Queen of the Mt. Vernon Trail

Ellen Pickering passed away in late April. Without Ms. Pickering's environmental activism we would not have the Mount Vernon Trail. It's unimaginable what the Virginia-side of the Potomac would be like without this trail, one of the most highly used in the U.S.

From the WashCycle Blog:

"A very important person for Washington, DC area bicyclists passed away this past Saturday.  Ellen Pickering was one of the very few hard working activists responsible for the construction of the Mount Vernon Trail.  That trail is still one of the leading facilities in the country for commuting (recently cited as one of the five greatest commutes in the world) and recreational cycling, as well as other activities.  While most of us randonneurs prefer to ride on the street, we certainly welcome the Mount Vernon Trail for serene early morning commutes and a great finish for a great fleche ride.  I suspect that virtually everyone in the DC area who gets interest in distance cycling made their very first trip down to Mount Vernon. In the early 70's, Ellen worked very hard to get the National Park Service to agree to put the trail in.  As a condition to agreeing to the trail, the NPS insisted that she provide volunteers to help spread gravel.  When the NPS gravel truck showed up on the first day (at Gravelly Point, ironically), they had four shovels for the expected volunteers, but Ellen had recruited 50 volunteers.  The NPS went back for more shovels and they had the first day's gravel spread by noon that day.  The volunteers worked throughout the winter (pausing only on one day when it fell below zero) and finished the first leg of the trail that spring. Besides being the Mother of the Mount Vernon Trail (which in turn was the spur for the W&OD, Custis, Crescent and other area trails), Ellen was a tremendous sprit for the Northern Virginia community and a good friend for open space and conservation."

Ms. Pickering's commitment should be a lesson for us all.

Paul DeMaio, BikeArlington