Benefits and Features of Accessible Hiking Trails

Spring is here and with warmer weather comes a new call to break out of the house and explore the outdoors for those with a sense of adventure!

If you are interested in accessible trails as a way to get out there on your own or with others who need trails designed to improve access, many such trails exist in Massachusetts - as well as around the U.S.- that are well worth visiting. A list of Massachusetts accessible trails can be found below.

"Trails are part of wellness," says Janet Zeller, Accessibility Manager for the U.S. Forest Service. Janet has quadriplegia and is an avid hiker and paddler. She is also a wonderful speaker on topics relating to outdoor access and presents across the country.  I was fortunate to hear her speak about accessible trail design last fall at a conference.

Gliding Stars Skate Walkers

After fifteen years of making skate walkers to assist people with balance in our adaptive ice skating programs, I have been thrilled to discover a professionally manufactured skate walker.

While making skate walkers out of PVC pipe is relatively inexpensive, our walkers have had a tendency to break or come apart in transit to programs and sometimes even in use on the ice.  Since we are using the PVC pipe in a way it was not intended, there is a vulnerability to cracking of joints in particular on cold ice. They've required extra attention to be sure they are in good working order and used properly so they don't slip out unexpectedly from under the user.  Having to discard broken skate walkers and rebuild for each season is a hassle I'd love to eliminate as a recreation manager.

The metal skate walkers offered by Gliding Stars offer a four leg stable wide base design that is very difficult to knock out of position while in use, even when applying full body weight. Weight limit? 350 pounds! The walkers are hinged with a tube-within-a-tube method that allows for folding in transport. Foam handles offer a cushioned support for  hands and avoid contact with cold metal. The walkers come in three sizes to cover a range of heights. Though I would prefer one walker model that allowed for height adjustability, I am sure that the three sizes offer a better fit and stability for individuals within the size range of the design.

Gliding Stars is a fantastic adaptive skating program based in New York oriented toward teaching people with disabilities who are ambulatory the fundamentals of ice skating. Founded in 1994, Gliding Stars has developed their own line of assistive devices as part of their mission to provide individuals with disabilities the opportunity to increase their potential and have fun learning to ice skate. They provide instructional expertise and guidance to communities interested in starting chapters. Gliding Stars has chapters around the country in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Florida and is looking for more venues.

Each chapter offers an end of season public ice show allowing skaters to dress in costume and demonstrate their skills to music.

Check out recent performances on YouTube, where you can see various skate walker designs in action, by searching Gliding Stars 2015.

Anybody want to start up a Gliding Stars chapter in Massachusetts?

Hammocking is for Everyone

A big thanks to David St. Martin for sharing his love of “hammocking” with me last summer after we had kayaked on the Charles River with Waypoint Adventure during a Universal Access Program near Boston.  

Hammocking in winter is surprisingly enjoyable even for
just 15 minutes!

David explained to me that due to his lifelong rheumatoid arthritis, he is unable to camp in tents as he cannot get down to the ground and back up again. He opened his car trunk and showed me a pile of small bundles - his hammock collection. Hammock technology has come a long way since I hung a heavy canvas army jungle hammock in a front yard willow tree as a teen. Now they can be compressed down to a softball-sized bundle that can be easily stowed in a daypack! 

David is part of a well-established new movement of hammockers that I had previously been unaware of - comprised of college students, hikers, outdoor enthusiasts, even urbanites - some of whom camp in hammocking groups.  I’m happy to be a new member of this creative subculture in which hammocks are included on various day adventures, used for overnight accommodations and offer 15 minutes or more of vacation-like respite almost anywhere, anytime. Once in Costa Rica, I passed by a truck driver napping in a hammock underneath his semi alongside the highway. Online an air traffic controller reports taking his 15 minute break on the tarmac outside the tower in - you guessed it - his hammock! There is no end to where you can find temporary respite using this simple item! 

This singlenest hammock fit easily into a fannypack and
set up in a minute. Tree-friendly straps
allow for easy adjustability.

Whether you simply rest in a hammock or sleep in it, there are significant health benefits. The bilateral stimulation of rocking side to side soothes the nervous system. When hung in a natural setting, the benefits of forest bathing are easily recieved. Those who sleep in them swear by numerous improvements including faster and deeper sleep and relief from joint pain. Laying in them diagonally across the center line allows for a level resting position.

I’m finding hammocking to be especially fun on winter day hikes, something I never would have considered before. They set up and take down in a minute and offer a chance to rest up off the ground and rock gently under the trees. After a hammock rest in a beautiful spot, I’m ready to resume the hike much more refreshed than if I had stood or sat while taking a break.

