Even as the coronavirus has limited what we can do for fun in the Upper Valley and around the globe, it’s put renewed attention on more pandemic-friendly activities, especially those in the great outdoors.
It’s also forced recreation organizations to get creative and keep people engaged while keeping them safe.
With that in mind, here’s a selection of outdoor hiking challenges taking place this summer, each of which is adapting to maintain social distancing and reduce contamination while still offering participants a good time on the trails.
Vital Communities has launched a “Quest to Refresh” challenge where people are asked to go on — and document — five quests by Nov. 1. Valley Quests are similar to treasure hunts. A series of clues leads participants to a treasure box, though in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, people are asked to photograph the boxes instead of opening them. Then, they can upload the photos to social media with specific tags or email them to Vital Communities to be counted. Those who complete the challenge will receive a patch and be entered into a prize raffle.
“All through this, we kept on thinking, “Getting outside is such a healthy thing for everybody, and how can we make it safe for everyone to do?’ ” said Sandy Gmur, Valley Quest seasonal project coordinator at the White River Junction-based nonprofit organization.
Initially, the organization encouraged people to do quests near their homes and create their own quests in their neighborhood, or their backyards. As restrictions began to ease, staff started discussing different ways to approach Valley Quests.
“We decided we could challenge people to go on a certain number of quests,” Gmur said. “Quest to Refresh just came to me as a way to let people know that getting outside and questing is away to rest your mind a little bit, get away from the screen and take in the benefits of nature.”
There are more than 160 quests for participants to choose from with varying levels of difficulty. Some feature historic sites while others focus on natural landmarks.
“It’s a very fun activity for people to do,” Gmur said.
For more information, visit vitalcommunities.org/valleyquest.
The Hanover Conservancy’s seventh annual Hanover Trails Hike Challenge kicks off Monday. The program is a collaboration between the nonprofit organization and the Hanover Parks and Recreation Department. Registration costs $6 per person and $20 for a family of four or more. Those who register will receive a booklet with the nine hikes included in the challenge along with maps. People do not need to be Hanover residents to participate.
“We started to notice over the course of time that families were so busy they couldn’t often come on our guided hikes,” said Gail McPeek, who helped launch the program. “We were trying to come up with a self-guided program that families could follow throughout the summer.”
Participants who complete six or nine hikes by the end of September will be entered into a raffle to win prizes from area businesses. In the booklets, people are asked to draw a picture of the destination marker once they reach it, or to take a photograph they can submit later.
“Some of them have been repeats, but we alternate them as much as possible,” McPeek said. “This year we’re featuring wider trails for social distancing.”
Due to the pandemic, the Hanover Conservancy has had to cancel its guided hikes and other in-person programs where people congregate.
“We’re glad that this is something we can still offer since it’s people doing it on their own, at their own pace,” McPeek said. “We’re hoping it will be a popular offering.”
For more information, visit hanoverconservancy.org.
Staff at the Upper Valley Land Trust are working on socially distanced programs, including an event that will resemble a road rally (but on foot,of course).
During Fourth of July weekend, the nonprofit will officially open Morey Mountain, a series of trails in Fairlee.
“Originally, we were planning to have a big celebration with a hike but because of the pandemic we can’t do anything with a group,” said Alison Marchione, programs director at UVLT. “What were doing is putting informational signs along the trial in different places so people can walk the trail and learn about the property.”
The site, which is located just off the Interstate 91 exit for Fairlee, includes about 4 miles of trails.
“It’s got a lot of diverse natural communities on the property and some rare plants,” Marchione said. “It was a big community effort to protect this property in Fairlee.”
UVLT is also working on putting together a yet-to-be-named event that will resemble a road rally at Brookmead Conservation Area in Norwich. Participants would be provided with clues to decipher and figure out which way to go at different trail intersections.
“The purpose is to not mess up and go the number of miles it would be if you did it perfectly,” Marchione said, adding that participants would keep track of their mileage on a GPS device or app. “They’ll be able to submit that distance to us and the person who gets the closest to the right distance will get a prize.”
A summer passport program coming up in July will feature trails selected by UVLT staff for people to complete at their own pace.
“Some of these trails might be somewhat obscure. You might not have heard of them before,” Marchione said. “It’s more of a competition with yourself and we’ll give out some prizes to people who complete it. We’re hoping to use that as a way to advertise some of the less popular trials in Upper Valley to get people to spread out a little bit.”
For more information, visit uvlt.org.
Liz Sauchelli can be reached at esauchelli@vnews.com or 603-727-3221.
