On Saturday, October 22, Doug Barber will celebrate his 65th birthday by running 65 kilometres along the Tom Thomson Trail. And he’s looking for others to join him. In addition to marking a birthday milestone, Doug is raising money for the Tom Thomson trail. The run starts at 8 a.m. at Owen Sound’s Soccer Complex and consists of a 6.5 kilometre stretch to Hibou Park, which runners will complete 10 times (five circuits).

For Doug, the run will probably be a breeze. Last weekend he won his age division at the Canadian national 50-km trail running championships. But this kind of commitment shows how, in a decade, the trail has grown from a notion to an exciting new way to enjoy the countryside between Meaford to Owen Sound.

Back in 2001, a group got together with the goal of creating a non-motorized, multi-use (biking, hiking and horseback riding), three-season (spring through fall) trail between Owen Sound and Meaford. There was no existing abandoned rail bed to follow, so the group had the opportunity to create their own route. “This has been an opportunity to build a trail from scratch, one that shows the best vistas, tackles fewer obstacles and passes through the best of our beautiful countryside,” says the trail’s website.

As much as possible, the 43.4 trail uses off-road routes, though much of it currently follows quiet country backroads, with conditions that range from easy to challenging, offering many options to start your route along the way. (The route doesn’t follow the Bayview Escarpment trail, a rugged hike through a nature reserve, but that doesn’t mean you can’t detour along it.)

Here’s a printable map.