Leslie Trundy is in her twentieth year working as a school counselor. She says she absolutely loves her job at Morse High School in RSU 1.

“I am so grateful to be a consistent adult in the lives of young people and to support them and their families through goal attainment and the challenges they face growing up,” Trundy said. “One of the things I like the most about my job is the ability to connect the right student with an enrichment activity that fosters their growth and passion.”

An avid hiker, Trundy personally finds much happiness in outdoor recreation. For her, the outdoors has been a constant source of enjoyment and a place to find solace.

“In the summer of 1996, I spent six and a half months hiking from Georgia to Maine and knew in my bones that walking could be an incredible form of meditation and clearing the carburetor of our minds. It was on the Appalachian Trail that I decided I would earn the credential to become a school counselor,” Trundy explained.

Last fall, Trundy attended the Teens to Trails Fall Leadership Conference, where she participated in a workshop titled “Mindfulness Outdoors: Whole Body Health Benefits,” presented by Megan-Mack Nicholson from the Lennox Outdoor Leadership Center.

In the workshop, Trundy and other participants learned about leading youth outdoors, meditation, and how to support youth who may find meditation to be challenging. The presenter also shared stories from her readings about the value of time spent in the woods and how healing it can be for mental health.

“This resonated with me,” Trundy noted. “I thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail in my mid-twenties and grew up involved with Girl Scouts and skiing in Northern Michigan. I’ve also seen this work as a mom and Scout leader. No matter the weather, time outside transforms.”

With the Morse Outing Club in its fourth year, Trundy began to brainstorm ways to bring the power of hiking in the woods to even more students. At Morse High School, students who have been given detention may sometimes replace that time with community service. Trundy thought that the administrators at her school might let her try offering a hike in the woods as an alternative, too, capturing a population of students who may be less likely to join an outdoor club out of interest.

“Students don’t benefit from more time indoors, and I wanted to offer them a mindset shift through walking outside,” Trundy said. “I wanted to give them my attention and ear if they want it and be a trusted adult they know they can speak to when they’re ready.”

With quick approval from her administration, Trundy’s first hike of this nature was on October 3, shortly after she came up with and proposed the idea. She has been taking students on hikes ever since then. While most students still choose to serve their detention, there are also students who opt into the hike on almost all of the walks.

“Sometimes they want to walk with a friend, and sometimes they desire to come along for the time outside,” Trundy said. “In total, I’ve walked 34 miles with students. My smallest group was three students, and the largest was 13.”

Trundy says that every hike has had memorable moments, but her top three favorites include:

• A time three boys sang an a-cappella version of “I Want It That Way” by the Backstreet Boys as the group crossed the bridge back onto campus in November.
• The first snowfall on December 5 when Trundy outfitted everyone in ponchos and confidently declared, “Yes, we are going to go on the hike!” The whole group had been before, and Trundy expressed it was magical to see the same trail transformed by the snow coating the bare tree limbs and falling gently into the open body of water. She said there was a little bit of slipping and a lot of laughter.
• The moment a boy noticed how Trundy waited until the group stopped for a snack, before telling them her “why.” He remarked that it was clever because everyone was quiet and eating and, therefore, could receive her message and hear a poem by Wendall Berry or Mary Oliver.

“I’m planting acorns, and the soil, sun, and water need to be just right!” Trundy explained metaphorically of how she approaches these hikes with students.

Trundy said she hopes to keep these walks going no matter what the weather is. This year, the Morse Outing Club has a membership with Maine GearShare, and Trundy plans to borrow crampons and other warming gear when the trail becomes icy. She has also considered borrowing the school van to drive students to a different section of the trail at some point.

“I hope to see if the walks make a difference. It often takes time to know this,” Trundy said.

She noted some students who are going out on hikes are in grade 9, and she is curious to see their reflections when they are seniors.

“I know this time matters to me, and I’m grateful to share it with them,” Trundy said. “Last week, an older boy thanked me and declared, ‘That was awesome.’”