By Mark Squibb/May 26, 2022
Bauline councillor Chris Palmer says he knows firsthand that the East Coast Trail has been a benefit to his town.
“I live right down in the heart of Bauline, just overlooking the harbour not 20 feet back from the East Coast Trail,” said Palmer, who brought greetings on behalf of his community at a ribbon cutting ceremony at Topsail Beach last week for the opening of a new section of trailway. “In 2000, we opened a small bed and breakfast, and in the years that we were operating, I would say that over 50 per cent of our guests came either because they heard of the East Cost Trail, or came and hiked the trail while they were there.”
Palmer entertained the audience with some recollections of past guests from every corner of the globe.
“We had one small group come from California, who heard about the trail, wanted to visit Newfoundland, and wanted to do as many miles (of the trail) as they could,” said Palmer. “Others of our guests were from central and western Canada, the US, the Eastern seaboard, and the UK, and from as far away as Australia. But our favorite guests were probably the young couple who came from Germany. They had hiked all over the world, had heard about the East Coast Trail, and wanted to come. And they did. Now, they were avid outdoor people, naturalists, and when they first came, we thought, ‘They’re going to want vegetarian meals, high fibre grains, and leaves and the lot. Well, at the end of their stay, they ate more black and white puddings, fried toutons, molasses, and Jiggs Dinner than anybody I’ve ever known.”
Palmer was on council in 1994 when the East Coast Trail, then just a group of volunteers with big dreams of converting historic coastal walking paths into a formalized trail network, brought the concept to Bauline town council.
“And from that beginning came the East Coast Trail, and this wonderful network of hiking trails throughout the region, and Bauline both appreciates it and all the volunteers who make it possible, and congratulations on the opening of this Northern section,” said Palmer.
