Our friend Lynn called today, bewildered, because her Thanksgiving weekend house guests had heard there were local hiking trails. Yes there are. The 600-acre Long Pond Greenbelt is located right here in Bridgehampton.

We have two terrific organizations, the East Hampton Trails Preservation Society (EHTPS) and the Southampton Trails Preservation Society (SHTPS), that lead free hikes, open-to-all, year round. What a wonderful opportunity for camaraderie, discovery and exercise on a random Wednesday in February.

The larger group, EHTPS, leads hikes Wednesdays, Saturdays and some Sundays year round, often in Hither Hills, Napeague and the Northwest Woods. The SHTPS hikes are held on Saturdays and Sundays. A monthly calendar on each Web site describes the hikes, providing difficulty and distance. Several of the East Hampton hikes are flagged as 'family-friendly'. As members of both organizations, the schedule is emailed to us in advance. We optimistically mark the hikes we plan to join, our Kelty Baby Backpack carrier ready to go. But then our lazy, pajama-clad mornings prevail and we mentally commit to catching one the next month.