Take the Shelton Trails Marathon Challenge

Many people have already started the 2016 Shelton Trails Marathon Challenge.  Anybody can do it, and you don't need a passport, thousands of dollars, a plane ticket to Brazil, or to even be an athlete.  You certainly don't need to get naked and run through the woods like the ancient Greeks (please don't - it's prohibited by the Open Space Ordinance).

You only need to get out and start walking.  It's that easy.

The 2016 Shelton Trails Marathon Challenge coincides with this year's Olympics.  A number of people know that we have trails in town, but they don't know all of them.  We want you to have fun exploring all that Shelton's greenways have to offer.  You just have to hike 13 routes totaling 26.2 miles between June and Thanksgiving, fill out a form saying when you hiked them, mail the form to the Shelton Conservation Commission, and you get a free unique pathtag medal suitable for putting on your favorite jacket, pack or whatever.  And you get to brag to your friends that you did a marathon.

You don't have to do all 26.2 miles at once, but you can.    You don't have to run the trails, but you can.  You don't have to take your dog, kids, or spouse along, but you can.  You can even do it walking backwards (bring a mirror).  You can do the hikes in any order, whenever you feel like it, take as long as you want between now and Thanksgiving. Take some cool pictures of caves, overlooks, wildlife, plants, friends, sunsets, sunrises, moonrises, or whatever looks fun and send them into the Shelton Conservation Commission.

Forms and Maps are on-line.  A series of guided hikes is also listed under the events page.  So channel your inner Phidippides and explore Shelton's trails and greenways this year. 

Winterberrys on the Independence Dr. Connector

Winterberrys are one of the most striking shrubs of late fall/early winter in the area. Besides being attractive they offer a well-needed food source to birds and other wildlife. This one is found along the edge of a vernal pool along the powerlines on the connector trail to Independence Drive. It may be a little windy up there today, but on calmer days there is a surprising amount of wildlife that can be seen on that trail if you take your time & are quiet.

We apparently have leprechauns in Shelton. See if you can spot any of the stone sculptures that have popped up along the Turkey Trot Trail.

Our new bridge on the Turkey Trot Trail also held up well during the recent storm. One comment from a mountain biker was that they liked the trails, but the newer bridges were a little slippery - see a trails report from NEMBA. So I guess be a little careful riding over it until it weathers - I had no problems walking on it however. It's good to hear other people's take on our trail system. Please feel free to e-mail your observations and thoughts to this blog or the Shelton Trails website - we like the feedback.

We also have a work party scheduled tomorrow morning at Riverview Park. Meet at 9:00 by the basketball courts to remove leaves and debris from The Bluff Walk. I'm not sure how this will work out with the weather, but we'll give it a shot.