Women Walkers Share Trails, And Trials, And Truths

By Nancy K. Crevier

The expression, “Take a hike,” has a positive meaning to several women from the Newtown area who congregate each Monday morning to lace up their boots and hit the trails around Newtown. Organizer Kristina Mills, a Connecticut native who has been a hiker most of her life, decided the fall of 2005 that she wanted to dedicate one day a week to exploring the trails around Newtown and invited a few friends to join her. “Newtown has so much to offer,” she said. “The trails are marked well, they’re clean. We are fortunate to have all this in our own backyard.”

The few friends told a few more friends, and before they knew it, the hiking group had grown to include 25 women who share a love of the outdoors and being with others. She keeps an email list to let everyone know where to meet each week, but other than that, the group is pretty loose, she said.

“The women come from all kinds of backgrounds,” Ms Mills said. “We have women who are older with grown children, moms with kids in grade school, women who are looking for exercise, or who just like the chance to meet with friends in a pretty setting. We have one woman who is training for a marathon who uses the group as additional training. The nice thing is that she can tap into someone else in the group for information on training.”

That the group serves a purpose beyond fresh air and fitness is one of the added benefits to the hiking group, said Ms Mills. It is networking on all levels, she said. “You can go out with this group and find out so much information. People will talk about where and where not to vacation, what books they have read, parenting information, school, or town questions.” Serious issues are addressed as the cluster of women walk, too. “We have had one woman who is dealing with cancer. Another woman in the group has been through it, so they are able to connect and help each other. It’s great. If you need a question answered you can hit this group and find someone with information,” said Ms Mills.

The hikers meet at 9:30 am, year around, for a walk that takes on average two hours. The number of hikers varies from week to week, said Ms Mills, but usually at least a dozen members take part. “The nice thing is that everyone walks at her own pace. Some walk for the exercise, some just to get fresh air.”

The first year, the hikers spent a lot of time on Al’s Trails and covering Great Quarter Trail, which runs between the woods and Lake Zoar. The walks so far have been relatively uneventful, said Ms Mills. No wild animals have surprised them, there have been no twisted ankles, nor have any members gone astray. The one curiosity they came across was last year on the Great Quarter Trail. “A sign reading ‘Area Closed April to Fall,’ or something like that caught our attention. We couldn’t figure it out. That isn’t hunting season, so why would the area be closed?” When forest association workers on the trail clarified the sign for them, they shelved that trail until cooler weather. “It turns out that it is a snake den area and during those months the snakes are highly active,” she explained.

Outside of snake season, the Great Quarter Trail remains one of Ms Mills’ favorite walks in Newtown. “We’ve hiked it in every season, so that trail stands out for me. I love Great Quarter Trail. You’re following the water on one side with the forest on the other side. It is so pretty.”

This year the group has predominantly explored the 1,100-acre Huntingtown State Park on the Newtown/Bethel/Redding line, although everyone offers ideas for new hiking experiences, she said. Shelby McChord, a regular participant, has spent many years hiking and riding horseback on the Huntingtown trails and has served as a casual guide on many Monday mornings. “She knows a lot of the history of the park and has shown us some interesting things there,” Ms Mills said. The rocks that are mined by gemologists, the abandoned mica mines, and rock walls used for rappelling practice have been pointed out, little tidbits of knowledge that otherwise might have gone unnoticed or unexplained. “It becomes educational as well as an opportunity to exercise,” said Ms Mills.

“Hiking is such a mental release. You’re with nature, and you’re out on a great day with other people and enjoying what’s around you. You come away with such a better feeling, like you’ve been lifted,” Ms Mills said. “From a little idea, it has grown to be a great thing.”