At the August board meeting of the Kansas Trails Council agreed to lend its name along with that of the Flint Hills Trail Association in applying for a grant to fix a 550-foot slit plane along the Carnahan Trail at Tuttle Creek. We were happy to receive notice that we were awarded this grant that will enable us to reopen up to twenty miles of trail from Carnahan Creek through the Carnahan Recreation Area and up the Corps line to the Garrison area.

This trail was originally started in 1987 in order to have a place to host a NATRC competitive trail ride. In the mid 1990's it was discovered that we had a property line problem and in 1996 we started building trails at Randolph State Park which is also on the east side of Tuttle Creek Lake. With the reopening of the Carnahan Trail, we will be within a few miles of connecting with Randolph State Park.

The Carnahan Creek Trail offers fantastic views of the lake. It wanders up and down through the trees and gullies and past the ruins of old farmsteads. As you pass through this area it brings to mind thoughts about the lives of the early settlers in this valley. When the water is low you can water your horse next to a sidewalk with a name from a bygone era still visible on the step. Near the homesteads shards of crockery and other relics of the past are still there to be seen.

The trail passes near an area with a summer cabin, a housing development and a church camp. There are unusual rock structures along the trail and these will become even more evident as the dead fall disappears since the flood of 1999. In some areas the grass is high on a horse. The wildlife seems not to be afraid of us as we ride through the area quietly. In season the migratory birds fly so close around you that you can see how really large they are. Spring brings one hillside covered with purple coneflowers.

The local trail group is thrilled to be able to add this to the list of trails in Kansas. We know we have many hours of work ahead of us this spring and summer, but it is somewhat like "coming home" as this is where many of us got our start at riding rough rock terrain.