WIFE’S CONCERN LEADS
TO MULTIPLE AWARDS FOR 80 YEAR OLD MURFREESBORO
RESIDENT
By Anna Bertram,
Citizen Journalist
More or less his wife told Jim Schroeder of Murfreesboro to “Take a hike!” and he not
only did that he went on to become a major hiking trail designer and builder in
the state. The year was 1994 and Jim was recovering from a heart attack
followed by quadruple by-pass surgery when his wife, Joan, encouraged him to
follow his doctor’s advice to get out and walk by referring him to the
Murfreesboro Chapter of the Tennessee Trails Association. The state wide hiking
organization Joan had seen mentioned in a Murfreesboro
newspaper also participates in trail building and maintenance, activities not
yet apparent to the Schroeder family when Jim first joined. Right away Jim
found he enjoyed getting out in nature to hike with like minded individuals as
he gradually rebuilt his strength and stamina for longer and more difficult
treks. His doctors were pleased with his overall condition and especially his improved
heart function.
As Jim became stronger and increasingly fit he began to
volunteer to help with trail maintenance and trail building. The non-profit
Tennessee Trails Association is the parent organization of the Cumberland Trail
Conference, which is responsible for the building of the 300-plus mile
Cumberland Trail, the hiking trail corridor of the linear Justin P. Wilson Cumberland
Trail State
Park Signal Mountain Chattanooga to the Cumberland
Gap at the Tennessee
- Kentucky State Line. The Cumberland Trail Conference is active all through
the year working on the trail corridor, including hosting a 5 or 6 week
alternative spring break program for building trail, called BreakAway. College
students come to BreakAway from many states in the country to lend a hand as
they learn. Jim has taken part in 14 of the 15 years of BreakAway since he
joined, mentoring young people and teaching them good trail building
techniques. The one year he missed was due to his having another heart
procedure, from which he bounded back quickly due in part to the health
benefits he experienced from his outside activities.
One thing led to another for this retired engineer. Applying
principles adapted from his former profession Jim demonstrated an outstanding
ability to plan and lay out trails. This has become a passion for Jim, whether
he is working on his beloved Cumberland Trail, a State Natural Area or a city
park. In fact he designed and laid out the popular trails in the Barfield-Crescent Park Murfreesboro , and many others in Middle
Tennessee.
One of his recent accomplishments was to find a feasible
connecting route through Chattanooga
for the multi-state Great Eastern Trail, which will connect to the Cumberland
Trail at Signal Mountain
So on the occasion of his 80th birthday this
talented but unpretentious man was honored January 12th with a
surprise luncheon and awards ceremony at Cumberland Mountain
State Park Murfreesboro ,
was seated nearby.
There were three separate awards presented. The first was
his election to the newly formed Cumberland Trail Conference Hall of Fame as
the first honoree. The second was a certificate of recognition by Ron
Littlefield, Mayor of Chattanooga, for his routing of the Great Eastern Trail
though that city and community. The third was from the Great Eastern Trail
Association for his outstanding support.
Of course there was also a large birthday cake decorated with a hiking
trail motif.
Jim, who has since undergone knee surgery, says he had planned
to be back on the trail in time for the spring BreakAway program but due to
respiratory complications his return will be delayed a few weeks. For more
information about the Murfreesboro Chapter of the Tennessee Trails Association
send an email to Murfreesboro@tennesseetrails.org. The state
website is located at http://www.tennesseetrails.org/
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