Finding Peace on the Trail

Cover photo credit: Kaitlyn Boychuk

Every fall, Dimitri takes some time to disconnect from his devices and surround himself with the serenity of the Niagara Escarpment in southern Ontario.

This annual event began 12 years ago. “I was still in college then, spending a lot of time on my computer and in classrooms,” says Dimitri. To get away from it all, he planned a camping trip with friends to the Bruce Peninsula – one of the most stunning sections of the Escarpment.

When the forecast called for rain, his friends cancelled, and his trip turned into a solo adventure. “My decision to head out despite my friends’ change of heart turned into one of the most relaxing experiences I’d had in a long time!”

From backyard exploration to Bruce Trail guardian

Dimitri grew up in busy cities before moving with his family to a quieter neighbourhood just outside of Toronto. Living near a forest and around the corner from a lake left him with a deep appreciation for the outdoors, and how it can completely change how you feel.

That’s why Dimitri is so grateful for the Bruce Trail, Canada’s oldest and longest marked footpath. It stretches approximately 900 kilometres across southern Ontario, connecting communities to their local environments. “The Bruce Trail is so huge that at least one section is easily accessible from anywhere,” notes Dimitri.

Being able to escape that busy city feeling and access nature only a short distance from home has been such a gift, and it sparked Dimitri’s desire to make sure the Bruce Trail is always there for others too.

“The added benefit of spending time outdoors and surrounded by nature is that it’s made me more inclined to take care of it,” he says. “I’m aware, for instance, that I’m able to enjoy the Niagara Escarpment today because others before me supported the effort to secure the Bruce Trail permanently. I want this to continue, and I want to contribute.”

Protecting a fragile ecosystem

The Bruce Trail Conservancy (BTC) is one of Ontario’s largest land trusts, having safeguarded more than 21,000 acres of forests, wetlands, and meadows along the Niagara Escarpment UNESCO World Biosphere. But even this iconic landscape faces mounting pressure from urban expansion, invasive species, and the effects of climate change.

Currently, only 72.1% of the Bruce Trail is on permanently protected land. In addition to the thousands of acres the BTC has protected forever, this world-class trail crosses national and provincial parks, conservation authority lands and the private property of hundreds of gracious landowners. The BTC works with these partners to ensure Trail continuity, restore ecologically sensitive areas and provide free public access to the benefits of time in nature.

While the work the BTC does to protect and steward vulnerable Niagara Escarpment land receives funding from federal and provincial government programs, it is primarily supported by the generosity of individual donors.

“Whenever I tell someone that 80% of the Bruce Trail Conservancy’s funding comes from individual donations and gifts in Wills, they’re surprised,” says Marsha Russell, VP of Fund Development at the Bruce Trail Conservancy.

“In the early 1960s a group of concerned citizens set out to protect the Niagara Escarpment. They believed that if they blazed a trail and invited the public to connect with nature, people would come together to protect it. They were right. Today we are able to preserve threatened lands, support species at risk and restore dwindling habitats because of the dedicated donors and volunteers who are the true champions for nature.”

Planning ahead protects the planet

That’s where Dimitri comes in.

At just 32, he’s already made the decision to include a few charities in his Will, one of which is the Bruce Trail Conservancy. It comes down to a sense of responsibility: caring for the places that have given him so much peace, and doing his part to protect them for others.

“Leaving a gift in my Will to the Bruce Trail Conservancy feels good,” he says. “It means I’ve officially committed to a promise I made to myself years ago. My family and friends are aware of my charitable intentions, and it’s my hope that they might consider it, too.”

Dimitri has known for a long time that he wanted to include charity in his Will. He likens it to dreaming about all the good you could do if you won the lottery. He realized that one day his estate would be the largest sum of money he’d ever control, so why not give some of that away to an important cause?

It wasn’t hard to do. He started by narrowing down his choices, choosing charities that:

1. Have had a personal impact on his life
2. Serve causes that are important to him
3. Are fiscally responsible
4. Are located in Canada.

From there, it was just a matter of assigning a percentage of his estate to each charity and including that in his Will.

“Particularly because of my age, I felt it made sense to take the percentage approach,” says Dimitri. “I can’t predict what my estate will look like in the future, other than I expect it to grow. This way, the gifts will grow with me over time. I’m young, but I’m hoping in the future it will be a good amount.”

Leave a legacy for the land you love

The Bruce Trail exists today because generations of Canadians cared enough to protect it. Donors like Dimitri are carrying that legacy forward, safeguarding the natural places that sustain us.

We all share that same responsibility. The future of our environment depends on everyday people who choose to act — not wait for someone else to do it. If you’ve ever found peace in a forest, along a coastline, or on a quiet trail, you already understand why this matters.