A Walk in the Park

It seems these days that many people are flocking to the woods, mountains, or even just their neighborhoods in an effort to walk away the Covid blues. Everywhere that Oakley and I wander, there is evidence of people coming before us, no matter how early in the morning we get out, or how out of the way any given trail is, there are always snowshoe tracks, ski tracks, dog tracks, and crampon tracks. A veritable parade of people seeking solace in the outdoors.

This week Oakley and I decided to stay in our neighborhood and attempt a biathlon of sorts. We drove our truck to one side of Portland, Maine, near the Presumpscot River and dropped our bikes. Then we drove back across town, to the far side of Congress Street, which bisects the city, and began walking. We were following the Forest City Trail. It is part of the Portland Trails system and combines sections of trails through various parks, through neighborhoods, and along waterways. No isolated mountain peaks or gnarly river crossing this week. Just a holiday-week walk in the park.

We meandered through the Stroudwater Preserve, across the flats of the Fore River Sanctuary, beside Jewel Falls, along the backside of Evergreen Cemetery, into Oak Nut park, and ended at the Presumpscot River Preserve. The trails were heavily traveled, and a packed trench through the deep snow made by snowshoes and hikers’ boots made walking easy.

We learned there are 152 miles of trails that comprise this city trail system, plenty to wear oneself out. In fact, it only took us these first 10. True to form, Oakley and I had a great time for the first ninety percent of our trip. We chatted and raced, ate footlong subs from a Subway shop that happens to be at the halfway point, when the trail leaves the woods for a block and parallels a commercial strip before cutting back in to a local park, and shared our appreciation of the natural beauty to be found right here in the city limits.

At mile eight, we began to flag. Exhaustion made us begin to bicker, and bickering is distracting and leads to taking wrong turns. Don’t get me wrong, the trail is very well marked, but when all the blood is in your belly from a foot-long Subway sandwich instead of in your brain, and your teenage son begins haranguing you about how long he has been walking in his steel-toed Timberland boots, your vision gets cloudy. Let’s just say 10 miles turned into 12 1/2.

When we finally reached our bikes, the sun was setting and a panic set in — how to make it back to our truck on our bikes before darkness came. As usual, we were a bit unprepared, this time without lights! But what is an adventure without a bit of adrenaline?

Off we biked, pell-mell, hurdy-gurdy, like bats out of hell through the city. Feet spinning, sweat building and breathing like race horses, making it back to our truck just as night began to fall.

One doesn’t have to add this excitement to a walk on Portland’s beautiful trail system…but one can if that is what one needs.