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By Laura Drinan
Hometown Weekly Reporter
Growing up in Walpole, I’d walked the trails of Bird Park hundreds of times. So, when I heard that I’d be joining other locals and Trustee Maura O’Gara for Wednesday Wanderings, I had a feeling it’d be a walk in the park – both literally and figuratively.
I had worried about the impending snow that morning of February 7, but I trusted my phone’s weather predictions, snatched my gloves and scarf from my front closet, and headed for the 89-acre park.
By my own admission, I don’t visit as often as I should in the winter. While I’d never been a fan of New England winters, as I walked across the allée to the Trustees office, I did enjoy the sensation of the frozen earth below my feet, imagining that I had been transported to the arctic tundra.
“There’s obviously the physical exercise, which is just good for everybody, but there is something medicinal just about walking in nature,” Maura would later say.
I was already feeling the remedial effects and enjoying my walk at Bird Park, but when I arrived at the office and saw Maura’s handwritten note that she had already begun the morning wandering, I felt a twinge of panic. Luckily, just moments later, two others joined me outside of Maura’s office, and we decided together to catch up to her.
We chatted about life in Walpole as we predicted Maura’s route, and when we two women walking in the distance, we were nearly positive it was Maura and a park guest. We briskly walking towards her, and thankfully, Maura, being the friendliest Trustee there is, had paused to greet a dog walker and pet the little pup.
So, we continued our walk with Maura and another park visitor, stopping to look at painted rocks along the trails and to check out the Little Free Library. We chatted, too, about future events in the space, like a snowshoe walk every Friday (weather permitting), workshops, an Easter nature quest, and an “Arts in the Park” installation this summer.
However, the Wednesday Wanderings event is one program that requires little planning and coordination, but is extremely advantageous to the park, as it attracts more people in an otherwise unpopular season.
“The Wednesday Wanderings is really just an excuse to get out and wander through the park during all seasons,” said Maura. “I think one of the beauties of repeat visits to a spot is that you’re rewarding with all sorts of changes that naturally happen.”
