Trail runners and hikers come together to restore wildfire-damaged trails in Connecticut

Trail runners.

Hikers and trail runners in Connecticut have come together to help restore the state’s famous ‘Blue-blazed’ trail system, which became damaged by violent wildfires and flooding earlier this year.

Organized by the non-profit Connecticut Forest and Parks Association, several different trail running and hiking groups from across the state met at the YMCA Camp Sloper in Southington on Sunday, December 9. Running a raffle and inviting people to take laps of nearby trails, the groups raised funds for a major restoration project to aid trails on Lamentation Mountain and other damaged areas.

A beloved option for trekkers and runners alike, the Blue-blazed trails run through more than 825 miles of iconic Connecticut woodland and mountainous areas.

In November, a historic dry spell resulted in more than 100 brush fires breaking out over the state, including several on Blu-blazed trail areas like Lamentation Mountain, which lost more than 100 acres to fire.

Earlier in the year, powerful flooding had a similarly damaging effect, wiping out bridges and infrastructure on the Blue-blazed trails in Southwestern Connecticut.

Connecticut is criss-crossed with beautiful trails for runners (Image credit: Getty Images)

“For a lot of us, this is our calm place, our happy place where all of the bad stuff stays outside,” one participant told Fox 61.

“So when we see something come in and hurt what we love, we have to fight back.”

As a non-profit organization, the Connecticut Forest and Parks Association is reliant on donations and fund-raisers to maintain the sprawling Blue-blazed trail system.

Although single events cannot be directly attributed to climate change, a global rise in the Earth’s temperature has drastically increased the risks of wildfire and flooding.

With the number of extreme heatwaves increasing fivefold in the past 150 years, wildfires are becoming particularly common. They now result in about six million more hectares of trees lost per year than they did in 2001 - an area roughly the size of Croatia.

• The best trail running shoes 2024 get a grip on the trickiest terrain
• The best hiking shoes 2024 trail-friendly shoes for all seasons