By Becky Malamut, NSRWA River Restoration Coordinator
This time of year, there’s a lot of talk about resolutions but declaring how you are going to change for an entire year can be stressful. For me, setting shorter-term goals feels much more doable. This past fall, I was inspired by one of my favorite people in the world who had just completed a summer of hiking once a week. She lives in California and my initial thought was that this would be an impossible goal for me. But I was coming off a big hike in Vermont and decided to give it a try until my birthday in early November. Not only did I make it to my birthday, but I kept it going for another 6 weeks.
My biggest take-away was how lucky we are to live in an area where hiking once per week is possible (I defined a “hike” as a walk in the woods). As a dog-owner and nature-lover, I already spend a lot of time outdoors but this challenge also pushed me to explore new properties and new trails. In the 15 years that I’ve lived in Scituate, the Town has acquired quite a few pieces of conservation land that now have well-marked, well-maintained trails, and I took this as an opportunity to check out some of the newer sites.
There were definitely weeks where I felt like there was no way I could fit in a hike but then I would choose a shorter route and, every time, I was grateful I made the effort. Finding that time to create a wide open space for myself felt like a gift. Most walks were solo (aside from my furry friend, Luna) and, over time, they became silent – no podcasts, no music, just the crunch of leaves under my feet and wind blowing through the branches. What remained constant was the feeling of accomplishment and peace I felt after each one.
On the off-chance this article inspires anyone the way my friend’s posts inspired me, see below for a list of trails we explored and then check out the Hiking section of NSRWA’s Get Outdoors listings – you can sort by Town, trail types, all sorts of things. If hiking isn’t your thing, think about getting involved with your Town’s Conservation Commission/Community Preservation Committee/Open Space Committee, or attending all 8 WaterWatch lectures. Whatever it is, get out there and explore! We would love to hear about your experiences and see your pictures, so send them our way.
Here is a list of properties we explored: