Taking a break to walk outside is a time to recharge, pause and reflect.  If you’re in a wheelchair, or if walking just isn’t easy for you due to your disability, getting outside can be hard enough.  Taking a walk in the woods can be impossible.

Not at Pine Tree Camp. Not only are there one-and-a-half miles of fully accessible nature trails, that trail system is about to double in size, creating a loop through the tall pines and beautiful forest landscape.

“Our trails are wide and level, yet they meander and wind around so there’s lots to discover along the way,” said camp director Dawn Willard-Robinson. “The new section of trail we’re designing has huge glacial boulders that campers will get to go around so they can see how big they are.”

Campers will also get to check out vernal pools, eagle nests, blue heron, loons and even an active beaver dam. 

“The new section of trail will go through parts of the Tree Farm we manage,” continued Dawn.  In 2016, Pine Tree Camp was recognized as Maine’s Outstanding Tree Farm of the year. What set Pine Tree Camp apart was its unique combination of balancing the long-term plan for the forest with the recreational value it provides for campers.

“Campers will get to see what our forester has done and why. The selective harvesting has opened up the woods and made it really light.  Because of that, there are more birds, rabbits and deer that campers will have the chance to learn about.  There’s even a new bridge over a little stream that we’ll get to go over.”

Being able to access nature and the outdoors is truly not something many campers are able to do in their every day lives, which is what makes this extended trail system so important.  For many, their week at Pine Tree Camp is the only time they can have experiences like this.

Work to expand Pine Tree Camp’s nature trail system will begin this spring.  You can help.  Please consider a gift to support Pine Tree Camp’s nature trail expansion.  You can give online at www.pinetreesociety.org or send your contribution to 149 Front St., Bath, ME 04530.

“I took a walk in the woods and came out taller than the trees.” – Henry David Thoreau