Trail Adventures

“How do you use your library for learning? When you want to learn about the wildflowers or mushrooms in this area, you might check out the books in the Alaska Nature collection. When you are interested in finding out more of the Tlingit history of Haines, you might look at the Storyboard and zoom in for the stories of this land. But when you want to know more about the different local trails, one of the best ways to learn about those trails is to actually hike them with someone who has been there before. This summer at the library, people learned about some of the best trails in the area: Battery Point, Moose Meadows, Seven-Mile Saddle, and more. The groups of hikers this summer included adults and children as well as locals and even a few tourists. There were experienced hikers and a few kids who asked, “What’s a hike?”  Bears in our area made people glad to be traveling in a group instead of exploring the forest trails alone. Mothers with small children especially appreciated the protection that comes from traveling in a group. Enjoying time on these trails makes it more likely people will get out and hike again, and oxygen to the brain makes it easier to learn anything. New research in the value of time spent in nature shows the whole body responds positively to time in forests, including lowered blood pressure and better mental health. Overall, it was a healthy and positive way to promote learning in general and learning something specific and wonderful: where to find the best trails in Haines!”

-Holly Davis, Childrens’ Librarian