Hikers hit the trails of Eagle Point Nature Preserve on a beautiful autumn afternoon in an outing organized as a partnership between Muddy Sneakers and Salisbury Academy.

“Seeing families and friends explore the preserve together was such a delight,” said Elise Tellez, Piedmont field office director for Muddy Sneakers.

An extension of the expedition days that Muddy Sneakers field experts led Salisbury Academy campers on each Wednesday over the summer, the community hike gave both adults and children a sense of what students experience on Muddy Sneakers expeditions.

“I liked finding reindeer moss in the woods and turning over logs,” said 5-year-old Megan Easter.

In addition to rolling over decaying logs to learn what lives under and inside them, hikers made close contact with a bat, identified fungi and plants, and observed the cycles of the forest.

To finish the two-hour adventure, Muddy Sneakers experts brewed pine needle tea for the hikers. A source of Vitamin C, pine needle tea can be enhanced with mint and honey to give it extra flavor, as the guides demonstrated.

“Our goal for this outing was to give parents and children of the community a chance to connect with the outdoors, and today was a perfect opportunity for that,” said Melody Lee, enrichment director for Salisbury Academy.

Tellez agreed.

“The fact that sharing the natural world with kids can lead them to sharing it with their families and friends is the cornerstone of our program at Muddy Sneakers,” said Tellez. “Our partnership with Salisbury Academy is invaluable, and for that we are grateful.”