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Together We Go Further
Trails Connect Us All, Together We Go Further
Background
As we begin to gradually emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic that swept the globe, we realize that the world is an intimately interconnected community with a shared future. Facing various changes and challenges to come in 2030: climate change, eco-environmental degradation, aging societies, declining birth rates, regional conflicts, and other issues, it is clear that everything is connected, and the trails community can hardly stay on the sidelines.
Furthermore, it is precisely in such a difficult moment that trails can act as the umbilical cord between man and nature. The peace of body and mind provided to us by trails is of particular importance, but the trails must also then bear more than a fair share of stress and harm.
Merely resisting or overcoming man-made and natural disasters is already a failing method. We have begun to realize that only through adjustment and resilience can we preserve flexibility, reduce damage, and better achieve rapid recovery; there are related supporting concepts in Asian cultures such as the saying “what is soft and weak overcomes what is hard and strong” in the Tao Te Ching, or the “zen” philosophy. Trails are not only beneficial to physical and mental health, they also help us love nature, learn about different cultures, form mutually supportive networks; they are a common language that transcends ethnicities and borders.
As trail organizations from different regions, we gather here, bringing our individual issues and common challenges. We have our own traditions, cultures, experiences, and systems. We also have better than ever opportunities for mutual impact and exchanges. Trails are our shared concern. Let us bond and become an extended family to learn and grow together. Let us embrace humility and gratitude as we form a resilient and organic community by supporting each other through action as we face the changing times.
Our Gratitude and Pledge
We are grateful for the trails that help our bodies and minds become healthier, giving us greater resilience in our daily lives
We are grateful for the wind, the rain, and all four seasons in a year for nourishing our lives. We are grateful for the trails bringing us into nature to receive its therapeutic and revitalizing powers so that we live, work, and relax with greater resilience.
We are grateful for the protection of local trail cultural heritage, so that we can support local communities to build greater social resilience
We are grateful to all the communities along the trails for creating a diverse landscape of lifestyles and cultural heritage, and providing us with necessary services for hiking the trails. It also allows us to respect local communities, and support their economies, adding more life to these areas.
We are grateful for the tolerance of nature, and we shall protect eco-resilience as we Leave No Trace
We are grateful for mountains, the ocean, animals, plants, and nature for tolerating our disturbance. We shall minimize our impact on the eco-environment, maintain the cleanliness and peace of our trails, and protect the common good.
We are grateful for the trail’s tolerance of its users, and we shall preserve trail resilience through community action
We are grateful for the ecosystem, soil, tree roots, and insects under our feet for enduring our tread and disturbance. We are willing to contribute our efforts to repair trails and improve the natural environment, helping those walking the trails become true lovers of nature.
We are grateful that trails brought us together, and we shall improve regional resilience together in the spirit of respecting diversity, openness, and inclusion
We are grateful that the love of trails gave all of us, different people from different places, a common theme for which we care deeply, and a common value to protect. Just like the ocean connects land, trails bond our friendship. Because of our respect for diversity, our openness, and our inclusion, we are no longer individual islands, but rather a community of solidarity that promotes world peace hand-in-hand.
Together We Go Further! We are Trails Family!
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