There are several ways to travel the 13 miles from Slatington to Northampton, and on an absolutely stunning Fall day recently, I chose, echoing Robert Frost, the “road not taken” but no doubt the road most beautiful. On Sunday, Nov. 7, I joined about 900 others in the 10th running of the Delaware & Lehigh Heritage Half Marathon.

At 8 a.m. we noisily bolted out from Northern Lehigh HS with enthusiasm and energy only intensified by the frostily crisp early morning temperature, flowed down (yay!) the steep Diamond Street hill, then panted up (ugh!) the daunting almost mile-long Scout House Road hill, till we flowed on to the Slate Heritage Trail, finally bending south on the D&L trail at the Slatington Trail Head (with thoughts of a Mr. Doggystyle hot dog there later in the day) for a flat and gorgeous 10 more miles to the finish line in Northampton’s Canal Park.

There were both runners and walkers, and the times for completing the 13.1 miles ranged from a (breathtaking) 1:13 to 4:45 hours. And this is the kind of race in which everyone is a winner. Everyone who finished the grueling trek deserved and received a distinctive medal – mine now hangs from the living room mantel.

I can’t speak for the runners, but for the walkers the trip was an aesthetic delight. The Lehigh River is always a joy to behold, and the thinned foliage of the season meant it was a constant crystal-clear companion. It’s Thoreau who said, “There is no natural feature which is a greater ornament and treasure to a town than a river.” We don’t appreciate our river enough.

But there were other sights and sounds that added to the sensual pleasure of the trip. The surprisingly muscular rushing of the (for the most part) silent river at the site of the Three Mile Dam; beautiful, enviable pastoral properties spurring fantasy dreams of ownership; the barking of aroused sentinel dogs warning owners of an invasion of foot soldiers; a solitary cock crowing in the distance at 10 a.m.

And the windowless rusted car hulks swallowed by vegetation; the primordial resonance of the several springs splashing down the high rock wall shading parts of the trail; the dark speck of a solitary angler standing motionless in the tranquil water off the Cementon bridge; the carnival of walking styles exhibited by your trail fellows: the Robot; the Pinwheel; the Monty Python Silly Walk; and the Charlie Chaplin.

But this was not just a walk in the park for me. I had a mission. Some of you will remember my three-year stint in Blogsville as the Bethlehem Gadfly. When I closed the Gadfly, many people wondered what I was going to do. I’m competitive. One of my plans was to be the first 80+ to finish this event. I wanted to be an inspiration to other seniors. I prepared for two months walking gradually longer distances. I lost 10 pounds. And I succeeded. My time was 3:57, and I placed third in the 70+ age category.

My hope is that soon there will be enough participants for an 80+ category. Let’s hear it for resisting the limitations of age. Seniors rock!

I don’t know who founded the rail trail movement that’s blossoming around the country, but he, she, or they deserve our thanks and our financial support. Extending from near Wilkes Barre to near Philadelphia, the 165-mile D&L Trail is an amazing recreational resource.

Let’s nudge the philanthropists and politicians in our area municipalities to finally complete the trail from Northampton to Allentown. And let’s give a tip o’ the hat to the dedicated citizens in Bethlehem who are promoting a bicycle and pedestrian bridge that, among other things, will enhance access to and enjoyment of the D&L.

And, most of all, let’s meditate meaningfully on Thoreau’s thought-provoking claim that “a river is not useful merely to float on.”

Happy trails!