Determined to enjoy this spring-like afternoon, I headed to the MKT for a walk. This rail-to-trail greenbelt follows a series of stream valleys from downtown Columbia to the Missouri River floodplain where it joins the Katy Trail, a Missouri State Park. Its 8.9 mile route, angling southwest from the city, crosses a pleasing mix of woodlands, meadows and wetlands, making the trail an excellent avenue for nature study.
Today, I was joined by the usual mix of fellow Columbians, dominated by the trail athletes, racing by on their fat-tire bikes or huffing along in their Nikes. Family groups, dog walkers and cell phone addicts rounded out the crowd, all of whom were focused primarily on the trail itself. I'm sure most of them relished the mild, humid air, tainted at times by Columbia's eco-friendly wastewater system, but I doubt few noticed the eastern bluebirds that fed along the meadows or the flock of cedar waxings that alighted in a trailside tree. Neither did the outcrops of Mississippian limestone or gurgling streams draw their attention.
Then again, who am I to judge their priorities. Many use our nature trails to exercise their bodies or to exorcise their demons. Their focus is on their personal needs, not on the complexity of the natural surroundings. While they enjoy her bounty in an abstract way, they know little about her history or her diversity. After all, they think of themselves as visitors in her territory, not as creatures of her realm. We naturalists take a different view.
