My Walking Story: A Hike Along Old Jail Lane, Cape Cod

Every week, I ask listeners to share their walking stories. This week, I'm sharing one of my own.

Join me as I take you along Old Jail Lane in Cape Cod, Massachusetts—a hike that reminded me why walking is about so much more than exercise. Along the trail, I'll share what I saw, what I was thinking, and why this particular walk will stay with me long after it ended.

This episode is also the beginning of something new. Inspired by the stories I've heard from walkers over the past year, I'm introducing a new subscription experience coming soon: short audio stories designed to be listened to while you walk. Think of them as companions for your next "exercise snack," the concept we discussed with registered dietitian Carol in last week's episode.

Whether you're walking around the block, exploring a local trail, or dreaming about your next adventure, this episode is a reminder that every walker has a story—and every step matters.

In this episode:

• My hike along Old Jail Lane in Cape Cod
• Why certain walks stay with us
• The power of walking stories
• A preview of an exciting new listener experience coming soon

Have a walking story of your own? I'd love to hear it.

Check out WhyWalkingMatters.com Blog and become a subscriber for weekly walking tips! Share Your Walking Story Listen on YouTube 

Email us at: Kaydoscope@gmail.com to share topics you'd like to learn about.

Transcript

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SPEAKER_01 0:06

Hi listeners, welcome back to Why Walking Matters, The Science Explained. I'm Tatiana, your host. This week's episode might come to you a little late, and for that I apologize. I've actually I'm actually traveling with my husband and friends to see friends in the beautiful state of Maine. Actually, we stopped in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. It was sadly for a funeral of a young person who had a sudden illness and passed away. But we decided to take advantage of the opportunity to hike a trail in beautiful Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and that I'll share with you today. At this very moment, I am sitting on a dock overlooking a beautiful lake, watching birds fly by in formation, listening to the wind as it rustles through the trees in beautiful Booth Bay, Maine. So you may hear birds chirping in the background, but not much else. I hope you caught my conversation with registered dietitian Carol Nasella last week when we talked about the right nutrition when you go for a walk, or if you've started going for longer walks or more challenging walks. She also talked a lot about women in paramenopause or menopause and how walking and nutrition can help to support that phase of life. And I think my favorite takeaway from that conversation was the exercise snack. If you haven't already, definitely check out the conversation with Carol. So every week on this podcast, well, almost every week, I ask you to share your walking stories. And you can do this by going to whywalking matters.com and clicking on share your walking story right at the top corner of the page. I asked about the walk that changed something for you, the walk that helped you through a difficult season, the walk that became a new habit, the walk that turned into an adventure. And as I was thinking about this week's episode, I realized that I never really shared one of my own walking stories, which is why I'm going to share the story about my hike at Old Jail Lane in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Every walker has a story. Not everyone is climbing mountains or training for a marathon. Some people are simply trying to take their first steps. Some are walking through grief. Some are walking toward better health. Some are walking because it's the only quiet moment they get all day. But every walk has a story behind it, and today I'll share mine. And before we're done, I'll also tell you about something new I'm working on: a collection of short walking stories designed to be listened to while you're out walking. Think of them as companions for your next exercise snack, Carol's term, that she introduced us to last week. So lace up your shoes, settle into your pace, and come walk Old Jail Lane with me. First, an introduction to Cape Cod. If you've never been, Cape Cod is a, according to Google, a hook-shaped peninsula in southeastern Massachusetts that extends 65 miles into the Atlantic Ocean and is famous for its beaches, historic lighthouses, and summer tourism. And I did promise a friend that I would check out a lighthouse, which we didn't get to do, but maybe we'll be able to do today in