Visiting an old friend

By Konarider

I grew up in Halifax. I've been in New Brunswick for the past 5-6 years and returned to Halifax last December. Since returning I've been attempting to reacquaint myself with and the local trail systems and old friends.

The other night I decided to visit an old friend, rather an old trail I used to ride as a kid.

I drove past new developments and an abandoned driving range scrawled with graffiti and then walked past the gate and to the trailhead. There was already one tree down across the trail and I hadn't even started yet. I hiked on ducking under branches and climbing over trees that had fallen. The trail was still there, just overgrown. Memories of riding and trying to navigate sections came flooding back as if it was yesterday. The hill that seemed so insurmountable, I could do in my sleep now. Continuing on, I stumbled across the old ruins of a building where we used to stop and rest. We always forgot food and sometimes remembered our water bottles, that's right water bottles, pre-hydration pack days. I then followed what I always considered the most technical section and it was just like it was before, but it looked so easy now. It certainly wouldn't be the nerve-racking experience that it once was. One particular corner had this tree at the bottom of a short descent that I always used to hit. I got the last laugh this time as the tree was so rotten that as soon as I leaned against it, it fell to the ground.

I was just starting to think that maybe this trail might be worth reviving, when I ran into the ultimate equalizer….. development. Trees were uprooted and rocks in place to stop any reasonable trail resurrection without heavy equipment. It truly saddened me to think this trail I had spent so many of my summer afternoons on was in such a state of disrepair. I realize also it will eventually disappear altogether either being reclaimed by nature or turned into someone's parking lot. I thought of the other trails I used to ride that were within distance of my parents' house that seemed to go on forever. Most of them are gone or at least radically changed now.

It's not unlike old friendships that change or fade away in time. I feel so fortunate I was able to take time to walk with an old friend and look forward to new friendships and new trails.

Posted by O9man at March 26, 2008 09:50 PM

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