PTNY Supporter Spotlight: Marianne Borowski
PTNY member Marianne Borowski discovered her love of cycling tourism after an early retirement.
“I was in biotech and I worked really hard and I was kind of done with it. I really wanted to explore, I wanted some adventure,” remembers Marianne.
Marianne’s chosen path of adventure? A cross-country cycling trip.
“I just loved it. I really enjoyed exploring the country by bike. I could interact with people more easily as a person on a bike with a story. It was a wonderful experience and I just wanted to keep doing it.”
And keep doing it she did. Once home, Marianne set up a regular Thursday ride with friends to explore the backroads and trails in New Hampshire, where she resides. Seventeen years later, Marianne’s Thursday bike club has expanded to Tuesdays as well.
“It’s addictive. You start out on an easy ride with friends to get them used to it.The next time you go a bit further, the time after that they’re passing me!”
Marianne’s love of cycling led her to join Parks & Trails New York’s Cycle the Erie Canal bike tour in 2015.
“I really enjoyed spending my vacation budget to do the Erie Canal with PTNY. I love these long distance rail and canal trails. I can ride and I don’t have to worry about the traffic. I look all around the country and ask myself where am I going to spend my vacation budget next?’”
Marianne’s trip along the Erie Canalway Trail inspired her to want to share the north country of New Hampshire with fellow cyclists. “I wanted to develop a multi-day cycle adventure. We’ve got gorgeous country up here. It’s mostly rail trails and gravel and dirt roads. There are streams and rivers, covered bridges and towns and breweries. When the lupines are blooming it’s especially beautiful and I’d like to share that with people.”
Connectivity was a factor in developing the ride. She wanted to join up with the Cross Vermont Trail, which goes from Burlington to the Connecticut River at Wells River.
“On the NH side there’s a rail trail called the Ammonoosuc Trail. I love that it connects communities so that the locals can use the trail for fun or for a commute, but people can come through as tourists, too. That’s the thing with rail and canal trails: they connected communities. And now they can be revitalized as a way to bring communities together. We’re always looking to go past the 'trail ends' signs."
“I wanted to put something together that’s border to border, I looked at what PTNY had done with the Erie Canalway Trail and tried to see how I could use some of those ideas to make my trail better. And now with the Empire State Trail NYS has committed to linking these trails together. When the state comes in and says ‘we’re going to make this happen’ it piques my interest. We’re not there yet but it’s the goal. How can we make that happen in New Hampshire? How can we provide this resource to people in the community?”
Marianne's admiration of PTNY's work didn't stop with using the Cycling the Erie Canal tour and trail as models, though. She wanted to ensure that treasures like the Erie Canalway Trail were cared for and available. So she joined PTNY as a financial supporter in 2020, a year that highlighted the importance of access to trails and other outdoor spaces.
Marianne found that COVID created new interest and excitement in multi-use trails in New Hampshire and has lent support to her trail development work. “Folks were looking around their communities and saying, ‘what’s this trail, where does it go… I never knew we had these before!’
Marianne understands that trails boost tourism, bringing in dollars to local communities. And, as she likes to practice what she believes, Marianne is cycling the Erie Canalway Trail again next week, this time self-supported.
If you're interested in learning more about Marianne’s Cross New Hampshire Adventure Trail check out https://www.xnhat.org/, or contact her at crossnewhampshire@gmail.com.
If you'd like to support multi-use trails in New York State, consider donating to Parks & Trails New York today!
If you give $100 or more before July 31, 2021, we’ll send you a free reusable PTNY bamboo To-Go Ware utensil set for all your cycling adventures!