Of the various brands of hammocks David had in his trunk, there were single hammocks, double sized, super light and perhaps more. Most outdoor stores are selling hammocks now. My first purchase was a singlenest hammock by Eagles Nest Outfitters, which I totally love. As soon as I started bringing it on hikes with friends, I immediately wanted a bigger hammock to be able to include more people, so I got a doublenest. Now three or four of us can swing upright while we snack or catch a few Zs lying down. Hammock companies offer various accessories - rain flys, mosquito netting, sleep pads, gear stowing slings and more, as well as tree-friendly strapping systems.

My outdoor explorations include a new element - scoping for great hammock spots. This gives me a different sense of destination, one in which I can bask in the beauty of a particular grove of trees or enjoy forest bathing by flowing water - creating more rest time in nature wherever and whenever I like. The portability of this pastime offers an ongoing sense of mini-vacations in an endless series of micro-destinations. 

Hammocks offer new possibilities for people with disabilities, including those with mobility impairments. Some people may need assistance setting up and taking down, and/or getting in and out. Hennessy hammocks makes a bottom entry hammock that allows for easier entry and exit and works well for many who find the conventional top loading style too difficult. For those in wheelchairs, hammocking might be a new frontier worth checking out. For further info, investigate online - you might be surprised by what you find!

When was the last time you enjoyed lying in a hammock? 

Adaptive Hiking Equipment and Techniques

“Within a couple of minutes of starting the hike, I started to notice a change in myself. I became more relaxed and more centered. There is something about walking in the woods surrounded by ferns and wildflowers under the shade of all the trees that I find very calming.” -David Whitenett, quadriplegic hiker

DCR’s Universal Access Program has been offering adaptive outings around Massachusetts for 15 years, providing opportunities statewide for individuals with disabilities to hit the trail and discover their park system. The programs are facilitated by Brenda Davies of Stavros Outdoor Access, a program of the Center for Independent Living. Brenda’s warm personality and the use of a variety of equipment and techniques have given many people wonderful outdoor experiences they might not have had otherwise, from Spectacle Island in Boston Harbor to Pittsfield State Forest in the Berkshires.

We based our program on the hiking techniques developed by Northeast Passage of Durham, NH in which the use of a modified all-terrain wheelchair allows seated hikers to move off accessible trails onto more rugged terrain. While this can be an independent endeavor for athletic individuals, most often this is accomplished with teamwork, a process that works well for individuals, families and groups in a program structure.

“We didn’t think that everyone could participate but your mountain wheelchair and staff helped make it possible for a memorable hike for us.” -Neal Drew, teacher

Checking out the Accessible Trail and Birds at Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary

Cyndy Chamberland shares her recent process getting comfortable with birding outdoors on her own as a power wheelchair user. Without natural places that offer accessibly designed landscapes, this would not be possible for many people with physical disabilities. Thanks Cyndy for offering your experience to inspire others with disabilities to explore their local resources! Thanks Mass Audubon for your dedication to making nature accessible to all! 

Recently on a cool but sunny late morning I met up with my friend and former colleague, Marcy Marchello, at Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary for a little birding expedition and to check out their accessible sensory trail. Arcadia is a Mass Audubon property practically in my own backyard.  It's located off the Manhan Rail Trail in Eastern Massachusetts.  Yet while it is so close, I have only ventured there just a few times in my twenty-something years living in Easthampton. Why is that?  Well for starters, as I am  quadriplegic and use a power wheelchair, so I am leery about going into the woods and on trails unless I am sure the trails are accessible.  It isn't pleasant when you find out that the trail or outdoor site has obstacles such as steps, boulders, logs, streams etc. that restrict wheelchair users and other persons with physical and visual disabilities from accessing the trails and area.  We don't always know if a place is accessible to us even when it is in our own neighborhood or town.

The Importance of Accessible Nature Trails - and Where to Find Them in Massachusetts

Accessible trails allow for group as well as individual
and family exploration of parks.

This month I attended the Massachusetts Trails Conference in Leominster. The theme of the conference was “Trails For All”. I use many accessible trails in the course of my work as an adaptive recreation program coordinator and well know how they improve quality of life for people of all abilities. Many trail users, including trail building advocates, continue to discover the value of trails designed for everyone.

Dick O’Brien, Chairperson for the Massachusetts Recreational Trails Advisory Board, gave a wonderful opening speech sharing how he has discovered the importance of accessible trails. Many of the 250+ attendees had gray hair, so it is surely getting easier for the trail using community to grasp the issue as they age.  Nevertheless, by sharing his personal experiences, Dick spoke to our hearts. From his father’s need for a wheelchair changing his ability to access favorite places, to a conservation donor’s frustration at not being able to see her property to discuss improvements, and to his own recent health issues, Dick demonstrated the vital need for access to natural places. How do you get out there to enjoy the outdoors if your health and abilities have become compromised?

