By Sarah Welch, Community Engagement Coordinator and TerraCorps-AmeriCorps service member
Every year, Hilltown Land Trust’s Community Engagement Coordinator helps publicize and lead the All Out Adventures (AOA) senior snowshoeing program at the DAR State Forest as part of a long-standing partnership. HLT is happy to support the work of our partners at AOA, who create outdoor experiences for people of all abilities.
On a winter Wednesday morning in Goshen, a group of seniors is seated around a registration table. The program leaders and I are buzzing back and forth, tying on ice grippers and snowshoes in preparation for trekking snow-covered trails. The seniors are here for the Senior Snowshoe walks, a weekly program led by All Out Adventures and Hilltown Land Trust that gives seniors a way to stay active and socialize throughout the winter.
I’ve been coming to these programs for several weeks now, and the faces and names of the participants are finally familiar. After a brief round of introductions—people come not just from the Hilltowns for these walks, but from Northampton and farther afield, too—the snowshoers are off. I’m with the medium speed group today, but we start together as one big group, tramping across the shore of Upper Highland Lake before heading into the woods on a universal access trail.
The snow has been spotty this winter, but today it’s given us a fresh blanket of perfect snowshoeing terrain. We trace the lake shore and deep hemlock forests of the DAR State Forest, stopping to point out the differences between yellow, white, and black birch trees by their bark. The lake has frozen thick enough to walk on, and although we stick to the land, ice fishers dot the surface of the ice. The other group is off on the trails south of the lake, perhaps making their way to the enormous Balance Rock perched precariously on a hillside.
One snowshoer and I chat about our cats—both rescues—as other participants around us catch up while we walk. These hikes may give us good exercise, but they’re also a powerful social tonic. For many seniors in the area, the Senior Snowshoe walks are what gets them moving and meeting people during the winter months.
“One of the things I love about the program is that I can go with a group. At my age, I don’t have any friends that are physically able to go out with me and do this type of activity. I wouldn’t go alone in case I fell or ran into a problem,” says participant Ruth Alice.
Rounding the bend in the snow-covered woods road, we all return to the registration area. All Out Adventures program leaders and I are ready to assist with removing borrowed snowshoes and setting them aside for the next group of seniors at noon. Friends and new faces part ways, calling out to each other, “See you next week!”
All Out Adventures offers a year-round range of programs for people of all abilities in Western Massachusetts. Warm-weather activities include kayaking, canoeing, cycling, camping, and hiking. In winter they offer cross-country skiing, sit cross-country skiing, ice skating, sled skating, and snowshoeing. Their programs are open to people of all ages and all abilities. They have programs geared for people with disabilities and their family and friends; programs for seniors; and programs for veterans. Visit their website to learn more about their work and upcoming program offerings!
