SULLIVAN COUNTY, NEW YORK- The O&W Rail Trail Alliance, Sullivan Public Library Alliance (SUPLA), Sullivan 180, and Sullivan County’s Division of Planning are proud to announce that the Tracks and Trails Daypack Program has officially been distributed to all of the following locations listed below. Thanks to Sullivan 180, this initiative and project was made possible due to their Community Development Grant.
These daypacks are filled with essentials and consumable items, such as a first aid kit, a pair of binoculars, as well as sunscreen, bug repellent wipes, a hiking journal, a flashlight, rain ponchos, and a bivy sack; essentially, an emergency sleeping bag. While the list of the contents is not exhaustive, it gives insight on both useful and essential items to have when using the O&W Rail Trail, or any trail at that. These packs are aimed to promote safety when adventuring outdoors throughout Sullivan County’s picturesque parks and trails. The daypacks are also supplied with flyers and brochures, such as a Sullivan County Parks & Rec brochure, a Sullivan O&W Rail Trail Map, trail use guidelines, a clothing guide, and some fun activities for kids provided by the National Park Service.
Want to participate in a challenge and even win a prize? The daypack program is also stocked with forms to complete the Daypack Adventure Hashtag Challenge, where participants are required to loan a daypack from their local library or school, and complete the challenge to enter to win their very own daypack. All participants will receive a participatory prize, while supplies last. Participants are required to visit 3 O&W trails, picturing themselves with their daypack, or even just their daypack by the trailhead. This is to promote greater awareness of the O&W Rail Trail network to not only users of the daypack, but the public, while having a rewarding incentive in the process.
Please know that to loan a daypack from a library, you must have a library card for the particular library of your choosing, and a cash deposit may be required to take out the pack, anywhere from $10-$30, refunded to you after the pack has been returned to its location. Don’t have a library card? Easily sign up for a library card at your local library to get started! School locations will only be lending out the daypacks to their respective students and faculty.
If anyone has any questions, comments, or concerns, you are encouraged to reach out. Please contact Research Analyst for Sullivan County Planning, Austin Davis, at [email protected] or Junior Planner/ Environmental Specialist for Sullivan County Planning, Shoshana Mitchell, at [email protected], for more information.
For visuals on our daypack program and more information on our daypack challenge, navigate from the top of our website to About> News & Updates> Loan A Daypack. We hope you enjoy your journey!