Maine. So Cape Cod, according to Google, covers about 339 square miles and it's coextensive with Barstow County, which is where we stay. It's divided into the Upper Cape, which is closest to the mainland, the mid-Cape, Lower Cape, and Outer Cape, ending at the tip in Provincetown. And by the way, listeners, be sure to check out my Instagram page, why underscore walking underscore matters, to check out pictures and videos of our hike and trip to Cape, Massachusetts. Traffic was pretty good going up. It took us about four hours from New York, but we also did leave at like 4 a.m. on a Friday morning. A couple of quick tidbits I learned yesterday, which I probably should have known because quite they're quite famous. Um, close to where I was, maybe an hour or two away, are two uh popular locations, Nantucket, an island and town, about 30 miles south of Cape Cod. Um, that's known for its beaches, lighthouses, and boutiques, and Martha's Vineyard, which I've actually never visited, a popular island summer colony located just south of Cape Cod in Dukes County, Massachusetts, where a lot of people visit for summer fun, and where I think some might consider a little bit on the higher end. So back to the hiking trail we took on yesterday. The old jail lane conservation area in Barnstable, Massachusetts is a 180-acre woodland featuring a network of rolling one to two mile multi-use trails for hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding. And I can say we actually saw the only people we actually saw yesterday on the trail were two bikers that looked like they were on mountain e-bikes, is how I am choosing to describe it. So, how did I decide on that particular trail? I actually used all trails, um, and I usually only use the free version, but as we were hiking in an unknown area, and I wanted to make sure that I had the timing right and the mileage right and not get lost, um, I did opt to for the seven-day free version, and it was actually really useful. I might actually keep it because it's quite inexpensive for the year, or if you wanted to for the month, I think it's something like three dollars a month. So we opted for Pine Lane, Hills and Dales, Finn's Folly, Ans and Pans, and Easy Street Trail, which are, I guess, a bunch of trails that are um linked together to form a loop. It was a 2.5-mile loop, it had an elevation gain of 173 feet, it was categorized as easy on all trails, and according to all trails, the estimated time should have been less than an hour. I'll get back to that. So, according to all trails, this loop brings visitors through forests made of pine, scrub oak, and holly. And I can say yes, it did. The the pine, there were a lot of pine needles on the ground, which actually made walking quite soothing. It was like soft as you step through the trail. The trails are well maintained according to all trails, and I say yes, and the terrain is rolling hills, very gentle. There is a climb on Captain's Log, which we missed, that takes visitors to the top of the highest hill inside the conservation area. So I think that we missed the trail to or the path to Captain's Log, um, because I think you had to come off the loop a little bit. Um, and the property is maintained by the Barnestable Conservation Commission, and they are doing a very good job. So we got there at about 8 a.m. I wanted to go a little bit earlier at 7:30, but when you're hiking with uh friends and family, you have to be flexible and allow everyone to get up and get acclimated and ready to go in their own time. My husband and friend decided to have a little something to eat from the complimentary hotel breakfast before we left. So we got there a little bit late, but we were still the first car in the parking lot, and the parking lot is a small free dirt parking lot with space for about five to eight cars located just off Old Jail Lane, just past the Route 6 overpass from Finny's Lane. I'd read the some of the reviews on all trails, and so I knew to expect possible bugs and lots of poison ivy and possible possibly deer ticks. And as we arrived and looked at the information board, it was confirmed that there were possibly uh deer ticks and definitely lots of poison ivy, and so we uh sprayed ourselves with uh insect repellent and we wore our socks, we opted for white socks, um, that we we tucked our pants into our socks, pulled the socks all the way up so that um if a tick attaches itself to your shoe or the bottom of your uh socks, you can easily see it because you know they're black and the socks are white, and you can get rid of them.

SPEAKER_02 12:02

Um happily we did not encounter or have any ticks attached themselves to us.

