OOCLO Reflection 9

Hidden Treasures All Around Us

Personal Growth OOCLO

 

What I Did               

The OOCLO that I took part in this week was the self-guided walk through Thorold.  The day that I went on this walk was one of the beautiful sunny days that we experienced, and throughout the course of my walk I saw many other people enjoying the sights.  I’m glad that on a sunny day like this that many people in the community had the same idea; to enjoy the trail available to them instead of staying inside as many people do.  As a child, I grew up playing outside and doing outdoor activities whenever available, but children now seem to be under the spell of technology, and they sit in front of their computers or televisions instead of being active and outside.  It’s unfortunate that the children nowadays don’t seem to understand how to appreciate nature and the inherent beauty of the area we live in.  It was a very encouraging sight to see so many people utilizing this trail, and I imagine there would have been more in the summer because the locks would be full and have marine traffic.  This OOCLO was a recurring activity and was open to anyone.  It’s a public trail that’s open year-round and offers different sights depending on the season.

During this OOCLO, my husband joined me, and we were very happy to learn that such interesting things exist so close to us.  We are not originally from here, so we are generally unaware of many of the beautiful experiences this area has to offer.  Thanks to this, and other OOCLOs, we now realize how many wonderful outdoor opportunities are available nearby.  As we come from a city which is much more populated and industrialized than St. Catharines, we were pleasantly surprised to discover sights such as this Thorold walk has shown to us.  We brought a camera to document the sights, and we will definitely return in the summer to see the locks and trail with the greenery. 

During this walk we appreciated the detailed pamphlet available regarding the sights, as it was nice to learn about the history of these areas, and not just view them.  Our favorite part of this trail was seeing all the extraordinary murals.  They displayed amazing local artists, as well as some history of the area.  This walk would have been nice without the murals, but with them, it really made the trail more enjoyable and attractive. 

My expectations weren’t really great for this walk, as I’ve been on other city trails where I’m from, and they don’t have much to offer, so I expected a similar result from this walk.  I also didn’t expect my husband to enjoy himself as much as he did.  He came with me for company and wasn’t too excited to just walk a trail however he ended up enjoying himself quite a bit.  It was very neat to see the canal up close, and get a feel for how big it really is.  As I stated previously, we will return once the canal is full so we can hopefully see the locks in action.  It was a nice change for my husband and I to get out and enjoy the natural sights available to us, rather than the typical date night consisting of a movie.  Our eyes have definitely been opened as to the beautiful sights available so close, and we will definitely try and experience more outdoor activities in the future.

What Have I Been Asking Myself?

It’s unfortunate that in the past my experiences with walking trails have been so negative, because I feel like I’ve been missing out this whole time.  This has likely happened to other people, and it’s sad to think that there are so many outdoor opportunities that are going unappreciated because of previous bad experiences.  Seeing that there are actually beautiful, free trails to experience, I am now asking myself if there are more local attractions in the vicinity that we may visit.

               

What I Learned

During this OOCLO experience, I learned quite a bit.  I learned that despite my previous negative experiences with city trails, I shouldn’t discount them all because there are actually some cities/towns that put significant effort into these trails.  The locks are an amazing invention that deserves to be recognized for what they are, so I appreciate that this trail takes part along the canal so people can view the locks in action.  I learned that this area has much pride in its history and heritage, and that it puts forth a lot of effort to provide opportunities for the community to experience and appreciate what it has to offer. 

I learned this when I had a great experience on this trail.  I saw many other people taking advantage of this wonderful trail.  There were bikers, walkers, joggers, children, adults, teens, and even the elderly. 

This learning matters because it is important to know about the history of the area that one lives in.  It's important to support the local attractions because without popular attendance these places may no longer be provided with funding and may cease to exist in the future.   

In light of this learning, I will definitely be researching St. Catharines and surrounding areas for free, local attractions that my husband and I can visit.  Realizing how beautiful and interesting of a place that I live in has been very enlightening, and I intend to fully explore this area as much as possible.