To all Ganaraska Hiking Trail users – our trail inspection and maintenance activity for many sections of the overall trail is still focused on recovery from the ice storm earlier this year. This means hikers may find parts of trail where normal trail maintenance activities such as weed control or trimming or minor debris clearing are not yet done. We ask for your patience for getting the entire trail back to our normal standards, and also ask you to be extra careful on the trail – especially be sure to check for ticks if you find yourself hiking through tall grass.
Category: Association News
2025.05.29 – Simcoe County Forest Salvage Operations Affecting Ganaraska Hiking Trail
The extensive damage to many of the Simcoe County Forest tracts means that the Simcoe County Forestry team is proceeding as quickly as they can with logging operations to salvage downed trees and harvest what they can while they are in the forest. Today we received the following message from SCF.
“Just wanted to send a note regarding the ongoing salvage operations within the County Forest. Our storm impact map has been updated to reflect tracts that are currently, or soon to be, conducting salvage operations.
As a reminder these tracts are not safe in current state even if some trails have been cleared, our forest access roads remain inaccessible for EMS if they were ever needed.
Up to date mapping can be found here: Impacted County Forest Tracts
As usual once an operation starts we will post “No Entry” signs at the entrances and send communications as well as update our public mapping to show “Active Operations”.
The map accessed through the link above shows all forest tracts that are affected. The listed tracts that affect the Ganaraska hiking trail specifically are as follows:
Arbour Tract – Orillia Club trail (Trail Guide Map #21)
Oro Tract – Orillia Club trail (Trail Guide Map #21
Strachan Tract – Orillia Club trail (Trail Guide Map #20)
Rathburn Tract – Orillia Club trail (Trail Guide Map #17)
North Barr – Barrie Club trail (Trail Guide Map #21)
2025.05.29 – Mad River Club Ice Storm Status Update
The Mad River Club leadership has declared that clean-up from the ice storm is complete and the trail is considered to be open (Trail Guide Maps #24, #25 & #26). Note that there is 11 km of trail running east from Angus that remains closed for reasons other than the ice storm (rail trail conversion work by the county). Be aware that sections of the Mad River trail go through wet sections.
A caution reminder – All trail users should remember that even though the trails themselves are clear there may still be risks in forested areas due to overhead broken branches or leaning or weakened trees due to the ice storm. Hike with caution and watch for overhead and nearby hazards, especially if there is a strong wind or wind gusts. All trail users must accept personal responsibility for their own safety.
2025 Volunteer of the Year – Bill Zeran
Over the years Bill Zeran has held various leadership positions within the GHTA and the Pine Ridge Hiking Club including:
- Member of the GHTA Executive (2014-2018) as Recording Secretary and later on as Secretary-Treasurer
- Member of the GHTA Risk Assessment Committee;
- President of the Pine Ridge Club (2018-2012);
- Hike Leader at Pine Ridge since 2014; and
- Member of the Pine Ridge Maintenance Committee (2017-the present).
Through all of these commitments Bill has demonstrated a positive and friendly demeanour which endears him to those around him. Bill’s smile and sense of humour are contagious. The Vice-President at Pine Ridge during Bill’s time as President stated how much he valued Bill’s mentorship. With the ongoing support of his spouse Rita, Bill is also involved with a number of other volunteer programs especially within their local church community. Bill’s family roots are steeped in service to others.
Congratulations and thank you Bill! We couldn’t have done it without you.
2025 Volunteer of the Year – Simone Latham
We are highly appreciative of the contributions Simone Latham has made to the Ganaraska Hiking Trail Association Inc. as our Treasurer since 2018, a valued member of our GHTA Executive, as a Certified Hike Leader for the Midland club, and as a great friend.
Simone joined the Ganaraska Hiking Trail Association Inc. in 2011, and in 2012 soon after encouraged a team of 4 GHTA members to walk the 100 km Oxfam event in 48 hours. It was a very hot weekend, but we all made it in 42 hours, and only lost several toe nails in the process. However, she really enjoyed hiking and became a great hike leader.
As a member of the GHTA Executive, her skills and past experience with other not for profit and charitable boards, as well as with procedures and policies, helped us streamline & automate our GHTA processing for payments, bookkeeping, expense reimbursements, etransfers and many other administrative changes. We also thank her for the amount of time she gave us to find a suitable replacement, and get our processes documented and streamlined to pass on to our new Treasurer.
We wish her all the best in her retirement as treasurer from the Ganaraska Hiking Trail Association Inc, and will miss her as a great team player and friend.
