The secret walking path

I've heard rumors about a walking path at Northampton Community college. Anywhere from 3-5 miles. I thought this would be a good thing to get some pre-event training in before class. Class days are always tough days to train on. Especially now that it's getting dark earlier and earlier.

It is not on the web. it is not on the printed maps. And if you ask anyone they give you blank stares. I needed a super sleuth.

I had a student who was all-into NCC. He is an alumni offices dream student. He knows everything about the college and its history. I couldn't find the path so I emailed him. If anybody would know, he would. Bonus points: he works in student life.

He wrote back and said he checked with the director of student life, did I try athletics? Athletics? A walking path, yeah, right. But he provided me with the AD's name and email so I wrote.

He said sure there was one, it was only a mile, and it's well marked. (Huh?). It starts behind the Spartan Center. Yesterday I went to check it out. Apparently in addition to remodeling the cafeteria and student life over the summer they did some work on marking the paths. The are now tiny signs. You have to be looking for them to see them, but they are there.

The AD also said there was a trailhead marker. Really? I found it next to the Spartan Center, on the Oakland Rd. side. (Sorry, not good with East-West). And inside it there is a printed map. This must be a new printing or it was printed off the computer, because I haven't found one on campus or online. The trail is a poorly shaped figure eight. If it was a person it would be pear shape. Like me. Heavy on the bottom and middle, light on top. The first loop is 1/4 mile around the athletic fields and then it continues in a second, 3/4 mile loop around the big parking lots, I think. it's hard to read the map. And I'm directionally challenged. Ask my Girl Scouts or my brother Dave. He'll be more than happy to tell you about getting lost in a one-mile "macArthur Rd" style stretch in the Outer Banks.