HIKERS head out on the trail near the entrance to Mono Cliffs Park. From a simple idea intended to bring attention to the Niagara Escarpment, the concept of a public footpath was conceived and the Bruce Trail was born, 40 years ago.

Founder Raymond Lowes, who died in About 400 million August at the age of 96, was a naturalist by hobby and a professional metallurgist who understood the need for stewardship over the escarpment, saving the land from development. years ago, the Niagara Escarpment was a shallow tropical sea. It's considered a unique land formation which is now home to many communities, rich farmland, scenic vistas, forests, streams, wetlands and rolling hills.

Mr. Lowes, a resident of Hamilton, elicited the help of famed Canadian artist Robert Bateman and with three other founding members - Norman Pearson, Dr. Robert MacLaren and Phillip Gosling - the first Bruce Trail committee laid the groundwork, gaining access to much of the land that was privately owned.

In 1967, a cairn placed at the north entrance to the Bruce Trail in Tobermory, officially opened the allseason trail to the public.

Over the four decades, the Bruce Trail has weathered over 400,000 pairs of feet traversing 845 km of main trail and 430 km of side trails, from the southernmost point, Queenston on the Niagara River, to Tobermory.

The Bruce Trail, like the peninsula and county, is named for James Bruce, the eighth Earl of Elgin, who was appointed Governor General for the Province of Canada in 1847.

Today the Bruce Trail Association has 8,000 members in nine regional clubs.

Each club is responsible for building and maintaining their section of the trail and promoting its use through organized hikes for every level of hiker.

Locally, two clubs are active providing organized hikes and activities on the Bruce Trail.

The Dufferin Hi-Lands Bruce Trail club looks after 51.4 km of trail between Mono Centre and the hamlet of Lavender, just south of the Mulmur- Nottawasaga Townline.

According to its website, the trail in the Dufferin Hi-Lands section crosses open meadows and follows the unique glacial formations through the Mono Cliffs Provincial

Park and leads north to the

Boyne Valley Provincial SPORTS Park and Pine River fishing area.

The Caledon Hills Bruce Trail club maintains 68.9 km of trail from Cheltenham (near Terra Cotta) to Mono Cliffs Provincial Park.

Each Bruce Trail club's activities are conducted by volunteers who are responsible for trail maintenance, stewardship, public education, hiking programs and the ongoing landowner relations that were initially developed by the founding committee.

The Bruce Trail is continuing to grow with new side trails being developed by each club, every year.

In 2005, a side trail was added near Hamilton and named in honour of Mr. Lowes and the enduring legacy he left behind.

For more information about the Bruce Trail Association and the local clubs visit the website, www. brucetrail.org.