Hiking has become one of the most popular trends influencing Parks and Recreational programs and one that the Town of Payson has embraced. Payson sits in the middle of three National Forest areas and the town is actively creating an area trail system. The goal of the Parks and Recreation Department is to develop hiking trails that feed into the hundreds of miles of National Forest trails surrounding the town. This goal presents an important ethical issue of how to create suitable hiking trails while preserving nature and the integrity of the environment. Obtaining this goal, in an environmentally friendly manner, the Town of Payson is incorporating the use of the already cleared ‘firebreak ring’ that encompasses the town. A firebreak ring is an area of cleared vegetation created by the US Forest Dept using prescribed burns. The burning and clearing of vegetation creates a natural barrier, encircling the town, and minimizes fire damage by deterring forest fires from entering the community.
The Payson Parks and Recreation Department has developed a partnership with the local organization PATS (Payson Area Trails System). Together they have created a master plan for building high-quality hiking trails, through the cleared firebreaks, connecting them to the existing Forest Service trails. These trails lead through the town and intersect the firebreak ring like the spokes of a wagon wheel. This positive action provides a variety of opportunities for hikers to enjoy the beauty and challenge of nature. Utilizing existing trails helps to create an environmentally friendly trail system while leaving little or no detrimental impact on the environment.
During my internship, it was my privilege to serve as a hiking instructor and accompany several hikers on a Payson Parks and Recreation Department sponsored hike. The ‘PATS Hikes’ are group-led hikes, free of charge, and are scheduled approximately every month weather permitting. I participated in the ‘Boulders Loop Hike’, a moderate level of difficulty, three-mile hike, which meanders through beautiful ponderosa pines, thick sagebrush, and across rocky formations. The trail follows a creek bed and proceeds along the natural difficulties of the surrounding topography. Sections of the trail are steep and require a certain degree of caution when traveling on it. The trail rises up onto the ‘Boulders Trailhead’ offering a fantastic view of the Granite Dells (a geological high ridge area just south of Payson). My place was at the end of the line serving as the First Aide provider. It was my duty to praise the hikers for their efforts, offer encouragement, and assist the hikers in navigating the steep rocky surfaces, while pointing out interesting and unusual formations. It was a wonderful hike, through some of the most breath taking scenery, enjoyed by everyone.
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