Sad and Senseless

That’s the common reaction to the news of Mr. Fauja Singh’s death at 114, killed by a hit and run motorist. Some of us got to meet Mr. Singh while competing at ScotiaBank race when he had just turned 100.

GTAHiking

A few of used have crossed over to hiking as a related activity, and walked the Bruce Trail for instance, but did you know there is a group that promotes trail hikes closer to home? Ruth sent me a link to the Oak Ridges Trail Association.

ORTA was started by volunteers in 1991 with the aim of creating a recreational trail system spanning the entire length of the Oak Ridges Moraine. In collaboration of STORM (Save The Oak Ridges Moraine), the Metro Toronto and Region Conservation Authority, and Hike Ontario, ORTA has established a system of over 280 km of main trails, complemented by over 87 km of various side trails.

Some of the trails are a bit further out, but many are within a short drive out of the city. When you go to the website, scroll to the bottom, and click on Featured Trails. That will take you to a page where you can filter by desired location (Scarborough, Vaughan, Pickering, etc.) or just browse and see if anything appeals to you.

Maybe a possible weekday or Sunday offsite walk?

Friendship & Benefits

Rainer sent this link to a Washington Post article recently republished by the Toronto Sun. It focuses on walking of course, but emphasizes the extra health benefits of Japanese Walking, or interval walking (Lee Scott alumnae will recognize THAT expression). Of course, Shore Things know the greatest benefit of walking is the friendships it creates.

Weekly Walks

It looks like conditions will be ideal for a walk this Saturday. Let’s meet at Loblaw’s as usual but perhaps we can try going south west towards the brand new Biidaasige Park located on Ookwemin Minising (formerly Villiers Island). We’ve caught glimpses of this development over the past few years, but now we get to see it close up.