An ode to the Trail by Sylvia McTavish

March 13, 2008 | 3 comments

T.C.T.
If I were forty, here’s what I’d do:
I’d walk the Trail from west to east,
Exclaiming over each bird and beast,
Flower and tree, mountain, river and stone;
I’d walk the Trail, but not alone.

For each metre that I would walk with pride,
Beside me would walk the friends who’ve died.
Within my head we’d laugh and chat -
Remembering this, remembering that.

You may have stopped and read their names:
Jack, Bill and Mary, Ruby and James
And my brother and sisters, my beloved Ray -
He didn’t have time to grow old and gray.

The Trail goes north and east and west,
And you may walk what suits you best.
If I were forty that’s what I’d do
(I bet you’d like to walk it, too!)

Our thanks to Sylvia for permission to publish her inspiring words of wisdom. The author lives in Kelowna, BC and readily admits to being a few years older than forty.

Comments



  • I became interested in the trail back at the beginning and have been buying metres ever since. I find they make great gifts for your friends that would never get around to doing it without some help.
    The crew and I from Harleys Hardrock Saloon in Yellowknife, NWT now buy a metre of trail to honour our friends that fall by the way. They are gone and not forgotten and we can visit the pavilions to say hello. Our Group http://www.paddlersforparts.ca has bought a metre of trail in every capital city in Canada and our URL is proudly listed there.
    I am presently using my step counter to walk the Virtual Trail on the web page and, as of yesterday, I have covered 518,738 steps from Victoria eastbound. This week I will clear Vancouver Island and be heading east from Vancouver.
    Here’s to seeing you all on the trail in the near future and if you’re a step counter or walker/runner, sign up and do the Virtual trail, Great fun. Cheers, Greg

    Greg Loftus  |  March 15th, 2008 at 3:23 pm


  • Thanks for your comments, Greg, and for your personal support since 1995. Kudos to Paddlers for Parts, which has donated 13 metres of Trail!

    Ringer  |  March 17th, 2008 at 2:13 pm


  • I bought some meters several yeas ago anticipating that someday I would have grandchildren to share the walk with. Now they are here and will be introducing them to the Trail this summer.

    I like Gregs’ idea of the step counter to cross the country on a virtual Trail every day as we keep fit in our own communities.

    Lawrence Dornan  |  May 27th, 2008 at 1:40 pm


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Photo by: Jeannette Klein
Trail: Kananaskis Country Park