STATE ROAD, N.C. (AP) - The pine needles blanketing the trail feel soft underfoot and the gurgling Grassy Creek provides a soothing soundtrack as hikers amble along a narrow footpath that meanders through the woods.
The Klondike Lake Trail was built earlier this year specifically to keep the firehose of negative news at bay, to turn ‘Arghhhh!’ into ‘Ahhhhhh!’
The one-mile out-and-back trail a few miles north of Elkin is being billed as the state’s first “Forest Bathing” trail.
Bob Hillyer, who hatched the idea, said with a laugh that he’s not entirely sure if that’s accurate but so far, no one has objected.
Forest bathing originated in Japan as a type of nature therapy. Known there as Shinrin-yoku, forest bathing involves immersing oneself in nature to improve mental, physical and emotional well-being.
Marc Farrow of Winston-Salem has studied the effects of forest bathing, finding convincing evidence that it reliably and consistently reduces anxiety.
“We’re a product of nature, so naturally when we spend time in nature we integrate into it and feel more at home. Our systems respond to that,” said Farrow, a physical therapist and a forest bathing guide with the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy.
As a guide, he leads individuals and, during safer times, small groups on walks, inviting them to notice certain things.
But about that term, “forest bathing,” Farrow said with a laugh that some people have mistaken it as a nudist activity.
Rest assured, people are clothed.
The Elkin Valley Trails Association unveiled its forest bathing trail in October on private land that the Piedmont Land Conservancy hopes to buy. It’s part of a network of short trails that includes the new Carter Falls Trail near Grassy Creek Vineyard off U.S. 21.
Unlike, say, a group hike with friends and family, forest bathing is quiet and meant to be taken in solitude, the better to open the senses and experience the calming effects of the natural world. This type of experience can be done on any trail or quiet place, of course, but designating a place specifically for forest bathing gives the place a feel of a sanctuary, implying that this isn’t a trail to play fetch with a dog.
A sign at the trail head spells it out, asking people to turn off their phones and put their ear plugs in their pockets. “Listen, look, smell … nature is all around you. … It asks for nothing. Yet gives so much,” it reads.
Hillyer got the idea for a forest-bathing trail after experiencing one in Japan two years ago while hiking the Kumano Kodo Trail, a pilgrimage trail similar to the Camino Trail in Spain, which Hillyer has also hiked. Near one of the trail’s grand shrines, someone asked if he’d like to experience forest bathing. He was game and brought the idea back to the trails association in Elkin. It’s an all-volunteer nonprofit organization that has built and maintains trails all over the Yadkin Valley, seeing them as amenities that enhance the area’s quality of life.
“We wanted a trail where you could walk and feel like you’re in another world,” Hillyer said.
On a recent hike along the trail, Hillyer and some of his friends who helped build the trail pointed out some of its features, including a handful of wooden benches and a tree with a bent branch that is perfect for sitting and listening to the gently rolling Grassy Creek, which parallels much of the trail.
They pointed to spots along the trail where they plan to add other benches while Mike Reves, their resident rock lover, showed them rocks in the creek that will make good benches. Reves retired in Surry County after working as a rocket scientist for NASA in Houston. They joked that he is now their “rock scientist,” because of his affinity for stonework.
Hillyer had been familiar with this piece of property once owned by the Hanes family then sold to the Chatham family, both manufacturing families who used the property as a resort. The property has since been divided and is now in several hands. The trails association is working with the Piedmont Land Conservancy to buy 40 acres for trails including the one dedicated to forest bathing.
The trail is short but beginners should note that there is a slight incline in spots. That makes the benches handy for a rest and to sit and take in the tranquility.
“If you take the time and close your eyes,” Hillyer said, “it will settle you down.”
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