Meet On The Trail
I recently went for an Mt. Bike ride with some great friends, Amy & Scott Cooper, who work with and help maintain a group of trails in LaCrosse, WI, called the Gateway Trails. Benjamin and I had a blast riding our way up and down and over and beyond on some fun, flowy, and sometimes challenging for my wider aMTB bike, trails above the town of LaCrosse on Granddad’s Bluff. With the sun shining and birds of prey flying overhead, it was picturesque! I can’t even tell you how great it felt to get out of the house and go hang with such incredible people! We had so much fun!
Playing hard is the name of the game. There is nothing like getting off the beaten path with friends and go on an adventure! Whenever I’m struggling with something, feeling low, or just getting lost and caught up in my head, I can go for a ride, and everything feels right in the world. Here’s the thing though, not all trails are created equally. The beautiful thing about the ORA (Outdoor Recreation Alliance) is that they are dedicated to working with the community to make their trails accessible and inclusive for all ages and abilities. Now, you might find some blue or black routes that aren’t going to always be conducive for perfect pitched turns on an aMTB or wheelchair. And yet, there are plenty of routes I can have fun on and enjoy the outdoors with friends! That’s the point! We saw every age out on the trails, 70 years to months old. And, including me, just about every ability was out there as well! There was even a person on a One Wheel cruising around! I rarely see this kind of cross-section of people anywhere but maybe a shopping mall… and this definitely ain’t no mall!
What I like about the video is the message. I think Keachen Abing did an awesome job creating this Trail Story that paints a picture of the people who share the trail. There are so many walks of life! When you pass someone, you may not know their stories unless you walk/ride/roll beside them. I think that’s the cool thing about trails; you get to meet the people you ‘walk’ with next to a sense. You get to know someone else who shares a common interest… being out in nature on the wild paths of life.
I would love to know what you think! What did you like about the feature and why? Did anything rub you the wrong way or make you feel uncomfortable? Why? Please leave your comments below. Thank you!