Throughout the years along the Mount Vernon Trail, the Friends of the Mount Vernon Trail put in hours of back-breaking work, pulling weeds, flattening root humps and clearing sight lines for thousands of bicyclists that use the trail every year. They don’t get paid in dollars but their positivity goes a long way.

One of the group put a lot of the comments they’ve gotten on “paper,” to share with like minds.

“As an all volunteer nonprofit one of the ways we get ‘paid’ is through the kind words people share online. This past year we have kept a spreadsheet of all the positive comments we received. Here is a collection of some of our favorites,” the Friends said on their website.

Words of encouragement for the Friends group. 

 

“Remember, words are powerful! Spread positivity online,” they said on the site.

Friends Get Noticed

2023 was a good year for the Friends of the Mount Vernon Trail. The group won the 2023 Ellen Pickering Environmental Excellence Award; they saw an increase in volunteers; partnered with the Rosslyn Business Improvement District and made 844 trail improvements. Doing all this stuff takes a little more than shoving a few hand shovels in the backpack and riding down to the spot though, so they incorporated the "Vern the Tern GSD and Carla Cargo bike trailer." It's like the 18-wheeler of the bike world. Tern is a brand of electric bikes and GSD stands for “Get Stuff Done.” 

“The GSD will haul shopping, cargo, two toddlers in rear childseats, two bigger children, six conventional panniers or a mixture of these things,” the website says. Also it will pull a trailer.

All of the Friends materials are purchased with contributions. To contribute, go to https://mountvernontrail.org/

Surely passing a bike (Tern GSD) on the path that’s towing “Carla Cargo bike trailer,” is going to turn many heads because this is something new to the bike world in Mount Vernon. Sometimes a backpack just won’t cut it anymore. This bike trailer apparatus is straight out of Europe where bike commuting and errand-running is more prevalent. To start off with, the Tern bikes have a back "deck," for hauling stuff that can be folded out in a "doublewide," configuration for groceries, tools and more. Then add the trailer, like one of the Friends of the Mount Vernon Trail has and the possibilities for "cargo-carrying solutions," increase. In Alexandria, Tern bikes and equipment are available at Conte’s Bike Shop on the corner of King and Henry Streets.

“Most people get these to carry, or be prepared to carry, more than what your average backpack will support comfortably while cycling,” said Conte manager Raven Vickers. Apparently that is the case with the Friends of Mount Vernon Trail trailer.