A Christmas Hike in Hope

Hilda Van Netten
11 minutes ago
2 min read

4,799 steps!

I didn't know if we'd be able to get our Christmas hike in this year. Ted's RLS is back with a vengeance. No sleep = no hiking. But, last night was a better night and we ventured out on the Ganaraska Trail, heading north from the 4th Line of Hope Township. A Christmas hike in Hope, how lovely.

We wanted to hike to the bridge that Ted designed a few years ago for walkers on this trail. The trail was fairly icy in the centre where everyone walks. Who knows if we would make it to the bridge? We forgot to wear our icers.

There is something wonderful that happens to a soul when out in nature.

Even the trees were celebrating that we made it to the end. Do you see what I see?

Ornaments! Someone took the time to walk a few of km, carrying a couple hundred ornaments and hung them on branches at a bend in the trail. How lovely.

When we recently reminisced about the designing of this bridge, Ted told me about the many considerations he accounted for. Overloading - what if a big group of hikers want to take their picture on the bridge? Answer: build it narrow, so fewer people can be on it at one time and so no 4-wheelers would try to go over it and break it. Sitting on the railing and breaking it? Answer: install the railing on an angle so it is uncomfortable to sit on. People slipping off the bridge if iced up? Answer: a board nailed along the length to stop them from sliding off. Ice flows under the bridge? Answer: kept it high enough for ice floes to go under it. Bridge icing up? Answer: spaces between the boards to water could drain quickly. There were more considerations addressing possible vandalism too.

Needless to say, it was great to see the bridge looking good this morning.