“Getting outside is good for your inside,” says Frieda Baldwin.
It’s not just a phrase you’ll find at the end of her emails, it’s a motto that she lives up to. As the president of the Ganaraska Hiking Trail Association, Baldwin has long been an advocate for the great outdoors.
At 71 she holds badges indicating she has participated in 250 hikes per year for the past three years. What she loves to do on her own she also loves to share with others.
“I usually put a call out to see who wants to come with me. If people are available they join me, and I’m a certified hike leader so they know they’re safe, and I usually pick nice places to go,” she says.
It’s these group experiences — biking or hiking and being in nature together — that fuels her passion.
When Baldwin moved to Canada she found it difficult to access hiking trails or bike routes from where she lived. Her love for Canadian landscapes drove her to raise awareness and lead teams to successfully establish a connected network of trails between communities in Simcoe County.
Starting with Cookstown in the 1980s, she and a group of like-minded adventurers noticed the rail line abandoned.
“We saw it as a unique opportunity to build a network of trails in Simcoe County and beyond,” she says.
In the mid-1990s she helped implement Trans-Canada trail routes through Simcoe County, something that has now come full circle for her.
“It meant laying out routes, finding funding for it, having volunteers to build it, working with the cadet movement, but now I live right above the Trans Canada trail…. It’s really rewarding for me to see that this trail network is so well used,” she describes.
From her abode she notices plenty of people walking their dogs and riding their bikes along the route; these days it’s full of snowmobiles.
“Families with children have a safe route to get to the playground, it’s beautiful,” she describes.
She doesn’t let aging deter her and is unafraid to tackle almost any terrain.
“I absolutely love snowshoeing because it gives us access to a pristine landscape that is so beautiful, especially now with all the snow on the trees,” she says.
Baldwin’s leadership and enthusiasm is demonstrated in a number of ways. She volunteers with a number of committees, including Midland’s Active Transportation Advisory Committee and the Penetanguishene Trails Committee.
Such involvement, helping maintain accessible and inclusive quality of life in her community won her the Age-Friendly Individual Recognition and Achievement Award.
Her nominee, Mary Lynn Brodeur, described her “outstanding commitment and the profound difference she has made,” as reasons for the award.
Yet Baldwin could not accept the recognition without a tribute to many of her colleagues.
“I can name 25 to 30 people who were involved in the '90s and 2000s to build the trails we now have in Simcoe County,” she says.
“This award is for all the people who were trail champions 25 years ago ... It takes a lot of people to make these things happen so I appreciate the efforts of many people,” she said.
The Active Transportation Committee keeps a rule in mind, Baldwin explains, that if you make a route safe for someone under eight or over 80 then it is safe for everybody.
This rule rings particularly true for the Trans Canada trail network. With wide paths levelled with limestone it is easier for those with mobility issues. Plus, her work with the Ganaraska Hiking Trail Association includes a number of ways to encourage others to explore the outdoors.
“Some of us that are hiking post it on the Facebook group page to encourage other people to check out a destination that you haven’t been to before, either a conversation area or trail so that they get to know other places to walk or hike,” she says of the community of hikers.
She laughs about her current challenge to maintain her 250 hikes a year. With her determination and passion, Baldwin will likely hit the trails enough this year to maintain her reputation.
The Ganaraska Trail Club is one way to keep active, social and enjoy the outdoors, said Baldwin.