Winter took forever to arrive this year and for a long time it was less than ideal for getting out on snowshoes and skis. But it didn’t slow down all the people we saw out and about on the trails. I seldom had the opportunity to use my snowshoes this year because every time I got to a trail, it was already hard packed from all the people getting there ahead of me. What time are these people getting up?
The pandemic has caused an abundance of heartache, separation, and loss around the world but one way people are coping is by getting out on the trails and into the woods. We saw a massive increase in trail use over the summer but trail use has, if anything, gone up even more over the winter.
In January, Island Trails was featured on CBC in a story about trail etiquette. And later in the month we had a meeting with Premier King where he reiterated his support for Island Trails and our efforts to get people engaged in healthy activity.
Over the winter Island Trails has been busy getting ready for the summer season. We have a large infrastructure improvement project planned for many of our trails, we continue to work on bringing a couple more trails into existence, and the Island Walk project is going into an even more ambitious second phase. This is a lot of activity for a little organization such as ours so it’s going to be a very busy summer.
You will see later in the newsletter that we have established, in association with the Community Foundations of PEI, an Island Trails Endowment Fund. Please have a look and consider supporting it should your finances allow.
Winter is going to be over before you know it. Busy times are ahead. See you on the trails!
Mike