One Step at a Time—Times 80,000!

Footsteps crunch on a woodland trail while last fall’s leaves and twigs shuffle underfoot. Your boot scrapes treadway, kicking free loose stones. After winding through a birch grove and a stand of hemlocks, the rocky way leads you to a glorious view from the summit of Mount Major. Lake Winnipesaukee extends to the southern edge of the White Mountains where the towns of Wolfeboro and Tuftonboro are nestled within the verdant landscape A few deep breaths, a snack, and you head back down. It’s one of the most satisfying short hikes to a big view in the region

But imagine your own footsteps, up and down, repeated 80,000 times. Per year. For decades The trails at Mount Major support a lot of foot traffic and, honestly, it shows. The Main Trail, or Blue Trail, has eroded so that the treadway is more than six feet below the grade in some places, creating a canyon effect that resembles southwestern rock formations. It’s cool but it’s not good The resulting sunken trail is a channel for further soil erosion, carrying material down the mountain, silting up the streams, and emptying into Alton Bay

Many faithful volunteers work to care for Mount Major and its trails. This year’s Earth Day clean-up was a high-spirited occasion that brought many Mount Major fans to care for the place they love We need to do more to make sure this place continues to offer a high-quality and wellmanaged outdoor experience

This year, the Forest Society is teaming up with Town 4 Trails Services and OBP Trailworks to construct a sustainable

( O P P O S I T E P A G E , C L O C K W I S E F R O M T O P L E F T ) K A T E W I L C O X ( X 2 ) , E M I L Y L O R D , K A T E W I L C O X ; ( T H I S P A G E ) S H A N N A H A L E P H O T O G R A P H Y trail to take the place of about 1/3 mile of the existing Main/Blue Trail The new trail is designed to the highest sustainability standards to provide for better environmental protection and a safer footpath

It will also meander through a boulder field offering new views and fun hiking

This trail project is part of a long-term effort to steadily improve the visitor experience at Mount Major In recent years, we have constructed a pavilion area and kiosk in the parking lot, reconstructed the main trail entrance to solve drainage issues, and recruited and trained more volunteers to help orient hikers, especially on busy days.

Sustainable trail construction is not, however, a small undertaking. This reconstruction of about 1/3 mile of trail is a major investment To support the project, the Forest Society must raise $250,000. Fortunately, the project has already received a grant of $80,000 from the NH

Recreational Trails Program (RTP). Now, we must raise the remaining $170,000 from philanthropic sources

Please join us in being good stewards of Mount Major by donating to the Mount Major Main Trail Project today! Work on the trail will take place in September and October, so please help us meet our fundraising goal by August 1. You will be able to walk on your investment for many years to come!

Check out our progress at The Rocks and contribute to the Forest Society North at The Rocks Campaign at forestsociety org/the-rocks

Enclosed is my tax- deduc tible contribution of $ VISA MasterCard Number: Exp. date: Security code:

Please mail the completed form to: Society for the Protec tion of New Hampshire Forests 54 Por tsmouth Street, Concord, NH 03301

Or donate online at forestsociety.org/major trailwork

Thank you for your help! P R O G R E S S CO N T I N U E S AT F O R E S T S O C I E T Y N O R T H AT T H E R O C K S