Mr. Trail, Randy Peterson, passed away.

What is the measure of a man? Do you measure his career in the Coast Guard defending our shores, and saving people from the seas? Do you measure raising successful children that are contributors to society? Or do you measure the commitment he had to the community building the Clear Creek Trail?

Randy Peterson was all of these, but I think of him as Mr. Clear Creek. For twenty years, he built and maintained the Clear Creek trail. He loved the trail, and when Illness prevented him from actively doing his day-to-day chores; he continued with his advice.

Randy, with his “cute” little red Jeep pick-up were a daily feature on the trail for years. He kept the trail mowed, picked up trash, and fixed anything that needed fixing. He never made a deal of it; he just did it. He loved building and expanding the trail. He ran twenty Earth Day events building the trail and countless work days with alternative to detention kids building citizenship.

Randy had no ego. When he thought something was good for the community, he did it. Over the years, he acquired all our tools and maintained them. From his Coast Guard experience, he knew how to make do on a shoe string. He never wimped about “lack of resources”. He was resourceful. A lesser man would have quit.

Randy was my friend. I’ll miss him. His legacy is our inspiration. When you walk the trail, enjoy it; but realize it didn’t just happen.

– Tex Lewis, Silverdale