Worcester Living: Vintage Vagabonds find fitness, friendship on Central Mass. hiking trails

“Keep Moving!” is Glenn Anderson’s motto. It also motivates his decades-long passion for hiking in all seasons, never mind the cold of winter.

“I’ve always loved the outdoors,” said Anderson, who includes among his favorite activities: hiking, biking and kayak fishing. While he and his wife, Georgia, raised their three children, family vacations were focused on hiking and skiing.

In his 50s, a co-worker introduced Anderson to the Appalachian Mountain Club. The two of them would frequently hike up Mount Pisgah in Northborough before work. After he retired in 2013, Anderson began hiking the Midstate Trail in Central Massachusetts and soon was trekking other trails in the area. Hiking up Mt. Wachusett became a weekly routine. He’s created a spreadsheet of more than 30 hikes ranked by difficulty and location with links to trail maps.

After a Tai Chi class at the Holden Senior Center sparked a conversation among participants about hiking, Anderson agreed to organize group hikes for retirees.

“As we age, we’ve got to keep moving,” he said. He notes that hiking “is probably in my genes. My mother walked twice a day, year-round until she was in her 90s.”

The hiking group of retirees named themselves The Vintage Vagabonds; they started trekking together three years ago and membership quickly expanded. “The oldest member of the hiking group is 80 and he’s in better shape than most of us,” Anderson said.

The COVID-19 pandemic shutdown in March 2020 put the brakes on the Vagabonds’ hikes for a couple of months. In the interim Glenn and Georgia Anderson set out to explore trails new to them in the area. Soon they added the Harvard Forest and several trails maintained by the Trustees of Reservations to their hiking itineraries.

“One of my rules is that I won’t lead a group hike on a trail I haven’t been on before,” Anderson said. “I’m a frustrated tour guide,” he adds. “I love introducing people to places that are new to them.”

By early summer 2020 Anderson had figured out a way to continue the group hikes. He reduced the number of participants per hike and required that every hiker wear a mask. He also increased the number of hikes each week to make them available to more people. By mid-winter in early 2021, Anderson was frequently leading five hikes every week.

Novice and experienced hikers alike warmed to the friendliness and patience of the group’s leader. “I consider hiking as play; that and the camaraderie of the group are keys to happiness at our age,” Anderson said. He adds that the health benefits of hiking are important as people age.

Anderson’s zeal for the outdoors sets a convivial tone for the hikes he leads. As a result, the Vagabonds are a gregarious group. Chatting with fellow hikers while walking is a major attraction for many of them. “Hiking with Glenn is like going to a cocktail party, only without the alcohol,” said Vagabond hiker Patty Jacobs.

Jacobs, a retired teacher who lives in Holden, admits that she used to “just get through the winter,” but the experience of group hiking changed her attitude. Although camaraderie was the major appeal, Jacobs soon learned that “hiking makes you feel good about yourself. When you’ve made it to the top of a ridge or a mountain, you feel pretty accomplished,” she said.

“Hiking in winter gives the added benefit of being able to see the beauty of woods when it is covered with snow,” Jacobs added. “Snow not only makes everything look beautiful, it provides a nice cushion over the rocks and roots that are so plentiful on New England trails.”

Joe Massery, another fan of winter hiking, agrees. He is past chair of the Worcester Chapter of the Appalachian Mountain Club (http://www.amcworcester.org/hiking.html) and has been leading groups on snowy trails for eight years.

“Hiking on trails is a lot easier in winter,” Massery said. “You just have to deal with the weather conditions.”

Masssery describes himself as a “late bloomer” who took up hiking after a back injury. “While recovering, I couldn’t do much of anything for months, but one afternoon I was going stir crazy and decided to walk around my neighborhood,” he said.

Almost five miles later, Massery was surprised that his back was not bothering him.

He soon was searching the internet for trails in Westborough and found one practically across the street from his house.

Eventually a link led to the Appalachian Mountain Club. “They have fantastic workshops; after I took one on ‘How to Hike in Winter’ I was hooked,” he said.

Massery leads winter hikes three days a week; in summer he’s frequently heading up groups of backpackers hiking into the White Mountains. He has his own spreadsheet of hikes and has accumulated more than 4,000 miles on trails throughout the area.

Among hikes he recommends are the Westborough Charm Bracelet Trail System (https://westboroughcharm.org) and the trails of the Greater Worcester Land Trust (www.gwlt.org).

Winter hiking requires specific equipment and attention to clothing in order for the experience to be safe and enjoyable. Removable traction devices such as microspikes, for example, prevent slipping on icy trails. Anderson requires them on winter hikes. He also stresses the importance of good fitting, waterproof hiking boots. Trekking poles “will take the weight off your knees and help build upper body strength,” Anderson said.

Just as important is proper clothing, he continued. “The Norwegians have a saying, ‘There’s no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothes.’” Anderson recommends synthetics and wicking material and layers for winter weather. Add gloves, a hat and sunglasses to protect your eyes against the glare of sun on snowy trails and you’re good to go.

Jacobs agrees. “I quickly learned that a heavy sweater and jacket makes for a miserable hike,” she said. “You really do keep warm when you are hiking.”

Massery recommends the AMC’s 10 Essentials list for winter hiking gear, which includes a flashlight or headlamp, matches or a fire starter, first aid kit, and an emergency blanket (https://www.outdoors.org/resources/amc-outdoors/gear/the-10-essentials-revisited/).

He also adds an 11th item: a lightweight, portable sled board. “There’s nothing more fun after a hike up a mountain than sledding down it,” he said.

Although there is a waiting list to join the Vintage Vagabond hikers, Anderson encourages anyone interested in winter hiking to seek out fellow hikers. If you’re looking for trails to explore in winter, the following websites have more information:

The Trails at Wachusett Meadows: https://www.massaudubon.org/get-outdoors/wildlife-sanctuaries/wachusett-meadow/about/trails

Harvard Forest: https://harvardforest.fas.harvard.edu/trails-recreation

Trustees of Reservations: https://thetrustees.org/content/hike-trustees/

Appalachian Mountain Club: http://www.amcworcester.org

Greater Worcester Land Trust: https://www.gwlt.org

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Worcester Living: Fitness, friendship on Central Mass. hiking trails