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Reply to pre-teens alone on trail
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TK from Alma, MO on 7/17/2008 7:50:48 PM:
We are considering allowing my 12-year-old and his buddy to ride a section of the trail by themselves in conjunction with a camping week-end. I would drive a support vehicle and keep in touch via cell phone. The area they would ride is the Hartsburg-Boonville section. I would let them off drive to the next town, wait for them, then proceed to the next stop, and so on. The boys are quite responsible and the segments are short enough they could walk out if there were mechanical problems. Safety issues are the biggest concern. Two in particular: 1)Is there enough traffic on the week-ends that two-legged predators would not be a problem? My thinking is that if you can go more than a quarter mile without seeing someone that is too unpopulated to be safe. 2)In the case of physical injury, how could they be taken care of? I assume hikers/bikers would lend an assist but how accessable is the trail to emergency vehicles?

Am I giving the boys too much freedom? Any comments/suggestions would be very welcome.

Thanks,
Tom

 
Anonymous on 7/17/2008 10:22:29 PM:
We all parent differently, but if you doubt that it's a good idea, it probably isn't.

 
Gary near Tebbetts from Tebbetts on 7/17/2008 10:24:23 PM:
That stretch usually has some heavy weekend traffic and good people willing to help other bikers in need of assistance. Depending on your cell provider, you may experience parts of it without service. When I rode it in the past using sprint, my service would usually drop out west of Hartsburg and I wouldn't try to use it again until I got to McBaine. I recently switched to Verizon but have not tried that section yet. ATT/Cingular people seemed to sometimes have coverage where mine dropped out.

Be sure to have them take plenty of water if they are riding in the heat, they will need it especially on the stretch from Rocheport to Boonville since it does not have much tree cover. Sun screen is an important necessity also.

Tubes with slime sealant in them would be a good idea to help prevent flats along the way if they are not mechanically inclined.

 
DougK from Troy on 7/17/2008 10:29:36 PM:
The trail is safe but something like a breakdown or accident would be more of a concern to me.

 
emerson from STL on 7/18/2008 12:38:25 AM:
Aww let him go... 12 is not the same thing as 8 or 10. Give he and his buddy a tent, some food, and a cell phone, and they'll be fine. The Katy Trail is about the safest place you can be. Follow along if you must.

Will I say the same thing when I have kids? Probably not.

 
Cliff from Edwardsville KS on 7/18/2008 8:23:27 AM:
They will be fine. One thing I would do though is to change the route and go east instead of west. The ride is much more scenic with lots of benches to stop and rest on. The trail is used alot more heavier in that direction and on the weekend there should be alot of people riding from and to Columbia. Just check the map on this site and it will give you the towns going east so you can plan your check in and pickup sites. They will have a great time.

 
Ray (webmaster) on 7/18/2008 9:09:42 AM:
Regarding emergency vehicles, most of the places where the trail crosses a major road have gates that can be unlocked and swung open to allow for full-sized vehicles. And most places where it crosses driveways or smaller gravel roads, there's nothing to block motor vehicles at all. I'm sure the local authorities know how to get to points on the trail pretty quickly if need be.

I would imagine that there have been a few emergencies on the trail, but honestly I've never heard of any.

It might help your peace of mind to print out this web page: contact numbers for sheriff's departments and hospitals along the Katy Trail.

 
Pat from Home of Harry Truman on 7/18/2008 9:27:18 AM:
Tom-The boys will be fine. All the other advice posted is good, and it sounds like you have a good plan laid out. Have fun and be safe.

 
jd from gkc on 7/18/2008 10:13:24 AM:
You might ask your boys not to approach the Missouri River for any reason, not even to throw sticks or stones into it from the trail. Also, have them avoid any soft shoulders on the river side of the trail. One slip there could be dangerous. Basically - stay on the main trail and enjoy it.

 
TK from Alma, MO on 7/18/2008 9:41:28 PM:
Thanks, everyone, for your thoughts. You've inspired the confidence my wife and I needed.

Thanks,
Tom

 
Matt from St. Charles on 8/16/2008 12:43:58 AM:
I've been riding and hiking the Katy Trail since I was teenager and I have only encounter good, friendly people. If someone has a son or daughter interested in using the trail, go riding with them, and let the child be involved in the planning and preparation for the ride. I think that two 12 year olds with some experience on the trail and experience camping could do fine on an overnighter.

 
Barb from LS on 9/4/2008 2:04:11 PM:
Hi,
I would be curious to hear how the trip went.
I know that when my son was in scouts they took trips...and let the fast boys go on ahead and stayed with the slower ones.
This is about ages 10? and up.
I have taken sections of it myself....and with my 2 girls since they where 8 and 10.
We always had good experiences.
I do keep the local sheriff number in my phone though...of the area...never needed it though.

 
robert from columbia on 9/5/2008 12:55:27 PM:
The biggest danger is getting hit by a car. They need to stop at the intersections, LOOK
BOTH WAYS and then proceed with care. If you doubt they are mature enough for that
then they are not ready.

Its easy to get lulled into a false sense of safety on that trail but it crosses many highways.
Since the highways are not that busy that could also lull the young guys into a false sense
of security after they stop at the first two and see that no one is around.

I would not worry a bit about child molesters or that sort of thing.