By Nancy Kelly
KingsCountyNews.ca
One year after his tragic death, David Morse’s life-long love of the outdoors was memorialized at the Jan. 25 opening of an 8.2-kilometre stretch of multi-use trail in southwestern Kings County named in his honour.
Morse died at the age of 41 in January 2012 from injuries sustained in a skiing accident. He was an avid skier and snowmobiler and initiated development of the new trail about two years ago.
“I was incoming president of the Annapolis Valley Lake and Ridge Runners snowmobile club at the time,” said Jack Hamilton, who subsequently became very involved in bringing the project to fruition.
“I had not known David before he contacted me, but the relationship between he and I grew from working on the trail. It is a fitting tribute to a young man who loved the woods of the South Mountain.”
Hamilton said Morse wanted to develop a connecter trail between Johnson Pond Road and Crystal Falls in order to provide residents of Harmony Road and the general public with safer access to other multi-use trails in the area.
Development of the new trail was made possible after receiving funding from the Off Highway Vehicle Fund, the provincial Department of Health and Wellness, the County of Kings and the Snowmobile Association of Nova Scotia. The AVLRR snowmobile club worked with the Valley Trails Coalition to complete the work on the trail, which was finished just recently. The new section is now part of 600 kilometres of trail groomed for public use by the snowmobile club during the snow season.
“A lot of volunteer labour went into developing the trail, which showcases some of the nicest landscapes on the South Mountain,” Hamilton said.
The trail, which generally follows the old Canaan Road, can be accessed from the Johnson Pond Road, Crocker Road, JP Morse Road or by turning left just before the Crystal Falls Bridge and following the #50 signs.
Kings West MLA Leo Glavine, who had known Morse since his days at West Kings High School, attended the official opening.
“The extremely cold day was one filled with mixed emotions for family and friends who gathered to acknowledge another of David’s achievements,” said Glavine.
“In many ways, the trail reflects David's embracing attitude towards life - 'get it done and enjoy’.”
See a slideshow of photos from the launch of the trail HERE
