A New Year’s sunrise in Pittsburgh’s South Side.
A New Year always calls for reflection, both on the year that was and the year ahead. Cycle Forward is buckled up for a busy year with the new P2P Regional Master Plan project. Most of our time and energy this coming year will be devoted to this work. We’re also saving some time for projects and speaking engagements that won’t detract too much from the P2P work.
Before we step squarely into 2026, I thought I would take some time to reflect on the year that was. Here are some things I’m most proud of:
Writing on Substack
Honestly, writing the Substack blog is such a pleasure. Some of those posts carry over to the website, but if you want to get all of my posts, you should sign up to get the blog. My favorite post of the year – the one I wouldn’t mind one bit if you ditched this one to read – was “Go to the Limits of Your Longing.” Written in March, it kinda vibes with the New Year. I explored the topic of longing and wondered what it means to “go to the limits” of your longing. From the post:
“…it might have to do with imagining possibilities that feel too big, too much…ones you might say are ‘beyond my wildest dreams.’ Maybe they’re desires you dare not say out loud (but why not?). They would be bold, empowering, terrifying even. The kinds of things that expose our beating hearts.”
You don’t have to get it all sorted in the first week of January, but these long winter nights do provide space to at least consider what’s next.
Another fun one to write was Sweetness in Four Parts, where you’ll find stories about libraries, marathons, Annie Dillard, and a quest to find a very old book.
And finally, about one of my favorite topics, place identity: Closer to Home explores the meaning of home from Appalachia all the way to the tip of Nova Scotia.
I think my most useful and pragmatic posts…the ones that say the most of about trails, communities, and Trail Towns were:
- Questions People Ask Me About Trail Towns
- Standout, Heavy-Lifting Trailheads
- Tourism’s Role in Re-writing the Story
Launching the PA Outdoor Ambassador Program
The Pocono Forests & Waters cohort at Lehigh Gorge State Park. Image: Gretchen Leslie
This time last year, Cycle Forward was working with the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and the Pennsylvania Environmental Council to pilot the PA Outdoor Ambassador Program. We put 50 people through an immersive two-month program that resulted in new relationships and increased familiarity with their respective regions (Laurel Highlands and Pocono Forests and Waters). Altogether the groups visited 28 outdoor attractions, spent time together in the classroom, and took a self-paced training (you can, too – here).
By the time that we were done, 97% of participants thought of themselves as ambassadors to their region. On a personal level, I feel a little heart pang every time I bumped into one of the participants and hear about how the experience has shaped them and made a difference in how they interact with outdoor travelers. I owe Alicia Broudy and our entire project team a big thanks for helping to make this possible. It was a true team effort!
Updating Deciding on Trails
I learned in 2023 that my 2020 book was in need of an important correction concerning the early days of Trail Towns. It took some time to get to it, but I’m proud of the fact that I did. The biggest change is the new preface. Read it here at no charge or buy an updated copy here. Also, if you have yet to offer a review of Deciding on Trails, here’s where you can. Your review would mean a lot to me.
Advancing the Trail Town Approach
Partnerships led to some pretty great advancements in the realm of Trail Towns last year! Julie Judkins (Just-Trails) and I published the Trail Community Impact Report, the first study of the effectiveness of established regional Trail Town and gateway community programs. We also continued to convene the managers of the various programs, who are now connected as a Community of Practice.
Projects like creating a Trail Town toolkit for the state of Utah (more on that soon), helping the Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor evaluate its Trail Town program, and continuing with the All About Trail Towns Facebook group created room for evaluation, professional connections, and new perspectives.
Finally, I partnered with Michele Archie to create and host the Trail Towns 101 virtual course. We taught two courses last year, bringing together 35 people across four countries. Michele is offering the course again next month and there’s still time to register.
Connecting with People Far and Wide for Trail Conversations
The year took me to Madison, Wisconsin for the International Trails Summit; to New Albany, Mississippi to co-host a Trail Town workshop (with Brad Collett of the Tennessee RiverLine); to Cleveland for Rails to Trails Conservancy’s TrailNation Summit; Harrisburg for the PA Greenways & Trails Summit; Frostburg, Maryland for the Appalachian Places conference; and Jersey Shore, PA along the Pine Creek Rail Trail. Virtual speaking engagements took me to Ontario’s Highlands; Manitoba, Canada; and Minnesota’s Iron Range. This year will involve less travel and that’s okay. But, wow, isn’t it wonderful that these sorts of connections are even possible?
