By
Taryn Plumb | GLOBE
CORRESPONDENT
MAY
29, 2014
There
are stories everywhere you look — or walk.
Now
that the brutal winter has finally relented to T-shirt (or at least
windbreaker) temperatures, there are a bevy of options to explore the
region’s rich legacy, from self-led walks to guided nature and
historical jaunts.
“Any
reason to get outside and walk is a good one,” said Kathy Abbott,
executive director of Tower Hill Botanic Garden in Boylston.
And
the great thing about walking is its versatility — you can discover
nature, educate yourself about local highlights, take in history, or
simply meander.
“It
is an inexpensive way to exercise — all you need are either
sneakers or hiking boots,” said Mike Tuohey, a Whitman resident and
Appalachian Mountain Club hiking guide. “Plus, being out in nature
with like-minded people helps to recharge the batteries after a week
at work. It’s a healthy way to socialize.”
For
a traditional walk, there are literally miles and miles of local
options: Consider Walden Pond State Reservation, Minute Man National
Historical Park, Ashland State Park, Hopkinton State Park, the
Southern New England Trunkline Trail, Sudbury Valley Trustees
properties (3,000 acres in more than a dozen communities), and many
other slices of nature traced with walking and hiking paths.
If
you are more of a city stroller, the advocacy organization Walk
Boston’s offerings include maps of trails in Arlington, Belmont,
Brookline, Franklin, Lexington, Newton, Northborough, and Watertown
that explore former railway beds, river paths, parks and playgrounds,
hilly destinations, unique topography, “walkable” downtowns,
architecture, and historical sites.
As
executive director Wendy Landman explained, Walk Boston has been
helping many communities — of which Franklin is a prime example —
to become even more “walkable” through walk audits, workshops,
and the Safe Routes to School program, which helps communities
provide a nurturing environment for kids to walk to school. The
nonprofit also recently released a rural walking tool kit to help
smaller towns become more pedestrian-friendly.
Landman
noted the various benefits to walking, from societal to economic to
environmental. Not to mention its physical, mental, and cognitive
health benefits.
“There’s
new stuff coming out all the time about the benefits of walking,”
she said. “It’s basically good for you in every way you can
imagine.”
Plus,
it can very often serve as a learning experience.
In
Ayer, for instance, on Saturday one can watch and catalog birds in
the Pine Meadow and Autumn Ridge conservation areas, and on July 19
scramble over rocks and study geology along the Habitat Hill trail;
both events are organized by the town’s Greenway Committee.
The
panel also hosts explorations of vernal pools, including one last
month in the Pine Meadow Pond Conservation Area led by Takashi Tada,
a wetlands scientist who serves on the town’s Conservation
Commission.
Tower
Hill, for its part, hosts garden tours every Saturday and Sunday, and
will offer a walk led by a world-renowned wild plant authority and
foraging specialist, Tama Matsuoka Wong, on June 14, as well as
native tree walks on June 19 and 28. Tower Hill also recently
launched a Tails ‘N Trails membership, which is $25 for one dog,
and $10 for each additional pet (up to a maximum of three) for
members of the botanic garden.
Walking
is allowed on weekends from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., and Tuesdays from 3 to
5 p.m. on a dedicated trail that follows a 1-mile loop through woods
on the 132-acre property, complete with watering stations, and waste
pick-up bags and receptacles.
Dogs
have to have proof of vaccination, must be on a leash at all times,
and are not allowed within the formal gardens, buildings, or wildlife
ponds.
“What
better way to experience the outdoors than with a walk with your
pet?” said Abbott.
“Our
trails are very walkable, it’s a very safe space in beautiful
woodlands with views and glimpses into our garden and wildlife pond.”
If
history is more your forte, on June 7 Historic New England will hold
free open houses at many of its sites. Explore the grounds of
properties ranging from simple Colonial residences to grandiose,
finely manicured estates, and modern and innovative examples of
architecture, including the 1698 Browne House in Watertown, the 1740
Codman Estate in Lincoln, the 1793 Lyman Estate in Waltham, and the
Gropius House in Lincoln, built by the Bauhaus school’s founder for
his family in 1938.
And
don’t forget about the legendary sites in Concord and Lexington:
the North Bridge, Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, Monument Square, the 5-mile
Battle Road Trail, the homes of authors Louisa May Alcott and Ralph
Waldo Emerson, among many others. Explore them on your own or go
through companies such as Concord Guides Walking Tours.
Original story link.
©
2014 BOSTON GLOBE MEDIA PARTNERS, LLC
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