Fort River Birding and Nature Trail Opens in Hadley, MA

Andrew French (right side) of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service at trail opening with members of the local community.

The Pioneer Valley of western Massachusetts has a brand new award-winning accessible trail! The official opening of occurred in late October and was well attended by people with disabilities, as well as members of the general public. The Fort River Birding and Nature Trail is the latest addition to the Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge which spans four states with numerous properties along the Connecticut River watershed. 

The Fort River Birding and Nature Trail offers a 1.2 mile experience traversing 260 acres of grassland, wetlands, hardwood and floodplain forests off  Moody Bridge Road in Hadley, Massachusetts.  Designed as one loop, the trail is constructed of stone dust with wooden edging and eight elevated boardwalks.  Seven different viewing decks are spaced along the trail to allow seated enjoyment of various natural areas, group stops, and nature interpretation and study. This is the longest accessible trail in the region that I know of allowing for a quiet, off road outing for all to enjoy in nature. 

Cheers for Chairs! Revolutionary Sailing Prototype Needs Your Support!

A fantastic project is underway in Boston to develop a universally accessible seating system for sailing that will allow people with severe physical disabilities to be in full control of the boat. Now is the time to jump in and help complete this inspiring venture! Richard Ramos, previously featured in Everyone Outdoors, offers this Guest Post. I am amazed at how far he has come in pursuit of  his dream. True inspiration!

I love sailing! My primary goal with this project is to bring to others the freedom and exhilaration and transformation of spirit that sailing has brought to my life since reconnecting with it five years ago. 

During this past year, I’ve been working with members of the RIT engineering department; specifically with a very talented RIT engineer named Aleef Mahmud, to design specialized equipment that enables me to race sailboats competitively. The work we’ve done is in support of another goal: to mount a successful campaign to compete in the Paralympics. 

Tully Lake Campground and Recreation Area Accessibility

LeeAnn LaRue worked as a seasonal recreation assistant for DCR’s Universal Access Program this summer. As an avid outdoors person and mother of a person with a disability, she offers this accessible review of a favorite camping and recreational area. Thanks LeeAnn for this Guest Post!

Open water for paddling among islands at Tully Lake

Tully Lake Campground and Tully Recreation Area are two locations in north central Massachusetts that have several features that make them inviting for those with disabilities.   Located in Royalston, MA, the surrounding forest and lake with its several islands are full of beauty and recreational possibilities for all. Recently, Tully Lake Campground has been featured online in the Boston Globe, Yankee Magazine, and in AMC Outdoors Magazine as a great spot for family-friendly, tent-only camping and non-motorized boating in a pristine area.

Tully Lake Campground is located at the base of Doane’s Falls and is surrounded on three sides by the beautiful Tully Lake.  Its campground offers two accessible campsites and accessible restrooms.  The terrain to get to the accessible campsites is a gravel/dirt road which may be challenging but do-able for those in a wheelchair.  The two handicapped parking spots are near the path to the accessible sites.  

Upon close inspection, the two sites are about 80 yards and 164 yards from the parking area.  This distance might be a challenge for those who are not so athletic but with a little help can be accomplished.  The campfire ring is ADA approved which means it is higher for easy access. Picnic tables at these two sites are accessible and meet the ADA guidelines.   One of the accessible sites has direct access to the water, however the path - although gently sloped - is not wide enough for a wheelchair to pass.  The restrooms are accessible, clean, and a ramp leads to the doors.  

Wheelchair Accessible Summits in Massachusetts

Accessible trail on Mt. Greylock

With fall colors beginning to emerge, it is a great time to find yourself at a scenic vista in New England. Within DCR’s Massachusetts State Parks, there are three distinct accessible summit opportunities. In all three places the summit area is reachable by car with a daily parking fee of $2 for Massachusetts residents, $4 for non-residents.

Wachusett  Mountain is a well-known single mountain in central Massachusetts, complete with a popular downhill ski concession. Pass the ski concession and keep going on your drive to the top, 2000 feet above sea level. There are several designated spots for closest parking. The viewing tower is not far away at the terminus of a gradually ascending paved trail used by hikers and bicyclists. The tower’s viewing area is securely ramped around the base and offers seating with views in all directions. 

Mt. Monadnock in New Hampshire is the most visible mountain to the north. On a clear day you can also see the Berkshires to the west and Boston’s skyline to the east. In the fall you may find birdwatchers scanning for migrating hawks. Be aware that there are no restrooms at the summit, so plan to stop at the park visitor center on your way up or down. There is also no seating along the walk to the tower, so bring your own folding chair if a place to sit is needed.