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The Wingham Advance-Times, 1972-06-29, Page 5Bruce By Marion I. Duke What .Gould a retired theatre - owner and an energetic farm family with children ranging from one to 19 years have in com- mon that would keep them talk- ing enthusiastically through an evening until midnight? The Bruce Trail and an abiding interest in conservation in general, that's what. And what's more, talk to Cecil Pelton of Listowel or the Bowles family of RR 2, Atwood for more than a half hour and you're likely 11111.1111. HOLIDAY ,WEEKENI. FUN Two Great Country Shows to find yourself getting all worked up about the idea of walking for pure pleasure. For, to the thousands who enjoy hiking it each year, The Bruce Trail .obviously represents some- thing much more than a long walking trail. Above all it is a place apart—somewhere you can go to get away from it all—if you want to. At the same time it is a place to go' to get close to things, and even people—if if you want to. Following the general line of th a Escarpment, the Bruce Trail Friday, June 30, 8:i5pm. STOMPIN TOM CONNORS and. WILF CARER with Sons of the Saddle ADULTS $3.50 CHILDREN $1.00 Sunday. July 2, 8:15 pm. The Nashville Sound With HUGH X. LEWIS RON and With lincolrti County Boys ROY PENNY, GUITARIST with REBECCA ADULTS $3.00 CHILDREN 7Sc PRE-SCHOOLERS FREE HEPWORTN MUSIC HALL Located at the intersection of Hwy. b and 70 Tickets available at HARRIS V11110 E Y {f S 0 • is a cleared and marked footpa running on the edge of eivilizati through some remarkably be tiful and rugged country. It is a proximately 430 miles in leng and is restricted to hikers una companied by horse power either animal or mechanized. Running from Niagar through Southern Ontario, t trail ends at Tobermory. It offe a unique view of the most pop la ted portion of the provinc Travelling its length, the walk can observe such varying sigh f on s a ordinary people in the u- ture will have some place to go," au- `When you get fo the Hamilton. th and the Dundas areas,, you lock out over the countryside and. you c- can imagine how it must have — been when the Indian walked WS land. And then you take a look a, around you. Now, on the day he you're there, it 'might not be so rs bad.. There might be a strong .` u- wind blowing from the right di, r e. rection and it might look clear, t t er don't know. I only know that is The TWingham Advance -Times, Thursday, June 29,1972 --Rage for just about everyone have to look Mee reallyfor those blazes, especially after the foli- age has reachedd,its full growth, " he said. Members of the Bowles family found the same thing`to be true. "But there's never any real diffi- culty because you're never that far from civilization," said Ron- ald Bowles Sr. "I would advise anyone who is eally interested in walking the rail to part with a few bucks and buy a Guide book," 1,VIr. Pelton aid. and Ronald Bowles agreed. "We walked the first year with- ut 'one, but it certainly is a big elp." he said. "It makes plan- ing a walk much easier—you now where to start and stop," The price Of the - Bruce Trail nide book is $3 for members of he Bruce Trail Association and 5 for non-members. Member - hip fees for the association are: udent (school or university )— per year, adult—$5, family— , youth organization—$5, adult ganization—$10 and commer- al organization—$10. Members ceive the Bruce Trailews hich is published four times arty. The guide book consists mainly detailed maps of the trail and continually updated as the urse of the trail changes. Since e path for the most part falls on ivate land, the existence of the 11 depends upon the permis- n of landowners which inay be thdrawn at any time. 'And" the landowners are ex- mely generous," Cecil Pelton ed. "At various times; as .1 lked by a farmhouse, I had to myself, if I were in their ce would I be that generous." f you •think the generosity .of t landowner is something that f ade too much of, consider the. downer in the Bruce Penin - a who counted approkimately d hikers who passed a given c nt on the trail during the long. toria Day weekend this year. is a lot of people to have ming across your back forty, s whatever during a three -clay , od. as the city as -seen from the edg of the forest and the country as must have appeared to India natives travelling it more than century ago. Cecil Pelton knows the tra better than most casual weeken walkers. He spent a total of 2 days last year walking it ,fro end to end, starting from Niagar in the spring and finishing a Tobermory in the autumn. A man who deeply appreciate