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By Robby McKittrick
Hometown Weekly Reporter
On Wednesday, October 10, the Walpole Library hosted a lecture on the best hikes in New England.
Alison O’Leary, an author and former journalist, gave this Lecture to discuss her new book, “New England’s Finest Hikes.” O’Leary is an award winning journalist and has contributed to three different books with the help of well-known author Mike Togas. The latest book is the third edition of “New England’s Finest Hikes.”
O’Leary explained why this book is useful for hikers.
“One of the things I really like about this book is that there are a lot of really practical information,” she said. “It is a genuine guide book … This could be your go-to book for the weekend and say ‘I feel like I have enough time to go way out here.’”
Although the book is very useful for hikers, O’Leary said that she wanted to tell people in the lecture about the history of the hikes, which is not discussed in the book.
“[The book] doesn’t tell you who was there before and what existed prior to this hiking trail,” she said. “The idea is add some context, make it entertaining, give people something to look forward to when they do these hikes.”
During the talk, O’Leary shared her some her favorite hikes from the book. She also described the historical significance of the hikes and other interesting features.
Around 20 people from the area showed up to the event to learn about the different hikes.
“I do a lot of walking and thought it would be very interesting [to see] a lot of the trails around Walpole,” said Walpole resident and outdoor-lover Paul Whittier. “I hope that she names some trails that I am not as familiar with.”
“My husband and I used to do a lot of hiking with the Appalachian Mountain Club, and I understand that this woman may also be talking about an area up in the Melrose, Stoneham area where I grew up, so I thought that this [talk] may be an interesting thing to hear,” said another resident, Susan Anderson.
Anderson is part of the Walpole Historical society and enjoys learning about the history of hiking trails.
“We like to get the background of the areas we are walking in,” she said.
In the lecture, O’Leary explained that there are around 60 hikes in the book that range in location from Cape Cod to Cape Ann. She explained that one can use the book to find hikes 15 minutes away from home, as well as ones that require a much further drive.
O’Leary then spoke about the history of specific landscapes in New England.
“In the 1800s, most of New England was completely treeless,” she said. “The landscape that we see now is nothing like what people looked at 150 years ago.”
O’Leary said that she “loves” the outdoors used to hike and mountain bike in the area “all the time.” She was able to make this passion into a job later in her career.
“I love new England history,” she said. “I grew up around here. I feel like I really appreciate it … I love historical research, and I love writing, and I love sharing this information with people.”
