An opportunity to follow and support our national Trail

A message from Valerie Pringle, Chair of the TCT Foundation Board

For the past 18 years, I’ve been a volunteer member of the Trans Canada Trail Board. I believe in and love this project because it connects Canadians across this huge land and allows us to stay active, to breathe fresh air and to explore this magnificent country.

The Great Trail of Canada exists thanks to the support of thousands of donors and volunteers across the country, who give their time and money to help maintain and enhance our national Trail.

In particular, I’d like to highlight the amazing leadership of Deborah Apps, our President & CEO, who will be leaving TCT next year. She has loved and stewarded this Trail and the volunteers who have worked so passionately in every province and territory.  There would be no Trail without her, and I’d like to take this opportunity to salute her and to thank her.

I feel honoured to be in a position to help lead this fantastic project and to fundraise for it. But as Robert Moor says in his book On Trails: “We tend to glorify trailblazers – those hardy souls who strike out across uncharted territory – but followers play an equally important role in creating a trail…improving the trail with each trip.”

I believe all Canadians have an opportunity to follow the Trail – to enjoy it, to improve it and to leave a legacy for future generations.

One of the most interesting things I discovered this year was that Julius Caesar, in his will, left his gardens as a free park to all Roman citizens. This moment is immortalized in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, when Marc Antony announces: “…he hath left you all his walks …he hath left them you and to your heirs forever – common pleasures, to walk abroad and recreate yourselves.” In short, Caesar left Romans his trails!

I can’t think of a greater gift than to help build and support our national Trail.

However, TCT needs support to make this Canadian icon safer, greener and more accessible from coast to coast to coast.  Today, you can follow in the footsteps of hundreds of thousands of Canadians by supporting the Trail, which connects us to our country, one another and ourselves.

Follow the Trail; it gets better every time you walk it. And it’s even better when it’s shared with others.

Trans Canada Trail is a not-for-profit organization. If you value our work, please consider supporting us by visiting our Give page.