the wonders of nature, Mr. Pelto has a record of his hike in slide and can talk at length about th trail's many points .of interest But one suspects his greatest en joyment by far was the days he spent in just walking and obsery ing with the sunlight instead o the time clock to mark the pass ing hours. He recounts with humor his at- tempts to accomplish a good deed which backfired when he -was bit- ten by an unpredictable farm dog; his appreciation of the com- pany of another dog on a difficult part of the hike—despite the ex- tra effort it cost him to help the ,determined stray keep up; his. quiet conversation with an Indian man in Cape Croker country and the final day of the hike spent in the company of an old friend and a young couple who were ill pre- pared for. the rigors of the day after spending the night in the woods. But it is when he speaks of the haze of pollution in the Hamilton and Dundas sections of the trail and of the "big money" being spent to grab up building lots in choice beauty spots that Cecil Pelton really gets into what the Bruce Trail is all about as 'fat he is concerned. "Ten or 20 years from now, the most precious thing in this coun- try will be privacy," he says. "You won't be able to buy it and the smart .people—the ones with money—are buying. up the choice §ites,right` now. That's one of, the reasons why things like the Bruce ail are important, why we have preserve it and try to extend it; when 1 •walked these sections,, the: s e days were beautiful—sunny and • it clear; but the whole area was o n just settled in a haze. And yen h a had to wonder that if what -the n - white man had accomplished. -in k it all these years was so great af- d terall, if it was really worth it," g 7 Started in 1960 -t m The idea of a continuous foot- $ a path along the Niagara Escarp- s t ment from Queenston to Tober- st mory was proposed by Ray $2 s . Lowes to the Federation of On- $5 n tario Naturalists in March, 1960. • or' s The proposal was welcomed and ci e the Bruce Trail Committee was re • formed and held its first meeting w - in September, 1960. ye This year at its annual meeting - the FON honored Mr. Lowes with of its highest award in recognition is - of his work regarding the Bruce co Trail. r h The trail itself was completed pr in 1967 and officially opened by tra the Hon.. Rene Brunelle, then sio Minister of Lands and Forests of wi Ontario. Work, however, con- • Tr to tinues every year on maintaining tre and improving the trail. ' not This work is done by club mem- wa bers of the 11 sections of the ask Bruce Trail Association. Work pia parties organized by the various clubs clear undergrowth, trim the baek trees, ledge slopes, build is m steps, erect stiles and paint white lan blaze markings. Clubs are: Pen- sul ninsula Bruce Trail Club, Lions s;pt� Head BTC, Lower Bruce BTC, .poi Sydenham BTC, Beaver Valley Vic BTC, Blue Mountain BTC, Duf- Tha ferin Hi -Land BTC, Caledon Hills tra BTC, Toronto BTC, Iroquoia BTC or and the Niagara BTC. peri The trail is marked by white blazes of paint, six' inches high and two inches wide on trees, B fence posts, stiles or rocks. On land straightforward stretches, blazes hrke are sometimes few .and far be- the tween and hikers are cautioned to the watch for double blazes, indicat- • abbr ing a chahge of direction. ' folio On the -whole, Cecil Pelton said vtlaH i he was impressed with [lie. condi- : the tion of the trail. "For the most part it is generally well kept and (if Y well ma k d b Carr equipment light and eomforta "I didn't go out and buy a g pair of hiking boots or anythi like that," said Cecil Pelton, though it might have been bet if I had. Parts of the trail quite steep and if the weather been wet, can get pretty slippe But I found that a pair of co fortable boots, suitable for wa ing were adequate." "Anything suitable for we around a farm is certainly alrig r the 'trail," Ronald 'Bow taint If. duything, the hiker is pr ably better off wearing o clothes he knows to fit well' 0 of the Bowles' daughters, M lene, now 14, last year bought new pair of shoes and wore the for a day's outing. Finding the hurting her feet, she took the off and ended up walking 20 that day's 25 miles barefoot. The Bowles were encouraged hike the trail by an uncle who w introduced to trail by one of i originators, Philip Gosling Guelph. Always keenly intereste in conservation, the farm famil ,get out every time they can, ofte during inclement weather whic interferes with farming opera tions. While they like to travel ligh the Bowles always find room fo a well -used copy of Peterson' Field