It resonates deeply when Tina Young Tolsma shares, "The Laurentian Trails have been a life saver to us. We hike the trails at least four times a week. They keep us from going crazy in a crazy world. Being outside with nature is so soothing for the spirit."
We’ve been thinking a lot about those trails lately, those of us who find joy there. Laurentian University’s insolvency casts a pall of uncertainty over the future of the LU greenspace and trails.
There’s a story behind those trails and where they came from, and its full of great people and community spirit.
Not far from the LU athletic building is a black rock with the name ‘Tony Simic’ engraved on it.
Tony Simic (now deceased) created the original trail around Lake Laurentian as a running path for himself. Over the years, this path was upgraded and modified by volunteers and Conservation Sudbury until it became the popular Lake Laurentian loop.
A good section of that loop runs through the LU greenspace. As does a section of the Trans Canada Trail: one of the final pieces completing a trail system from coast to coast. Like every bit of the LU trails, that section got done with the hard work of volunteers, including a whole hockey team of teenagers to haul in and lay the wood for a boardwalk.
The LU trail system we know today started off as ski trails. More specifically, one ski trail created by an LU student and avid skier in the early 1970s. You can just imagine how great that student felt.
And of course, once there was one trail, everyone was keen for more. In the early years, students continued to lead the development of the ski trails as part of their class work and in summer jobs (funded by the province).
Some of these students were elite athletes creating their own training grounds. Others just wanted to ski for fun. Others were foreign students discovering the joy of snow for the first time.
The trails became an outdoor lab for students in such topics as kinetics, physical education, outdoor education, biology, and geology. The LU greenspace became a unique outdoor classroom, and an integral part of campus life.
The trails established for cross-country skiing were soon used year-round, not just by students, but by the entire community. The first time wood chips were laid down on the trails, it was by community members of all ages. Picture the scene: a dump truck load of woodchips, kids knee deep and grinning, buckets balanced on strollers, wheelbarrows pushed farther each time until the job was done.
The LU greenspace has been cared for with love ever since.
At first, the university provided equipment for trail maintenance and grooming of ski trails. Now, the trails are maintained entirely by the community. The Laurentian Nordic Ski Club provide the trail grooming equipment, and volunteers maintain the trails year-round.
We have these volunteers to thank for the trails we ski, walk, hike, snowshoe or bike. Over 45 years, thousands and thousands of volunteer hours have built and maintained trails, and regreened and restored the landscape.
The solace we find along the LU trails is not only in the peace of nature, but also in the goodness of people and the strength of community and what we can create together. Our hearts will not let it go.
Naomi Grant and Sharon Roy live in Greater Sudbury. The second part of the story will be told next week.
