After my son passed away on October 2, 2012, one of his classmates and good friends asked the school district if he could purchase and plant a tree in Ian's memory. The tree here was planted and dedicated on October 2, 2013, with several friends, teachers and administration from STC, many of Ian's classmates (the Class of 2017), and many of his XC teammates on hand for the ceremony. There is an engraved marker at the base of the tree to commemorate the occasion too.
A few weeks later we had the rock here engraved (as well as another about 300' east of this spot) and we used memorial funds and proceeds from the 2013 Lincoln Highway Bridge 5k Run (also dedicated to Ian's memory) to purchase a pair of benches for this part of the trail (one here and one farther east). I am unofficially the creator and keeper of the maps that document development of the rec trail (http://trail.TamaToledo.org) so with permission from my fellow trail organizers the portion of the trail you find yourself on has been designated as "Ian's Spur".
I pass by this spot frequently when I am out for a walk or riding my bike on the trail. Sometime before the benches were placed I was touched to find that someone had left flowers, plastic ones that require virtually no care, at the base of the rock.
Before the accident that ended his life, Ian was a pretty typical teenage boy and didn't pay much attention to 'pretty' things like flowers. But he was also small for his age and the 'baby' in the family, so there was still a lot of 'little boy' in him, making him perhaps a little more sensitive and compassionate than other boys his age.
I do believe Ian would have been, perhaps is, as moved as I was by someone leaving flowers at the memorial here.
If you believe that too, then please consider leaving nothing but your 'signature' in the cache here (the container is very small anyway). Instead, leave a flower or two (but preferably not real ones) by the rock if you like. This is by no means required. And please don't leave anything too elaborate as it might be taken or simply blown away when the wind kicks up, as it does here quite often. I will do my best to take care of the area when I walk or bike past.
Important Note: The rec trail here forms a boundary around the playground of the STC Elementary School. Please note that there may be children playing nearby during the school year so be polite and discrete as usual. Feel free to use the trail and either of the designated parking areas, if available, but try not to alarm or disrupt the kids or their activities. Thank you.
Congratulations to Sidetrax2 with the FTF and Thank You for the rose.