A few years ago, Brandon Doerner and his twin six-year-olds, Aaron and Katie, ventured into the woods behind the Hurricane City Park in Putnam County. Their mission: to break ground on what was to become the Meeks Mountain Trail System.
An avid mountain biker with a background in commercial real estate, Doerner joined the Hurricane Development Authority and was assigned the task of mapping out a potential trail system for running, hiking, and mountain biking. His initial goal was to build about a mile of trail with his kids in order to demonstrate his design and building master plan to others involved in the project.
Doerner started laying out a plan for how he wanted the trail to look and feel, with the goal of bringing out scenic aspects for hikers and bikers. Word of the new trail system spread like wildfire through the community. Soon, local volunteers arrived at the trail site to help with construction, and once the initial two-mile loop was built, Doerner went public with the project.
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