Thoughtful Note From a Trail Walker


On the day of our annual meeting one of our members, Bob Holder, wrote a very nice piece to the San Marcos Area Trail Walkers, a MeetUp group that Bob founded and that has ballooned into one of the healthiest, happiest groups I know. They hike our natural areas regularly. Here is the text Bob wrote:

The bigger picture

 Those of us Trail Walkers who attended the [annual] board meeting of the San Marcos Greenbelt Alliance today learned something: we are the beneficiaries of a powerful alliance of San Marcians. This alliance has a proud history and it operates wisely and efficiently to preserve and maintain the hiking trails we regularly use. Some of us walkers in attendance already understood this.


Although we Trail Walkers want to network and support the outdoor mission in San Marcos, we are very much the junior partners in this coalition. This effort to maintain natural areas is very much a coalition as there were members from other groups beside the Greenbelt Alliance at this board meeting. As upstarts and junior members, it would be good for us to become aware of the system already in place and understand that we cannot remain just beneficiaries; we must start doing our part. The natural areas in San Marcos can be viewed as a gift for us to enjoy but, when the real picture is seen, we realize that we have an obligation. We must give as well as take.

My recommendations is that we hikers:
Seek other opportunities to network with members of this coalition




Slowly become aware of the nature of the alliance and coalition in place

Begin to appreciate the work done in our behalf

Investigate the webpage of the SM Greenbelt Alliance

Join, if you have the means, the Greenbelt Alliance


Eventually, I recommend that we:

Become aware of other organizations in this coalition (such as the San Marcos River Foundation, the San Marcos Healthy City Taskforce, and others)

Consider volunteering on the trail maintenance crew of the Greenbelt Alliance

Seek other opportunities to network with members of this coalition

Thanks Bob for those very kind and motivational words. It is people like you who make life here such a pleasure….t.o.d.