By Trevor Greenway

More than 50 trail builders from around the world gathered in Wakefield Sept. 30 to learn how a village of volunteers banded together to extend the Trans Canada Trail from Gatineau Park through their town. 

The Sentiers Wakefield Trails gathering was part of the World Trails Conference in Ottawa in late September, which brought 55 international delegates on a tour along three kilometres of Wakefield’s robust trail network “to get a first-hand look at how a community of volunteers has taken on large trail projects, preserved local history and woven the village of Wakefield into the Trans Canada Trail.”

Sentiers Wakefield got its start in 2005 when the now-defunct Wakefield Ensemble funded a series of trail projects around the village. The trails organization, which became an official non-profit in 2016, has created and maintained an extensive network of trails throughout La Pêche. With the help of hundreds of volunteers over the years, Sentiers Wakefield connected the Trans Canada Trail from Gatineau Park through the Wakefield village, crossing the iconic Gatineau River at Hendrick Park at Maison Fairbairn.

Half of the delegates were led by Wakefield Trails president Ken Bouchard, who has been dubbed the “Old Fart Trail Champion,” while the rest of the group was taken on a tour from Maison Fairbairn by Wakefielder Micheal Cooper. 

The conference in Ottawa was organized around themes revolving around Reconciliation, Regenerative Tourism and Climate and Nature. Wakefielder Elizabeth Logue introduced the group with a short introduction to Anishinabe culture and language. 

“I didn’t expect to be as moved by the conference as I was,” said Sentiers Wakefield Trails spokesperson Laura Wesley. “Over three days, we watched films, heard speakers and talked with fellow trail builders.” 

Among the delegates was National Trails UK, which shared its creative approach to an erosion problem it is facing due to climate change. The UK trails group is using designated coastal trails as conserved land to help reach national targets of conserving 30 per cent of of terrestrial and marine habitat by 2030.

“We have a network of trails that connect the village to the Gatineau Park, people to the natural world and to each other,” said Wesley. “I’m proud of what our community has built. And there are so many opportunities yet to explore. Inspired by what others are doing, I left the conference wondering, ‘What is the story we are creating now that will be told by future generations?’”