Patti Durand is pretty excited these days.
"This is just great," she said with a smile. "It's a long time coming."
Durand is talking about the progress the Humboldt Community Trails committee, of which she's been the chair since its founding in 2008, has made in establishing trails around the city.
In a recent media release, the committee said their objective is "To create accessible routes in the City of Humboldt for non-motorized traffic for both safety and healthy living."
A worthy goal and an ironic one at that.
Humboldt sits in a vast sheet of fields, hills and land, the ideal landscape that would draw in any avid runner or committed hiker. But until the committee was formed, the turf remained unconquered.
"We have a very active community here, so I was surprised there weren't more trails," Durand said.
It's not that the interest and need wasn't there -Durand mentioned that the local running group and other fitness enthusiasts had been vocal for years about setting up trails - but sometimes it takes a village.
And that's what has happened.
With the generous help of organizations and the City of Humboldt itself, the committee's goal of raising $1.2 million is far from being a pipe dream.
Just a few months ago, the committee received a munificent $25,000 grant from CN EcoConnexions, its first partnership for the trails, with the city matching funding as well.
On June 13, Humboldt Community Trails hosted a barbecue fundraiser at Civic Park, in yet another partnership, this time with the local RBC branch.
But the charitable banking staff didn't just donate their time to flip burgers: a cheque for $1000 was presented to the committee's trails effort.
The group, and about 120 additional joggers, fitness buffs, leisurely walkers or just those with a charitable heart, participated in the third annual Red White and Run event this past Sunday during Summer Sizzler.
All funds raised will go towards the initiative, which is anticipated to be a fairly sizable contribution since the event has raised $20,000 in its past two years of existence.
Sweating it out for a good cause, the participants were walking or running in hopes that by this time next year, their sneakers can hit the pavement along a brand new trail.
So far, the committee has made a noticeable dent in the city's landscape; trails have been polished up around Water Ridge Park and the Kloppenburg Wildlife Refuge, and the grant from CN went towards a trail along 5th Avenue, named in their honor.
But don't stick a fork in them yet - the committee has its sights set on three other areas that are prime real estate for their objective.
The group hopes to set up a two-kilometre trail that would loop around the Uniplex grounds, as well as setting up trails near Glenn Hall Park and along the Burton Lake railroad bed.
Mayor Malcolm Eaton was also pleased to hear that the committee plans to add educational and interpretive opportunities, including historical points of information along the trails.
Eaton said when he was visiting his son a few weeks ago in Campbell River, a coastal city in British Columbia, the city's various hiking trails were dotted with informative plaques and signage with tidbits of trivia and information.
"It was really neat actually, some of the stuff the signs would tell you. It's nice to see that the committee is focusing on the same thing," Eaton said.
He's talking about enhancements to the trails like the Ducks Unlimited interpretive stations set up at Water Ridge Park. For future trails, the committee plans on involving the Humboldt & District Museum & Gallery to display military pieces and other historical artifacts, along with informative station.
The progress the committee has achieved is undoubtedly beholden to the Humboldt community and those wishing to make a monetary donation can find information on how to do so at www.humboldt.ca or at facebook.com/HumboldtCommunityTrails.
