During this uncertain time, where the days and weeks that we face ahead remain unchartered, Cape Ann Trail Stewards staff and board find themselves all turning to the woods and trails for peace. Clearly this is a choice that many of us are making! Fresh air clears the mind, lifts our spirits and provides a sense of clarity during a time where things feel murky, at best. Our mission to protect and promote safe and responsible trail use continues to be incredibly relevant right now.
CATS is closely monitoring the COVID-19 situation, and following all recommended guidelines from the CDC. As all of you know, the recommended distance to keep between yourself and others (social distancing) remains 6 feet, and groups should not be any larger than 10 people at a time. These guidelines change frequently so please keep informed. Additionally, organizations may close their trail networks and trail heads. We will do our best to keep you updated on the trails that CATS maintains.
In order for trails to remain open to us all, we must follow the suggested guidelines. Without trail access, I believe we would all feel much more isolated and fearful during this time. It is up to us to follow the policies put in place by those who know much more than us about what is taking place with the COVID-19 outbreak.
CATS is committed to offering to its members and volunteers access to trail information on the sites that we maintain. Currently we have nearly a half dozen trail maps up on our website, providing detailed information about hiking trails, many of them in Gloucester and Rockport. We are working as quickly as possible to bring you more trail maps every day, so keep checking back as we add more trail information daily! These are, as always, free and available to all.
If you are interested in helping support our organization during this time where many of us find ourselves with extra time on our hands due to new working arrangements or lack of work, please reach out to us. Our mission and work remain important, and we have plenty of work that remains to be done. We would welcome any number of remote volunteers, from trail stewards to social media and marketing experts. Please contact us and we will do our best to provide you with some guided remote volunteer opportunities.
We will continue to keep you updated as things evolve during the days and weeks to come. The staff and board of Cape Ann Trail Stewards wish you all peace and health during this time and always.