Teaming Up For A Great Cause: Because “It’s More Than a Trail”
As an organization whose mission focuses on educating, motivating, and challenging people to participate in long-distance walking and promoting pedestrian safety while doing so, there is nothing FreeWalkers loves more than teaming up with other organizations whose missions are similar – this time with Union County Connects on Saturday, April 27 to CELEBRATE TRAILS DAY!
When my husband and I moved to Union County in Summer 2020 (in the height of the pandemic, but when the weather first allowed for outdoor activities), I could not believe the number of parks and trails available for us to enjoy. But at the time, there were two things I did not know.
First was how many inactive railways have the capacity to be converted into public recreation trails for beautiful, fun, and safe (a/k/a “traffic-free”) enjoyment. Second was how vitally necessary that is, especially here in New Jersey, where way too many roadway fatalities occur on state, county, and municipal roads (as opposed to highways). And that a disproportionate number of these deaths are pedestrians, cyclists, and members of vulnerable populations (including many motorized wheelchair users).
Very few folks out there appreciate this more than Stephen Dunn (a/k/a the “Biking Fireman”), a founding member of Union County Connects and a Union County firefighter/EMT. Stephen’s experience as a first responder – as well as his own bicycle crash with a car several years ago – has made it clear to him that “transportation is a matter of life and death. It’s more than a trail.” (This is a link to Stephen’s full blog post on this topic, which I promise you is beyond worth reading).
Over the years, Stephen has come to appreciate that “cars don’t mix well with bikes and pedestrians, despite what years of automobile marketing and ‘vehicular cyclist’ philosophies have told us. We need more separate spaces.”
Enter Union County Connects – an organization whose mission is to connect Union County through a system of trails and promote healthy lifestyles through safe outdoor recreation and active transportation. This includes, among other things, promoting the conversion of these inactive railways into public trails – or as Stephen puts it, “gems, hidden in plain sight” providing those invaluable separate spaces.
That is what Celebrate Trails Day is all about – a walk to raise awareness and promote the development of the Rahway Valley Railroad Trail, which, when completed, will function as a 7.3 mile multi-use, traffic-free path from Summit all the way to Roselle Park.
Pretty amazing!!!
I personally loved participating in Celebrate Trails Day last year. Stephen and Union County Connects welcomed us FreeWalkers like family, and the camaraderie between everyone there was really special — we all felt lucky to be there!
The other best part about this walk is the flexibility in choosing how much/how little you would like to do, as there are several different segments of the journey. Having done this last year, here is a rundown of how the day plays out so folks can decide when/where they would like to join.
The first leg of the journey is about 3 miles, and that is a pre-celebration walk with just our FreeWalkers Group! This “first leg” group will meet at 8:30am at the Cranford Train station (parking is FREE), and one of my favorite walking coordinators (and Board Trustee) Cory Storch will take us on a historical trek from Cranford to Kenilworth. It is a fun combination of streets and woods and along some railroad tracks, and takes a little less than an hour.
We had a great “first leg” group of us FreeWalkers last year — all bright-eyed and ready to go!
We will have plenty of time to stop for coffee, snacks, and bathroom at the ACME in Kenilworth – right across the street from where we will meet up around 10am with Stephen and the Union County Connects group for our “second leg” of the journey.
This was our “second leg of the journey” group shot, taken at the spot where both groups meet!
The second leg of the journey is about 4 miles, and this is the portion where FreeWalkers and Union County Connects all walk together. And this part gets really fun. We start on the Rahway Valley Rail Trail (yes, train tracks, but not like the situation in the movie Stand By Me – we do not have to worry when the next train is due).
There is so much history to learn here, including this particularly fascinating bit about the Kenilworth Train Station.
Next we enter the park portion of the journey – through beautiful Black Brook Park along the East Coast Greenway to Lenape Park.
When we exit Lenape Park back onto Kenilworth Blvd, the final stretch of the journey is up to you.
Option 1: There will be a group of FreeWalkers who will walk directly back to the Cranford Train Station (a little less than 2 miles).
Option 2: If you wish to remain with the Union County Connects group, feel free to take Kenilworth Blvd. back towards the ACME (also a little less than 2 miles) and enjoy some food/libations at the Two Ton Brewing Company (730 Federal Avenue, Kenilworth) anytime from noon – 3pm.
Oh, and there’s going to be LIVE MUSIC at Two Ton – Richard DiPaolo and Friends will be performing.
Last year’s walk was not only fun, but also an incredible learning experience about where we live and the potential for better, safer places to walk together. We really hope you will all join us on Saturday, April 27 for an incredible cause!