Autumn 2005
Editor: Doug Bolton email bolton@niagaradsl.com phone 905 892 8043
| Autumn 2005 | |
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Editor: Doug Bolton email bolton@niagaradsl.com phone 905 892 8043 | ||
Web Version: John Lye email jlye@brocku.ca
Deadline for inclusion in the Winter issue is December 1.
Contents:
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BRUCE TRAIL DAY SUNDAY OCT 2
Landowners Appreciation Dinner |
— Keith Rae
A long hot summer that included some terrific hiking, (see the stories which follow), a couple of garage sales, and never ending trail maintenance by Dave Walters and his loyal team of Tys Murre, Everett Collins, Dean Douglas, Bob Balint and Jack Fortin. Also a great deal of landowner relations activity with Margaret Kalogeropoulos and Grace Bevan. Please read about the following important fall activities.
Bruce Trail Annual General Meeting
September 17/18 at Owen Sound- see BTA magazine for details.
Saturday September 2 — Crystal Wealth Run for the Future-
Clayton Smith of Crystal Wealth and Marc Hamel of Advisor Asset Management are devoting 15 days to run the Bruce Trail from Tobermorey to Queenston Heights. They are asking people to support the Run though donations which go to the Escarpment Legacy Fund of the BTA, and/ or by joining them on the trail for a day or more and raising money as a participant in the event. (See page 23 of BTA magazine, summer 2005 edition and also www.runforthefuture.ca for more information. )
Now I think it only fair that if these chaps can dedicate 15 days to fund raising for the BTA, our club can come out and show our appreciation and assist in raising funds. We can do this in one or more ways:
See more about this worthy cause below
Sunday, October 2 — Bruce Trail Day — Pavilion 2, Queenston Heights.
The public is invited, and we need you to come out and bring those friends and family who show an interest in hiking and the great outdoors. This is an opportunity to attract new members while providing an introduction to the Bruce Trail and our club. Your participation is important and any assistance you can offer will be appreciated. Children and families are particularly welcome. One hour hikes will leave roughly on the hour from 11 AM to 2 PM. Light refreshments will be served.
Thanks to all who contributed to making the summer activities a success. — Keith Rae
Perhaps we would be Americans today if a brave woman had stayed home where women were supposed to be in those days. Laura Secord overheard American soldiers talking at dinner at her house that they planned to raid the Native and British armies at Beaverdams. In the early morning of June 24th 1813 she walked 30 kms to warn the soldiers and they were then able to ambush the enemy. On Saturday, June 25, 2005 the 14th annual Laura Secord Hike was once again a successful event. Thanks must be sincerely extended to the volunteers who ensure a great hike,especially “Checkpointers" Shirley and Gord Orr, Mariam and Herb Patten, Trudy Senesi and Marge and Lou and Judy Gaudier.
Despite the heat and humidity, all 18 hikers survived the 30 kms and arrived at DeCew House for a delicious lunch. To Liz Reaker (Laura Secord) we all thank you for this special finale. My gratitude to a Bruce Trail alumnus, Dave Dewey, for sponsoring the bus and to Frank Delogu for his assistance with the hike he has organized for many years. Next year's hike will be the 15th annual and will happen on Saturday, June 24th, exactly 193 years after Laura's trip. See you then.
—Everett Collins
Crystal Wealth Management’s CEO Clayton Smith and his running partner and business associate, Advisor Asset Management Group CFO Marc Hamel, are training every day to prepare for ultra-running the entire length of the Bruce Trail in 14 days.
And you don’t have to run to participate! All members are encouraged to participate. Go to the website (www.runforthefuture.ca) to sign up to participate and pledge. The beauty of this website is that you can forward your personal pledge sheet to anyone via email for your run/walk/hike.
On the website you will see a daily schedule for the run. Clayton and Marc have all the logistics worked out and only ask for some company on the Trail (for at least the first few meters!) and pledge support. For every $1,000 in donations collected, Crystal Wealth donates an additional $100. All dollars raised for the Bruce Trail will go to the Escarpment Legacy Campaign to secure a permanent, natural footpath so that we all can continue to have access to the Niagara Escarpment.
Grand Valley Trail extends 250 km from Lake Erie to Alton. This year, GVTA will organize, for the first time, end to end events for the Towpath and Carolinian Crest sections (the other two to follow in 2006).
The Towpath (from Dunnville, Cayuga to north of Caledonia) end to end is to take place on 1st & 2nd of Oct 2005 and the Carolinian Crest end to end (from north of Caledonia, Brantford, Paris to north of Glen Morris) on 15th & 16th of Oct 2005.
It will be bus supported, with checkpoints & refreshments. A chevron is awarded for each completed section. Registration fee is $ 20 per weekend.
Please send a cheque payable to GVTA to:
Include your name, address, telephone # and e-mail address.
Info: www.gvta.on.ca, gvta@golden.net or call 519-576-6156
Thanksgiving weekend, Oct 8, 9, 10 2005
Club members are invited to join the Caledon Hills Club in their 67 km Fall Colour hike Registration fee is $19.00 or $8.00per day payable to the Club. Mail payment to
More info at (905) 822 1877 or peter.leeney@utoronto.ca
Once again our annual Niagara End-To-End was super. I would like to give my thanks to the volunteers who attended to the checkpoints. These wonderful volunteers make our annual event so successful year after year; it makes hikers want to come back for their scrumptious treats.
