Ever wonder why 605 is called Gord’s trail? We now have the complete story.
In 1986 Gord moved to the area and purchased a property on Whitestone lake and also a lot on Hwy 520 approximately 5 miles away.
At this time Gord had a Three Wheeler and wanted a short route to get from property to property for logging and Maple Syrup.
Gord set out one day with his daughter on the Three Wheeler armed with only a chain saw and a compass. It was the spring time and the hard crusty snow supported the trike and made navigation “a bit” easier. Many days later he had forged a trail for him to use.
The next year he groomed it for his personal use but it seemed that many Snowmobilers looking for adventure were using this trail and discovering that it just went to a camp many miles in the bush. Cramadog wasn’t even born at this time.
Several Years later Cramadog was formed and founding President Peter Keck expressed interest in completing Gord’s Trail the extra few kilometres to make it all the way to Hwy520.
The next Cramadog President Gary Binkley made this possible by assisting in the trail blazing and also registering the trail with the OFSC.
Interestingly enough our current president Geoff Scanlan states that this trail is one of his “most favorite to ride”. Soon after it was adopted in the OFSC Gord worked to complete the trail all the way to Wahwashkesh Lake and it remains the most scenic and adventuresome trail to use for travel between Dunchurch and Port Loring.
To this day Gord meticulously grooms his trail with pride and it is often the first trail open and the last to close as a result of his work.
Next time you exit this trail on to Whitestone lake look across the bay to Gord’s place and as you pass wave a big Thank You to him for so many years of dedicated volunteering.
One final note this trail was featured on Snowmobiler TV as one of the best trails to ride in Southern Ontario 2004, Thanks Gord!
I had the pleasure of meeting Gord and his wife recently and his face literally lights up as he explains the origin of his trail.
Dominic Murphy
