Today, I decided to break with the familiar trails and to go on a new running adventure. I was sure glad I did! It turned out to be my longest run yet (28K) on some of the most beautiful trails I have had the pleasure to experience. I usually find my best runs proceed from a good 10-15 minute warm up so I used that time to get close to the area I wanted to explore.
Once I started on the trails, I was happy to have the noise of passing cars long behind me. Best of all it was replaced with the sounds of the forest: they were all encompassing. I had been here twice before but only for a small part of the trail. The trails are accessed from the East side of Bronte Creek Provincial Part off of Upper Middle Road and stretch all the way up to Dundas Street. The exhaust from the cars on Bronte Road was pleasantly replaced with the smell of the forest air.
As I am running in a 5K race for clean air in two days, I thought it quite fitting to be in some of the “cleanest” air found in Oakville. The race is to help support the fight against an asinine location for a 975 megawatt proposed power plant located in the midst of many schools, residential houses and business.
Clearly, a reasonable person must at least consider the possibility that something corrupt is going on here based on the choice of location and the rush to get it done. Did you know our Ontario Liberal government provides no setbacks for building large scale natural power plants but for a wind turbine they have restrictions? Think of the insanity of that and then consider that our Liberal government is allowing for a plant to be built a mere 320 meters away from a school.
It pains me to say this, but due to the proximity of the plant to so many schools, innocent children may die if there is an accident of a similar nature to the one recently in Middletown, Connecticut (which killed 5 people). Will that be Dalton McGuinty’s legacy?
A few months back, I asked several Liberal MPPs to tell me what the Liberal party’s perspective was on how close a natural gas power plant had to be to a school for it to become too dangerous for them to allow it to proceed. I was unable to get a real answer — big surprise! One long time friend and business associate with whom I had supported in a past campaign spewed the rhetoric about how we all need power and there was no other good option. Give me a break! As I tried to get any kind of a real meaningful answer, I was only able to find out that there is no law on the books to stop a plant from being built right next to a daycare. What a shocker!
Thank you Kevin Flynn – MPP for Oakville, Doug MacKenzie, everyone at C4CA and all Oakville / Mississauga residents who are speaking up. By putting people before power, money and greed, your legacy should be one that is admired. Thankfully, this may not happen to any other community in Ontario if Kevin Flynn’s bill to prevent power plants from being built within 1.5 kilometers of sensitive areas like day cares and schools is a passed. I bet his push against the plant made no friends within the Liberal party, but perhaps there may be a happy ending with more and more people recognizing how crazy this decision was. I would imagine it would come as no surprise the people who stand to make a lot of money from the plant being built (TransCanada and Ford) apparently are pushing as hard as they can to get it done.
This was one of the many thoughts that led me to decide on this route today to reconnect with a saner world where power plants are not being built “steps away” from young children.
Part of what makes trail running so enjoyable is how it gives the individual the opportunity to experience the natural world in a very intimate manner. As I was making my way along the winding trail, the sun was being filtered through the bright glowing leaves of birch, pine and maple trees. Everything was glowing.
A woodpecker was knocking on a tree rhythmically somewhere far off in the distance as I followed the path. I was fairly sure the destination of the trail along the creek would end up at Dundas St. but that was of no concern as my goal for training was to have a fun run and at least go 20K. Today, I was very much enjoying the nice weather under the forest canopy. As I ran on the trail, I became aware of all of the sounds that were being echoed within the ravine.
I have often found in the past the music in a forest is a great opportunity to practice mindfulness so I quite naturally returned to this practice: certain environmental conditions provide fewer interruptions which allow more space in which to practice this form of personal development. As each step is taken, all sounds are noted and simply pass by. My focus stayed for the most part on my breath and the placement of my feet as the world passed by.
On this particular trail winding its way north, there were many beautiful vistas of the Bronte creek several hundred meters below. While running, I was continuously reminded of how I have always found the forest is a place of reverence. As I stopped for a call of “nature”, I took the opportunity to look up. Above me was a magnificent mature tree with an intricate design clearly shaped over many, many years. Any minor concerns or distracting thoughts disappeared and I was left with a beautiful stillness. I continued one step at a time, all the while welcoming the adventure I was on.
The sounds in a forest have an ability to pull one’s mind beyond the confines of abstract thought. I was happy to say the air seemed so fresh in this part of Oakville today. I very much appreciated this space to reconnect with the world. Most of us, myself included, live lives which are very disconnected from the interconnected pulse of the life all around us. The forest today for me provided a much needed welcome back.
This particular trail route was mostly empty with only a few children and families out for a nice walk. As I continued north, fewer and fewer people were on the trail until it was only me and the trail. I knew the first part of my run was near an end when I could hear the far off sound of cars on the Dundas St. bridge. I am so happy to have discovered an amazing new route for my longer runs coming up as I begin training for a fall marathon in Toronto. I am quite happy that people in the past had the foresight to not develop on this beautiful land by putting people before money. I can only hope the same will be able to be said about the power plant issue in East Oakville when the dust settles.
If you are a runner then I know you appreciate clean air. Please consider running in the C4Ca 5K Walk / Run on June 1, 2010 to help to support this worthy cause.
For anyone looking for a new Oakville trail adventure, please see the explore Oakville trails website.
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