When I was 11, my family went camping on Mount Desert Island. That was the first time I ever went on a “real” hike, and I loved it so much my mother bought me a little yellow tee shirt with a mountain goat on it.
That family trip sparked a sense of physical empowerment for me, a feeling that I was strong and capable. To this day I enjoy challenging myself, whether it’s on a hike, hauling firewood, riding a bike, taking a long swim, or going for a run.
Well into adulthood, I took my abilities and able-ness for granted. The longer and more difficult the hiking trail, the better. But recent experiences have shifted my perspective.
While recovering from major surgery a couple years ago, I recall one occasion when I felt well enough to go for a walk in the woods. My husband and I decided to visit a nearby preserve that we remembered as being short, relatively flat, and easy. However, by the time we were about halfway around the “short” loop, I didn’t think I would be able to make it back to the car. Not only was the trail longer than I remembered, it was also nowhere near flat – and lifting my legs over every little root and rock in the trail felt like an impossible effort.
That humbling experience drove home for me how differently people can perceive the same trail. Having had even a temporary taste of what it’s like to experience limited mobility, I find myself evaluating trails in a new light. The maximum allowable grade for a handicap accessible trail is a “gentle” 8% – but have you ever tried to maneuver a wheelchair up an 8% incline? Or over an acorn, much less a root or a rock? It’s not easy!
At the same time, people want and need the same connections to nature, regardless of their abilities. At Round Top Farm, we get to witness a daily parade of people of all ages and abilities using the accessible trail, and it is an unending source of satisfaction to see the joy it brings to so many. We look forward to having even more accessible options for people in the near future: here at Round Top Farm, at Keyes Woods in Bristol, and at Castner Brook Community Forest in Damariscotta, to name a few.
Photo: At a 2022 Maine Land Trust Conference on accessibility, land trust professionals had the opportunity to take wheelchairs for a test spin on an accessible trail as well as one that offered a bit more of a challenge. All but a couple of us failed to navigate this moderate slope with several slender roots across it. Photo courtesy Donna Bissett/MLTN