Guide to the Birds. Bot Cecil Pelton and Ron . Bowie commented on the scarcity o wild animals along the trail coun try, °btit noted the countrysid was ideal for bird -watchers. Mr Pelton also has some beautifu slides of unusual, looking snail which he took one misty morning "I was really disappointed in he amount of wildlife I saw as ar as animals were concerned," Cecil Pelton said, "One day I came across some fairly fresh eer tracks and that's about as lose as I got." "A good light pair of binoculars would certainly add to the enjoy- ment of any hike," Ron Bowles aid. Kno.w Where You Are Mr. Peron also noted that in he more isolated sections of the rail, a compass might. also come n handy. "Let's put it this way," e said, "I'd hate to see a boy nder 15 out on the trail alone— specially if he's a -town boy and of -too' familiar with the bush. ut it's up to the individual how ar he wants to carry the safety hing;Certainly somebody- should now 'where you are." + In Cecil Pelton's case, his wife ladys acted as the chauffeur, iving her husband to his start - g point and waiting at the fin- hing. point to pick him up at ay's end. "It sounds as though it could ve been rather dull, but I found actually enjoyed it," Mrs. Pel - n said. "I took along some knit - ng an.d some reading. material d there really are some beauti- 1 spots But thank God for the ronto Telegram or the Star eekly or whoever it was who t up those' sign` posts on the eroads and_l'nnrPccinnc Cnm`o them are getting pretty beat up Ole. many of our back roads are cod really very poorly marked." "ng "Getting to and from the sec- 'al- tions you want to walk can really ter be a problem for the hiker," Cecil are Pelton said. "I couldn't have has walked it in a summer if it hadn't ry. been for Gladys doing the driv- m- ing." lk- In the Bowles' family, it is the eldest daughter Lorna, 19, who ar does the driving. "She seems to ht like driving and of course it les works well for the rest of us," Mr. Bowles said, "Sometimes she ob- starts from the other end- sad Id walks to meet us. And there are ne other times when she has diffi- r-aculty finding the right spot and a some of the roads are so narrow m that she's had to back up for quite m a distance,when meeting another m car." of As Cecil Pelton. noted, a car pool would be the answer for a to number of hikers and many as people are following this prac- ts tice. "I noticed this especially in of the Guelph area where you see d whole families out walking and y cars arriving at the parking area n are filled." h To save the individual hiker the f - monotony of backtracking him- - self, the, Bruce Trail Association t, is developing a number of circa- t ✓ lar trails. According to Ronald t s Bowles, there is a picturesque a h loop trail at Milton. s "But there really isn't any sec- t f tion of the trail that you couldn't d - go out on for one day and really e enjoy yourself," Cecil Pelton ob- p ▪ served. 1 Early Start s This year the Bowles got an • early start on the trail when o father Ronald and sons Ronald, t 17, and David, 15, took part in a t 25 -mile hike in the Orangeville t area on April 16. Of 34 hikers who m began the walk, 28 completed it m with the last coupleof miles hard • is beer cans lett behind by a few careless a snowmobilers during the winter and pop cans disccarded by troops of hiking. Boy Scouts, Cecil Pelton said he found the .trail to be almost pollution free, although his wife noted that he often brought home more garbage than he took out. - In summing up the enjoyments of waking the trail, Mr. P lton and the Bowles noted the obvious delights ofobserving ,nature and keeping fit. But the Oso added a, few extras.. - "It might be .something of a. cliche to say it, but it is. an ideal family activity and an excellent way to bridge the so-called generation gap," Ronald Bowles said. "Then there's the fact that you never know who you'll meet when you start out in the morn- ing. You meet people from all. walks of life along the trail." If you took the time to read up on the different . sections, a hike could be°turned into a living his- tory lesson, tonald Bowles add- ed. "In an eight -mile stretch in. the Stoney Creek area we saw a 300 ft. water fall, an 1812 battle- ield, natural gas burning on* a hillside, some rate trees and° nother 45 ft. -waterfall. .And hat's pretty hard to beat in one afternoon and it didn't cost us nything." "It's a great way to see a por- ion of Ontario—see it as it is to - ay and as it was unchanged from a hundred years ago," Cecil elton said. �• Other Trails ' Since the Bruce Trail was