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E-Notes: July 2021
Welcome to this content-loaded issue of E-Notes, just in time for the return of the Toronto Club Hike program. And that's where we start, with an update about the hike calendar, and then a word (or two or three) from our hiking director, David Royle, in which he talks about ongoing Covid protocols on our hikes. We tell you about the status of the bus and coach program, and about the decision to cancel the Toronto E2E for 2021. And we remind hikers about ticks, with a link to an excellent Ontario Parks blog post on the topic. 

We have a new volunteer opportunity - we're looking for trail captains. Scroll down to see the description of what this involves. We tell you about the BTC's Trail Ambassadors, and about an important new report from Nature Canada that calls on nature groups like ours to make the city's natural spaces more inviting to BIPOC youth. We end with a link to a news item about Steve Kenny from Owen Sound who just completed the entire Bruce Trail in 13 days, a feat not many of us can equal! 

Happy July, everyone.
 
The Calendar is being populated!
We know you are eager to get back out in the woods and ravines and the Club is reopening as quickly as we can within the provincial guidelines. To see what is available, go to the Hikes Calendar. The first events are scheduled for July 10th. The revised registration system is up and running (all hikes require pre-registration) and we think you will be pleased. Check it out!

Remember, the My Hikes icon gives you access to all the hikes you are currently registered for. You can use it to review your selections and cancel. 
Hiking Director Update
Effective this past Saturday, members are able to register for TBTC-led hikes through our new Hiking Calendar. This is great news, and I am thrilled that we are able to resume car and urban hikes, as are all of our hike leaders. I see this as a sure sign of a brighter second half of 2021.

The ongoing safety of our members is our top priority, and as described previously, we are easing into the return of our hikes. We are limiting groups to 10 participants including the hike leader and sweep, following the Bruce Trail Conservancy guidelines. The hikes are also limited for now to Bruce Trail members. Hikers accept an electronic waiver as part of the registration, so no one has to manually sign in at the start of the hike.

Our style of hiking, single-file with space between hikers, naturally aligns with social distancing guidelines. Where it is not possible to maintain a two-metre distance between people, we ask that you wear a mask. For example, wear a mask when you arrive at a trail head, and while the trail head talk is provided. Masks must be worn during pit stops, while clustering round stiles, and at the end of the hike. At lunch stops, wear your mask when you are not actually eating or drinking, and stay separated by 2 metres except with people who are part of your “bubble". While actually hiking on the trail, provided you can keep a 2-meter distance as per provincial guidelines, mask wearing is optional.

As a hiker, we recommend you also take your own precautions at this time, not just with the COVID risk but also bearing in mind the hot days ahead. We suggest updating your day pack to include:
  • FACE COVERING: Make sure you have face masks to wear when 2 metres social distancing cannot be maintained
  • HAND SANITIZER: To use when water and soap are not available for handwashing. Expect to find limited to no washroom facilities on the trail.
  • THREE LITRES OF WATER: Car hikers should bring extra water to leave in your car. This will come in handy at the end of the hike!
Such precautions are likely familiar already if you are out and about in your neighbourhood and/or taking public transport during the pandemic.

We appreciate that some of these new procedures may seem extensive. However, remember that most of the day the pleasures of active hiking will not be compromised. And there may also be some silver linings, especially for those who prefer hiking in smaller groups with less crowding on the trails. 
 
The safety of our members during this transition time is paramount. Our hike leaders operate under guidelines to reduce the risk of getting or spreading COVID-19, and have been asked to enforce them stringently. We thank you for your patience, understanding and loyalty during these times. We look forward to welcoming you back on July 10 when our hiking season resumes.
By David Royle, Hiking Director
Update on Bus Hikes and Coach Trips
Our Hiking Director has been in touch with our transport providers, all of whom have confirmed that they operate within strict COVID guidelines. This involves extra sanitizing of buses and requiring passengers to wear face masks, as well as restricting the number of passengers to half capacity. For the TBTC, this means that it is not financially viable for us to operate bus hikes or coach trips at this time.  As a result, we are not scheduling bus trips yet, and we have cancelled our planned weekend trip to the Bruce Peninsula in September.

