Kane's 'Get on Trails' getting East Tennesseans healthy for 20 years

It was a simple enough idea.

“I was doing outreach for Covenant Health,” recalled Missy Kane, during a hike Saturday at Victor Ashe Park. “The program was called ‘Get on Track with Missy Kane’. We used to walk at the mall. One day I was driving through the mountains and I thought, ‘Why don’t we take this to the trails?’

"So, I approached Friends of the Smokies (a fundraising arm for Great Smoky Mountains National Park). Charles Maynard was director then and Charles said, ‘Hey, let’s do it.’”

Thus, 20 years ago “Get on Trails” was born.

“I think it’s because a lot of people want to get into hiking, but they want to know, ‘Where do I start?’” Kane said.

Attracting more than 1,000 hikers

The program has drawn more than 1,000 mostly new hikers to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park to experience the joys of getting out in the woods and raised more than $187,000 for park needs.

On Wednesdays each April and October, Kane leads hikes on the park’s top trails.

“We always pick trails where we know we have a good trail head with parking,” she explained. “The first one (each season) we always try to keep it at five miles or less – a moderate hike. That’s just because we know people will show up who aren’t really ready for it.”

This year's schedule starts Oct. 4

This year’s schedule starts with a hike on the Forney Ridge Trail to Andrews Bald on Oct. 4.

Kane, a 1984 Olympian in the 1,500 meters, has for decades been involved through Covenant Health and other efforts with getting East Tennesseans in shape. She is perhaps best known for “Missy Kane’s Fit and Fun” program that appears weekdays at 7 a.m. on East Tennessee PBS.

She said part of the reason her hikes are a hit is because they are designed for hikers of all skill levels.

“I don’t make people stay in one group,” she said. “I will have a leader who is pretty fast, but I will also have a couple sweeps and a medical person.”

A sweep is a person who hikes last in a group and keeps a count of the hikers.

Limited to 50 

The hikes are limited to 50 people.

“A few years back we started charging $20 per person and I didn’t know if people would do it, but we have a waiting list,” she said.

The program continues to be popular.

“The fact that Get to Trails with Friends and Missy is celebrating its 20th anniversary is a tribute to Missy’s tireless devotion to the Smokies and hiking as a component of maintaining a healthy life style,” said Jim Hart, the current Friends of the Smokies director. “We are so grateful to Missy for her willingness to plan and execute the hiking series and for all the hikers she has introduced to the Smokies.”

Although the hikes are not limited to senior citizens they do tend to draw retirees who have their weekdays free and want to take up a new, healthy hobby.

Kane said making hiking a part of people’s retirement years has been among the most gratifying parts of running the program.

“I often here, ‘I started back with Get on Trails 15 years ago,’ and now they might be 79 years old and can hike a 10 mile hike. So, I think that is very rewarding,” she said.

Proceeds from the $20 fee go to Friends of the Smokies and its efforts to protect and improve the park. Preregistration is required and space is limited. Call Covenant Health at 865-541-4500 to register.