March-2024 Cooperative Living-SVEC - 9

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
Outdoor adventurers know Giles
County for the Cascades, Bald Knob,
the Appalachian trail and the New
River. And thanks to Robertson's
trailblazing, the town of Narrows'
Mill Creek Nature Park offers miles
of hiking and mountain biking trails
past four beautiful waterfalls and to
a stunning viewpoint.
CLEARING THE WAY
Robertson, who retired from 41 years
at Celanese Corp. in 2013, has cleared
and created more than 13 miles of trails
to access the Mill Creek/Wolf Creek
Mountain wilderness in Narrows.
" People say, 'Thank you for your work,' "
says Robertson with a laugh. " Well,
it's not work for me. It's physical and
mental therapy. Because I ride my bike
up, work on the trails three to four
hours and ride back. I mean, I just love
it. Some people love to fish, some
people love to hunt; well, I just love
to build trails. "
" Ralph is responsible for many miles
of trails in Narrows and Giles County,
including most of the trails in Mill
Creek Nature Park, " Nicholson says.
" This is exemplary of his desire to share
the joy he gets from being outside with
everyone. He saw a need for the trails,
and so he built them. That kind of
dedication to a community is hard
to find. "
Hikers, bikers and runners who
explore the 145 acres of Mills Creek
Nature Park may see the 73-year-old
shredding the trails on his single-speed
mountain bike, cruising down the
switchbacks he has worked so hard to
perfect. Or, if they're really lucky, they
may catch a rare sighting of the funloving
adventurer dressed up as
Sasquatch, roaming the mountain with a
big smile on his face under that costume.
Or they may hear the chop of his
swinging mattock echoing through
the woods, as he moves earth, digs out
roots, and breaks up rocks.
And perhaps the mountain man
will hoot and holler at them from atop
a rock outcropping, or pause from
co-opliving.com
When Robertson finishes the new trail this summer,
there will be 14 miles of trails in Mill Creek Nature Park.
clearing downed trees to chat, always
bubbling over with enthusiasm about
the new and old trails, eager to connect
with others who are exploring this land
that is close to his heart and inviting
them to join him on a next adventure.
KEEPING THE DREAM ALIVE
He's currently building a new section
of trail that will lead to scenic views
from Sentinel Point overlooking the
curve of the New River and the town of
Narrows, and providing sweeping vistas
all the way to Garden Mountain in
Tazewell County and Pipestem Knob
in West Virginia. Riders and hikers will
be able to do a 7-mile loop from the
parking area up to the point and down
past the waterfalls or explore all 14 miles
of Mill Creek trails.
" I usually go to the gym about
three times a week, " he jokes about his
trail-building workout. " I start out with
an hour-and-10-minute bike workout,
then I do three to four hours upper
body, and then a 25-minute cooldown.
No membership required. "
Robertson's been exploring, playing,
camping, climbing, hunting, fishing,
surviving copperhead encounters, and
jumping in the lower falls' " sacred pool "
(clothing optional, he explains with
a grin) on Wolf Creek Mountain for
most of his life.
Born about " a mile down the holler "
from the park, Robertson chuckles as
he remembers the first time he was at
Sentinel Point at 4 years old. " They had
a lookout up there during the Civil War,
we went up an old road and they didn't
believe in switchbacks back then, it went
straight up the mountain. Daddy would
cut up a stick and he would hold it out
straight and I'd hold on to it and he'd
pull me up the mountain. "
And that's the same mountain that
gave him his life back after alcoholism
tried to steal it away from him as a young
adult.
After graduating from high school,
Robertson served in Vietnam for about
two years and says he had a rough time
readjusting afterward, becoming
addicted to both alcohol and cigarettes.
When he decided it was time to turn
his life around in 1979, he started trail
running and bicycling - and heading
into the woods. " I ain't saying it was
easy to quit, but when I just couldn't
stand it any longer, and had to have a
(continued on page 8)
March 2024 * Cooperative Living * 7
PHOTO BY LINDA JILK
http://www.co-opliving.com
March-2024 Cooperative Living-SVEC

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