Safe Hiker Course April 26 at Tiffin Centre for Conservation
On Saturday April 26, 2025 Ganaraska Hiking Trail Association will be offering a Safe Hiker course for members and non-members. The course is built on the Hike Ontario Safe Hiker course, but will include other topics such as information about safe hiking after the ice storm, protecting from ticks, carpool etiquette, planning for a hike, navigation tools, What3Words, what if you get lost/injured, weather, etc.
Following the course, there will be a 1 to 1.5 hour hike on the beautiful Tiffin CA property. Both the course and parking are free on April 26.
Address: Tiffin Centre, 8195 8th Line of Essa, Utopia, Ontario on Saturday April 26 at 12:30.
Park in the large parking lot by the green Administration building and proceed past that building via the covered boardwalk to the Learning Centre.
To sign up for the free course, enter your name and email on the following link. Your email will only be visible to the instructors and will be used in case of a change or cancellation.
Safe Hiker Course Registration
A New Ganaraska Hiking Trail Badge!!!
In addition to our 50, 100 and 200 Hikes In 1 Year badges we are now also offering a “250 Hikes In 1 Year” badge, for those hiking aficionados, who have the time and determination to record at least 250 hikes (of a minimum of 1 hour) in a year.
The new badge (see prototype) has been designed by our very own Trail Director, Tracy Parsons, and will be embroidered by her capable and creative hands. A real collector’s item! This unique badge is available for $7 and can be ordered on our Merchandise Order Form.
Awards
At the Annual General Meeting held on April 27, the Volunteer of the Year and Trail Maintenance Awards were announced and presented by Frieda Baldwin, President.
Volunteer of the Year – Christine Cornu
This year we recognize Christine Cornu for her contribution to the Ganaraska Hiking Trail Association Inc.
Christine has been the Ganaraska Hiking Trail Association Inc. membership secretary since May 2020 when GHTA was in a pinch when our previous Membership Director Lois Kowal unexpectedly passed away.
As the membership director, Christine has shown great attention to detail which is so important in this volunteer role. She is always helpful and approachable in assisting members with their registration questions and follows up on double payments and other scenarios that members present her with. We appreciate the consistency in her work – always on top of the membership process.
Christine was recently encouraged to adopt the GHTA’s migration to the Microsoft platform. As a Mac user, we recognize that it can be challenging to convert to working in the Microsoft world. However, Christine demonstrated an eagerness to learn the new platform in a very patient fashion.
Christine was also a wonderful President of the Oro Medonte club from 2016 to 2023. She was well organized, decisive in her decisions and creative. The executive would meet twice a year to come together socially and Christine always came up with an event that was fun and entertaining. Christine is also a dedicated Hike Ontario certified Hike Leader.
Her friendliness and quiet humour went a long way to welcome members on club hikes. Her enthusiasm for nature and hiking was catching and she would throw herself into tasks like Trail Maintenance or finding new trails. During the pandemic she showed her leadership by creating bi-weekly hikes which were popular with all.
Christine, your contributions and commitment to the Ganaraska Hiking Trail Association Inc. are very much appreciated.
Trail Maintenance Club Award – MIDLAND
After many years of planning, negotiating with landowners, mapping the route and the hard work of blazing a new trail, it is a pleasure to be able to say congratulations to the Midland Club for closing the gap between the Midland and Tiny trail sections of the Ganaraska Hiking Trail.
The 18 KM of new trail provides an interesting and pleasant hike along the Tiny Trail, through the Thompson tract of Simcoe County Forests and through Penetanguishene as well as along Midland’s beautiful waterfront, overlooking Georgian Bay.
Closing this gap also creates a Ganaraska Hiking Trail loop in Simcoe County consisting of the Mad River, Wasaga Beach, Tiny, Midland and Oro-Medonte sections of the Ganaraska Hiking Trail, as well as part of the Barrie section. This significant achievement and addition to the Ganaraska Hiking Trail system makes the Midland Club our choice for the 2023 Trail Maintenance Award – well done!”.
Orillia Club – update on Simcoe County Forest logging
All Simcoe County Forest logging operations affecting the Orillia Section of the Ganaraska Trail – including the Breedon Tract and Rathburn Tract – have been completed. Also all those logging operations in the many Simcoe Country Forest Tracts in the Bass Lake Side Road East and Line 6 – 7 – 8 areas are completed.
Carol Strickland, President, Orillia Club of the GHTA Inc.
Ordering a Badge?
Check out the changes to the Merchandise Order Form. You can now follow an electronic process and pay for badges by e-transfer.
Thank you Ganaraska Hiking Trail Association Treasurer for making this possible.