Just walk out the door

Posted on Monday, September 17, 2012

I love to travel and explore new cities. I especially enjoy soaking up the sights and sounds of large population centers that have the numbers to offer diverse opportunities beyond those of Fort Wayne—stuff our size just doesn’t support.

A couple of months ago, I found myself delightedly wandering the streets of the Big Apple on a Friday evening. I felt energized by the hustle-bustle, and my brain struggled to keep up with my eyes. I flashed back to a time in my life when I had been determined to live in Manhattan. As much as I was enjoying myself, a thought wiggled its way into my brain: Where would I run? Where would I ride my bike?

I started paying more attention to the traffic and the sidewalks and confirmed my suspicion. If I lived there and continue my favored outdoor activities, I’d have to change my easygoing, just-walk-out-the-door-and-go routine. I’d have to be more deliberate, carrying myself and my equipment (shoes or bike) to a park or bike path. Sure, I could try to run on the sidewalks as I saw a few people doing, but dodging pedestrians and traffic would completely change my workout. I could never lose myself in the run or in the audiobook tickling my brain through my earbuds. Unless I went to a park or a path, I’d have to be on high alert 100% of the time.

Don’t get me wrong; I love New York. And Chicago. And Boston. And most of the nation’s big cities. On this trip in particular, however, I also felt my heartstrings sing for Fort Wayne as I realized what a gift we have in our trail network. Even though my house doesn’t lie directly on a trail, like most people in the city, I can follow the sidewalks and find myself on one of them in pretty short order. From there, I can run along the more than 68 miles and see cityscapes, marshes, historical markers, river life, parks, and a wide variety of settings. All I need to do is put on my shoes and run out my front door.

That trip helped me take our trails a little less for granted. I love our trails!

--by Tammy Davis, FW Trails board member
 

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