Washington man advocates for accessibility in journey across Missouri on Katy Trail

HOLTS SUMMIT, Mo. — Ian Mackay, a C2 quadriplegic and founder of Ian's Ride, was searching for his next trek to raise awareness about accessible trail systems. He found an optimal one in the Katy Trail.

Mackay and supporters were at the North Jefferson Trailhead south of Holts Summit on Monday to start the next leg of their journey. The trip from St. Louis to Kansas City on the Katy Trail started Friday and goes through Thursday. The leg Monday will see Mackay make it to Rocheport. Mackay is from Port Angeles, Washington, and takes trail journeys each year.

He first learned of the Katy Trail in 2022. Some of Mackay's journeys previous journeys would put him on streets and near highways, so he switched his focus to rail trails. Mackay continues to advocate for trail connections from streets and other pathways so that people in wheelchairs have mobility options to keep them away from busy streets, where possible.

The Katy Trail "is a great piece of infrastructure. ... This is doable for people of all abilities. Access to wild spaces for someone with a severe disability can be few and far between," he said, adding that in some journeys he's taken in Washington back to 2016, about 10 to 20 miles will be on a trail, but then the ends up having to ride along a roadway for upward of 30 miles. There have been some changes in the intervening years.

"First a trail is a commuting option. I have a trail near my house and I'm able to commute to therapy appointments, the store or down and enjoy trivia at my local pub. It allows me to live an independent life," he said.

As Mackay takes his journey Monday, he is supported by Jimmy Quenelle and Josh Blaustein, who ride bikes just behind him and Mackay's fiance, Celina Smith, is in a support van, which meets them at the various trail heads. Mackay on hot days like Monday wears an ice vest, and Quenelle and Blaustein help him stay cool, such as through spritzing him with water since he no longer can sweat, and provide him water to drink.

"Nature is the best medicine. Community is everything and we are stronger together," Mackay said, adding riding his chair on a trail "is a lot more fun that sitting and watching TV."

"I hope that Missouri is able to continue to expand infrastructure. I'm really excited to hear about the Rock Island Trail and the potential that has" as a tourist destination, he continued.

Mackay's story

Mackay was a student at the University of California Santa Cruz in 2008 when the course of his life changed.

"I really loved riding my bike. I rode it everywhere. I picked up my groceries, rode to school and rode to work that way. Then one day I was riding my bike and was going a little fast, hit some sand in the path and lost control and went head first into a tree," he said.

He was wearing a helmet and never lost consciousness, but he injured his spinal cord at his second cervical spinal bone, meaning he now is paralyzed from the neck down.

"I spent the next three months in a hospital learning how to live as a paralyzed man. I then moved up to Port Angeles, Washington, from California. Those next few years were brutal. I couldn't see what future I held. I felt like I had a useless body. My excitement and my dreams had just vanished," he said.

He eventually would start spending time outside on a local rail trail, the Olympic Discovery Trail. His passion started to grow and his exploration of the trail grew.

"I thought maybe I can do a really long bike tour again, but in my wheelchair," Mackay said. He called up his old chemistry professor, who took the journey with him in 2016, he added. This was the founding of Ian's Ride.

Celebrating Missouri's trails

Ahead of Mackay's journey Monday, he had an opportunity to speak on the importance of trail accessibility, including two state representatives, Bruce Sassmann, R-Bland, and Dave Griffith, R-Jefferson City, and the director of Missouri Department of Natural Resources, Dru Buntin, which oversees Missouri State Parks and trails.

Others at the North Jefferson Trailhead to see Mackay off included representatives of Rails to Trails Conservancy, Conservation Federation of Missouri and Jefferson City Mayor Ron Fitzwater among others.

More than 450,000 utilize Katy Trail State Park annually. Sassman's district includes portions of the Rock Island Trail, which was purchased by the state in 2021, and has a connection to the Katy Trail at Windsor up to Kansas City. One of his bills this year related to appropriations for the Rock Island Trail. The section of the trail from Windsor east to Beaufort is in development, per Rails to Trails Conservancy reporting. Griffith's district includes a section of the Katy Trail.

Griffith is of an age where he can remember where conversations were held on the Katy Trail's development, he said, noting landowners at the time were reticent about having a trail system running adjacent or even through their property.

"Just the opposite has happened," he said, referencing investments the Missouri General Assembly has made in trails and parks. These investment messages were echoed by Buntin.

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"Part of our heritage is built into the Katy and it connects with many of our rural communities. Missouri State Parks takes pride in the accessibility of our parks system and historic sites," he said, noting the Katy Trail is national recognized for its accessibility.

Within the last year, Missouri State Parks has purchased 18 new accessible beach chairs for swim beaches at state park and added three track chairs for guest use on trails and at historic sites, Buntin said, eliciting looks of appreciation from Mackay.

"Ian, we thank you for advocating and supporting those who have mobility concerns. It's important to us as well. I look forward to visiting with you when you get done with this trip to get any feedback on ways that we can be better," Buntin said.

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Charles Dunlap covers local government, community stories and other general subjects for the Tribune. You can reach him at cdunlap@columbiatribune.com or @CD_CDT on X, formerly Twitter. Subscribe to support vital local journalism.

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Quadriplegic Ian Mackay makes journey across Missouri on Katy Trail