They were 48 and one dog strong Saturday morning, gathered at Katama Point, the start of the Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank’s annual cross-Island hike. The route would take them through 20 miles of land bank trails, ancient byways, paved roads and some private properties from Katama to Lambert’s Cove Beach.

Comfortable shoes selected. Sunblock and bug spray applied. Water
packed and muscles stretched.

This was the checklist for the 40 walkers gathered on Jetty Beach in
Oak Bluffs early Saturday morning. Ahead was the Cross-Island Walk, a
hike sponsored by the Martha's Vineyard Land Bank, led every year
to celebrate National Trails Day and to expose people to the
Island's conservation lands and the paths and back roads that
connect them.

His feet were sore. His toes and heels threatened to blister. They had taken him across ponds, through wetlands and tall grass, under the cover of pines and oaks, over soft moss and hard asphalt, around the bends, down the valleys and up the hills.

The walk to Great Rock Bight from the nearest parking area takes 15 or 20 minutes. This year, that extra mile or so could have been considered the true beginning of the annual Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank cross-Island hike. Best to have factored it into your plans, if you intended to meet up with the group of hikers before they set off on their 21-mile trek through the early-summer wilds of the Vineyard.

The Chappaquiddick ferryman steered the On Time across the River Styx, previously known as the Edgartown Harbor, last Saturday morning. “Have a memorable walk,” the captain muttered.

Ninety minutes earlier an erstwhile cluster of 36 hikers had gathered at Quammox, not a Harry Potter game but a new Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank property of some 23 acres on Chappaquiddick.

Bill Veno convened the group of hikers promptly at 8 a.m.

As 42 people departed on foot from Sepiessa Point Reservation in West Tisbury at 9 a.m. sharp on Saturday morning, the air was a cool 50 degrees and the sky was clear blue. We were heading ultimately to Wilfred’s Pond Preserve in Vineyard Haven. The 15-mile walk would cross Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank properties, ancient ways and public roads that are hidden in the back woods of the Island.

As I drove up to Pennywise Preserve last Saturday, I expected to see several other Island hikers waiting to join the pack. What I saw instead was an older man, sitting on a rock, legs crossed, no car, no bike . . . just by himself.

“Are you here for the cross-Island hike?” I asked. He smiled warmly and said, “Yes.” I informed him that I just heard the group was 45 minutes behind schedule, then worked on getting my backpack organized.

“Have you ever done a hike of this length? Are you able to do it?” he asked me.