g., plants, animals, geology), and your name and address. You are asked to walk the main loop trail of each area — the one marked by yellow blazes. When you have completed and documented all 16 trails, you can send in your form and get a sticker or sew-on patch. 

I discovered this program by accident, and have now started keeping a record of my “Covid-19 era” excursions. I had previously visited about half of the conservation lands, but many of them are new to me. 

On my walks in recent days, I have observed that the trails are being more heavily used than in pre-pandemic times. However, there is still plenty of room, and the walkers I have encountered have been taking care to social distance, with one or the other party stepping off the trail to leave more than six feet between people. The Acton Trails website has posted Covid-19 relevant rules: Do not come to public areas if you are sick or have any symptoms. Keep at least six feet away from others. Pick up your trash as one more way to protect others. 

Natural Resources Assistant Bettina Abe administers the program, and she answered some questions by email: 

Green Acton: How long has the program been active?

Bettina Abe: I started the program in 2013. 

GA: How many people have completed the program and earned patches or stickers? 

BA: Between 30 and 40 people have participated. [She promised a more exact number when she can get back to her records in her Town Hall office.]

GA: Is the program still active during the shut down, and can participants still get their stickers or patches? 

BA: Yes, I will continue to send out the stickers and patches during the pandemic. 

Last week, I walked from my house to a timely landmark: the “pest house” in the Nashoba Brook conservation land. The informational sign points out that this foundation is isolated far from other buildings on Dr. Davies’ property. There were no hospitals in the 1700s, and so people would sometimes establish a “sick house” or “pest house” to separate patients with an infectious disease from the rest of the community. The foundation has two rooms with a large chimney in between them. These have been interpreted as one room for a patient and one room for a caretaker, with separate hearths in each room. We and our families may be chafing under the very real limitations of self-isolation during the Covid-19 emergency. It’s nearly unimaginable for most of us to consider that in the 18th century, we might have been sent off to an isolated cabin, with no internet, no telephone, no electricity, no refrigerator, no aspirin or ibuprofen, and definitely no ventilator.

We are lucky here in Acton to have such ready access to natural settings. It’s good for the mind and body to do a little “forest bathing” — especially as we all navigate this pandemic. Take a (safe) walk on an Acton trail!