For these older Canadians, the Bruce Trail is both a playground and a pilgrimage. It’s a chance for them to challenge themselves physically, immerse themselves in nature, and form lasting bonds with fellow hikers. This trail, Canada’s oldest and longest marked footpath, has been the setting for countless memories, personal triumphs, and shared experiences for a group of spirited seniors who call themselves Hiking with Friends.
A Trek of Endurance and Companionship
The forest was quiet except for the crunch of boots on fallen leaves and the soft click of hiking poles. Morning light filtered through a canopy of gold, red and green as Rita Hotchkiss rounded the final bend of the Bruce Trail – 2½ years, 905 kilometres and countless memories behind her.
The 84-year-old from Oakville, Ont., has been part of this hiking club, Hiking with Friends, since March 2023. Every Thursday, she laces up her boots to walk another stretch of the trail with her friends. The club has about 40 regulars, ranging in age from their late 50s to mid-80s. They come from all walks of life – teachers, nurses, IT specialists, a botanist, mining engineers, a hotel executive, and even Canada’s first female fire captain. Some are completing the Bruce for the first time, others for the second or third. What unites them is simple: They love hiking, and they love the Bruce.
The Journey Through Bruce Trail
The Bruce Trail is divided into nine segments, which can be completed in any order. Some hikers set out to do part of the trail, while others want to conquer the whole thing. The Hiking with Friends group tends to tackle 15 to 20 km a week, which means it can take two to three years to become an “end-to-ender” (trail lingo for someone who has done the entire route).
On a recent Thursday, under a brilliant autumn sky, Ms. Hotchkiss walked her last 17 kilometres. Her friends – 19 of them – waited beside a farmer’s field outside Owen Sound. As is tradition for anyone who becomes an end-to-ender, they raised their poles to form an arch for her to run through. Ms. Hotchkiss cried, hugged them all and then they popped Champagne.
The Impact of Hiking on Seniors
“I’m so fortunate I’m still able to do this,” she says of completing the trail. “My husband died in 2019, and then COVID happened. I went to a seniors’ centre in Oakville to sign up for aerobics and ended up chatting with these hikers – wonderful people who wanted to be healthy, outdoors in nature.”
Experts say staying active is one of the most powerful habits for longevity – right up there with good sleep and a healthy diet. But social connection may be just – if not more – crucial. A 2025 World Health Organization report found that one in six people worldwide is affected by loneliness, linked to more than 871,000 deaths each year. The Hiking with Friends group not only provides an opportunity for physical activity but also for social interaction, helping to mitigate feelings of loneliness among its members.
The Rewards of Hiking
Doug McKirgan, 79, started hiking the Bruce in 2020 and completed it three years later. “It was only when I started hiking the Bruce that I discovered places I never knew existed – waterfalls around Hamilton, cliffs, caves. It opened up a whole new world for me.”
But the experience was about more than just immersing himself in nature. “I like people, and I need to be around people,” says Mr. McKirgan, who persuaded his wife, Grace, 78, to join him. This sentiment is echoed by Ms. Hotchkiss, who states, “Getting out in the world and making new friends, regardless of your age, is key to a long, happy life.”
The idea for the Bruce Trail was born in the late 1950s with a Hamilton metallurgist named Ray Lowes who wanted to protect the Niagara Escarpment from developers. With help from painter and naturalist Robert Bateman and a handful of volunteers, they plotted a route, rounded up volunteers and started marking the path, which opened in 1967.
Today, the Bruce Trail Conservancy, a volunteer-run non-profit that maintains and protects the route, has recorded more than 4,400 official end-to-enders. The Niagara Escarpment is a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve that shelters more than a third of Ontario’s at-risk plant and animal species, including the butternut tree, peregrine falcon and snapping turtle.
Conclusion
When Ms. Hotchkiss first joined, she had no plan to complete the full trail. “I just wanted to keep moving, preferably outdoors,” she says. But section by section, she was drawn in – through cedar forests, across windy plains and up cliffs with heart-stopping views of Georgian Bay. Despite a fall that resulted in a broken kneecap, she persevered, returning to the trail after surgery and rehab. “Some of my grandchildren say I’m a tough old broad, but I knew I had to finish the Bruce before it finished me.”
Ms. Hotchkiss is a realist, and foresees a day when she can no longer lace up her boots. “Maybe I’ll be sitting in a rocking chair looking back at my hiking blogs, reliving the memories,” she says. “We don’t do it because it’s easy. We do it because it’s a challenge. And when I finish another section, I feel such a rush of accomplishment.”
Her statement sums up the spirit of the Hiking with Friends group: “At my age, I know I’m one trip away from disaster – but I’m going to keep hiking until I can’t any more.”