pened other walking trails are pringing up all over the country, he latest one in this area being he proposed Couchiching Trail hich will stretch nearly 200 iles from London to the shore of Lake Couchiching near Orillia. It being blazed this summer by a roup of university students operating with a $13,330 Oppor- nities for Youth grant. Portions the Couchiching will"coincide ith the Bruce. • Meanwhile work on the Brute es on. Campsites are being ilt to allow continuous hiking ong the entire' length of the rail. It is hoped eventually that nger Lakes Trail will be ex nded through New York State to k the Bruce Trail with theeAp- lachian Trail For those inter - ted, the. general address of the uce Trail Association is 33 ardale Crescerit;. Hatltoh' `, tario. , t And if you just can't wait to ce up the boots, then more pow - to you. Get going and good hik- . Only take the time to re - ember the trail motto and you n't go fix wrong. EAVE ONLY YOUR THANKS AND TAKE NOTHING BUT TRAIL CODE ecause the rights of private t owners must be- recognized, i rs are asked to observe -the h user's code as published by' u Bruce Trail Association. An e eviated form of -the code is as n ws: - B ke only along the marked 'f te. Do -not climb ,fences—use t stiles. Carry out all garbage k ou carry.it in full, you can y it out empty). Build fires G in the places provided, or dr r still carry a lightweight in . Leave flowers' and plants is thers to enjoy. Never strip d from trees as it will kill . Keep dogs on the: leash ha farmland. Walk around the 1 of . farmer's • fields, not to s them. Protect and do not ti b wildlife. Leave only your an s and take nothing but fu graphs. To le there is no shortage of W e .for the., beginning hiker, Pu Mr., Pelton and Mr. Row1Pc sid ssed the opinion that it was of easy to go `overboard' regarding specialized equipment. The main things, they say, are to keep your r e , ut sometimes you WINGHAML-iONS CLUB ANNUAL ...Come and Enjoy a the Activities - DEC_ ORATED WAGON AND BICYCLE PARADE . - THE DEB -U -TONS MAJORETTES - THE OPP SAFETY TRAFFIC TRAILER. WILL BE ON DISPLAY - A WALKATHON IN SUPPORT - OF NEW BALL PARK - BEEF DRAW AND - ART SHOW IN COUNCIL CHAMBERS - BINGO AND OTHER GAMES - DUNKING TANK .• - STREET PAINTING FOR THE KIDDIES WITH WATER PAINTS - FOOD BOOTH - CKNX MOBILE UNIT - LOG SAWING CONTEST - BABY SNOW MERCHANTS' SIDEWALI( .DISPLAYS only bet to stove for o bark them near edges acros distur thank photo Whi advic both expre and hard to read, but they are really the only indication of where you are., I found out that going through heavy snow. Ronald and David camped out a few times along the trail last to summer and this year. have de- of cided to try to walk the trail from end to end. If they make.it, they'll w still be hard put to. upstage their mother, Anne. Last year Mrs. bu Bowles walked the trail one week alu before the birth of her youngest child Steven and was out again Fi• t when the baby was a week old. to This year Steven, a' year old in lito April, took his first steps on the riaa trail. The 'youngster obviously es • loves the' activity, crowing with delight the minute he spots.his-. Br child's carrier. a' . On While hiking the Bowles fortify themselves with something they la call "scroggin" a- home-made mixture of raisins,. nuts, "choco- late and other energy -giving ing gY-g gin- m gredients which has long been the stand-by of cross country skiiers wit:, and is known by a multitude of L names. The hiker out for a day should also carry a supply of drinking water, for even on the Bruce Trail, nature at its best -in South-, ern Ontario, hikers are instructed not to drink from streams or un- marked springs as they may be rc••;.+tc... vai 6a1C UzIILLLLQU'IICIA shores of Georgian Bay, the water is fit to drink a few feet off- shore. With the exception of pockets of PHOTOGRAPHS. DONNYBROOK John Hildebrand is in Wingham and District Hospital for x-rays and observation. • Lion Jefferson and Derek visit- ed Monday with his parents,. Mr. and Mrs. Charles. Jefferson. Mr. and Mrs. Frank Campbell visited the same home Sunda y• READY FOR THE BRUCE --Six members of the family of Mr. and Mrs. Ronald Bowles of RR 2, Atwood, are shown his they were ready for a hike along the Bruce Trail earlier this spring. From the left are Sharon, 7; Keith, 9; Ronald, 17, carrying one-year old Steven; David, 15, carrying a knap- sack which he made himself; and Marlene, 14. Oldest daughter Lorna, 19, does the driving while Mr. and Mrs. Bowles also enjoy hiking. This year Ronald and David hope to walk the trail end to en:d. ( Banner Photo)