When legendary mountain men, trappers, and explorers scrambled over Bend's forests, peaks, and rivers in the early 1800s, there were moments, amid the plying of beaver pelts, the mapping, surveying, and general Manifest Destiny-type tromping, when they were simply knocked out by the snow-dusted volcanic peaks, endless stretches of ponderosa pine, and the sagebrush-scented serenity of the high desert. After camping along Tumalo Creek in what is now Bend's beloved Shevlin Park in December 1843, famed US expedition leader John C. Frémont journaled,
"Projects like this are a great reminder that it takes time to build great trails and long-term partnerships with land managers. It's a behind-the-scenes level of work that is underappreciated. Chances are, if you want new and exciting trails, so does the managing trail organization."