Rails to Trails Conservancy: Coming of Age on the Katy Trail

 

The 2012 Green Issue of the Rails to Trails Conservancy Magazine tells the story of Seth Bellamy

, who choose the challenge of riding 450 miles on the Katy Trail for his 13th birthday:

For centuries and in nearly every society, the process of maturing from boy to man has been marked by milestones. In the Jewish tradition, reaching adulthood is acknowledged by the bar mitzvah. In some Native American cultures, it is recognized by a vision quest. Yet in much of Western culture today, the rite of passage from child to adult has been neglected or trivialized.

Bucking that trend, Bruce and Laura Bellamy offer their sons advice and learning experience as they mature. Each boy's 13th birthday is an occasion for the fulfillment of a challenge. Riding the Katy Trail would certainly qualify: The park is the longest (and one of the most celebrated) rail-trails in the country, stretching nearly the width of Missouri from Clinton to Machens, a distance of some 238 miles. When Seth rode the trail, it ended at St. Charles and totaled 225 miles.

Read the rest of the story here.