In a marriage of the indoor and outdoor, a group from the Wilton Public & Gregg Free Library explored the Granite Town Rail Trail in Milford on Saturday, and also explored a bit of the universe.
The library’s Boots and Books hiking series usually pairs a hike with a relevant book. This hike’s book was “The Planets” by Dava Sobel, about the planets of the solar system viewed though various lenses, including popular culture, astrology, myth, science fiction, art, history and music and poetry.
Nikki Andrews, a library trustee who leads the hikes, said those who wish to can also just simply join the walk.
“It’s something – sometimes thinly – related to the hike, and to connect it to the library, but it’s just for fun. It’s not required reading,” Andrews said.
Those who have walked the rail trail could almost immediately spot the connection of the Granite Town Rail Trail and “The Planets.”
An Eagle Scout project installed by Joshua Smith in 2016, the “Universe Trail,” starting at the head of the trail by the Milford Department of Public Works, presents the scale of the universe through markers along the trail, denoting the relative distance between the planets.
The trail is a tribute to former Milford Selectman Avery Johnson, who in 1979 wrote an article for the Milford Cabinet about a walk through the solar system. After his death, Johnson’s wife approached the local Scout troop with a request to build a “Universe Trail,” and Smith took up the project.
The Boots and Books hiking series is monthly throughout the year. The next planned hike is Oct. 15 at the Kendall Ledges in Temple. For information or to register for the hike, visit wiltonlibrarynh.com or contact Andrews at nikkiandrewsbooks@gmail.com .
Ashley Saari can be reached at 603-924-7172 ext. 244 or asaari@ledgertranscript.com. She’s on Twitter @AshleySaariMLT.