Inside Furman is published monthly during the school year by the Furman University Department of Marketing and Public Relations. For story ideas, e-mail John Roberts, editor.
Hit the trail
Furman walking, biking paths are a great place to exercise, get away
Surrounding the lake, behind the stadium and in the wooded hollows around campus are more than four miles of walking trails.
And Julian Reed wants more people to use them.
Walking trails, says the Health and Exercise Science professor, are more than a place to exercise. They offer escapism, a place to unwind, forget about everyday pressures and get lost in nature.
Last March, Reed and fellow HES professors Frank Powell, Veronica Yockey, Bill Pierce along wiyh Tyler Houke, head ranger at Paris Mountain State Park used funds from a $3,500 grant from a the Associated Colleges of the South to construct a one-mile addition to the university's walking trials.
The new trail section is located on the north side of campus and can be accessed near the amphitheatre, picnic shelter and intramural athletic field.
Reed is currently using the balance of the grant funds for signage and maps to promote the trails.
“Studies show that the two most popular forms of (exercise) activity are gardening and walking,” says Reed. “And people who like to walk want to do it in an aesthetically pleasing environment.”
And Furman, with its scenic lake, wooded walking trails and pedestrian friendly campus is a walker's haven.
Most of the trails around Furman were carved out in the mid-90s by a group of Furman students, professors, a local Boy Scout troop and employees in Facilities Services.
In 1998 a large portion of the trail behind the chapel and stadium was altered to make room for Timmons Arena. The Furman ROTC department also developed an elements course along portions of a 2-mile section.
During the summer of that year Biology professor Joe Pollard and some Furman students developed an arboretum around the lake and portions of the walking trail that includes about 250 labels on trees and other foliage.
Reed says walking and nature trails are becoming increasing popular, particularly in urban areas. And he hopes Furman trails will entice those who are inactive to develop a regular waking or biking routine.