On Sept. 25, the Guelph Hiking Trail Club invites everyone to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Radial Line Trail.
The celebration will consist of a gentle hike along the trail, about 1-1/2 to two hours long, starting at 2pm, and on returning to the Eramosa River Park, there will be refreshments, cake, socializing, and celebratory comments from club and community dignitaries. Everyone is invited to the hike and post-hike party.
Following a groundswell of interest in hiking in Ontario in the late 1960s and early 1970s (the world-famous Bruce Trail and many other Ontario hiking trails were founded around then), the Guelph Hiking Trail Club (GHTC) completed the Radial Line Trail in late fall 1971.
The 41km rural trail from Guelph to the Bruce Trail at Limehouse was built and has been continuously maintained by the GHTC volunteers.
The main trail is marked by orange blazes and side trails have blue blazes.
The success of the trail prompted the club to build and maintain other area trails such as the Starkey Trail (now maintained by the Grand River Conservation Authority) and the Speed River Trail, from Guelph to Cambridge.
The GHTC also maintains the first leg of the Kissing Bridge Trail, the portion from Guelph to West Montrose.
The GHTC has gone from strength to strength, bringing together people who enjoy walking in the outdoors, and offering guided hikes (day and evening) and hiking presentations.
Last year the club also started offering kids hikes, which have proved popular. The membership fee for the club is set at $25 per year, and there is always a good range of hikes offered, from gentle, easy ones for beginners, to faster, more strenuous hikes for those who enjoy a challenge.
The 40th anniversary celebration of the Radial Line Trail will be followed by these GHTC Ontario Hiking Week activities in the first week of October:
– Jack Scott Memorial Hike on the Blue Springs and Sugar Shack side trails, on Oct. 1 at 2pm;
-kids hike on Oct. 2 at 1pm;
– New members night on Oct. 5 at 7pm;
– Crawford Lake to Rattlesnake Park hike on Oct. 8 at 10am.
Visit the club website www.guelphhiking.com or call Kathy at 519 836-9147.
