To The Editor:
I’ve been riding a mountain bike in The Valley since 1987. With the Vermont Bike Association Festival being held at Mt. Ellen, I began reflecting. Wondering how we got here.
Two people come to mind. One is a rogue trail builder from the early days of mountain biking. He put in trails without permission, worked quietly and kept them secrets for as long as he could. There was no heavy machinery, not even a chainsaw, just a good eye for the fall line and hand tools. His style led many others to work on trails in any tract of land available. Most of those trails have gone the way of the dodo bird. This was the beginning. The riding was infectious and we felt like outlaws.
The other is John Atkinson. He took a different approach and began working within the system. He slowly linked together some of these trails. He had vision and positive energy in spades. He did the really hard work, sitting in meeting after meeting. This was quite the contrast to the build-where-we-want and ride-them-until-we-get-caught attitude that many cyclists had.
Today we have one of the best networks in the state. We ride on public and private land with permission. There may still be an odd bootleg trail here and there, but for the most part The Valley trails are available for all. Without these two, the rogue trail builder and the tireless advocate, I doubt we would be hosting this prestigious event.
A tip of the helmet to you both and all the others who helped develop one of The Valleys best natural treasures, our trail network.
Gerry Nooney
Fayston
