In Our View: Hit, or Fix, the Trail

Every day is the anniversary or celebration of something, and this Saturday, June 7, is no exception:

• June 7, 1892 — Benjamin Harrison became the first U.S. president to attend a baseball game.
• June 7, 1942 — The Battle of Midway ended in the Pacific.
• June 7, 2004 — The nation mourned the death of former President Ronald Reagan two days earlier and began honoring him in memorial events from coast to coast.

This last one is appropriate given that Saturday will be National Trails Day 2008. The designation evolved from a 1987 report by President Ronald Reagan’s Commission on Americans Outdoors. The goal is a trail within 15 minutes of each American’s home.

June 7 also marks the 40th anniversary of the passage of the National Trails System Act of 1968 (www.nps.gov/nts). In a statement commemorating the act, former Interior Secretary Stuart Udall said, “It’s up to all of us who care deeply for the future of this great country to join in this uniquely American undertaking of building, maintaining and protecting these unique natural and historic riches.”

So, Saturday will be an appropriate day to celebrate National Trails Day in one of two ways: Either discover a new trail for yourself or help maintain a trail for the benefit of others.

Urban walkers can check out www.vanclarkparks-rec.org and see “Parks & Trails.” Regular patrons of Vancouver’s Burnt Bridge Creek Trail need to find alternate hikes in any case. The lower end of that trail, from Fruit Valley Road to Hazel Dell Avenue, will be closed for the rest of the year for repairs and upgrades. One suggestion: the Ellen Davis Trail at the southwest corner of St. Johns Road and Northeast 63rd (Minnehaha) Street.

Those seeking more challenging and scenic terrain have plenty of options that won’t require a bank loan for gas to get there and back. For Columbia River Gorge hikes, see www.fs.fed.us/r6/columbia and click on “Trails.” For the Gifford Pinchot National Forest, call 360-891-5000 or see www.fs.fed.us/gpnf/recreation and scroll down to “Recreation Trails”). Another good source for trail information statewide is the Washington Trails Association Web page (www.wta.org).

But Saturday is also a day to help make hiking more inviting to others by joining a National Trails Day work party. See www.wta.org and under “Trail Maintenance” in the center of the page click on “National Trails Day.”

Happy hiking!