By: Bob Crossan
In April 1962, I participated in an exploratory Niagara Escarpment hike that would etch itself into my memory forever and was instrumental in the creation of the Bruce Trail, which is now Canada’s longest marked footpath.
The Toronto Telegram newspaper played a crucial role in sponsoring the hike. The initiative was aimed at rallying public support for a walking trail along the escarpment. Ray Lowes, often hailed as the Father of the Bruce Trail, is credited with the conception of the Bruce Trail. He presented the idea to the Hamilton Field Naturalists Club, a club affiliated with the Federation of Ontario Naturalists, now known as Ontario Nature. Ray Lowes, a metallurgist at Stelco in Hamilton, from Willows, Saskatchewan, was not just an enthusiastic hiker and outdoorsman but also a visionary. His vision for the Bruce Trail was shaped by his extensive experiences on the Appalachian Trail. The name of the trail, ‘Bruce Trail’, was not a random choice. It was inspired by Sherwood Fox’s book, ‘The Bruce Beckons’, which profoundly impacted Lowes. The project also received support from Robert Bateman, a renowned nature artist and club member.
The Hamilton Field Naturalists Club’s stance was clear: if you want it, you have to spearhead it. Thus, a Bruce Trail committee was formed, and the groundwork for the trail began, resulting in a detailed, comprehensive 126-page report.
At that time, fierce competition existed between Toronto’s two major newspapers, the Star and the Telegram. The Star offered the committee a $12,000 Atkinson Foundation grant to initiate work on a 10-mile section of the trail near Milton. In contrast, the Telegram offered to organize and fund a 112-mile exploratory escarpment hike from Burlington to Collingwood, profiling the escarpment and providing daily updates on the hike’s progress in the Telegram newspaper.
At this juncture, I fortuitously found myself in the right place at the right time to contribute to this historic project.
Robert Bateman, the renowned Canadian artist I called Bob, and I were colleagues at Nelson High School in Burlington in 1962. Bob taught geography, and I was in my second year of teaching industrial arts. Bob and I shared the same lunch period and I often admired the very interesting lunches Bob brought that often included brook trout, rabbit, fiddleheads, wild berries and nuts, etc. One day, I asked about his plans for spring break. He said he was going on a hike from Burlington to Collingwood. I expressed my interest, and he invited me to join him meet Harvey Currell the Outdoor Editor of the Telegram, and others at Rattlesnake Point for a photo shoot that would mark the beginning of the expedition.
Ray Lowes led the group of six intrepid hikers, which included Harvey Currell (Telegram), Robert Bateman (Federation of Ontario Naturalists), Chuck Harris (Canadian Youth Hostels), Harry McCartney (Boy Scouts of Canada), myself (Federation of Ontario Naturalists), and Aubrey Diem (Waterloo University), who had been researching unopened road allowances on the Escarpment. Aubrey provided the daily hike route options.
The Telegram provided a support crew and two support vehicles—one for camping gear and personal items, driven by Tiny Bennet, a Telegram outdoor writer, and another equipped with a field kitchen managed and operated by Bob Shannon, a Barrie Telegram reporter, and designated cook.
On April 21, 1962, our journey commenced from Cedar Springs Road, just north of Highway 5 in Burlington. Each day, we covered approximately 16 miles before arriving at the camp where our tents were pre-setup by the support crew. Every day, a special tent was set up for Harvey with a table, typewriter, and a basin of warm water for his feet to soak in while he prepared the daily news story, which was couriered by a waiting car to Toronto for the paper. Along the way, we met increasing numbers of curious people, newspaper interviewers, local politicians and well-wishers. We arrived at the Canadian Youth Hostel in the Blue Mountains Resort area seven days later.
Our hiking adventure not only highlighted the natural beauty of Ontario but also the spirit of collaboration and discovery that brought the Bruce Trail to fruition. Ray Lowes felt the Toronto Telegram involvement was the single most important factor in making the concept of the Bruce Trail familiar to the Ontario public, which underscores the importance of community involvement and media support in preserving natural landscapes for public enjoyment and ecological education. It remains a chapter in my life that I’ll always cherish.