Get Ready for Hike-a-thon 2022!

Take a Hike

This fall, we invite you to enjoy the Harris Center’s beautiful trails while helping raise money for trailside benches! The benches will be great places to rest and take in the scenery, and are essential for helping people of all ages and abilities enjoy the great outdoors.

How It Works

Hike-a-thon 2022 will begin on October 7 at 9 a.m. and end on Friday, October 21 at 5 p.m. You can hike on one day or every day for two weeks. It’s up to you! If you wish to hike with a group led by a Harris Center staff person, sign up for one of our Hike-a-thon group hikes.

There is no cost to participate. The most important thing is to enjoy being outdoors in nature! That said, participants are encouraged — but not required — to raise money that will be used to build benches for the Harris Center grounds and trails. The materials to build each bench cost $250; volunteers will build them. You can either ask ‘sponsors’ (think: friends, parents, co-workers) to donate the dollar amount of their choice for every mile you hike, or to make a one-time donation to your effort.

All participants are asked to register on our RallyUp webpage. You can register as an individual, or you can register a team (business, school, club, etc.) If you wish to register a team, you will be asked to register yourself first under Participants (click on ‘Team’), and then you can register your team (click on ‘Team Registration’). There is NO COST to participate even though RallyUp requires you to ‘add to cart’ and ‘check out’ as part of the registration process!

Please note that Rally Up does not charge the Harris Center any fees, but does ask participants if they would like to ‘tip up’ upon registration; that ‘tip’ money goes to Rally Up. Tipping is completely optional.

Prizes

The top three individual hikers who raise the most money will each receive a Harris Center cap or nature almanac. In addition, each member of the team that raises the most money will receive an almanac.

Where to Hike

You can hike any of the Harris Center trails during the Hike-a-Thon, but here are a few of our favorites:

• Eastview and Jaquith Rail Trails, or a portion thereof, in Harrisville and Hancock: 2.9 miles one-way; easy
• Hiroshi Loop Trail in Peterborough: 1.9-mile loop, with views of Nubanusit Brook; moderate
• North Pond Trail in Harrisville: 1.6 miles one-way through scenic woods, with views of North Pond; moderate
• Kulish Ledges via the Ethan’s Way, Hurd Hill, Ridge, Kulish Ledges, Osgood Hill Link, and Wheeler Trails (and a short stretch on Brickyard Road) in the Partridge Woods trail network in Nelson: 3.7-mile loop with spectacular vistas; strenuous
• West Side Trails to Thumb and Skatutakee Mountains in Hancock: 4.5-mile loop with summit views; strenuous