Scenic hiking keeps exercising fresh

Go take a hike. Yes, instead of another mind-numbing lap around the high school track, another walk to nowhere on the treadmill, try taking your exercise on Long Island's 250-mile trail network.

"You get fresh air, you have natural beauty," says Shari Zagorski of Oceanside, who leads "power" hikes for the Long Island Greenbelt Trail Conference. "Who wants to be in a gym sweating with everyone else when you can be out on the trails looking at trees?"

Walking is the safest and most available form of physical activity. But hiking for fitness is different from a saunter. It's briskly paced, with few stops to smell the roses. On Zagorski's hikes, participants tramp along at about a 3 mph pace, although she cautions that you can't really compare walking on trails to other surfaces.

"You go faster on concrete or a track or a treadmill," she says. "You're not tripping over roots or avoiding poison ivy."

Yes, a power hike has its challenges. But boredom is not one of them. Take a walk in the woods with one of Long Island's hiking organizations, and you'll see something indoor exercisers miss out on. "It's the beauty of Long Island," says John Madden of Coram, a regular power hiker. "Whether it's the hills in Cold Spring Harbor, or walking along Long Island Sound, or going through Heckscher Park and seeing the Great South Bay."

"As long as we don't start acting like mountain goats, it's one of the safest outdoor activities," writes Port Jefferson Station podiatrist Stuart Plotkin in his 2001 book "The Hiking Engine," which includes tips on proper footwear, and foot and leg care.

But there are downsides. One of them is ticks. But as the weather cools, that risk declines. Most veteran hikers wear long pants to be safe. Moreover, most of the most heavily used trails in Nassau-Suffolk are wide, clear and, in some cases, paved.

Another benefit to using the trails as your gym: "You don't need a special uniform," says Zagorski. For most Long Island trails, a pair of lightweight hiking boots or even athletic shoes is all you need. "My personal preference is a low, light waterproof boot . . . with a little ankle support," she says.

Zagorski's Greenbelt Trail hikes vary in locale and duration, though only the most hard core will go the distance with her, for her annual Hike for Life in April: 32-miles on the Long Island Greenbelt Trail, from Sunken Meadow State Park to Heckscher State Park. This marathon walk is a fundraiser for the New York Blood Center.

Of course, you don't have to walk that far to get the health benefits of walking.

JUMP RIGHT IN

On Sept. 15 at 9:30 a.m., Zagorski will lead a beginner's power hike in West Hills Park in Melville. The distance is about four miles, and the hike is free. Meet by the Jayne's Hill sign on Reservoir Road. For more info, call 516-721-0223 or email hikegreenbelt32@yahoo.com. For information on other hikes, go to hike-li.org.