Girl ScoutS complete cAt chAllenGe

WESTPORT — Last fall, leaders of Girl Scout Troop 4202 of Morrisonville, NY wanted the girls to hike some trails to earn their Trail Adventure Badge. When they learned of Champlain Area Trails’ Northern Pathways Challenge, they knew this would be perfect because the girls would hike three trails by December 31st.

With support from a NYS Health Foundation grant, Champlain Area Trails (CATS) created the Northern Pathways Patch Challenge to publicize and encourage people to hike trails in and just north of the Adirondack Park. To complete the Challenge participants had to hike three of five designated trails shown on the CATS Trails Maps.

“It was a quiet day in the office when Lauren Currie, the troop leader, called to see if they could participate as a group,” said Emily Segada, CATS Operations Manager. “As a former Girl Scout, I was thrilled to hear they wanted to do this challenge. So, we sent them maps and said to let us know of their progress.”

With girls ranging in age from five to eleven, the Challenge became more than exploring the three trails. It showed how these girls could experience hiking a variety of trails together and earn their badges.

They first hiked the 2-mile Long Point Trail at Point au Roche State Park that goes through forests along Lake Champlain’s shoreline. Next up was Rattlesnake Mountain north of Willsboro which they chose to hike on national “Take Your Daughter on a Hike Day.” Many parents came out with their girls that day to walk up the sometimes-steep trail to see wonderful views looking out over Willsboro Bay and Lake Champlain towards Vermont.

Ava Currie, a 9-year-old scout said, “This was the first time I hiked a mountain. The view at the top was beautiful. I really had fun talking to my friends as we hiked.”

They chose the Little AuSable River Trail in Peru as the final trail to meet the Challenge. It goes along the river by the main part of the town. It’s a paved, accessible trail with interpretive signs with some offering educational messages about planets in our solar system.

Zilpha Irland, age 9, said, “My favorite part of the Little AuSable River Trail was the planet signs that were spaced out to show their distance from each other. It was snowy so we had fun guessing which planet was next before we uncovered the snow!”

A Girl Scout Troop at Long Point Trail

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For maps of all the trails in the Champlain Valley visit:www.champlainareatrails.com