Short piers are overrated. The next time you get the urge to take a long walk, we recommend taking advantage of some of Concord’s many hiking trails instead. Each one has its own story, and although you may not know them – yet – Ron Klemarczyk certainly does.
Klemarczyk is the city’s consulting forester, which means when you find a giant log in the middle of a walking path and call the city, it’s he who grabs his trusty chainsaw and makes quick work of it. He’s worked closely with Concord since 1987, so he knows as much about the city’s trail system as you do about whatever it is you know a lot about. And it’s a perse and enjoyable system, if he does say so himself.
“Concord is kind of unique, because it does have a lot of open space, so that gave us the opportunity to make trails,” Klemarczyk said. “And not only do they have open space but they have unique open space. They’ve got some neat hills, some very historic sites. Stuff that was kind of lousy for development is great for recreation. People still like that rural character, where you can go for a walk away from downtown and the 93-89 corridor. It gives people a very, very short drive and you’re in the middle of nowhere. It’s a quick, easy getaway.”
There are plenty of hidden gems within miles of downtown. Concord features 65 miles of trails maintained by the city and 6,000 acres of protected open space, according to Becky Hebert, senior planner. Most are used year-round now, Klemarczyk said, though that wasn’t always the case. But as access to information has grown easier to share with the internet and the trails have improved thanks to fastidious work by a network of volunteers and city employees, foot traffic has picked up exponentially.
“People are used to a good, quality trail system. The public are using these trails quite a bit. It took time, but once we started putting things on line, trail use went up incredibly,” Klemarczyk said. “We noticed once you put a sign or a kiosk up it increased use, too.
Before you bust out your abacus and furiously calculate how much all this costs you as a taxpayer, know this: the answer is very little. According to Hebert, the 2013 budget included $14,500 from the forestry trust fund for trail maintenance and construction, but the fund is essentially self-sustaining. Timber sales from any clearing required along the trails – to open up new vistas or clean up existing ones – go directly into the fund, leaving little burden for the average Joe.
There is also a dedicated crew of trail volunteers who walk the trails several times per month to ensure safety. A volunteer is often assigned to a specific trail and will investigate it regularly, clearing small items themselves or referring bigger issues to the city and Klemarczyk. The city also relies on a trails committee that meets about once a month, and other “little extra finishing touches,” like benches at many of the vistas or labor during maintenance, are provided by Eagle Scouts or volunteers, Klemarczyk said.
“One thing is (Concord) is willing to donate time and money to their trail system. It’s all paid for by timber sale funds, so it’s not costing the taxpayer any money,” Klemarczyk said. “They are willing to commit people and money to their trail program, which a lot of towns do, but I think Concord kind of goes above and beyond. Plus, they want to see a quality product – it’s not the quantity of trails. They’d rather have a few good trails than a bunch of crummy ones. They have some pretty high standards when it comes to the trails.”
But the trails are much more than pretty faces – it turns out there’s a lot of history in those there woods.
Marjory Swope Park is a little more than a year old, and in clearing the trails to open it up, Klemarczyk discovered a moss-covered granite boulder with a very clear carving that read “Gilfillan.” The area, now part of the forest, was an open space with 360 degree views in the 1800s, Klemarczyk said. He checked the registry of deeds and went to probate but couldn’t turn up any record of a Gilfillan until he checked with St. Paul’s School and discovered two students from the 1890s who were brothers, one of whom had died weeks shy of his graduation. His obituary said his grave was marked with a simple stone.
Klemarczyk tracked down the grave, and although it had since been replaced with a more ornate marker, he suspects the carving on the rock was a tribute to the boy, especially given that the area was a popular spot for St. Paul’s students during that time.
“This is a professional carving job,” Klemarczyk said. “This was a very popular hiking spot for St. Paul’s, so the only thing I can think of is his brother or a family member made it a memorial site, that this might have been a favorite place to hang out.”
The park itself has interesting roots (tree joke!) Swope was a city councilor and chairwoman of the Conservation Commission who died of lung cancer. Her husband had wanted to develop the property some time ago, but Swope refused, so when she passed away he figured it would be inappropriate to go against her wishes, giving the land to the city on the condition it become a park and memorial site for his wife.
On another trail on Oak Hill, Klemarczyk encountered a corner of an old stone wall surrounding a giant white oak tree. Curious, he checked the deed and discovered the tree was mentioned, circa 1868. A gypsy moth defoliation ultimately killed the tree in 1990, but when a new vista was opened up on the trail, Klemarczyk made sure to stake out the remainder of the wall so it wasn’t disturbed.
Though there are folks charged with trail upkeep, some of that work falls on the shoulders of the hikers. A particular frustration of late has been dog walkers who let their dogs do their business on the trail, put the business in a plastic bag and then leave the bag behind. A better solution, Klemarczyk said, would be to simply use a stick and flick the waste off the trail where nobody will step on it.
He also recommends bringing plenty of drinking water, particularly during the warmer months, and to check yourself for ticks at the conclusion of a hike.
Otherwise, enjoy all the non-downtown, well-maintained beauty that Concord has to offer.
“Just plan to have a good time and expect to see other people out there,” Klemarczyk said.
