“My path to the past makes for a better present and future.”

As I have gotten older, I get an annual checkup from my doctor, who has been my doctor for 30 years. He always gets straight to the point when advising me about my health.

One thing that he tells me, annually, in addition to “You can do better with your diet,” is to walk more, ride a bike, or do something to get a little exercise.

Since my bike riding days are behind me, taking regular walks doesn't seem to be too much to ask, although I rarely do it unless you count going from the supper table to my recliner.

I feel like that is not what Doc had in mind. But finding the perfect, and safest place to walk isn't always the easiest thing to do and treadmills just aren't my thing.

I know, I know, those are just excuses. However, I made a recent discovery in my hometown that may be the answer to my walking dilemma.

A stretch of an old, now unused railroad line that runs through about two miles of scenic woodlands making its way from the edge of town out to the nearby Kentucky River is being turned into a community walking trail.

The project began by way of a state grant awarded BC (before Covid) and the plans are still being made to complete the project.

I am very familiar with this area since the tracks ran near my boyhood home. I remember listening to the sound of passing trains on warm summer nights when my bedroom window was open. It was a soothing sound to me, almost like a lullaby.

I recently got permission to walk the trail in its present state. I was immediately taken back to the days when I roamed those nearby woods and walked near the tracks many times.

It was a place to be in nature then and I found all the memories came rushing back during my recent excursion.

I took my time walking a few yards at a time stopping often to take photos and just soak up the atmosphere around me.

The steel rails have long since been removed but the railroad ties remain as well as all my memories of this place.

I spent many an hour walking these wooded areas around the tracks as a youngster. It was always an adventure and a place my dad and I visited often.

I remember one of those hiking trips when we stopped to rest. My dad suddenly pointed out a small open area in the woods and shared the story about this being the very spot where my grandfather’s still was located!

That’s another story in itself, but a memory nonetheless and as I thought about it during my walk that day, it brought a smile to my face.

We shared a lot of stories in those woods, along those tracks and I would realize later that this path to my past somehow soothed the stress of today and gave me a place to visit in the future, as I continue my travels down the backroads.

P.S. My doctor will be happy!

Tim Thornberry

Editor, KFB News