MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • January 17, 2021
Last spring, after a month or so of taking walks and hikes close to home, I started venturing farther afield in my Downeast neighborhood. In these pandemic times, day hiking was seeing an unprecedented spike in popularity. This monumental increase in hikers and trail use has come with its share of challenges, of course. The carrying capacity of the trails, facilities and parking have been dramatically stressed, and with that, land management staff have been stretched thin working to monitor the trails and deal with the related effects. A renewed emphasis on the all-important Leave No Trace principles will be critical as trail numbers grow. ~ Carey Kish