The Firefighter’s Memorial Trail in East Carroll Township is not only a great resource for the community, but for Pokemon Go trainers as well.

Last weekend, I used my daily adventure incense at the Cambria County Fire School training site and encountered a Galarian Zapdos while walking on the trail, which follows alongside Little Chest Creek to Ashcroft Road, heading into Patton Borough.

Galarian birds are valuable legendary Pokemon exclusive to the daily adventure incense, an item that requires constant movement in order to receive spawns. The best way to maximize the number of spawns off the daily adventure incense is to walk in a straight line at a brisk pace. That’s what makes a trail an ideal spot to use the item, as long as there’s cellphone service. The Ghost Town Trail in Ebensburg is another great location; I’ve encountered multiple shiny Galarian birds on that trail.

Although there aren’t any Pokestops along the Firefighter’s Memorial Trail yet, trailhead markers are easy nominations for future Pokestops, which could expand gameplay to other things like routes — mapped walking paths created by other trainers that allow people to explore local areas and catch additional Pokemon while earning bonuses and item rewards.

While the portion connecting to Patton is built, the trail itself isn’t fully constructed yet. Officials are working to build the trail’s path to Sunset Road near the Dollar General store in Carrolltown Borough by this summer or fall.

Still, I’ve found that walking on the trail — listening to water flowing in the creek, birds chirping in trees and the occasional deer trotting through the woods — is a more peaceful and relaxing way to prepare my body for what Pokemon Go Fest is going to entail than using a treadmill.

In-person Pokemon Go events are intense and require a lot of walking. It’s not hard to walk over 20 kilometers, roughly 14 miles, in a day’s work of grinding raid battles and catching wild spawns during Pokemon Go Fest.

This year’s Go Fest in Chicago consists of a four-hour park session at Grant Park and up to four full days of citywide gameplay, so I have a lot of walking in the sun to prepare for.

Now that I’ve been to a few in-person events, I’ve become more concerned about taking care of my body, so I don’t end up regretting my decisions later in life and can continue to hustle and work multiple jobs for as long as possible.

I’ve started to wear long-sleeve shirts with an ultraviolet protection factor rating of 50 plus more often, in addition to drinking more water and eating more organic snacks like grass-fed and finished beef sticks.

I haven’t fully converted to a hardcore healthy lifestyle, but I am making baby steps in that direction the older I get, mostly thanks to the people I’ve met through playing Pokemon Go.

Having the Firefighter’s Memorial Trail nearby is a win for the northern Cambria County area, and if plans are in place to connect the trail to Prince Gallitzin State Park, which is something county officials alluded to during a recent ribbon cutting ceremony for the Ghost Town Trail’s completion, then I’d be in my glory.

The thought of being able to walk from Cambria Heights High School to Patton Park via the Highlander Trail to Carrolltown Borough, where the elementary school is situated, by the year’s end is exciting in and of itself.

That is something I look forward to doing one day.

Mirror Staff Writer Matt Churella is at 814-946-7520 and mchurella@altoonamirror.com