The Trans Canada Trail

Back in the last century at a large family Christmas party where I was somewhat of a genetic and social outlier, I nonetheless received a nice gift from the person who was unlucky enough to have drawn my name. For my present the person had donated enough money to help construct one metre of the Trans Canada Trail which is now 24,000 kilometres long. I received a trail certificate, a crest, a brochure, a newsletter and a promise that my name "would be permanently inscribed on a trail marker along the route of the longest trail in the world."

The gift was given in December 1997 when the Trans Canada Trail was only about five years old. In 2017, as the nation celebrated its 150th anniversary The Great Trail turned 25 (the name change occurred in 2016). It now stretches from coast to coast and is found in all 13 Provinces and Territories. You can learn all about it at the fine The Great Trail website.

The Great Trail Pavilion - St. Thomas Ontario

The promise of an inscription was fulfilled in the summer of 2001 when the trail passed by as close as it is going to get if you live in London, Ontario. The claim that "four out of five Canadians live within 30 minutes of the Trail" is true in my case and is more generally true since the trail does pass through all the major cities and along the corridors where most Canadian live. My name is on the pavilion in a small green space on Jonas Street in St. Thomas, but you will need to hike a few kilometres out of town to feel like you are on a Great Trail.

One can no longer make a donation to a local pavilion to have a name inscribed. The program was costly to maintain and was discontinued in 2012. For $1000 you can get your name put on a pavilion in Ottawa and the Trans Canada Trail Foundation would gladly accept a smaller amount.

Sources:
The Great Trail website is quite good and if you click on the map provided, you can find the closest the trail comes to your location. The Great Trail often joins lesser ones and for those of you in the London area see: for St. Thomas and here; for Elgin County.
"St. Thomas Picked For New Trans Canada Trail Pavilion," Laura Bradley, St. Thomas Times-Journal, July 13, 2017. "St. Thomas Welcomes Trans Canada Trail," Stephanie Cesca, London Fre Press, Aug. 5, 2001.
Post Script:
There are some very generous donors. BMO gave $750,000 to help complete the southwestern Ontario portion. Jack Cockwell donated $3 million to honour his mother, Daphne.
  One fellow just completed walking the entire trail. If you wish to do so there is a new book out that will help you if you start in the Maritimes. It is from Goose Lane Editions.