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For any hiker, it鈥檚 important to know what to expect on the trail in front of them. The stakes are even higher for hikers with disabilities, yet often accessibility information is not available. That鈥檚 where Pierce Fernandez 鈥�26 comes in.听

Fernandez is at home in the woods, which is befitting for an environmental conservation and sustainability major who has worked as a wildland firefighter and trail builder. He leapt at the chance to spend his summer exploring trails in New Hampshire and uploading his findings to , a website administered by the Upper Valley Trails Alliance that catalogues trails throughout New Hampshire and Vermont.听

Fernandez performed his work through an internship overseen by UNH Extension鈥檚 Emma Tutein, community conservation state specialist, and Charlotte Thompson, stewardship outreach program director. 听UNH Extension helped establish TrailFinder in New Hampshire more than 10 years ago to provide consistent, high-quality information about trails. Recently the collaboration has focused on trail accessibility, recognizing that detailed information about trail features is a critical component of accessibility and there isn't one single source for that information in New Hampshire.听

鈥淥ur goal is to make TrailFinder that resource,鈥� says Tutein. 鈥淲e got a grant this year form the NH Charitable Foundation to start taking those steps.鈥澨�

Fernandez鈥檚 charge was to visit 20 trails this summer 鈥� he actually got to 27 鈥� and record important accessibility details that go beyond distance and elevation gain, such as slope, cross-slope, whether there are benches for taking breaks, and if there are other facilities, such as restrooms, that are accessible to all users.听

Having worked for two seasons as a trail crew member for the Appalachian Mountain Club, Fernandez knew quite a bit about trails already. However, the internship taught him to see hiking trails in a new light. He saw that light on the first day of his work, when Thompson and Tutein brought a wheelchair to a trailhead.听

鈥淲e got to go in that, and to think about the perspective of someone who is looking more for a trail for accessibility rather than other reasons,鈥� Fernandez says. 鈥淭hat was an eye-opening experience.鈥澨�

It鈥檚 not a question of if a trail is accessible or not; it鈥檚 how accessible a trail is, he said.听

鈥淎ny trail is providing accessibility into the woods,鈥� Fernandez says. 鈥淎ccessibility means something different to each person. It鈥檚 not just one thing. A staircase up the mountain versus a dozen switchbacks, it鈥檚 all accessibility.鈥澨�

As the internship drew to a close, Thompson noted that the data collected by Fernandez would live on and continue to give people the information they need to find a trail to suit their needs.听

鈥淣ew Hampshire is an aging state, there is a lot of recognition that people鈥檚 abilities change as they age,鈥� Thompson says. 鈥淔rom a big picture perspective, there鈥檚 a lot of information about the more time that you spend outside, the better off you are.鈥澨�

Tutein continued the thought.听

鈥淭he health benefits of time outdoors and in nature are well documented. I feel strongly that nature and the outdoors are for everyone,鈥� Tutein says, noting that most conserved land in New Hampshire is supported by the public in some capacity, and that public access is often a component of the land鈥檚 conservation arrangement. 鈥淚 feel everyone has the right to have those opportunities in nature.鈥澨