The "rail trail" along the rail line largley already exists as there is in many places a well trod trail along the end of the ties where fisherman walk to acess the canyon. My wife and I who do not fish have walked from Minam down river for a long ways. I hiked down Howard Crk. to reach Vincent (which was at one time a depot location)and found the same trail along the ties. Similarly from the end of the road at the old mill site below Lookinglass on the Grande Ronde it is easy to walk along the line. I see no problem if grants can be had to enhance the trail and pour a little money into the local economy, but mostly the trail idea would only need interpretive signage and modest work along the line for the needs of the hiking public used to wilderness hiking. Perhaps in more populous areas a"trail" means an asphalt paved strip, but I would submit that anything that grandious would be out of place in the rugged canyon.
On another note I was through Elgin last week and see that the former YW caboose is now blocked in on the storage spur between the out of service UP caboose and the non operational GP7 2807. Despite Chuck's information that a lean is being placed on it, that still doesn't fully answer the question if in fact Hammond owns it. Was it already owned by others explaining why he was seemingly content to leave it in Elgin? I was not a Hammond basher, but am now a complete cynic. I listened to his presentation given last year in Enterprise that seemed a bit too good to be true, and obviously it was.