When Bruce Nichols decides to go for a walk, he's not talking just once around the block. The 61-year-old has hiked the entire length of the Appalachian Trail — all 2,160 miles of it — and walked from Nagasaki to Hiroshima, Japan.

His interest in hiking took its first steps in the late 1960s when he was living in Seattle.

"I spent a month living with a friend who was a seasonal ranger at Mount Rainier," the retiree said. "I had done a little hiking, but being out there, it was quite impressive."

Hiking has become quite a passion for Nichols, who recently led a walk about a week ago on the city's trails to the Nells Rock Road reservoir and the lower reservoirs near police headquarters.

Though only one other hiker showed up for the winter trek, Nichols said making the hike the day after a Friday snowfall was a perfect day.

"We walked five or six miles," Nichols said. "It was gorgeous, just beautiful. There were hardly any tracks out there in the snow."

It was, he said, a wonderful day to be outside.

Most of Nichols' longer jaunts, like the Appalachian Trail, are done solo.

But the trip to Japan in 2005 was to take part in Stonewalk Japan 2005, lead by the Massachusetts-based Peace Abbey.

It marked the 60th anniversary of the thousands killed by atomic bombs.

"That was a very powerful trip," he said.

And in 2004, Nichols took part in a trek from Boston to New York pulling a 1,400-pound granite memorial honoring "Unkown

Civilians Killed in War."
His favorite and longest hike, though, was the Appalachian Trail and is featured in his "dream hike.'

"I have a little fantasy," Nichols admits. Pick up the Appalachian Trail in Kent and hike up to the Canadian border, then hop in a kayak and paddle down the Connecticut River into Long Island Sound. Then, he picks up the Housatonic, heads north and comes ashore in Shelton not far from his home.

"I'm going to do that some day," he said.

Learning how to pack for a long, solitary hike has been a learning experience, but one that has been made easier with the lighter materials that are used these days.

Nichols said he started on the Appalachian Trail with a pack that weighed about 40 pounds. He met another hiker whose pack weighed 70 pounds.

"I'd hear stories of him lying by the side of the trail," he said, laughing.

It's not necessary to travel far to find a good trail to walk, Nichols said, there are plenty right here in Shelton, and as a member of the Shelton Land Conservation Trust, he should know.

"Between the Intermediate School and the old reservoir is good, it's about two and one-half miles long," he said. The Nicholdale open space is another favorite, Nichols said, in part because it was once his grandfather's dairy farm.

"I live right across the street," he said. "It's just delightful to walk around in the woods and fields I played in as a kid."

Nichols also recommends venturing out a bit farther to Lake Zoar.

"The Zoar Trail is a five or six mile loop through the state park," he said. "One of the most beautiful waterfalls is on that trail."

During rainy seasons, Nichols said the waterfall probably falls 5o to 60 feet in a couple of cascades. "I highly recommend it."

A visit to the Shelton Trails Web site can also suggest a range of different hiking and walking options, complete with maps and directions.

While out on a walk, Nichols said he leaves the iPod at home.

"I have the iPod on when I'm using the chainsaw to cut wood," he said. Out on the trail, "I want to be in touch with the environment, you listen to the birds and everything's happening at a human pace."

The best way to start hiking? "Just get out and start walking," Nichols said.

Specific techniques for long hiking can be found through organizations like the Sierra Club or the Appalachia Mountain Club.

"You're either going to like it or you're not," Nichols said. "If you like being outside surrounded by nature, you'll probably like it."

"I have a little fantasy," Nichols admits. Pick up the Appalachian Trail in Kent and hike up to the Canadian border, then hop in a kayak and paddle down the Connecticut River into Long Island Sound. Then, he picks up the Housatonic, heads north and comes ashore in Shelton not far from his home.

"I'm going to do that some day," he said.