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Great People Enjoy Great Trails

May 30, 2011 - Saco– The chance to be outdoors, see flora and fauna in their natural setting and take a break from the constant noise and whirl of everyday life – what could be better?


There’s all that and more available on one of the many miles of walking trails that snake through the tri-town area.


“Trails are a great way to contemplate nature’s beauty and to just be quiet,” said Elaine Vadeboncoeur, the newly elected president of Saco Bay Trails. “Walking trails are also a great way for people to stay fit and healthy.”


While people don’t need a special event to get out and enjoy the numerous trails maintained by Saco Bay Trails, Saturday, June 4, has been set aside as National Trails Day.


The goal of the day, which is sponsored by the American Hiking Society, is to bring awareness to trail systems, acknowledge the hard work done by agencies and individuals to create and maintain trails and to introduce people to the many joys and benefits of trails.


Vadeboncoeur said her group is not planning anything special for National Trails Day this year, but will host a work session at the Cascade Falls property on June 8, in conjunction with the United Way of York County’s annual Day of Caring.


Locally, the Eastern Trail Alliance is hosting a guided nature walk along the Scarborough Marsh portion of the Eastern Trail and the Sanford Trail Committee is hosting a 5K Trail Run, as well as several different walks.


John Andrews, president of the Eastern Trail Alliance and a Saco resident, said the benefits of trails in helping people get exercise and build bonds with each other cannot be overstated.


“(Trails provide) no cost, healthy exercise and help build stronger and healthier families,” he said. “Breathing fresh air, listening to the crunch of gravel and twigs underfoot, feeling the breeze in the pines and hearing the call of song birds is a refreshing, clean pleasure.”


Andrews also said trail users share a common bond and friendships are often forged along the trail.


“(On a trail) strangers get to meet face-to-face and often develop friendships,” he said. “Years ago I realized I’d never met anyone above 4,000 feet that I did not like. It’s pretty much the same on a trail in Saco Bay or the Eastern Trail. Great people enjoy trails.”


This is the 19th year that the American Hiking Society has held National Trails Day, according to Heather Sable, the society’s trail programs manager.


She said the event was created as the result of a report issued in 1987 by the president's Commission on Americans Outdoors, which recommended that all Americans should be able to go out their front door and within 15 minutes find trail systems to use and enjoy.


“We really see the day as a celebration of trails across the country and a reason for people to get outside and see what their local trails have to offer,” Sable said.
The day has brought greater awareness of trails to thousands of people over the years and events have included, hikes, bike and horse rides, paddle trips, new trail dedications and many other activities, she said.


Sable also said the day is often used by people to give back to their communities. For instance, she said, many events on National Trails Day are tied to trail maintenance projects.


She said there are events going in all 50 states on June 4, as well as in Canada, although not every organization has officially registered its plans with the American Hiking Society.


According to the society, there are 200,000 miles of trails in the United States that allow access to the natural world for the purposes of recreation, education, exploration, solitude, inspiration and much more.


“(Trails help maintain) good physical and mental health by providing (people) with a chance to breathe fresh air, get (their) hearts pumping and escape from (their) stresses,” the American Hiking Society website states.


“With obesity rates skyrocketing, exercise is increasingly important and trails provide a wide variety of opportunities for being physically active,” the website added.


In addition to the American Hiking Society, National Trails Day is also sponsored by organizations like Backpacker magazine, Eastern Mountain Sports, The North Face, the YMCA of the USA, the federal Bureau of Land Management and the National Park Service.


While Saco Bay Trails is not doing anything special on National Trails Day this year, Vadeboncoeur said having such a day is good.


“National Trails Day is an important event because it helps publicize local trail organizations and gives people an excuse to get out and enjoy nature,” she said.
Saco Bay Trails is a nonprofit, volunteer run organization working to create a network of accessible, well-maintained, well-marked and well-known trails throughout Saco Bay.


In addition, according to its website, Saco Bay Trails wants to create trails that are used by a wide range of people with a broad range of abilities.


To that end, Vadeboncoeur said the first official trail in the Cascade Falls property will be American with Disabilities Act compliant. That trail, the Trout Pond Loop, is what Saco Bay Trails and other volunteers will be working on during the Day of Caring, she said.


“We’re very excited about opening up Cascade Falls, which is near and dear to a lot of local people,” Vadeboncoeur said. “Hopefully the trail will be open and usable this summer.”


In addition to the new trail at Cascade Falls, the city of Biddeford is working on another high profile trail along the Saco River. Although not under the auspices of Saco Bay Trails, the River Walk in Biddeford would connect to the one already created in Saco, allowing for several miles of paved walkway along the river in the twin cities.


The Eastern Trail Alliance is made up of a group of people in southern Maine working to support the creation of the Eastern Trail, which will eventually run from Portsmouth to South Portland. It’s also part of the larger East Coast Greenway project, which will connect Maine and Florida on a 2,500-mile trail system.


The Eastern Trail is a mostly on-road trail, although there are several miles of off-road sections in communities such as South Portland, Scarborough and Saco. Right now the trail runs 80 miles, from Bug Light Park in South Portland to Kittery.


The newest section of the Eastern Trail is a five-mile, off-road connection between Biddeford and Kennebunk.


According to the Eastern Trail Alliance website, the trail is being built along the old Eastern Railroad corridor. The railroad was the first to connect Boston to Portland and operated from 1842 until 1944.


“Ultimately, the Eastern Trail will be a mostly off-road greenway, free from noise and air pollution, where Maine families and visitors of all skill levels will enjoy Maine’s quiet, natural beauty,” the website states.

Kate Irish Collins, Sun Chronicle, May 2011


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