News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Local Author Mikki Betker wanted to showcase the Upper Cumberland’s rich hiking trails, through the perspective of her dog.
Betker and her dog Salsa The Wonder Doodle have participated in the annual Cumberland Hiking Marathon since 2020. As part of the marathon’s ten-year anniversary, Betker wrote a book detailing each trail included.
“She’s very simple but she loves hiking and she loves swimming and that’s really the focus of the book, is her perspective,” Betker said. “Bus then as I was compiling the book, I attended a lot of the meetings (for) Friends of the Trails and I realized there was a bigger story here.”
Betker said she wrote the book to celebrate not only the marathon but also the history of the trails and the fact that most of the trails were not even established until about ten years ago. Betker said the book would be of great interest to animal lovers given the fact that the book is of Salsa’s point of view and her time on each trail.
The Hiking Marathon is an event organized by Cumberland County’s Friends of the Trails to bring awareness to the beautiful hikes the area offers. Betker and Salsa have participated in the Marathon since 2020.
“Hikers would be interested in the book as well because not only do I have all 37 of the trails listed in there and directions on how to find them and what they’re rated,” Betker said. “But I’ve also included, I think its an additional 16 trails. So it a compilation of every single trail in Cumberland County. It’s a great resource for hikers.”
Betker said the trails for each year are selected before July first every year so Friend of the Trails have time to make sure they are will marked and cleared. Hikers have the entire month of September to complete the 26.2 miles which is spread across 12 trails.
Betker said she loves the Marathon both because it allows her to exercise while enjoying new places along the Cumberland Plateau and also because it is a great family activity.
“The one that’s really cool is how the community has embraced the marathon,” Betker said. “When it started 10 years ago, there were 300 plus participants in the marathon and last year we exceeded 3,000 participants.”
The Friends of the Trails is celebrating the Marathons 10 year anniversary by hosting a 100-mile ultra marathon throughout July and August. They will also host a Hit the Trails Festival on Saturday October 5 with food, bounce houses, and booths.
