LOCALadk Magazine

Spring 2019 LOCALadk Magazine 61 LOCALadk It all started in the Charlotte, North Carolina airport, in 2006. Essex residents Steven Kellogg and Bruce Klink happened to cross paths in that unlikely location and discovered they were both reading the same book: Bill McKibben's Wandering Home: A Long Walk Across America's Most Hopeful Landscape. In the book, McKibben described walking from his home in Ripton, Vermont to his Adirondack home in Johnsburg. Steven and Bruce especially liked McKibben's description of walking through the Essex and Westport countr yside before climbing into the Adirondack foothills. That conver- sation inspired them to gather friends and local conser va- tionists together to explore the idea of making trails in the Champlain Valley that would connect the valley's communi- ties. The group realized that the reason the Champlain Valley had so few trails was because it was the last addition to the Adirondack Park; thus it primarily encompassed private prop- erty with little public land. The solution to this problem was to do something new—to create a network of hiking trails on private lands to link the valley's communities, to connect people with nature and promote economic vitality. And so they did. As the group considered names for a new organization to take on this task, wildlife enthusiast John Davis said, "How about Champlain Area Trails? Its acronym can be 'C ATS.'" Thus began the first steps down a new trail, formalized with incorporation in 2009. Ten years later, under the leadership of one of the origi- nal founders and now Executive Director Chris Maron, C ATS has created 53 miles of trails for hiking, snowshoeing, and cross-countr y skiing, and held its celebrated Grand Hikes, Har vest Hikes, numerous nature hikes, and a full array of out- door education workshops. The organization is now expand- ing the C ATS network into new communities throughout the Champlain Valley, including Clinton County. C ATS is also an accredited land trust—a mark of distinc- tion in land conser vation C ATS achieved in 2015—and has saved over 892 acres of land. The most recent successful land conser vation project protected the 130 -acre historic Viall's Crossing farm in Westport. Aside from being a critical link in the Split Rock Wildway, the partly protected wildlife corri- dor that connects Lake Champlain with the Adirondack High Peaks, the Viall's Crossing farm also included something that was essential to the mission of C ATS: a critical place where hikers can legally cross railroad tracks on the trail that con- nects Westport and Essex—something completely missing prior to the Viall's Crossing project. This opened up possi- bilities for more connecting trails, and was the fulfillment of a long held dream by C ATS supporters for hamlet-to-hamlet hiking, which is more often seen in Europe. The Grand Hike, which will be held this year on Saturday, May 11, and is rapidly becoming a tradition for friends and families who meet up annually to hike together, was founded on this notion of hamlet-to-hamlet hikes. In 2018, the Grand Hike began at the train station in Westport and ended 12 miles later in Essex, where a celebrator y block party at the Essex Inn was held with a delicious dinner and great music. Over 275 people of all ages hiked the route, with three oasis stops along the way that included food, drink, and encour- aging words in a fun-filled atmosphere. Details on the 2019 Grand Hike may be found on the C ATS website www.cham- plainareatrails.com. In the fall, the Har vest Fest Hike is held in conjunction with the Adirondack Har vest Festival at the Essex County Show Grounds in Westport. In 2019, the Har vest Fest Hike will be held September 14 th . Both hikes attract participants from all over New York, as well as Canada, New Jersey, Vermont, and New Hampshire, because, well, the events are just fun, with a lively celebra- tor y atmosphere. The routes take hikers through a wide vari- ety of gorgeous Champlain Valley backdrops—through deep green hemlock stands, past beaver dams, across farms pas- tures and meadows, past rock outcroppings, ponds, streams, and even rivers. While there is a nominal fee for the hikes, C ATS always allows "no fee" registrations for anyone who might have difficulty paying; no one is denied participation in a C ATS program owing to cost. C ATS produces detailed maps of its trail network, one for the original central Champlain Valley range of Ticonderoga to Keeseville, and the new Clinton County map covering the northern Champlain Valley, stretching to the Canadian bor- der. The maps are offered for free, though as a donor-sup- ported organization donations are gratefully accepted. C ATS trail maps are available throughout the area in restaurants and retail establishments, visitor centers, and on the ferries to and from New York and Vermont, or by calling the office at 518-962-2287. Champlain Valley Hiking By Beth Rowland Photos courtesy of CATS

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