“Being outdoors is an essential part of my life. One of my favorite experiences is being on the Rock Hollow Trail in the Meramec Greenway, when the bluebells bloom each spring. There are thousands of them—a fleeting moment of nature’s awe before they disappear until next year.”
Susan Trautman, 56
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Executive Director | Great Rivers Greenway
“Frank Holten Park [a state park in East St. Louis] is a special place for me, because I grew up training there for cross-country. My mom and I would also go for runs there and play in the little playgrounds. Now my husband and I go there to play golf. It really has a sense of home. I know it like the back of my hand.”
Dawn Harper-Nelson, 30
Olympic gold medalist | 100-meter hurdles
He speaks of the corkball fields behind the club’s headquarters on Walsh Street in South St. Louis: “Well, it’s not the Field of Dreams, that’s for sure, but you make your own dreams. I started coming with my dad when I was 5. There’s a lot of camaraderie, and it’s taken extremely seriously and with much pride when you win.”
Don Goedeker, 61
Member of the Gateway Corkball Club all-century team
“I’m a rock climber, so for me, Elephant Rocks State Park is just incredible. I go because of the beautiful house-sized granite boulders. Every Christmas morning, I go there and try to climb as many boulders as I can. I’ll climb until my fingers bleed. Rain or snow, I’m going.”
Ian Anderson, 31
Co-owner | Climb So iLL rock-climbing gym
