Wisconsin’s Great River State Trail | Photo by TrailLink user dj123_45
Building Bridges The sun was nearly overhead by the time Harris, Guy and I set off for our ride. The duo were eager to show me the attractive signage the Greenbrier River Trail Associa- tion had recently installed along the river. Paid for by a grant from the U.S. Department of Agricul- ture, the interpretive signs detail everything from railroad heritage to the unique geology of the area. The old white “whistle post” mile markers were looking brand- new, too, thanks to volunteers like Guy and Harris, who recently scrubbed their nooks and crannies with toothbrushes. “The [association] are our longtime partners and friends,” Spencer told me later. “We’re proud of the work they do.” That includes, he said, the group’s recently revamped web- site, a project spearheaded by Attkisson, a new member of the association board. “It was the website that I wanted when I bikepacked the trail,” he said, including an interactive map that displays points of interest like campsites, restaurants, bathrooms and bike shops. Attkisson pointed out that because much of the trail is in
the National Radio Quiet Zone—a Wi-Fi-free area around the world’s largest radio telescope at nearby Green Bank Observatory—pre- planning is a must. “You can’t research while you go,” he said. The association’s next project is a big one. As we rode, Harris told me about the herculean effort that has gone into redecking the trail’s 37 bridges. In 2022 and 2023, the group received $ 1,429 ,000 from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s federal Transportation Alternatives grant program, which will cover about 80% of the project. The association has spent the last four years fundraising furiously to cover the rest. As Harris, Guy and I rode over bridge after bridge, it was easy to see why the project is such a priority. “One or two bridges out of service would ruin the whole thing,” Spencer told me. About 10 miles north of Marlinton, we came to our destination: the 511-foot-long Sharps Tunnel, where the air inside still felt like January. Before turning around, we paused to enjoy the warmth of the early- spring sunshine, the rush of the jewel-toned river, a morning spent
with new friends. Standing there, bike balanced on my hip, I could see why people develop such an affinity for this trail. “I think the trail just brings out the positive in people,” Harris said, explaining that during those years when she was cleaning the bathrooms, she was always struck by how respectfully trail users had treated the shared areas, picking up after themselves and others. “Trails in general, they connect people, unite people, and remind them of what they have in common,” she continued. “Politics, differences—all that stuff just falls by the wayside.”
Ashley Stimpson is a Maryland-based freelance journalist who writes about
science, conservation and outdoor adventure.
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