March-2024 Cooperative Living-SVEC - 10

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
A Path Toward the Future
(continued from page 7)
cigarette or a drink, I'd take off and
head to the top of the mountain and
go as far as I could go. "
This year, Robertson will celebrate
45 years since he drank any alcohol or
smoked a cigarette.
And he's been on a mission ever
since to clear old roads, create new
trails, and improve access to this land
- owned by the town of Narrows,
private landowners and the National
Forest Service - that has given him
so much joy.
Robertson, who has moved rocks
weighing over a ton and shouldered the
setback of thieves stealing the tools that
he hides in the woods, takes pride in
the rideability of his trails.
" It feels good, seeing it take form,
you know, the way you want. I want
the trail to be where you can get on the
bicycle and ride to the tower without
stopping. In a 1-mile section there's
14 switchbacks. I call them 'Geezer
Switchbacks' - I made them so I can
ride them, " he says.
He has no idea how many hours of
trail work he's dedicated to Mill Creek
trails since beginning to clear old roads
in the 1980s, but he estimates that
recently he put more than 100 hours
of labor into perfecting just one
switchback. " It was too sharp coming
down and I wrecked on it a couple times,
so I widened it out another 2 feet and
now it rides really good. Perfect. A lot of
the bikers, they say, 'Man I didn't have
to even touch my brakes on that one.' "
Robertson may be building these
trails and trail signs by hand, but he's
definitely the bulldozer behind making
the land accessible to recreators. In
addition to the hundreds of hours he's
put into building the trail, he's put many
an hour into building relationships with
important players - local governments,
Virginia Outdoors Foundation, New
River Land Trust, National Forest
8 * Cooperative Living * March 2024
Service, USDA, New River Valley
Regional Commission, private
landowners - to create better trail
access.
AN EYE TO THE FUTURE
His efforts to work with the town
of Narrows to build and refurbish trails
has attracted the attention of numerous
partners, not only friends and groups
who have come to help with trail
construction, but also conservation and
economic development organizations
that want to support his goal of
expanding outdoor recreational
opportunities.
" They say I'm the guy who builds
those trails, " says Robertson, " but an
incredible amount of people has helped
me. People think of the trails and they
thank me and stuff, but it's incredible
the people behind the scenes that they
don't even mention that's helped with
it. I feel kind of guilty when people say,
'You sure have built some nice trails,
Ralph.' I'm thinking, I had a lot of help. "
Most recently, the Virginia Outdoors
Foundation approved a town of
Narrows grant application that allows
a parcel of land to be placed in a
conservation easement, and provides
funding for signage and waterless
restrooms.
" The town has placed Mill Creek
Nature Park, totaling 146 acres, in a
permanent conservation easement to
protect the land, the viewshed, and the
public's access to the site. Ralph's trails
will be his legacy for many years to
come, " says Nicholson.
Robertson hiking
Wolf Creek Mountain
located in Giles
County, Va.
Robertson dreams
that an additional
parcel, the 107 acres
of now-private land
that includes Sentinel
Point and a cave,
can also be placed
in a conservation
easement to protect
his trails.
" The thing I'm
doing, I'm just doing what I like to do.
And it's really great that someone else
gets to enjoy it too. I love for people to
use it, and I really love that local people
use it, " he says. " The locals used to trash
this place, but now they love it; they
keep an eye on it, take care of it. Maybe
20 years ago they might be up here
trashing it, but now it's their
playground, they love it. "
" Often locals who have lived here
for their entire life lose some of their
sense of awe about the place we live, "
says Nicholson. " Ralph is a constant
reminder in our community to
appreciate our natural surroundings
daily. "
Roberton hopes to finish the new
Sentinel Point trail this summer,
" if I don't break down. But I think my
warranty's done run out, " he laughs.
Then, he says he will shift his focus to
maintaining the current trails.
" When I was a boy, all I wanted to
do was get out of this 'dead' place, you
know how that goes, " he says. " But now,
I mean, to me it's like I'm just on a
constant vacation and I don't have to
travel. After I started running and biking
and stuff, I realized I lived in paradise my
whole life and didn't know it. If I could
live anywhere in the world, I wouldn't
even have to pack. I'm already there. "
*
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Southwest Virginia.
co-opliving.com
PHOTO BY LINDA JILK
https://cardinalnews.org/ http://www.co-opliving.com
March-2024 Cooperative Living-SVEC

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