by Deb Yanchula and Jeremy Bateson
It was Day 2 and we were following Dutch Creek up towards Tornado Pass. There was a bare hill, lots of deadfall to climb over (probably brought down by an avalanche) … and the trail disappeared. It was time to put down our packs, take some GPS coordinates and to take some pictures. We were participating in “Adopt a Trail”, a new program that the GDTA was piloting this past summer. The GDTA’s Adopt a Trail Program is similar to a program currently used by the Pacific Crest Trail and several other long distance trails, used to identify sections of trail that require maintenance. The GDTA can use this information to prioritize the yearly maintenance work and to send out the best resources needed to fix it. Doug Borthwick started this program, part of the Trail Building & Maintenance Committee initiatives.
What do you need to get involved?
- A working knowledge of trail building (trail and tread quality, deadfall, protected species). Training and checklist will be available.
- Physically fit and able to independently backpack on the GDT.
- Ability to collect GPS coordinates and pictures.
- Willingness to do simple maintenance as you walk your section of trail.
The GDT has been divided into “adoptable sections” of 15 to 30 km in length. Volunteers have the flexibility to choose:
- A section that interests them.
- A section that suits their physical capabilities.
- Choose the dates to complete their hike.
- Coordinate the people that you want to participate in your hike.
We had six days of September blue skies as we hiked the ridges from Dutch Creek to Baril Creek. It was an incredible hike with good friends and a great way to get involved and support maintenance work on the GDT. Look for a roll out of the GDTA’s Adopt a Trail Program in 2022 or contact us now to get involved!
Trail Adopters, Deb and Stuart (photo by Jeremy Bateson)
Hiking high ridges on a trail adoption hike, nothing needing maintenance to report up here. (photo by Jeremy Bateson)
