I have been reading with interest all the forum letters regarding the Prairie Spirit Trail and its use in and around Iola.
As a reporter, I am loathe to put forth an opinion, as objectivity is the foundation of my work.
However, I am taken aback every time I see “not enough people use it anyway,” expressed in these letters.
I ask: Have you walked the trail? Not through town, where it sidles up to parking lots and speeding streets, but the undeveloped and lesser developed parts of the trail, along Riverside park and beyond the Iola city limits.
This weekend, after the heavy snow, my neighbor and I went down to ht trail. It’s our usual Sunday walk and we weren’t to be deterred by snow.
A family, we found, was sledding down the hillsides, squeals of delight coming form well-bundled children, parents red-faced and smiling running after them.
In Riverside Park, the last time I walk e the de-facto trail, a group of high school aged boys was just coming off.
Other days I have seen older women, young couples, joggers with dogs.
Kansas, for all its beauty, has very little public land.
A people needs access to freedom — it’s a constitutional, and spiritual — need. For me, the rail trail provides that opportunity, to stretch my legs, to leave the burdens of every day behind. I enjoy God’s creation. I listen to His birds. I watch His sunsets and see His green grass growing.
I ponder truths and consequences as I watch ripples on green water form the many small bridges over creeks and along ditches.
I see rabbits scuttle off with their oversized back legs and laugh at their comical form.
This little bit of nature in an urban setting keeps me sane.
I see users: I am on the trail frequently.
I urge those of you who think it doesn’t get use to try it for yourself. Slow down. Walk awhile. Breathe.
Leave the I-pods and cell phones and worries at home. Enjoy the world off the street and out of your cars that you might not otherwise see.
And then, consider extending the trail.
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