OCR Text |
Show THE OGDEN VALLEY NEWS Volume II, Issue XVII Page 11 1 September 2000 Pathways News Student Pathways Essays Ogden Valley Pathways By Elle Rasmussen, Student Essayist I recently moved to Eden from the state of Washington and I think the Pathways is a great idea for anyone who wants to enjoy the beautiful scenery of Ogden Valley. I also believe that the Pathways would be a very safe alternative for many other outdoor sports lovers. I personally love too run, bike, and enjoy the outdoors, and I would love to see the Pathways be built! I mean, think about it, wouldn’t you? Would you rather have cars and trucks zooming by you at 55 miles per hour, or would you rather be peacefully, and quietly strolling along the Ogden Valley Pathways? If the committee does decide to get the Pathways, I think everyone who will use them will be much happier and will be able to enjoy the wilderness with less worry and greater pleasure. The Trail is My Best Friend! By Jacob Martin, Student Essayist Last summer I hiked with my family into the high Uintahs. I am only eight years old and I wasn’t used to hiking. My Dad said it would be tough and that I might want to wait until I was older, but I told him I was tough enough. My nickname is “Earthquake Jake!” That 15 miles on the trail into Red Castle made me more tired than a hundred slumber parties! I’m glad there were lots of pine trees on the trail. I had to lean on all of them! If I had fallen over I could never had gotten up. I think I’d still be there under the snow. While we were on the trail, sometimes I would lose sight of my family. (My Dad said he never lost sight of me and that I should add that note here.) Anyway, I would get pretty scared and worry that I would get lost in the forest and I knew there were lots of big hungry animals watching me. My big brother Ben told me they were there. I would start yelling, “Where is everybody?” And, “Wait for me!” And, “Daaaaaad!” My Dad would wait until I caught up and tell me to be quiet and that I was being too noisy and annoying. He didn’t know what I knew. He told me not to be scared of being on the trail by myself. He told me to listen closely to all the interesting sounds—the wind whispering in the trees, the water laughing at the rocks in the river. He told me to look for the deer and the moose grazing in the meadows and all the different colors of lichen and mushrooms growing everywhere. He told me to count how many things I could smell in the air, and to feel how soft the moss felt. He told me that when I’m alone on the trail I can learn all kinds of things about the earth and myself. The trail can become my friend. I tried it. It sort of worked, but I would have figured it out myself. Now my favorite place to be is on the new Pineview Trail where I can ride my bike and hike. Sometimes I go with my friends. Most of the time I go with my brother Cam or even just by myself. There are lots of cool things to see and hear. I see moose and Sand Hill cranes all the time. I really like being on the trail and can’t wait for more trails and more adventure! Thank you Weber County Trails and Ogden Valley Pathways! Ogden Valley Pathways By Alex Hicks, Student Essayist Having a trail around Ogden Valley would be a good investment. I know my family would benefit from having a trail. We like to walk our dogs, and love to ride bikes, but with all the busy traffic, sometimes it’s too dangerous. A recreational trail would help our Valley be a safer place. Ogden Valley is a large recreation area, attracting many different recreational activities. We have boats, campers, trailers, etc. driving our roads year round. The terrain in the Valley makes it expensive for the roads to have shoulders. This makes it dangerous for any pedestrians. A trail around the Valley would give runners and bikers the opportunity to enjoy their sport while being in a safe environment, and also make it easier for larger vehicles to travel safely. A recreational trail would benefit everyone who enjoys our beautiful Valley by making it a safer place to be. Trail Trivia Facts and tidbits about your trails Over 30,000 miles of national trails lace our country, connecting hundreds of thousands of additional federal, state and local trail miles. In 1968, Congress passed the National Trails System Act to provide federal assistance to the Appalachian Trail and to establish a national system of trails. The Appalachian and Pacific Crest trails were named in the act as the first two national scenic trails. There are eight national scenic trails totaling over 14,000 miles. The Appalachian, Continental Divide, Florida, Ice Age, Natchez Trace, North Country, Pacific Crest and Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trails