These Are the People Who Make Hiking through Canton’s Woods Possible

The spooked woman at the Canton Mobil station absolutely would not appreciate the work of the people who created the Canton Land Conservation Trust’s trails.

“This place is scaaary,” she told my friend Kathy, whom she had just asked directions to Simsbury. “There’s nothing here. There are just all these trees.”  She added that the drive north on Rt. 8 had also been scary, with all those trees. 

This prompted Kathy to ask where the woman was from. Stamford. Kathy regretfully informed her that the Simsbury location she was headed to was in the woods. But the visitor perked up with relief at the news that she should turn left at the Ethan Allen store and under-construction CVS. “Oh! I know those!”

I guess the woods aren’t everyone’s cup of tea (especially someone who considers the Rt. 44 commercial strip overly treed) but most of us feel the need to get out in nature, hear birds, see flowing water, smell pines and see green, living things.

And how helpful it is when there’s a blazed path for you to follow! Even better, your choice of many trails, each with its unique appeal.

These trails are the work of Land Trust volunteers over the past 40 years, and probably no one has logged more time clearing those paths than Betty Stanley and Ted Cowles.

Not too surprisingly, Betty and Ted both offer the same, word-for-word explanation for why they’ve spent so much time in the woods with gloves and loppers. “I’d rather be outside.”

Neither experienced any horror stories or unpleasant encounters with animals. Even poison ivy hasn’t been a problem (especially since it prefers to grow at the edge of sun and shade, not in the shade.) On the contrary, they just enjoy the work.

Betty especially likes when she is accompanied by someone good at identifying birds by their song. Ted can tell you every intricate detail of trailblazing, including not only the right color of paint but the appropriate thickness of the lines.

Someone who has never helped create a hiking path in an undisturbed wood may wonder, how do you begin?  Ted and Betty both said they let nature answer that question. Frequently the most sensible path is the one deer have already created. Geology also makes it obvious where a path should or cannot go. And they try to include a site’s most striking features – be they bodies of water or views.

So – they say they do it because they love to do it. But still, it’s a lot of work and it is greatly appreciated by those who visit the Land Trust’s trails.

I for one am grateful to Ted, Betty and everyone at the Land Trust, to be able to put on my snowshoes, leash up my dog and walk right from my back yard into the Uplands Preserve and get some exercise in a more beautiful surrounding than you could ever find in a gym.

Save the date for the Land Trust’s day and evening 40th Anniversary celebrations: Sept. 29^th. There will be free daytime naturalist-led hikes and other outdoor activities, and an evening informal barbecue and dance at Ski Sundown. Details to come! See www.cantonlandtrust.org.