The D&L Blog

Looking for A Place to Enjoy Nature Post-Summer? Start by Celebrating PA Trails Month On the D&L Trail!

Written by Kenny Boecker

With 90-degree days fading into our past, you may have this itch that you need to scratch: you want to go outside and make some connections! We are social beings who also get a psychological benefit from nature. This study found that 5 minutes of viewing a slideshow of nature can be ‘calming’ to your nervous system. Imagine what 30 minutes on a nature-enveloped trail could provide! The trail can also connect us on common ground, offer much to history buffs and environmentalists, and will serve as a serene, soothing space away from the sounds of suburban and city life. 

While maintaining the trail as a volunteer, I have seen the power and mysticism of it first-hand via chats with old-timers, former steel workers, anglers, birders, home-seekers, runners and bikers. I’d like to share with you some benefits of being active within, and of becoming a member of, Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor (DLNHC). 

To start, recall that nature is key to emotional well-being. One of the common civil complaints I’ve cracked, via tech and otherwise, is a lack of so-called ‘third spaces’ where people can go to have fun, connect, relax and be entertained. It may sound like a lot to ask for. That sounds like a typical day on the trail to me. And, as a pleasant surprise, I have learned some valuable lessons about us. 

The trail shows me that we share much, despite society wanting us in boxes. When the red and blue drip away, I have found, we all want and need the same things. Our needs, views, and desires are, on one hand, too complex to be defined by two colors; and, on the other, too similar to be divided by those same colors. I can see that now. I’ve had long conversations with all types of people. It has humbled and educated me, gifted me friendliness, and community support and engagement in the process. 

The D&L Trail (D&L) has become somewhat of a home to me, and many others, and you can access it almost anywhere in the Lehigh Valley – and beyond – for free. It has been there for me during various seasons of life, and it has asked nothing but a little TLC in return. It offers free entry and parking, a plethora of views, amazing wildlife, and memories you may only find after hiking through rough terrain for hours. You can ride, canoe or kayak, walk, run, fish, read on a bench, picnic or even camp here. If seeking education and history are your thing, there are even museums plus canal and river tours available. 

The D&L is steeped in pivotal US and world history. Not only is there a World Heritage site only 0.4 miles from the Sand Island trailhead, but it traverses the literal cradle and vehicle of the American Industrial Revolution and the American Revolutionary and Civil wars. The importance of the D&L has deep roots worth exploring. You can ride through that history at the National Canal Museum in Easton at Hugh Moore Park. Or you can visit  Washington Crossing a bit further south by following the tranquil Delaware. Bowman’s Hill Tower is nearby – offering a 125-foot view of the area.  

My name is Kenny. I am a Trail Patrol and Adopt-A-Section volunteer for the D&L. For the last 4 months, I have been walking from Sand Island to the Minsi Trail bridge, picking up trash, cutting back invasive species, reporting and removing fallen trees, and more. For PA Trails Month, I encourage you to come out to the trail any day of the week, any time of year. I’m not saying you should try this, but I have run on the trail when it is frozen over in 18 degrees – just for the challenge. No one was stopping me. Which reminds me of the reasons why I will be here for the foreseeable future, helping to maintain a third space for everyone to enjoy. 

The D&L offers you calmness away from the absurdity of life – you can slow down without feeling pressured by a tailgater or snooping supervisor. It also offers you freedom, power, and control to choose where and when you will go to explore nature. Our current lives offer us little control – take it back! Take in an incredible variety of scenes, crossing 5 counties and 3 PA regions. You can visit Jim Thorpe, or Easton, or Bethlehem. You can even ride along the Delaware Canal and River to New Hope. The D&L gets you out where you belong: among the trees, the frogs, the fish, the deer, and your future friends.  

If that isn’t enough to draw your attention, DLNHC also offers plenty of volunteering and social events, and provides businesses and residents benefits for being members through the Trail-friendly business program. The trail can be an extension of your life, or it can help you build a brand new life – how and when is for you to decide.

*All images within this blog are provided courtesy of Kenny Boecker.

If you are interested in submitting a blog as a guest writer, please reach out to communications@delaware&lehigh.org.