SPEAKER_01 12:10

But I think part of the reason that was possible is because the trail is really well maintained, it is narrow, yes, a little bit in some areas, but there aren't a lot of bushes that you have to keep out of your way as you hike through. There were the all trails reviews, also mentioned a lot of thorny plants, but thorny bushes, but that wasn't really a problem. We did see them, but a lot of them were quite short and small, and we just kind of I used my my trekking post to just like move them out the way. Or my husband's very good at going up ahead and making sure that you know anything he thinks is gonna be a bother is out of the way before I get there. Um, I think what's interesting to me about that trail and just that walk in general, it's not something that we planned for a very long time. The idea just kind of came up as we decided to attend this funeral. And you know, we looked at I looked at all trails, and I just it took me like maybe altogether 30 minutes to an hour to kind of understand the trails in the area, figure out which one might be best for our timing, um, skill level. I didn't want it to be too strenuous, so I picked an easy trail, and it really was. It was beautiful, it was quiet, you could hear the birds. We heard with woodpeckers, you could hear the wind in the trees, and you could feel yourself immersed in nature. And I say to people who are thinking about going for a hike, go for it, don't be afraid to try something new. I personally think it's great for the soul. So I mentioned before that all trails suggested that the hike that we chose should have taken less than an hour. So in fact, it we hiked that trail in an hour and 50 minutes, so almost two hours. Um, according to all trails, the average pace was our average pace was 3754, and um we burned about 900 calories. So I must say it's possible that we could have hiked that trail a little faster, and I'm not sure about under an hour, but we did a couple things. First of all, I'm nursing uh a calf and knee injury and intermittent pain, so I was walking a little bit more slowly than I normally would have, which is why I brought the trekking poles, although I really only used one. We also stopped to marvel and wonder and feel the forest, the woods. We stopped and listened when we heard something unusual. We tried to find a woodpecker that we heard as we entered the trail, but could not spot it. We also took pictures and really just enjoyed our time in that space. And I think that's really worth saying. We found ourselves marveling at unusual rock formations that were actually throughout the entire trail, and we decided they were the remnants of old borders. They were also really giant rocks, and check out the Instagram page why underscore walking underscore matters, and you'll see. I did not venture up, but you'll see my husband and his friend um taking a picture on top of a couple of those giant rocks. Ultrails mentioned that if we were to hike to a certain lookout point, I think it's called Captain's Log, we would have seen a great view of a bay, but we missed that that climb, and so we didn't actually see any views of water. There were some railroad tracks that were running toward the bottom of the hill that we were atop, but no water. Interestingly, the old jail lane is a road that gets its name from Barstable's original wooden jail, which was built around 1690 by order of the Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay Colony courts. This oldest wooden jail in the US, hmm, I didn't know that, stood on Old Jail Lane in Barnstable Village until it was moved in 1972 to Cobbs Hill near the Coast Guard Heritage Museum. Deep in the woods off the modern trail, visitors can still find the old stone foundation and cellar walls marking the sites associated with the early jail structures surroundings. Okay, so maybe that's some of what we were seeing with those stones that looked like old borders. Interesting still, the rolling hills and steep terrain along the trail were shaped by glacial activity thousands of years ago, creating the upland forests of pine, oak, and holly seen today. And yes, that trail was littered with pine needles and cones, which was beautiful. It was it just gave the forest a very red color. Managed by the Barnstable Conservation Commission and protected by the Barnstable Land Trust, the land evolved from remote woodlands into a public trail system. Today, the paths connect to a wider regional network of walking routes linking the interior forests towards Seaberry Farm and Cape Cod Community College. And that's actually so one of the trails that we could have opted to take, that all trails kind of put together for you was a trail where you would enter through the parking lot of the Cape Cod Community College. Um, but I think they're all connected. That one appeared to be closer to the road because uh reviewers mentioned um being able to hear um more traffic noise. Um, but you know, it that sometimes I we do hikes where we're closer to traffic, it's fine. I just wanted to be a little bit more immersed in nature, which is why I opted to go for the trail that we did. Interestingly, we didn't see a lot of bigger wildlife, like we didn't see any deer or even squirrels, or sometimes we go on trails, we see a lot of those little baby chipmunks running around. No, here we did see some um decaying mushrooms in spots, um, heard a lot of birds, and saw, I think, really interesting insects. So, for example, um spiders. We saw like really interesting looking spiders crawling around on the ground, they were just interesting, and you know, we tried to respect nature and the habitat of the living things that call the woods and forest their home. We tried very much not to touch anything as we were forewarned about the poison ivy in in the in the area. In fact, even the two bikers who passed us mentioned that there's a lot of poison ivy around. But we did see um really interesting uh berries that. Had I been braver, I might have picked. But as I think back, the most surprising detail about that hiking trail was the solitude, um, the peace and tranquility we felt as we walked through the space. The fact that we didn't encounter many people on that trail. Okay, yeah. So after this early morning hike in Cape Cod, how do you guys feel?

