Digitized maps enhance hiking

#Middlebury #MLT #DigitizedMaps

This newly digitized map of a Middlebury Land Trust property shows the Sperry Preserve. Details include the property boundaries, parking and trails that can be hiked. (Mapping by Hunter Brawley)

By JANINE SULLIVAN-WILEY

How people follow a trail has evolved over time, from the earliest discerning of faint marks along a woodland floor through modern times when trails are marked with paint, rock cairns, or as is the case with many Middlebury Land Trust (MLT) trails, plastic markers impervious to weather. Although trails are marked, unless someone has shared details, you won’t know in advance where to park, how long the trail is, how hilly it is, if it goes through wetlands, etc.

That’s all changing with the MLT trails. Maps of five of its most popular or interesting properties and their trails are now available as PDFs on the MLT website, middleburylandtrust.org. These are the Sperry, Clark, Crest Road, Water Company, and Lake Elise properties. Maps of more MLT parcels and their trails will be rendered and uploaded later in 2022.

The maps allow you to view a tract and its trails beforehand and decide if the trail is the right length and level of difficulty for you. Points of interest are noted on the PDFs, as are wetlands locations and parking areas. Trails on the maps match the color of the trail markers on the trees along the trail. You can print out a copy of a map or carry it with you digitally – right on your phone.

Getting those maps made was quite a complex process. First the MLT had to find a person with the right expertise. They chose Hunter Brawley of Brawley Consulting Group (www.brawleycg.com), a land conservation and management consultant who specializes in work with land trusts. Brawley already had done management plans on many of the MLT parcels and was familiar with some of the trails.

In a recent telephone interview with this writer, his enthusiasm for the work was apparent. “I’m passionate about what I’m doing, about trails and the outdoors and helping people find the wonderful things there like rock outcroppings, giant trees or wetlands. And I really enjoy cartography!” he said.

Brawley, who is trained in trail building and maintenance and mapping using GPS programs, explained the process he used here in Middlebury. “I start with the shape of the parcel, then walk every one of the trails with a GPS unit that captures the track,” he said. “You note points of interest along the way. Once all of that information is captured, I go back and, on the computer, add it to the parcel map. This includes using a shaded relief map, adding the topographical marks and then I overlay the GPS trails. The final process is the coloration and details. This way you can ‘see’ what is on the ground such as stone walls.”

The last part he described as the “artistic side.” “The goal is to make a map that is useful but not cluttered with too much information,” he said. It’s also worth noting that along the way Brawley made several changes and improvements to the trails; he has been a valuable resource all around.

Asked if there are other useful resources for hikers, Brawley said Google maps can be helpful, but he particularly recommends an app called “onXhunt.” While it isn’t free, this writer can vouch for its usefulness. She found it comforting to see the little dot showing her right where she was. The maps and the apps are fine examples of technology making the outdoors more accessible … something that has become even more precious since the pandemic began.

You can contact this writer at jswspotlight@gmail.com; visit the Middlebury Land Trust on Facebook or the website at middleburylandtrust.org. Happy hiking!