A new book about the Bruce Trail hopes to inspire the next generation of outdoor enthusiasts in Guelph and across Ontario.
Cindi Conlon is a Guelph resident and author of the children’s book, Birthday Boots.
Birthday Boots is about the two twins, named Molly and Max, who are going on a hike with their family for the first time along the Bruce Trail. As a gift, they each receive hiking boots for their journey.
“They learn about the trails origins and then discover the many reasons of people of all ages and cultures enjoy exploring this ‘Ribbon of Wilderness.’” says Conlon about the book.
She adds the ‘Ribbon of Wilderness’ is a term the Bruce Trail Conservancy uses to describe the trail, which is a reference used throughout the book.
The book is based on the work of Philip Gosling, who Conlon met in August 2018. The meeting was arranged through a third party she interviewed while she was working on her most recent book, a historical read called the Limestone Trio.
“He said, ‘I need to introduce you to a man here in Guelph,’” Conlon recalls, “‘He is looking to do some kind of a book project, not sure what he’s kind of looking at, but I would like him to see what kind of things you can put together.’
“I took my two books with me and this third party introduced me to Philip Gosling.”
Gosling is a former real estate and land developer in Guelph noted for his many philanthropic efforts, particularly in regards to nature. He was one of four founding members of the Bruce Trail, which was developed in the 1960s to prevent the dismantling of the Niagara Escarpment.
While he didn’t come up with the idea for the trail, Gosling took a year off work to go door-to-door to speak with farmers and residents to secure land for trail development. Conlon says he was a ‘firm believer’ in getting out there to get it done, and because of his work for the Bruce Trail, Gosling was awarded the Order of Canada in 2013.
“It was a big undertaking for sure, and Philip just believed in it so wholeheartedly,” she says, “And got out there and now we have this beautiful, almost 900 km trail thanks to hard work and people like him.”
After their first meeting, Gosling told Conlon he was interested in creating a story to promote interest in outdoor conservation, but didn’t know how to go about it.
Conlon says it wasn’t until their third meeting that she realized the group that would be the most inspired from his work would be children.
“I came home and thought, ‘You know, he should be inspiring children,’” says Conlon, “I wrote a little bit of an introduction to what I thought would make a cute kids story.
“So I proposed it to him and he liked the idea and said, ‘Yeah, I think this is what we should do.’”
Although Conlon has written other books about Guelph, this was her first time writing a children’s book. However, she says she has always loved kids' books, and had written a story for her granddaughter.
“You sort of know the formula for writing a kid’s story,” she explains, “And there’s so much good literature out there that has showed me how to do it.”
The Gosling foundation helped to hire an illustrator and photographer for the book. They also printed over a 1,000 copies of the book once it was published in April 2020, which were distributed to various organizations, including the Bruce Trail Conservancy.
Birthday Boots is available for sale at $10. Conlon adds that $7 from every book purchase is donated to the Bruce Trail Conservancy with the other $3 going toward the cost of printing the book.
“None of us are realizing a profit from the sale of these books, all the profits are going to the Bruce Trail Conservancy,” she says.
In Guelph, Birthday Boots is available at all branches of the Guelph Public Library and the Guelph schools in the Upper Grand District School Board. Conlon is currently working on getting copies into all the Catholic board's schools within Guelph.
With children spending less time outside than they did 25 to 30 years ago, Conlon hopes the book will motivate young readers to explore the outdoors.
“It’s a pretty neat place out there with lots of things happening,” says Conlon, “And lots to see and experience.”
To purchase the book, you can email Conlon at [email protected].