are managed by the National Park Service and the USDA Forest Service and are Congressionally designated as protected scenic corridors for outdoor recreation. These trails connect to other local and national trails to create the framework for a nationwide network of trails. The Appalachian Trail Conference, headquartered in Harpers Ferry, WV, reports an estimated 1,500 hikers attempt to hike the entire 2,144-mile Appalachian Trail each year, a feat known as thru-hiking. Approximately 300 succeed. The oldest recorded thruhiker was 74; the youngest was eight. National Historic Trails are also protected by the National Trails System Act and recognize prominent past routes of exploration, migration and military action. National Recreation Trails are recognized by the Federal Government as contributing to the National Trails System. Congress is currently considering legislation that would create a new category of trails, National Discovery Trails. The measure would also designate the American Discovery Trail, the nation’s only coast-to-coast trail, as the first trail of this kind. The 6,356-mile trail connects Cape Henlopen, DE., to Pt. Reyes, CA., while passing through 14 national parks, 16 national forests, more than 10,000 historical, cultural and natural sites, and several metropolitan areas, including San Francisco, Denver and Washington, DC. More than 47 million Americans hike at least once a year. Hiking regularly can reduce high blood pressure and cholesterol levels, lower the risk of heart disease, slow the aging process, improve osteoporosis and relieve back pain. It’s also one of the leading ways to lose weight. A National Park Service study found that regular exercisers file 14 percent fewer healthcare claims and spend 30 percent fewer days in the hospital than people who lead non-active lifestyles. Americans spend an average of $10 billion annually on outdoor recreation products and specialty items and $920 million on hiking boots alone. In one year, consumers purchase enough hik- ing boots to extend end-to-end from Seattle to Buenos Aires. A study of the Heritage Trail in Iowa, the St. Marks Trail in Florida and the Lafayette/Moraga Trail east of San Francisco revealed that the amount of “new money” brought into the local trail counties by non-resident trail visitors annually is $630,000, $400,000 and $294,000 respectively. In a survey of metro-Denver real estate agents, 73 percent said a home near a trail would be easier to sell. Studies indicate that 50 percent of all car excursions are less than three miles, a distance that could easily be covered by foot or bicycle. By using neighborhood trails for transportation, commuters could save up to 22 cents per automobile mile. Human-powered transportation could also save 17.9 billion motor vehicle miles, 7 billion gallons of gas and 9.5 million tons of exhaust emissions annually. Studies show that people living in neighborhoods with low motorized traffic flow know more neighbors and have more friends. On streets with 2,000 vehicles traveling on them per day, a single person will average three friends and six acquaintances. In contrast, on streets averaging more than 16,000 vehicles per day, the number of friends a person has drops to less than one and the number of acquaintances to three. Crimes are less likely to take place in areas where lots of people are outside walking. Plus, when neighbors know each other, a stranger is much more likely to be noticed and reported. A dedicated corps of trail volunteers contributes over 400,000 hours of work annually to national trails and countless more to local community trails. American Hiking Society was created in 1976 and is the only national nonprofit organization dedicated to establishing, protecting and maintaining America’s foot trails. In 1987, the President’s Commission on Americans Outdoors called for a nationwide system of greenways within easy access of all Americans. Known as Trails for All Americans, the plan would create a system of trails that comes to within 15 minutes of every American, allowing them to travel from their backdoor to the backcountry by trail. American Hiking Society created National Trails Day in 1993 to forward the goals of Trails for All Americans and help make the plan a reality. Trails [currently] receive less than one-half of one percent of the total federal budget. Note: This article was originally created by American Hiking Society, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to establishing, protecting and maintaining foot trails in America. For more information search www.americanhiking.org. Please send us your favorite historical picture. OGDEN VALLEY NEWS P O BOX 130 EDEN UT 84310 |