East Coast Trail celebrates successful fundraiser — and 30 years of hiking
The trail system, and the association taking care of it, started with the goal of connecting communities
At its annual Trail Raiser in Bay Bulls Saturday, the East Coast Trail Association wasn't just celebrating meeting its fundraising goal of $100,000, but the trail's 30th anniversary as well.
Association president Randy Murphy says making it to the three-decade milestone is "an awesome accomplishment."
"When we started in '94 … we always mused that some time in the future, we would have a trail that basically would be a destination hiking trail in eastern Newfoundland for the world. And we thought it would be achieved probably in the next generation," said Murphy.
"Here we are, 30 years in, and the trail basically is recognized internationally."
When the association benchmarked the trail's performance in 2013, he said, they found that 58 per cent of hikers were from outside the province, contributing $3.5 million to the provincial economy. In 2010, National Geographic Traveler identified the Avalon Peninsula coast as the top coastline in the world.
"We've gotten great coverage internationally," said Murphy. "And as a result, basically, people coming in to experience our trail, the raw natural beauty of the trail, our communities, our rich, colourful history and culture, and the people they find along the way. So it's been a great experience."
The East Coast Trail was, along with the association, formed in 1994 by a group of volunteers who wanted to connect communities along Newfoundland's east coast with a trail system.
Thirty years later, the network spans 336 kilometres across most parts of the Avalon Peninsula, and connects 24 towns. Maintaining all that, said Murphy, requires the work of volunteers — anywhere from 175 to 245 volunteers are needed each year.
One of them is Pat Dabinett, who was at the association's inaugural meeting in Bauline 30 years ago and has been involved ever since.
"We lived in Pouch Cove at the time, and the trail ran through our backyard, practically. And I spent many hours on the trail walking the dogs," said Dabinett. "It's such a great idea. It's been a great project to be involved with over the years."
Dabinett is involved in organizing the annual Trail Raiser, and on Saturday, co-ordinated bus pickups for hikers. Wearing a helmet with a bright yellow, self-made bus sign on top, he ensured he couldn't be missed.
"It can be quite a panic in the morning, when you're trying to fill four or five school buses with keen hikers and all going to different destinations," said Dabinett. "And so, I wear this bus hat, so that they know who to blame when things go wrong. And it seems to bring a smile to their faces. So that's the whole idea."
A total of 150 hikers had to be co-ordinated Saturday, taking part in five hikes and one trail run. Murphy said that's how many came out of the 241 people who had registered.
While that number was only about half of how many participated last year, he said the fundraiser was still a success, surpassing the $100,000 fundraising goal by over $2,000.
Looking ahead, said Murphy, the association's goal is to become fully sustainable by 2030 — generating enough money to cover operations and maintenance costs, having a strong volunteer workforce to maintain the trails, and putting protections in place to sustain the trail system for generations to come.
"We have anything from a stroll along the coast for a young family just trying to sort of get out and get some exercise, to basically sort of any level of hiking that you want to experience.… It's all there for you," he said.
"No matter how many times you walk the same piece of trail, it'll always look different and feel different because of the changes in season and the changes in ocean conditions. It's a great resource. Just get out there and enjoy it."
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