Carving Legacy: The Revival of the Kents Hill Trail System

Author: Rebecca Kimball, Director of Athletics

At Kents Hill School, tucked into the soft green folds of Maine, there is a trail system that feels a little bit like magic. Forty acres of paths curl through pine groves, dip past mossy boulders, rise over open ridges, and wander into quiet places where even the birds seem to whisper. These trails are not simply part of the scenery. They are part of the soul of the school.

And this fall, with the help of faculty, staff, students, and some legendary retired colleagues, these trails have burst back to life. Every path has been cleared, marked, brushed, and rediscovered. The woods feel awake again, as if they have been waiting for people to return in full force. Runners fly through with big smiles, bikers bounce over roots with a mix of bravery and questionable decisions, skiers and snowshoers dream of the first snowfall, and walkers find their perfect excuse to wander without guilt.

These trails did not appear because someone got lost and said, well, this looks good. They were created by people who saw the outdoors as a classroom without walls. Teachers, coaches, and caretakers imagined a trail system where students could find strength, peace, confidence, and a few stories worth retelling. And they built it the old fashioned way, with clippers, sweat, and a very stubborn idea that the woods can make us better.
Every trail carries a name for someone who helped make that idea real. There is Trail Mike, named for Mike Burke, who spent over forty years caring for the campus and the people who walked it. His trailhead enters behind the scoreboard, where we spent many years working and preparing the fields. There is Reverend Dr., named for Chaplain Karen Munson, whose presence offered comfort, reflection, and the kind of guidance that settles the soul.

And then there are dozens more, each one a thank you written into the land. These names remind us that people helped carve the world we enjoy. If you have ever wondered what legacy looks like, you can literally run through it here.

Anyone who has explored these woods knows their charm. In fall, they turn into tunnels of bright color that make runners forget they are tired. In winter, the snow settles like quiet magic and the ski tracks glide through the trees with a calm that feels almost unreal. Every season provides its own small gift. A breath you did not realize you needed.

The rebirth of the trail system today owes much to Mr. Jeff Munson, who took stewardship from longtime caretaker Lin Parker in 2004. At that point only the five kilometer campus loop was still in solid shape. When Jeff Munson was appointed the Kents Hill "Trail Master" he rebuilt the network, created maps, added markers that show three points at a time, and gave the system structure that makes every new traveler feel like they belong out there.

Of course Jeff is only one piece of the story. The trails owe their spirit to many hands. Diane Chick guided the Outing Club for more than twenty years, showing students the joy of discovering what is around the next bend. Todd Wheelden launched a mountain biking program that opened the woods to a whole new type of adventure.

Now the trail system is full of people again. Faculty can stroll during free periods, teams charge through during practice, students explore with friends, and community members wander for the simple pleasure of wandering. In winter the snowmobile breaks the trail and the groomer lays a clean four feet track for its cross country skiers and snowshoers. When the fire pit roars outside the Outing Cabin it indicates a green light to explore the trails and create memories with friends and family.

Restoring these trails is more than a project. It is a passing of stories from one generation of trail caretakers to the next. It is a reminder that the land remembers what we build. And if we care for it, it will carry our stories forward.

Someday a student will pause at a sign that reads Mike and ask who he was. If we have done our job, someone will tell them. And in that moment the trails will come alive all over again.