Welcome to our new segment, Wild Appalachia! We will proudly be showcasing what the outdoors have to offer in West Virginia, Ohio and Kentucky. In this first edition, we take you to Hurricane in Putnam County--where an extensive network of hiking trails are being built.

No matter the weather, or the hours -- hard work continues in Hurricane.

"We're all doing this as volunteers," Brandon Doerner, chief fun officer of Meeks Mountain Trails, said.

Hundreds of people have joined the cause to create a network of hiking trails around Hurricane City Park. It's hard work, but the vision is what drives this community.

"Came out here and started hiking, and the city worked with a very nice family out in this area -- the Meeks family -- which is why we called this Meeks Mountain because of the majority of the property that we are sitting on right now is owned by the Meeks family," Doerner said. "So, the city and the Meeks nailed down an agreement and decided that they wanted to use this property for outdoor activities like this."

So far, their work is already well ahead of schedule.

"Trail use is for hikers, walkers, runners and mountain bikers. The master plan behind all of this is the 2-5-5-2-6 trail plan, and the idea behind that is that's our local zip code," Doerner said. "We're going to build five miles within the first two years, and 26 miles within the next five years. We're already at the 5-mile mark -- actually at the five and a half mile mark within the first year."

Doerner went on to say that when it's complete, there should be something for everyone.

"Be able to walk right out your front door -- or within a couple of minutes -- right on to the trails, do a quick loop and you're back in your house within 45 minutes to an hour," Doerner said. "We're very, very fortunate to have this attached right to the park."

You wouldn't know it, though. This large piece of land is very peaceful and beautiful, almost making you feel like you're in a National Forest instead.

"We started out with the red-white loop, which are the colors for the city of Hurricane here, and we've already expanded that into the green-white loop," Doerner said. "And then we'll move on this summer into the blue-gold loop. Eventually, we'll have the trailhead built -- which will have a map, and will include all the different instructions for the trail names, the mileage, we'll have all of that, but you need to give us time to build these trails first."

In the meantime, feel free to hike the paths already made, and volunteer workers are also always welcome.

"Park in the city park, red caboose, hike up the hill and you're on it. We're taking a product out here that God has provided us, and we're just adding more value to it for the community to enjoy," Doerner said.

• Doerner wanted to thank numerous people and companies for their contributions and volunteerism; he went on to say that without them, none of this would be possible.
  
• Follow the group's progress on itsFacebook page.