Toronto Section E2E 2021 cancelled
In a similar vein, given the extensive advance planning required for the Toronto End-to-End during a time when the situation surrounding COVID-19 is still in flux, a decision has been made to cancel the End-to End of our section for this year.
Watch out for ticks!
As most hikers know, ticks are a growing problem across southern Ontario. Make sure you inform yourself about ticks and to adapt your hiking practices so you can avoid Lyme disease, a serious condition that is spread by black-legged ticks. Check out this blog post from Ontario Parks for information and advice. 
 
Trail Captains Needed
Here's a volunteer opportunity where you (and your family, possibly) can develop a special relationship with a specific section of the Bruce Trail. Our Trail Captains "adopt" a sector that is between 2 and 4 kilometers long, and do basic maintenance throughout the year. Work includes: 
  • cutting back branches and weeds encroaching onto the trail, at least twice each year
  • repainting blazes and ensuring they are visible
  • removing litter 
  • reporting any major issues like fallen trees or structures that need repairs
  • formal inspection of, and reporting on, trail conditions 3 times each year
If this sounds like something that interests you, the Club can provide training, tools, and equipment.  However, Trail Captains do need to provide their own transportation to/from their assigned sector. To volunteer for this, please email volunteer@torontobrucetrailclub.org.
 
BTC Trail Ambassadors promote safe and responsible Trail Use
Be sure to stop and say hi if you happen to meet one of the six Trail Ambassadors hired by the BTC this summer to perform visitor outreach and litter clean-ups at popular places in three regions: Hamilton/Halton, Beaver Valley, and the Bruce Peninsula. Their role is to promote safe practices, and inform visitors about how to reduce their impact on the sensitive environment. 

You may even earn a badge with the wording, "Hike it. Love it. Leave it Clean." if you join them in picking up litter and demonstrate low impact hiking. 

Hike Leaders in Training
The Chair of the Hike Leader Training Committee, Jacqueline Van Dyke, is happy to report that we have a large number of enthusiastic new hike leaders progressing through the revised training program. As announced in an earlier E-Notes, we are partnering with Hike Ontario to provide a blended online and in-person course that includes components covering our Club's bus program and the new hike event system. More than twenty potential leaders have registered for the course with completion expected by the early Fall. Expect to see many new faces at the front of your hikes as they move through the practice and graduation hikes in achieving their certification with the Toronto Club. 
Report says Nature Groups should do more to Help BIPOC Youth access Nature
A new report conducted by U of T researchers entitled Race and Nature in the City provides suggestions for making Toronto’s parks and natural spaces more inviting to BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Colour) youth. The report was commissioned by Nature Canada and was released on May 27, 2021.

The report has a Toronto Bruce Trail Club connection, as Jacqueline Scott, one of the report’s lead researchers, is one of our experienced hike leaders. The PhD candidate was recently quoted in the Toronto Star, talking about her love of nature – “it’s where I feel most alive,” she says.

Jacqueline has a blog about her academic journey and outdoor adventures. She is the author of travel and adventure books, from a Black perspective. Her blog has a wealth of articles, interviews and videos on her outdoor travels from hiking to biking and canoeing.

As she writes in her blog, “My research is on the perception of the wilderness in the Black imagination – in other words, how to make the outdoors a more welcoming and inviting space for Black people.”

The research was commissioned to guide Nature Canada’s partners in the work of incorporating anti-racism and equity in its programming. The first step is to take a hard look at ourselves,” says Graham Saul, Executive Director of Nature Canada. “As nature-lovers we’re always promoting the benefits of getting outdoors and connecting with nature. It’s our responsibility to make sure that message is welcoming to everyone. This report shows we’ve got more work to do and some concrete ways we can do it.”

The Toronto Club’s President, Graham Allen, says: “We welcome this report by Nature Canada and we’re proud of Jacqueline Scott’s work and advocacy. The TBTC has its own diversity and inclusivity initiative, led by David Royle, and this report is going to be very useful to us as we plan our programs and communications in the future.”
By David Rowney
 
End-to-end in 12 days and 13 hours and 16 minutes
Here's a story that should spark interest for TBTC members: Steve Kenny, a 41-year-old man from Owen Sound, completed the entire Bruce Trail on Wednesday June 23, just 12 plus days after starting out in Niagara. While not quite a record, it's a huge achievement. Read his full story here

 
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Toronto Bruce Trail Club E-Notes Editors, Publishers: Magdalena Vanderkooy mvkooy@gmail.com and Wayne Crockett waynehikes@gmail.com






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Toronto Bruce Trail Club · PO Box 597 · Toronto, On M6P4E7 · Canada