I was not disappointed.

Wicker's photo.

The scenery was quiet, pristine, and beautiful as you can see from the picture I attached.

I spent an hour or so enjoying a hike and was thankful for God's beauty and thankful we had this special place to enjoy it. It was a great start to my day.

A few hours later, I got a interesting text and picture from a good friend and fellow “enjoyer” of the Canal Trail.

It simply said can we shoot '4 Wheelers on the Canal Trail' along with the other picture below.

Photo from text message.

This text was strong and he did not really mean it, but his disappointment was clear.

I was disturbed to get the text because I knew a lot of folks were likely heading out to enjoy the beauty of the snow on the Trail only to be disappointed with the muddy mess left by ATVs.

I know it is fun to spin out in the mud and have fun on ATVs, but it should not be done where it can damage other people's properties.

I would like to make this simply request to all.

Let's take care of our Trail and use it responsibly.

It is illegal to use "4 Wheelers" and other motorized vehicles on the trail or on Dominion's Power lines adjacent to the Trail.

More than that we should be good stewards and take care of this natural and historic wonderful resource and use it in a way that preserves its beauty for all.

I do not think people would "spin out" over and over again in their own yards or their neighbor's yards until it left a muddy mess.

I do not think parents would allow their kids who have ATVs to do this.

They would not want the eyesore or the cost of repairing the damage the ATVs make.

We should all treat our pristine public Canal Trail the same way.

Let's all use the Canal Trail in the right way and not with ATVs.

If we see an ATV using it let's report it to the police so we can protect this valuable resource.

Respectfully,

Chris Wicker

Roanoke Rapids