On the Right Trail

Mary Charles Howard Promotes Cycling for Georgia Youngsters

Story by Stephen Prudhomme
Photography by Leidy Lester

Mary Charles Howard is blazing a new trail, both literally and figuratively, through Effingham County and other parts of the state as part of a plan to create safer bike paths.

The trail doesn’t end there for the Sandersville, Ga., resident and mother of three. She also established a bike league for youngsters with the hope they’ll trade their seat in front of the TV or computer for one that moves with them and discover a real world beyond the two-dimensional one offered by technology. If they follow that path, they could ride a spacious trail designed with them in mind.

Hi-Lo Trail Initiative

Howard is founder of the Hi-Lo Trail initiative. Her goal is to develop a 211-mile bike path that starts in Athens and ends in Savannah and connects with the Firefly Trail. It will include a 26-mile stretch that begins in Guyton and heads south through Effingham County. Work is being done on a “model mile,” a 12.5-mile section that will be done in phases and is expected to be completed in the next five years.

The bike path is a longterm project that is being done in sections and is expected to be completed by 2050, Howard said. She added it will be the longest of its kind in the country and will travel through 19 small and large towns and eight counties and feature 1,278 acres of green space and varied native and specimen trees.

Howard acts as an advocate, contacting the counties and cities through which the path will travel to present her plan. She said the communities go after grants and use the same standards in path construction.

Effingham will be one of the first counties to handle the planning and development of the bike path. Seth Zeigler, director of Parks & Landscaping for Effingham County, said the work will be done in phases and financed by special purpose local option sales tax (TSPLOST) funds passed in November. A portion of these funds, Zeigler noted, have been set aside for the project. Helping the county in the building phase, he added, will be the Path Foundation.

Zeigler said the first phase of  development should begin in the near future and will extend from Guyton to Pineora Park, a 3-to 4-mile path utilizing an abandoned railroad bed that has a small power line running along it. He noted they’re working on an agreement with Georgia Power that would utilize the railroad bed for the trail. With only one property owner to deal with, Zeigler said they’re more fortunate than other counties with multiple property owners and are able to move forward at a faster pace.

Former Guyton mayor Russ Deen said the Hi-Lo Trail is a generational investment that can last hundreds of years and benefit the communities it passes through. Children will ride on the trail, he noted, and one day bring their children to do likewise.

“In Guyton, our trail provides a linear park that lends itself to community events like the Sale on the Trail and the Trick-or-Trail event at Halloween,” he said. “I believe this project is a need during a time of rapid growth when opportunities like this may not be available in as few as two to five years. We as a community must act together to make Ms. Howard’s beautiful dream a reality.”

The Kids Bike League and Camp

Howard’s motivation to create a bike path came from rides with her children. That segued into the creation of the nonprofit Kids Bike League in April 2019 that is financed through grants from the Hi-Lo Trail initiative. “You don’t see kids riding bikes around anymore,” said Howard, a former top high school runner who earned an athletic scholarship to University of Georgia but was unable to compete in college after being hit by a pickup truck while jogging. “They’re missing that chunk of life.”

Howard established leagues in eight communities throughout the state. They feature a weeklong summer mountain bike camp for youngsters between the ages of 7 and 14 headed up by managers who focus on riding skills, bike safety and etiquette. Funding comes from the $450,000 Chestnut Trust Fund out of Atlanta and pays for camp mountain bicycles and manager compensation.

The camps didn’t operate for two years due to the pandemic. They resumed in five areas: Effingham, Twin City, Sparta, Sandersville and Statesboro, with the latter hosting foster kids. To further encourage youngsters to hit the trails, free monthly ride days, paid for by sponsors, are held at various locations.

Alden Strandburg is a mother of two who took up cycling several years ago. “It’s a good outlet, and I enjoyed it,” said Strandburg, who’s lived in Guyton for a dozen years. “I met many people through cycling.”

Strandburg learned of Howard’s bike camp in Effingham County and signed up as a volunteer. She said she fed the kids and came up with activities. Following the 2023 camp, Strandburg became executive director of the Kids Bike League and manager of the Effingham camp. One of her duties is to spread the word about the camp to those who have limited opportunities.

“We want to serve underserved kids in the community,” said Strandburg, noting they’ll reduce the $75 camp fee to $5 for at-need participants. “We’re trying to reach out to those in need.”

Strandburg said she promotes the camp through word-of-mouth, social media and distributing flyers at small shops. Last year it paid off with members of a Boy Scout troop attending the camp and earning their cycling merit badges.

Although the Effingham camp is held in a coastal area, participants there and at the other camps ride mountain bikes. Explained Strandburg: “Mountain bikes are versatile. They’re also much cooler to kids.”

With mountain bike riding a more aggressive pursuit and carrying a greater safety risk, it traditionally has attracted more boys. Reflecting that trend, Strandburg said they initially had more boys attending the camps. After focusing on getting more girls to participate, Strandburg noted the genders are pretty evenly divided at the camps, which have a maximum number of 30 youngsters.

Rave Reviews

Grace Deen, 11, is a past participant in the bike camp. She had previously ridden a mountain bike and was glad to do it again.

“They’re really fun,” said the Guyton youngster. “You can actually go off-road and the tires won’t pop if you ride over a root or piece of glass. It was fun to ride bikes and make friends with new kids. I also learned about plants and changing gears.”

Grace added she also liked the snacks and fun activities and would definitely recommend the camp to other youngsters. “You can make new friends while riding bikes and doing fun activities,” she said.

Grace’s brother, Miles, 13, has also attended the camp and shares his sister’s enthusiasm for the event.

“You get a workout, education, and meet new people,” he said. “I learned how to switch gears and replace a bike tire. You get to meet people and ride bikes. It’s fun.”

Then there’s Russ Deen, the father of Miles and Grace. A resident of Guyton for 38 years, he said he rode all over town as a youngster. Now it’s his children who are taking in the local sights on their bikes, inspired by their experience at the camp.

“Kids Bike League and league bike camp are excellent ways of teaching children bike safety, bike maintenance, trail safety, and the responsibility that comes with riding with other people,” he said. “When you ride as a group, you learn to look out for one another, a skill helpful in all aspects of life.”

William, another Effingham County resident, had plenty of fun at bike camp. Describing the riding as tiring but fun, he said he learned a lot about changing gears, pedaling and getting off the bike. There also was the opportunity to ride bikes with other youngsters over some challenging terrain.

“I made some best friends and we got to ride together,” he said. “You can jump over logs and roots. That’s really fun. I also learned about nature and plants. Other kids should come to this. There’s safety and more bike riding. That’s the fun part.”

The Kids Bike League has been endorsed by two coaches from the BRAG Dream Team—formed in 1994 to offer Atlanta public school students the opportunity to get fit by cycling across the state. As a kid, wrote coach McKerrian Rabb on the Kids Bike League website, she didn’t have such a group, so it’s nice to come out and give other kids the opportunity to experience that. Coach Eddie Rhodes wrote: “We try to help them to overcome their circumstances and grow greater by the mile.”