Amy Chapman is a long time enjoyer of hiking, whether alone or with companions. Submitted

Editor’s Note: Over the next few weeks we would like to introduce our readers to the correspondents who faithfully write town news each week.

BETHEL — Amy Chapman, Locke’s Mills’ columnist for the Bethel Citizen, may be best known in the Bethel area for her connection with the Bethel historical society, where she works beside her son, Will Chapman. However, there is another area that Chapman is intimately familiar with – the local woods and mountains of Maine.

Chapman has always been an avid hiker. Even as a baby, she was taken on trips up trails such as Buck’s Ledge. But the real dedication truly set in when an employee challenge for Chapman’s job in 2012 suggested trying to exercise for “as many days as possible for eight weeks. I like a challenge,” said Chapman, “So I decided I was going to do it every day.”

This daily habit of exercise quickly became a habit. At the end of the eight-week period, Chapman decided that she was going to keep up a tradition of daily exercise, “Even if it’s only for 30 minutes.” It hasn’t always been easy. She admitted, “Sometimes I’m in the gym at 11:30 at night.” However, despite challenges presented, Chapman has maintained a 12-year unbroken streak of daily exercise.

Her favorite forms of exercise include hikes and walks in the area. When the challenge was first issued, it suggested trying to hike “low and local.”

“Low and local, that’s pretty much what I do!” said Chapman. “It’s my Instagram handle.” Chapman has done most hikes in the local area, and could not think of a hike that she hoped to do in the future. “If there was a hike I wanted to do, I would just do it,” she said.

Her expertise has made her a local expert when it comes to hiking. She enjoys giving advice to both locals and out-of-towners alike when they are looking for a place to go hiking. Her suggestions are usually the small and local trails that she enjoys the most. “Someone else can tell you where to go hike a 4,000 footer,” she said.

Chapman has also observed that the hiking tradition has positive effects on her health. “I’ve only been sick twice, so I don’t know, maybe it’s working.” She still suffers from issues with her knees, but has not let that break her record. “I have knee surgery coming up… I’m trying to figure out how to keep my streak,” she said.