On the Beaten Path 
by Carol Mack • WSU/Pend Oreille County Extension
Trail: A trail is a simple path worn by animals or people passing repeatedly through a remote or rugged territory. The many kinds of trails include cattle, deer and mountain trails; historic trails of Native American origin; trails for skiing and hiking, and for walking through parks and nature sanctuaries. As a word for such routes, trail comes into use around 1800; the earlier word, still used in southern states, is trace. In American English, trail has taken on iconic status, suggesting a journey into wilderness or unknown territory. But not into the entirely unknown, of course, for the trail is itself a guide, embodying collective intelligence about the best way through a region. Indeed, many full-fledged roads now follow the route of former trails.
by Emily Hiestand
From Home Ground: Language for an American Landscape, Barry Lopez, editor; Debra Gwartney, managing editor. Trinity University Press, San Antonio Texas, 2006
(See www.homegroundproject.com for more information about this wonderful book that explains landscape terms through the voices of contemporary American writers.)
Whether you travel on snowshoes, hiking boots, hooves or wheels, Pend Oreille trails remind us that the journey is about much more than reaching a destination. Here are a few websites to help plan your trip outdoors…Happy trails!
