For several months on the Massachusetts Central Rail Trail in Rutland, tiny doors, tucked among the trees and greenery, have been catching the attention of walkers and cyclists alike. Their unexpected appearance sparked a simple question among those who discovered them: Who was putting these little doors along the trail – and why?

The answer is Jen Schmohl, who says the idea began thousands of miles away, during a trip to Ireland.

“Last summer, I traveled to Ireland,” Schmohl said. “My Ireland experience was filled with stories and folklore about fairies and magic.”

While riding bikes along the Irish coast, Schmohl came across a section of trail that reminded her of the Rail Trail in Rutland. The path suddenly became darker and cooler in temperature. 

Drawn in by the scenery, when the group stopped to take pictures, they noticed something unexpected: a tiny fairy door tucked into the wall.

“And then another. And another,” Schmohl said. “It felt magical.”

When she returned home, Schmohl decided she wanted to recreate some of that magic.

She began making her own fairy doors, hosting fairy-door making parties with friends and family. Together, they decorated the miniature doors with paint, rocks, moss, and other decor.

This summer, Schmohl took the project one step further. She painted and placed approximately 16 fairy doors along her favorite section of the Rail Trail that reminded her most of the trail she explored in Ireland.

The doors, intentionally placed in different spots, soon became something of a scavenger hunt.

Schmohl was thrilled when she began seeing posts on Facebook from people who had discovered the doors and, in some cases, were deliberately setting out to find them.

She created the Facebook group “MCRT Fairy Door Find on Wachusett Greenways” to give the project a place to grow. MCRT stands for Massachusetts Central Rail Trail, and Schmohl hopes the idea eventually expands to other trails maintained by Wachusett Greenways.

Some people who have posted say that searching for the doors has encouraged them to walk longer distances while children and adults alike are charmed by the experience.

But for Schmohl, the fairy doors are not so much about fey creatures and magic, but about paying attention and being present in the moment.

“For me, the fairy doors are about more than fairies,” she said. “They are an invitation to slow down.”

Schmohl hopes the search for a tiny door encourages people to look more closely at everything around them, whether it is the moss growing on a stone, the ferns along the trail, the shape of a tree or another small detail that might otherwise go unnoticed.

In that sense, the doors are less about finding something and more about discovering what is already there.

Schmohl believes that connection can also inspire people to become better stewards of the natural world.

“I’ve always believed that people who protect our natural resources at some point learned to love nature,” she said. “We’re much more likely to care for something when we have a connection to it, and wonder is a powerful way to create that connection.”

A collection of handmade doors may seem like a small thing. But along the Rail Trail, Schmohl hopes they can accomplish something much bigger: encouraging people to put down their phones, slow down and rediscover the sense of curiosity that often gets lost in everyday life.

“So, I suppose the fairy doors are a reason to use our trails, believe in a little magic, and to observe, wonder and appreciate what we have,” Schmohl said.

 Perhaps that is the real magic behind the doors. One does not have to believe in fairies to find something extraordinary along the trail. Sometimes, you just need to stop and look. W