Pathways to Purpose
How Five Trail Aficionados
At Rails to Trails magazine, we know that when trails are part of our everyday lives, they can have an impact—whether that’s improving our health, providing safe transportation options or simply connecting us with the people in our neighborhood! But sometimes they can also push us beyond what we think we’re capable of, helping us to change and grow in ways we might never have expected. Here, we share the inspirational stories of a handful of people doing unique and extraordinary things through trails.
Made Their Lives Extraordinary on America’s Pathways
By Laura Stark
One Step at a Time: Rachel Jones
For those used to the relative flatness of most rail-trails, Colorado’s Manitou Incline (rtc.li/manitou-incline) would come as a shock. Following the path of an old cog railroad, straight up the eastern slope of Pikes Peak in a series of more than 2,700 steps, it’s equivalent to climbing the Statue of Liberty six times. Although the trail is only a mile long, even the city’s website lists its difficulty level as “Extreme (we promise we’re not kidding).” Now imagine making that climb 1,000 times within a year. That’s exactly what massage therapist Rachel Jones did—becoming the first woman to do so. “I tried to climb the Incline for the first time about 15 years ago or so with some friends, and we struggled to make it to the top,” said Jones. “But a few years later, I heard about a man who did it over 500 times in a year, Greg Cummings, and he started what he called the “500 Club” for the people that did that. That just blew my mind. I thought it was such a cool challenge. It made me feel like I would have to become the best version of myself to be able to do something like that, physically, mentally and emotionally. But it wasn’t until 2021 that I finally felt like I was in a place where I was ready to go for it.”
PHOTOS: This page, from left: Rachel Jones tackling Colorado’s Manitou Incline | Courtesy Rachel Jones; Ed Talone hiking a rail-trail in Ontario, Canada | Courtesy Ed Talone. Opposite page, clockwise from top-left: Brooke Pavek on the Florida Coast to Coast Trail | Courtesy Brooke Pavek; Bobby Whittaker promoting Washington’s Ferry County Rail Trail | Courtesy Ferry County Rail Trail Partners; Rachel Jones celebrates her “1,000 party” for completing 1,000 laps on the Manitou Incline in one year—becoming the first woman to do so. | Courtesy Rachel Jones.
Rails to Trails MAGAZINE | FALL 2025
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