Sunday 13 July 2014

The Power of an Idea

Easy like Sunday morning.
Few things mean as much to me as the trails I (we) have built up at Christie Lake. Here was a simple thought put forth by a faceless avatar somewhere on an obscure forum deep in the outer reaches of the internet. And yet, enough of us latched on to the IDEA to make it a reality.

Impromptu meetings were held at the Coach and Lantern in Ancaster in the dead of winter. People from all corners of Hamilton were united: we need more trails. A few brave souls stepped forward to volunteer. Mailing lists were logged and committees were formed. It was on.

It just so happened that I put my hand up at at just the right (wrong) time and suddenly I was in charge of something bigger than me. I organised a rag-tag bunch of people into action groups and set about making contacts - any contacts.

I'll spare you the details but one thing led to another and now, almost five years later, we have a huge group of volunteers surrendering their Tuesday nights and Sunday mornings to build trails.

They build partly out  of self-interest (who doesn't want to ride something they made) and partly out of a sense of duty to the greater good. They've ridden for years on other people's trails and now, they have the opportunity to give something of themselves to other riders (and runners, hikers, dog-walkers, skiers, snow-shoers, kids, etc...). The work we do with Hamilton Conservation Authority has been extremely positive and it benefits us all.

Every Sunday morning, we load up the car with tools (and all the other paraphernalia a toddler demands) and head out to Christie Lake Conservation Area. Come what may, I always know my friends (old and new) will be there to help me add a few more meters to our hard-won network.

7km strong and growing every day.

This is why I'm running for office - the power of an IDEA.

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