Nothing stops 91-year-old Canadian John Carter, who has been
dubbed the “world’s most extreme grandpa.”
In a seven-minute video released in November, this super-senior
from Trail, B.C., is shown diving off a high board, snowshoeing,
jogging, cycling, fishing and weightlifting. He also practices a
little baseball and soccer with the kids. Those feats are something
to admire.
Carter apparently has inspired many people, including the
video’s producer, Devin Graham, who calls Carter a legend in the
general community around Trail. Graham wanted to produce a video to
recognize Carter for his way of tackling life, both physically and
mentally.
The final version of a concept plan to build a walking and
bicycle trail along the shoreline from Gorst to Bremerton has been
completed. The plan was distributed today.
A viewpoint could be
developed along the Sinclair Inlet trail.
Graphic by National Park Service
Almost all Kitsap County residents and most visitors are
familiar with this route, because it is practically the only way to
get to Bremerton and points north without taking a ferry or private
vessel.
More than 60 comments were received on the draft report.
Suggestions were taken into consideration and included in the final
version, but the basic concepts remain as proposed over a
three-year period. Check out the report, called
“Sinclair Inlet Development Concept Plan” (PDF 9.1 mb).
“Initial ideas in the trails plan — which also includes ideas to
restore shorelines and control stormwater — rely on narrow
corridors along both sides of the existing railroad tracks. At the
two ends of the trail, where there is almost no land along the
water, the walking path would cross the tracks and merge with the
bike path.”
Bryan Bowden of the National Park Service, who helped organize
the effort and bring together various design elements, said the
idea to separate the bike path from the walking path came out of a
series of planning meetings involving many community members.
While the separation would make for the trip more enjoyable for
users, it may be more feasible to put the paths together on the
highway side of the tracks, Bowden told me. Still, he chose to
leave the plan as it came out of the committee.
The next step will be to seek grants from the state and federal
governments. Federal transportation grants include special
set-asides for pedestrian and bicycle facilities. Other grant
programs focus on trail development. Numerous state and federal
grants could support the environmental-restoration aspects of the
plan — especially for salmon streams such as Gorst Creek. See page
54 of the plan for a description of funding sources.
If the project can be accomplished, it would open a major route
for cyclists that few people now have the courage to travel.
The basic design elements
of a proposed Sinclair Inlet trail (click to enlarge)
Graphic by National Park Service
