Bamberg Bridge Work Begins

Thank you, Avon Trail hikers, for your response to our Bridge Building fundraising campaign. We have come close to realizing our $2000 fundraising target. With additional support from our members, we can meet or surpass our goal. Your donation today will have a positive impact on hundreds of walkers, for families and young folks discovering the joy of a walk in the woods.

Bridge-building on this scale is  ambitious. The 28-foot walking bridge will span the Bamberg Creek and be the largest built by Avon Trail volunteers. We are fortunate to have skilled maintenance crew members contributing their effort to complete the hard work of bridge construction and trailblazing. See this link for photos of the building project. As it progresses, more photos will be added.

Maintenance Trail Captain, Bruce Graham, explains why we are excited about the project. “Once the bridge is in place, the Sandhills Side Trail will become the main trail. You will walk about 2 km along the side trail, then turn south until reaching Bamberg Creek and our new bridge. A walk south from the creek along a farmer’s charming lane will get you to Berlett’s Road. Best of all, 2.1 km of overall trail road walking will have been eliminated, which is why we’re all so worked up about it”.

Bruce continues, “Some stats: Avon Trail’s current length is 121.6 km, including 88.4 km off-road and 33.2 km on-road. Subtract two off the on-road, and that’ll be 75% off the road. When I started in 2014, it was about 60% off the road. It’s a big deal, and we can all look to Terry Aitken, who made it happen”.

 Your gift to build the Bamberg Bridge will be recognized. As a special thank you, member donors will be the first to cross the bridge together at a commemorative hike for donors only, in celebration of our 45th Anniversary! Click here to donate.