October Director’s Message
Dear Friends of the Eno,
Late this summer, a celebration of life took my wife, daughter, and me over the Appalachian mountains into Johnson City, Tennessee. Although it was a sad occasion, we were feeling upbeat because of the chance to see our brother, sister-in-law, niece, and nephew whom we love and don’t get to visit often enough. And in August, driving into the mountains is always a good idea.
We’re a biking and hiking family, and we don’t let disability stop us. We are always on the lookout for accessible trails in beautiful places. Let me just say, there aren’t many. But we did our research, and ever hopeful, we headed toward Roan Mountain and the Tennessee border.
The Roan Mountain Gardens Trail sits at 6,286 feet elevation, almost as high as Mount Mitchell. Thus, we were amazed to find an accessible, if short, loop trail with vistas to rival any in the East Coast. The 60° weather was perfect, and we had the trail to ourselves. Stepping out of the car, the first thing we noticed was the silence of the mountain top. As we started walking along the trail, only the hum of bees on the aster and snakeroot could be heard.
As I watched my wife and daughter sniffing flowers, laughing, and enjoying the amazing views, I was overwhelmed by gratefulness to the people who must have worked hard to create this trail. People with disabilities rarely get this kind of experience, but here we were.
The Roan Mountain experience energized me and reminded me of the importance of the universal access trail at ERA’s Confluence Natural Area. Although under 1 mile long, its impact will be great: to open a serene, wooded nature trail to a part of the Eno that is currently inaccessible to families with disabilities. I hope you will read more about this important project here (link). And I hope that those of us with the capacity to make a significant donation will consider supporting ERA’s campaign to fund this trail that will open up nature for so many people in our area.
With gratitude and hope,
