Posts by Katie Harris Page 5

On the B&O Trail | Photo by Diana Virgil

What Could Be: Visionary Thinking Builds the B&O Trail

Posted 11/25/14 by Katie Harris in Building Trails | Tagged with Indiana, Overcoming Opposition

When Diana Virgil, president of the B&O Trail Association, first started on the B&O Trail in Indiana back in 1992, she had a clear vision of what could be. But, like many big thinkers, she was a little before her time, and resistance to her trail vision was standard. In fact, she believes she probably had more opponents than supporters during those beginning years.

Photo courtesy Freewheelin' Community Bikes (FWCB)

Positive Peer Pressure: Indy Earn-a-Bike Program Teaches Bike (and Life) Skills

Posted 11/18/14 by Katie Harris in Success Stories | Tagged with Repairs and Trail Safety, Indiana, Schools and Young People

Freewheelin' Community Bikes is a nonprofit ​ ​that uses bicycles to “bring out the best in people and their community.” It’s eight weeks of commitment for kids ages 10 to 16, with a big pay off at the other end: a set of wheels, and the knowledge and confidence that comes from knowing how to repair a bicycle.

Photo courtesy Mark Stosberg

There's a New Brand of Biker Gang in Indiana

Posted 11/07/14 by Katie Harris in Trail Use | Tagged with Biking, Health and Active Living, Indiana

Two kids—age three and six. Sixty pounds of camping gear. Food, toys and equipment for an overnight in the woods. Pack up the…bikes? In Bloomington, Ind., Mark Stosberg and his family are doing just that through overnight camping trips done on cargo bikes. With kids in tow, he and his wife hit the road or trail—and off they go to explore the world around them.

Photo © Mike Helbing

Meet Mike Helbing—New Jersey Native, Urban Explorer, Lifetime Hiker

Posted 10/10/14 by Katie Harris in Trail Use | Tagged with Health and Active Living, New Jersey

The description “avid outdoorsman” doesn’t do Mike Helbing justice. Helbing has been leading hiking expeditions for nearly two decades, exploring his home state of New Jersey and the surrounding regions—but these are no ordinary excursions. Every Sunday, a group of intrepid adventurers sets out on a trek of 15 to 20 miles, exploring a different part of New Jersey or the surrounding area.

All photos courtesy Columbia Parks and Recreation

Ties That Bind: A New Trail System Is Creating—and Strengthening—Connections in Columbia, Mo.

Posted 08/26/14 by Katie Harris in Building Trails, Trail Use | Tagged with Connected Systems, Missouri, Products of Good Policy, State and Federal Programs

Columbia, Mo., is a city with a few tricks up its sleeve. Its charm starts slowly, unassumingly, disguised as just another Midwestern college town, but after spending some time there, exploring the tree-lined streets by foot or riding part of the trail system, you may just become hooked. And you wouldn’t be the first to fall under Columbia’s charismatic spell.