Hidden Gem: the Cross Country Trails
It’s Friday, Deac families – and we hope that you are not sweltering wherever you are. It’s hot at Mother So Dear, but some of y’all are in the upper 90s with heat indices in the low 100s. Stay cool, friends.
It’s been hot enough here that we have not seen as many people running during the day as we usually do (normally Wake is full of people exercising at all hours of the day). Yesterday I took a field trip to Wake Forest’s cross country trails, which is an excellent way to get some exercise in a shaded, much cooler place. If your students haven’t found the trails (or if you want to get a little exercise when next on campus), the trails are located near The Barn, our on campus student venue for events, close to Palmer and Piccolo residence halls. On this campus map, you can see the dotted lines for the trails near building 59 (The Barn).
As you take the long road up towards The Barn, you will see an intersection of gravelly path just before you reach The Barn. If you take the path, it winds you through a series of trails that runs along the edge of campus. You can see University Parkway through the trees, some of the backs of houses off Faculty Drive, the golf practice facility, and the football practice field.
The good news for runners or walkers is that it is about ten degrees cooler on the trails than it is on the rest of campus, making it an ideal place to exercise even when it is hot outside. There is ample shade, the forest is very pretty, and it makes for a lovely run. The bad news (at least for novice runners like me) is that it is not flat, and chugging up some of those inclines was not easy.
So if you or your students have not discovered the trails, I hope you’ll give them a try. Particularly around Family Weekend, when we will be at the beginning of fall, this would be a really nice diversion for families if you want to get a little exercise while your students are in class (or in the early morning before they get up).
One last note before we sign off: every Friday is something we call “Black and Gold Friday” – a time for you to wear black and gold in honor of WFU, or if your place of business allows, WFU apparel. Parents and family members can be some of our greatest cheerleaders and recruiters for new students – and every way you can help promote Wake Forest will help us! Whether you choose to wear black and gold on Friday because it makes you feel connected to your student while he/she is away at college, or because you want to show your pride in WFU, we are grateful for your helping to increase our presence in your home areas.
Go Deacs and have a great weekend!