The other day, I met a lovely donor couple. She’s a trail runner and he’s a mountain biker, who moved to Park City in January 2020 to escape life in a San Francisco high rise. Staying in their family’s ski condo, as the pandemic swept the globe into the summer months, they discovered for the first time Park City’s summer trail system. And because of it they stayed, claiming Park City as their forever home, with a deep love of trails permanently stamped upon their hearts. Today, this family financially supports the trails they love. And better yet, with their interest and willingness to volunteer, they add value in many ways to the trails culture that is Park City.
We’ve all heard the stories of people who migrated and assimilated, quietly becoming one with local culture, enhancing their new communities with the colors and customs of the places from whence they came. And I think that nowhere else but in the world of trails and the great outdoors, is there such an immediate and visceral connection to fellow Trail Lovers. I am no social scientist, but I’ll postulate here that this phenomenon is an expression of a deep-seated primal instinct to recognize a fellow tribe member. “Hey, you love trails too? We should be friends!” It’s that easy.
This coming dirt season will be here sooner than we expect, so I want to jump out in front with a reminder to the members of trails community, new and old, that, wherever you come from – because we all came from somewhere – you are welcome on Park City’s trails.
