This was the most ambitious year in the field for the Trail Building and Maintenance Committee crews to date, with over 6,000 field work hours put in by 153 volunteers.
The season started with parallel trips into the Blaeberry: one, a basecamp trip to Collie Creek to complete the revival of an old trail to take the GDT off the logging road and the other a backcountry self-supported trip on the David Thompson Heritage Trail to complete trail repairs due to a major avalanche last year.
Work on the High Rock Trail between Alison Creek and Window Mountain Lake was completed over 6 backcountry trips, including a new trail completed to take 2 km of the GDT off steep ATV tracks. New signs were installed at key intersections along the route. Deadfall was removed between Window Mountain Lake and South Hidden Creek, and the South Racehorse Creek bridge was repaired. Some trail was rerouted to protect an environmentally sensitive area.
A new bridge was installed across Baril Creek on the Original GDT in Section B. A self-supported backcountry crew replaced the temporary log bridge and completed trail maintenance work up to Fording River Pass and from Baril Creek to just over the ridge to the south.
The first women’s only walking trip from South Hidden Creek to North Racehorse Creek took place in late July. Trail clearing, blazing, and an assessment for backcountry campsites were completed.
In Section A, a walking trip from Sage Pass to Scarpe Pass included trail maintenance and blazing along 14 km of trail, 600m of trail construction from Scarpe Pass to La Coulotte Ridge and an assessment of the campsite at Sage Pass.
Once again, the GDTA partnered with Friends of Jasper to clear and maintain the trail on Maligne Pass in Section E, clearing encroaching small trees and shrubs along 500m of trail east and west of Mary Schaffer Campground.
Two parallel trips were coordinated in Section G. Volunteers on a walking trip from Sheep Creek to Cecilia Lake completed trail clearing and maintenance that was started in previous years. The construction of a bridge at Cecilia Creek was done in parallel and both crews and tools were helicoptered in and out.
Two trips into the White Goat Wilderness Area were completed in collaboration with the Trail Protection and Advocacy Committee to set up and take down trail counters and wildlife cameras at the beginning and end of the trail season. This will help gauge activity along the Cataract Creek trail, to help convince the Government of Alberta to permit maintenance of that trail.
It was a successful season working in challenging conditions of heat and smoke. Thanks to all our volunteers and especially to our hard-working trip leaders who organized each of the trips.