SPEAKER_00 22:41

Feel energized.

SPEAKER_01 22:44

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 22:47

Take on our next trail.

SPEAKER_01 22:50

Really? You want to go on another trail right now? Breakfast. But did anything surprise you about the trail?

SPEAKER_00 23:01

I think maybe I'll quite go money. Okay.

SPEAKER_01 23:11

Okay. Oh, you think yeah, because when we can't when we come out, that's when we see like more cars.

SPEAKER_00 23:20

We were the only ones. Yeah, yeah. We just have heads up for everybody to get out here early, people. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 23:29

What time we got here? Like seven no eight. It was eight. It was a little bit after eight. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 23:40

It was wonderful. Peace sensory, and you hear the wind and the leaves and the wind.

SPEAKER_01 23:46

And the bird.

SPEAKER_00 23:48

Mother nature creatures moving in the very peaceful.

SPEAKER_01 23:56

The trail wasn't the longest I've ever walked or the steepest I've climbed or even a popular location. But it did remind me that sometimes a good walk isn't about distance or popularity. It's about paying attention and just being in the space. The details of the trail were unique to me. The location, the scenery, the memories I brought with me, but the experience itself actually wasn't unique at all. Every time I ask listeners to share their walking stories, I'm reminded that walking is never just about walking. Behind every pair of walking shoes is a person carrying hopes, challenges, victories, disappointments, dreams, and memories. Some stories happen on a scenic trail overlooking the water. Some happen on a neighborhood sidewalk. Some begin with a doctor saying you need to move more. Others begin after a major life change, a loss, a new chapter, or a simple decision to do something different. Which is why we like to explore the science behind what happens when we walk on this podcast. And what makes these stories special isn't where they happen, it's what they mean to the person taking the steps, which is why I also think that hearing about the science behind what's happening in our bodies as we walk is so interesting to us. But that's why I keep asking for your stories, because every walker has one. In fact, sharing walking stories made me realize how much I enjoy telling walking stories as I enjoy hearing them. Which leads me to share with you something special I have been working on. A new paid subscription launching within a month at a nominal cost. Exclusive downloadable audio stories designed to be listened to while walking, designed really for exercise snacks, so that you don't feel overwhelmed. Most stories are 15 to 20 minutes long, perfect for a short walk. But you can listen as many times as you want to your downloaded story, or you can download multiple stories and have a walking adventure. Stories will feature people from different backgrounds and different walking journeys. Imagine heading out for a 15-minute walk and having someone else's walking journey in your ears. A story that entertains you, inspires you, and maybe even motivates you to keep going a little further than planned, which is what I find happens when I'm listening to something interesting and engaging as I walk. So look out for that, listeners. Today I shared one of my walking stories. Next week, maybe it'll be yours. If you have a walking story you'd like to share, I'd love to hear it. Go to whywalkingmatters.com and keep an eye out for more information about the walking stories subscription coming soon. And also, if you are a regular subscriber at whywalking matters.com, I hope you're enjoying the Why Walking Matters weekly emails with science tips for the week and walking challenges. And before you go, this episode of Why Walking Matters, The Science Explained, is brought to you by our first sponsor, Fix Soup Spot. Whether you're planning a family gathering, office lunch, community event, or a special celebration, Vix Soup Spot catering makes feeding a crowd simple and delicious. Vicked Soup Spot specializes in authentic Jamaican cuisine. Located in Mount Vernon, New York, Vicks Soup Spot caters in all five boroughs and New Jersey, Connecticut, and surrounding areas. Support the business that supports this podcast and learn more about what Vic Soup Spot catering can offer for your next event. You can reach Vic Soup Spot by calling 929 554 3624. That's 929 554 3624. Vicks Soup Spot Catering, bringing people together one great meal at a time. So listeners, until next time, keep putting one foot in front of the other because every step matters and every walker has a story worth telling.