28
AUTUMN
|
EARLY WINTER
2016
BruceKing’s first encounter
with the
legendary beauty of the Kolapore Uplands
occurred in 1971when he and a group of
friends stayed at the University of Toronto’s
OutingClubCabin. Thecabin, locatedat the
baseofMetcalfRock,providedan idealhome
base for hiking theBruce Trail and exploring
the intricate cave network found throughout
the limestonebluffs.At that time therewasonly
untouchedwilderness in theuplands, and the
Bruce Trail was theonly path cutting through
themature deciduous forest. It wasn’t until a
trip toMcGill’sOutingClub inQuebec’s Lau-
rentians the followingyear thataplanhatched
to turn theKolaporeUplands intoaNordicski-
ingdestination.
By 1973 the Kolapore Trails Committee
was formedas a subcommitteeof theUniver-
sityofToronto’sOutingClub.At the time itwas-
n’t a very formal organization, really just
bunchof friendswho shareda loveof theout-
doors and cross country skiing. The group
managed to secure a small grant for trail de-
velopment,whichcovered thecost of salaries
andbasicequipment,butdidn’tgovery far, so
the committee had to rely mainly on volun-
teers.
WhileStudying for hisMasters inPlanning
at U of T, Bruce spent the summer of 1973
workingon the trails inKolapore. Preparinga
thorough analysis of the project was the first
step. Bruce, alongwitheight students,walked
the area, mapping it and looking for natural
lanewayscutting through the terrain.With the
helpof topographical maps, andaerial pho-
tos, thegrouppaintedapictureof thearea, fig-
uredoutwhere theycouldcut trails,andwhich
partsof the forest toavoid.
Theoriginal trail constructionwas rudimen-
tary—usingonlypruners, hand sawsandbow
saws—the group set about creating the first
trail.Since theequipmentonly lent itself tocut-
ting small brush and trees, the terrain and
larger growth definedwhere the new route
wouldgo. The first completed trailwas theKo-
laporeChurchTrail (still inexistence today).
“Whenwebuilt the trails initially,wewere
solely thinking cross country skiing. We
weren’t thinkingabout any summer use,” re-
membersBruce. “Therewasaserious learning
curve, andwe got tobemore sensible. As a
universitystudent you think ‘oh thatwillbe fun’
but after awhilewe learnedwhat was good
andwhat didn’t work –what was too techni-
cal.”
In1974 the first trail mapwas created. In
Bruce’swords, “It was a crude, handdrawn,
hand coloured map.” Throughout the latter
half of the70s the committee reliedon volun-
teers tohelpcreate thenetworkof crosscoun-
try trails. The groupwas no longer receiving
anymoney from theUof TOutingClub, and
were entirely self-sufficient. They raised funds
mainly throughdonationsandmapsales,with
the first “sophisticated” full colour map ap-
pearing in1977. Since theworkwas volun-
teer based, construction switched from the
summer months toweekends during the fall.
Students would go to school mid-week and
head up to theOutingClubCabin onweek-
ends todo trail work. “We hadagreat time
with our friends working on the trails. We
looked forward to the weekends. Plus, you
knew if you improved something youwould
get thebenefit later on,” remembersBruce. “I
still have a number of friends from that era.
Some still work on the trails, anda few have
bought placesuphere”.
By the80s trail signs startedgoingup,with
some of the original signs still there today. It
wasalsoaround this time thatmountainbiking
started togain popularity. It wasn’t long until
riders discovered theKolapore network. The
long flowing trails lent themselvesperfectly to
this new found recreational activity. But with
biking came an entirely new set of require-
ments for trail building. Erosionand trail flow
became an important part in the planning
process.Previously trailsweredesignedstrictly
for cross country skiing. Roughor rocky trails
weren’t much of a concern since everything
wouldbecovered ina few feet of snow.
As summer usage increased forbothhiking
and biking therewas a push for more grass
roots involvement. Volunteers were needed
more than ever to maintain the existing net-
work, and to help create new trails that were
both skiingandbiking friendly. The volunteer
groupwas still technically a subcommitteeof
theUof TOutingClub, but had littleor no in-
volvement with the university. Recognizinga
need for a legal structure that was separate
from the University of Toronto, the group of
dedicated volunteers created the Kolapore
TrailsAssociation in2011.
*
communi ty trai ls
Kolapore
Uplands
KolaporeWildernessTrailsAssociation
isbuildinga lasting legacy
“TheCounty Forest that makes up part of our system is
largely defined by an area at the Southeast corner of our
trail system. It is also defined by its topography being less
aggressive in its rock formation and steep terrainwhich
makes this area perfect for beginner to intermediate
skiers, bikers and hikers.
Over the last few years theKolaporeWilderness Trails
Association (KWTA) hasworkedwith theCounty to identify
this area as unique in its features. Features that could
attract thosemore suited to beginner intermediate trails
and families looking for an introduction to nature trails.
TheCounty has granted theKWTAmoney to improve,
repair and reconstruct the existing trails including a
parking area and proper signage for the trails. The repair
work has been contracted to a local company andwork is
scheduled to begin inOctober 2016.
TheKWTABoard is excited about these improvements
and hopes tomake theCounty Forest area of the trails an
introduction and stepping stone to all that our trails
have to offer.” -
BrockMartin | BoardMember
WORDS|PHOTOS|CLAYDOLAN
