Let’s talk about hiking trails and accessories for the outdoors.
The hiking marathon is over for this year, but that doesn’t mean the nothing is going to happen until next September.
Trail crews are busy every week working on improvements and additions to the best trail system in the country.
I can confidently say “the best,” because Fairfield Glade and Cumberland County has the best trained and experienced trail builders anywhere in the U.S.
Approximately 24 individuals have achieved Master Trail Builder status by attending a comprehensive trail-building school and then continuing to learn from the experienced trail builders who have been at it for more than 10 years.
You know a bad trail when you hike one. A bad trail is rocky, eroded, goes straight down the fall line and has numerous cut-throughs from poor design and construction.
The trails in Fairfield Glade and Cumberland County are built to standards that a layperson might not recognize, but you know that it is a good trail to hike.
This time next year, there will be four or five new trails in the county that are under construction now or will start soon.
Two will be in Fairfield Glade, one at Crossville’s Meadow Lake Park, an additional trail near the airport, and an extension to the state’s Cumberland Trail near here.
The Marathon next year will be exciting.
Two accessories that help you enjoy hiking are poles and boots.
Folks who don’t know about hiking poles may ask you if you are going skiing. But those who use hiking poles know the benefits.
Hiking poles reduce the stress on knees, especially on downhills, they help with balance and they exercise your upper body when hiking, not just your legs.
One pole doesn’t have the benefits — you need a pair.
You can find a decent set of poles for about $20 at Walmart or on Amazon, or you can spend more than $200 for fancy carbon fiber poles. The $20 ones work just as well as the expensive one.
People sometimes ask me what boots I wear for hiking.
I won’t make a recommendation because the boots that fit me perfectly might not work at all for you.
My recommendation is always to go to a store like REI in Knoxville and try on 10 or more kinds of hiking boots.
The experienced sales people there will guide you, but you will know the right boot for you when you try it on and walk in the store.
Sometimes when hiking I carry my camera with the longer lens because wildlife doesn’t stand still while you get close for a photo. But usually, I just use my cellphone.
Phones have excellent cameras these days, and when you just have your phone you often find some interesting shots of nature close up.
If you have trail cameras or wireless cameras, winter is a good time to make sure they are in position for the wildlife that might pass through your yard each night.
I have cameras in my bluebird nest boxes during the summer, but this time of year I move them to the backyard to capture shots of nocturnal wildlife.
You will be surprised at what goes on at night that you wouldn’t know about if you didn’t have a camera.
And speaking of optics, I have a good positive story.
About 25 years ago I bought two pair of Nikon binoculars for my wife and me for wildlife watching. These were pretty good ones that cost about $300 each.
Recently the eye piece on one of the binoculars was causing some problems, so I contacted Nikon to see if I could buy a replacement part.
Nikon said to send them in and they would fix them for free. I told them that the binoculars were over 20 years old and well beyond warranty.
Nikon said no problem, they would fix them for free.
Well, yesterday a received a package from Nikon, with a brand-new pair of the same model of binoculars.
So, while I may not recommend a specific brand of hiking poles, or boots, I can tell you that I will never hesitate to recommend Nikon.
Comments, questions or suggestions for future nature articles are welcome at don.hazel@gmail.com