BOOKS
Hike-and-bike trail brings together all walks of life
Jen Ohlson's photos book tells stories of life on the trail around Lady Bird Lake
By Pamela LeBlanc
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Saturday, October 27, 2007
A movie star, not wearing his shirt. A guy plucking softly on a guitar. A husband, holding the hand of the woman with whom he's walked for decades, a
woman who now has Alzheimer's disease. Run or walk the hike-and-bike trail around Lady Bird Lake, and these are the people you'll find, crunching
alongside you on the gravel path that serves as Austin's informal living room.
The view from the hike-and-bike trail on Lady Bird Lake has changed over time. Today, runners, walkers and bikers can see downtown with the illuminated
Frost Bank Tower rising above the pink-tinged sky. Author Jen Ohlson collected stories from famous and ordinary people about the trail.
Jen Ohlson was drawn to the trail and its fans when she moved to Austin five years ago. These people became a sort of family, faces she recognized every time
she laced up her running shoes.
Now she's gathered photos of some of the trail's most familiar folks in a book that celebrates the walking path along the Colorado River and honors the
woman who inspired its creation. "Every Town Needs a Trail, Lady Bird Johnson's Quiet Legacy: The City It Shaped and the People It Inspires" ($39.95) will
be released Thursday, just a few days before Ohlson speaks at the Texas Book Festival.
Ohlson, 36, got idea for the book in April 2004 while chatting with Gov. Rick Perry as their running group zipped along the trail one day. "So it's really the
governor's idea," says the former television sportscaster. Ohlson is a collegiate track, soccer and heptathlon star who has finished three Ironman triathlons and
more than 25 marathons.
The oversized coffee table book features 45 stories about trail users famous and not-so famous, from President George W. Bush and former Gov. Ann
Richards to Willie Nelson and Woode Wood, who spends nearly every morning serenading passing joggers with his guitar.
"Everyone has a story about the trail. Everybody who's ever been to Austin has been down there and connected to it. This book is who we are," Ohlson says.
The book features photos by her father, Russ Ohlson, and Brenda Lindfors. The people in it, she says, found her more than she found them. "It's all walks of
life — Michael Dell to a homeless man, Lance Armstrong to a woman shuffling around the lake, an 80-year-old man to a 4-year-old girl," Ohlson says.
Lady Bird Johnson's vision of the trail began in 1971. The trail was completed in 1976, with a few gaps remaining on the southeast end. It loops for 10.1
miles around Lady Bird Lake, the former Town Lake that was renamed after Mrs. Johnson's death this summer.
Ohlson plans to donate a portion of proceeds to help start a permanent endowment for Austin's parklands. She shares Mayor Will Wynn's dream of seeing the
trail completed, and she'd like to see the trail expanded, better maintained and made more accessible.
"It's a challenge. If you don't take care of something, it's going to age prematurely. We haven't put resources back into it," she says.
Look hard next time you're on the trail. Ohlson's out there, too, three times a week, often with her dog Carter, an 11-year-old golden retriever.
"Everybody's a stranger, but you're among friends," she says of the much-loved trail.
Lady Bird Johnson, as told by Luci Baines Johnson:
"The heart of a city, the soul of a city, is its open space, and a trail in any community can enhance that heart and soul. Town Lake is the one unifier for us all.
No matter your political views, your faith, your cultural background, no matter who you are or what you stand for, we all feel that it is extremely important
to preserve and maintain the trail."
Jack London, whose son was killed by a drunk driver:
"The trail is a celebration of life, which is why Daniel's bench means more to me than his cemetery plot. His grave is in a very nice spot with big, beautiful
pecan trees over it, but there is no connection there. Everywhere I look on the trail there is always something that brings him to life."
Gilbert Tuhabonye, head of Gilbert's Gazelles running program:
"I took one run on the trail and said this is it. In Africa, we had a similar trail and as that initial run along Town Lake progressed, it brought me back to my
childhood, running as a kid, free and full of life and love. It brought me back to what made me who I am and those years when I discovered that running was
my purpose."
Obediah Jones, homeless man:
"The trail welcomes everyone, regardless of their background, and when I'm here, I can be myself and do my own thing; I can also make a connection if I
choose to. I come out early in the day and greet people, or sit on a bench and talk about the day or scenery with others. People have been great to me, giving
me food or money or sitting down just to say hi. I find more love on the trail than anywhere."
Alison Kafer, assistant professor of feminist studies at Southwestern University:
"I love finding places where I can be outside in nature and away from traffic and roads. One of the hard things about being in a chair is that a lot of trails and
parks are inaccessible or accessible only for the first quarter mile. But Town Lake is different. There are some steep spots, but the whole trail is wide and
smooth, and I can just take off for miles."
Rick Barnes, University of Texas men's basketball coach:
"There aren't many home games where I don't make running the trail part of my game-day routine. The stresses of the season wear on me, both mentally and
physically, so I come down to the trail to help stay on an even keel for the rest of the day."