The Citizen, 2017-05-11, Page 27THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MAY 11, 2017. PAGE 27.
Work on G2G Trail continues ahead of IPM
parking lot along the trail and to
plant 150 trees along that portion of
the trail in honour of Canada's 150th
anniversary.
Work on the trail began several
years ago when several local trail
enthusiasts began exploring the
concept of turning a former railbed
into a trail that would stretch from
Goderich to Guelph, over 125
kilometres.
Once complete, the trail would be
one of the longest in the province.
Lee also says that with the extensive
work grading and packing the trail, it
will be one of the few unpaved trails
that's suitable for most cyclists, not
just for those with mountain biking
equipment.
Lee says that plenty of work
had been done along the trail to
clear a wide path for those using
the trail, clearing brush and
ensuring a uniform width in the
trail entirely from end to end.
That extensive clearing, coupled
with frequent get-togethers centred
around the installation of posts and
gates, has brought the trail a long
way from where it was when the
project first began.
Doug and Lynda Wilson were
among the first to walk the trail from
end to end. The couple's exploits
have since been recorded in Lynda's
book, Walking Home, which was
released last year.
The G2G's annual Spring on the
Trail event is the organization's next
scheduled event, set for Saturday,
May 13. It encourages residents to
travel the trail and learn a little bit
more about it in one of the first
weekends expected to be warm
enough for comfortable outdoor
travel.
For more information on the trail,
visit www.g2grailtrail.com.
www.seedforwildbirds.com
Dig it
Chris Lee, left, and Paul VanderMolen, right, are two of the most instrumental faces behind the
Goderich-to-Guelph Rail Trail, which has seen significant upgrades and improvements in
recent weeks, including the installation of several bridges. The men are seen here early in the
trail process drilling holes for posts along the trail. (File photo)
By Shawn Loughlin
The Citizen
With plans for the Goderich-to-
Guelph (G2G) Rail Trail to serve as
a cycling/hiking highway for this
year's International Plowing Match
(IPM), work on the trail has ramped
up in recent months.
Chris Lee, one of the members of
G2G Inc., which is carrying out the
work on the trail, said that he hopes
the trail will provide IPM -goers with
an alternative route to the match this
September. With the trail fully
accessible for anyone wishing to use
it, the Walton match will be the first
in history to utilize this kind of
option.
Those working to complete the
trail have been busy lately,
completing three new bridges.
The first bridge will be installed
over the Blyth Brook sometime this
month. It was co -funded by Huron
County, G2G Inc. and Regional
Tourism Organization 4 (RTO4).
The Limekiln and Sandhill Line
bridge towards Auburn has also been
constructed and will be installed
sometime this month and the McCall
stream bridge, just west of Walton
has also been constructed and is
ready to be installed in the next few
weeks.
The Walton -area bridge, Lee said,
is crucial, as it will clear the way for
a route directly to the 2017 IPM in
Walton.
Other
significant
ongoing
Clear the way
One of the key steps in the Goderich-to-Guelph Rail Trail
process was the clearing of the brush along the sides of the
trail in order to ensure uniformity from end to end, which
was accomplished by this machine months ago. (Fite photo)
infrastructure projects along the trail
include the installation of gates to
help control unauthorized access to
the trail.
Lee said these gates will ensure
that ATV users are not on the trail. It
is provincially -mandated that
motorized vehicles, such as ATVs,
are not permitted on the G2G trail,
or any other provincial trail for that
matter.
The installation of the gates and
continued monitoring of trail use,
Lee said, will ensure that the trail
remains in a suitable condition for
those using the trail.
Further trail improvements were
completed at the scheduled spring
clean-up on April 22 and then the
day dedicated to tree -planting on
April 29.
Bridgekeepers, which is the
stewardship group for one section of
the trail, alongside Trees 4
Woolwich and adjacent landowner
Calvin McCandless have all been
working together to expand a
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