The other day I saw two young people by a bus stop on Governor's Road on a Saturday, hitch-hiking. As I approached them I non-judgmentally commented that hitch-hikers were rare these days. They replied that they were only thumbing because they had just realized there were no buses on Governor's Road on weekends (alas, too true).
They asked me how far away the Dundas Valley Conservation Area (DVCA) was. After some quick mental figuring, I told them it was probably about a 20 minute walk or more to the CA from where we stood.
Then it occured to me that they were only about 5 minutes away from the trails at Warren Park, which are part of the CA trails network. I suggested that rather than walk on the road to get to the CA main entrance, they could get directly to the trails and walk through the forest to the CA main entrance, making ends and means all one.
So, it's true that Governor's Road needs weekend bus service; but it is equally true that once you know how the trails link up, you can get right to it, and save the bus fare (or at least a transfer).
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The photo above is from a recent walk along the DVCA's Sawmill Trail, which I use about once a week on my way to pick up some spring water from the artesian well at Ancaster Wells. I use a couple unmarked, unofficial linking trails to get to my destination (I'll post something another time on the importance and the utilitarian beauty of unnofficial trails) .
Without these beautiful trails I would have to walk along the shoulder of a busy road to get there.
I have come to rely on trails as integral to getting places I need to go, as alternatives to spending time near motor vehicle traffic with the accompanying noise, pollution and collision danger.
There's just no comparison.
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