On May 21st checkpoints were attended by Louise Libra, Keith Rae, Brenda Zadoroznij, Kay Marjoran, LaReine Foden, Tys Murre and Joyce Herridge.
May 22nd: Mike Featherstone, Vici Dunk, Maria Batcules, Ann Judd, Cathy Baggot, Jannine Verhenne, Everett Collins, Judy Gaudier, Norma Delogu and Steve Stevenson
May 23rd: Grace Bevan, Wilma Lidkea, Bill Lidkea, Jim Prudie, Audry Rossum, Trudy Senesi and Wendy Fraser.
These valuable volunteers were always on the job, greeting hikers and offering them drinks and treats. A special thanks to Liz Reaker who supplied a wonderful lunch at the end of the event at Queenston Heights.
Thanks also to the following who supplied a variety of delicious pastries and baked goods: Maryann Fischer, Lily Sicoli, Tanya Fasano and Starlene Azzopardi.
Congratulations to the Niagara members who finished the hike and received the precious Niagara End-To-End badge: Vito Fasano, Paul Hutchinson, Marion Roggeband, Lynda Bonnar, Jim Rainforth, Chris Bruch, Marion Hanover, and especially to Frank Delogu who celebrated his 75th birthday by doing the End To-End and to those other 52 hikers that finished this strenuous 81.7 kms hike. Thanks also to the members who came out to cheer the finishers at the Cairn. I’ll look forward to doing all this again next year.
— Fred Azzopardi
Trudi Senesi, Liz Reaker, Frank Deloguo, Marion Hanover, Marion Roggeband
Each year the Niagara BruceTtrail Club holds four long hikes: Fort-To-Fort, Niagara End-To-End, Laura Secord and Port to Port (Merritthon). (Merritthon may not go this year). Much planning and co-operation is required of club members. One of the most important details is getting volunteers to do the checkpoints. They are called upon year after year and some will do two check points for a hike that requires two or three days to complete.
These valuable volunteers not only give of their time but often dig deep into their pockets to supply the treats and drinks for the hikers. Our Niagara checkpoint volunteers have given our club a reputation for having world famous checkpoints with such treats as delicious whiskey cake, scrumptious muffins, cookies to die for, tropical fruit, cold watermelon, and a Tim Horton’s stand. And to top all this our own Laura Secord, in the person of social convener Liz Reaker, always puts on a hearty spread at hike’s end.
Our Club should feel very grateful and proud to have these wonderful volunteers. I value and tip my hat to these giving people — you are the greatest.
— Fred Azzopardi
This happy gang, Eibert Dykstra, Bernice Thiessen, Keith Rae, Everett Collins, Diana Knight, Ernestine Petriw, Marion Hanover and Judy Gaudier, hiked the Sydenham section. Three of the group, Bernice, Eibert and Keith, have now finished hiking the whole Bruce Trail.
What a group! Eibert the organizer, Diana the map reader, Marion the trail blazer, Ernestine the pace setter, Ev the master of one liners, Bernice the KP sergeant, Keith entertainer around the campfire and Judy the Bionic woman.
Saturday, Oct 29th at the Rockway Community Centre at 2021 Pelham Road (Regional Road 69)
Social hour 5 to 6 dinner 6 sharp.
Bring plate, cup, cutlery and your contribution for the pot luck meal.
RSVP to Grace Bevan at 905 684 3248 or email gol188@hotmail.com. It would be helpful if the organizers knew in advance how many hikers plan to attend this year.
Two of our landowners who hiked.
A warm welcome to these new Niagara Bruce Trail Club members:
| Melissa Blazak Isabel Bravo Mary Jane Davison James & Ellen Deane Danielle Dubois Rhonda Eisler & family Rick Emmett Lisa Etienne Sheila Gardezi Pierre Giroux Ann Glysz Susan Hall John & Sandra Hildebrand John & Carin Hill Jeremy Hill & family Sheryl Leblanc & Family Brenda Lorenzo Peter Long & family |
Fran Main & family John Marn & family Carlos Mendez Ed McCarthy Lorraine McFadden Ewen Neil Mary Lynn Stokes & family Joyce Rankin Duncan Ritchie & family Chuck & Sandy Ronson Gary & Donna Sand Gary & Theresa Schryer & family Richard Schryer & family A. Shapiro D&A Swatzky & family Gerald Taylor & family Lynn Taylor & family Gail Wolters Vince Zvvonar |
The Niagara Bruce trail now has 537 members
To find information about becoming a member, how to pay for membership, or if you have missed a newsletter contact the MEMBERSHIP CONVENOR DIANE SAUDER at 905 788 2951 or dsauder@iaw.com. You may also contact the BRUCE TRAIL ASSOCIATION AT 1800 665 4453 OR www.brucetrail.org.
Attention Trail Captains and Trail workers
A workshop is planned for September 24th at Silver Creek Ed Centre in the Toronto section, starting at 9:00 AM. Transportation and lunch will be provided.
Please call Dave Walters at (905) 646-2461 interested
This just in: the BTA acquired 11 more properties in the last fiscal year; one in Niagara. We're working on more. The process is much more efficient now. If anyone is aware of properties along the trail that are for sale, please contact me. We want to secure the trail in perpetuity and your help is vital.
— Margaret Kalogeropoulos 905-935-8560 email panos@vaxxine.com
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HTML mark-up by John Lye August 29, 2005