When friends Sandy Robey and Sandy Bodjack remembered their friend Ross Cogger during a wake held to celebrate his life last November, what they recollected was his love of the out-of-doors.
"He was a bicyclist and really into the outdoors and the TART Trail," said Bodjack of her friend who talked about riding the newly opened Boardman Lake Trail during his final hospital stay.
"He wanted to be able to ride the trail, but he never had the opportunity to. We decided we wanted to do something to support the Trail in his memory," Bodjack noted.
The women, after contacting the TART Trail office, came up with a fund-raising event to support the expansion of and increase community awareness of the Boardman Lake Trail.
The inaugural Ross Cogger Memorial TART Trail Trek was held Saturday on the trail that starts at Medalie Park near Logan's Landing and follows the shore of the Boardman Lake, ending near the Traverse Area District Library.
"The women came up with this to make people aware of the trail and raise a little money for the completion of the trail which will eventually encircle Boardman Lake," said Missy Luyk of the TART Trails organization.
"Now that this half of the trail is complete, everyone will have a chance to see just how beautiful the area is. It is a great asset to our community," Luyk said.