One of my hobbies/passions over the years has been running. Lately I can't seem to rekindle my passion for running and sought out a new arena in which to satisfy my desire for physical exercise.
I recently discovered the joys of hiking. Hiking offers two things that make it wonderful for me... it combines my love of the outdoors with my desire for physical exercise. However, my schedule right now permits VERY little free time. This means I don't have time, at present, to travel far to explore hiking trails.
So, I began to look for trails close to Fredericksburg...
Amazingly I have found many of them. Most of the trails I have discovered are not common knowledge. In fact, if someone doesn't tell you about them, you will not find most of them. This is where the organization Pathways Partners became very valuable to me.
The trails/paths around Fredericksburg range from shared use trails, to road paths, to nature trails and even development trails. As I explore the trails and paths, I will share my findings with you.
I started with one of the more well known paths in town, The Canal Path Trail. This is a wonderful path that covers about 1.7 miles from end to end. The path begins at Princess Anne Street and winds through town passing ponds, wetlands and along the old canal to Fall Hill Avenue.
The canal path is used by runners, bicyclists and walkers alike. The entire path is asphalt making it handicapped accessible. During my out and back exploration of the path which covered about 3.4 miles total, I marveled at the beauty of the path. I saw a fair amount of wildlife, including several squirrels, tons of Mallard ducks, a snake (in the canal, not on the path) and several species of birds.
In the 50 minutes to an hour I spent on the path, I encountered 8 people on the path. The only caveat to this path is that from a security standpoint there is one place I would caution people about. That is where the path passes under the bridge at Route 1 near Mary Washington College & Hospital. It is evident that people spend considerable time under this bridge, which equates to a potential security risk for those on the path.
I would suggest that if anyone is present under the bridge as you approach (particularly if you are a lone woman) that you bypass the bridge. This can be done easily by going up the path exit to Route 1, cross Route 1 and back down the other side to resume the trail. This prevents you from going under the bridge... just be careful crossing Route 1.
A final thought. I ran this path once in the July 4th 5 mile run that is part of the Heritage Festival. I didn't notice much of the beauty of this path as I ran it. But when I walked it, I was pleasantly surprised.
Jeff Edmisten
The Edmisten TEAM
Keller Williams Realty
(540) 538-7222
jedmisten@kw.com
www.jedmisten.com
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