The trail remains open to all. Please practice the latest COVID-19 safety precautions. This includes 6 feet of social distancing when walking with or passing others and sanitizing your hands before and after touching surfaces. Learn more about trail usage and guidance.
Greetings, Friends!
If there’s a lesson to be learned—and yes, there are many—from these daily encounters with uncertainty and fear brought on by the pandemic, it’s to more deeply appreciate each day and those quotidian moments that often escape us in our normal routines of busyness and preoccupation with the less meaningful details of our lives.
Each morning when the weather permits, Randi and I, along with our dog, Snoop, take a walk along the KSAT before too many people gather there. As we’ve gained a few more minutes of daylight each morning since the time change in March, it seems that the birds are finding their voices a bit stronger each day. On most mornings the birds have created a graceful symphony for us. We stand silently, marveling at this gift of song while Snoop sniffs some of the freshest spring air we’ve been able to enjoy for years. With less traffic on Route 22 above us, the trail is even more of a sanctuary than it is in more typical times.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve turned to the poetry of Wendell Berry over and again in times of uncertainty. I am particularly fond of one of his early poems, The Peace of Wild Things, for its simple beauty and message of hope.
The Peace of Wild Things (1969)
When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.
Be well and stay well, my friends. Be kind to one another and appreciate the love of family and friends. Looking forward to seeing you on the trail!
PETER SCHMIDT
The Valley Om Presents: A Trail of Treasures Hunt
The Valley Om is celebrating International Yoga Day with a 21-day yoga scavenger hunt on the Karl Stirner Arts Trail! The Scavenger Hunt started on June 1 and will last until June 21.
How does it work?
Follow the clues provided to figure out which yoga pose you should strike at which piece of artwork at either the KSAT or Silk Mill. Snap a photo and send it to The Valley Om or post on social media and tag @thevalleyom for bonus points. All entries must be sent in by the end of International Yoga Day, June 21.
Ready to get started?
Entry fee is $20, and from there you’ll receive the scavenger hunt clues, rules, and details.
Did you know?
Did you know that the artwork, educational programs, and community events along the KSAT are coordinated by a grassroots community-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization called the Karl Stirner Arts Trail Inc. (KSAT Inc.)? Created in 2016, KSAT Inc. accomplishes its mission through the work of an unpaid Board of Directors, a growing base of volunteers, and the generosity of corporate and individual partners like you. Community support through volunteer efforts, donations, and sponsorships is the lifeblood of KSAT Inc.’s work, and we are incredibly grateful for the past and continuing support of all of our partners.
To learn more about how you can get involved with the KSAT, visit www.karlstirnerartstrail.org
or check us out on Facebook @KarlStirnerArtsTrail.
Show Your Love for KSAT!
Go to Facebook and donate $5 to $500. Every donation helps this volunteer-run and volunteer-funded treasure.
Contribute Through Our Website
Dog visits with friends, family walks, bike rides, your love of nature, art, or maybe the blissful sounds of bird songs and stream sounds, your love of movies and your love of community …
Steps along KSAT—Summer 2020
