As an earlier post mentioned, many facets and dimensions shape just about everything in our modern lives. The surface often obscures deeper meaning, and our frenetically paced day-to-day activities can further obstruct our ability to fully appreciate how lucky we are to be born into such an incredible world. This aspect of modern life is as valid today as it was when Bernard of Chartres first introduced the idea and, later, around 1675, Sir Isaac Newton made it famous when he wrote, “If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of Giants.”
With this in mind, I decided to add a bit more information about the many benefits of trails like the Elora Cataract Trailway. Some may already know that the ECT is a small section of a vastly larger network called the Trans Canada Trail, which, at ~28,000km long, is the largest national trail in the world. A few years ago, the governing body commissioned a study showing three main layers of benefit: environmental resilience, economic development and tourism, and health and well-being.
Rather than expound upon these layers myself, I believe the official media release found here speaks to them far more eloquently than my prattling ever could. Near the bottom of the second page, you will also find a link to the study report itself.
Happy reading, learning, and understanding!