National Treasure #21: Trans Canada Trail

What the heck were they thinking?

In the second-largest country in the world, stretching 5,187 kilometres (3,223 miles) from east to west, and 4,627 kilometres (2,875 miles) from north to south, someone said, “I know! Let’s build a coast-to-coast-to-coast walking trail.”

And someone else said, “Hey! What a great idea!”

The Trans Canada Trail is the world’s longest network of recreational trails. It began construction in 1992. When fully connected, the Trail will stretch 24,000 kilometres (15,000 mi) from the Atlantic to the Pacific to the Arctic oceans. Just over 20,000 kilometres (12,000 mi) of the trail have been completed as of May 2016 and are usable, making the entire project approximately 86% complete. Two hundred forty gaps totalling 6,200 kilometres (3,900 mi) must be bridged in order to achieve a fully connected trail. The Trans Canada Trail has given itself until its 25th anniversary and Canada’s 150th anniversary in 2017 to reach this objective. – Wikipedia

A little more ambitious than my sesquicentennial project, the Trans Canada Trail is a wild and wacky undertaking. You go, guys!

Marker for Mile Zero of Trans Canada Trail in Tuktoyaktuk

Mile Zero marker in Tuktoyaktuk

 


This is one of a series on Canadian national treasures – my sesquicentennial project. They reflect people (living and dead), places and things that I think are worth celebrating about our country, and are done in no order of precedence.

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2 Responses to National Treasure #21: Trans Canada Trail

  1. Astonishing. I did not know! Now we have a proper course for miscreant politicians to travel on their knees.

    • Isabel Gibson says:

      Laurna – Excellent! We can add this to the minimum sentencing provisions, maybe, although I’m thinking that penitence is out of fashion.

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