Pathfinder Newsletter

Below is the current issue of Pathfinder Newsletter. Enjoy!

Pathfinder Spring 2024

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Past Editions

Pathfinder Spring 2024 Pathfinder Newsletter – Winter 2023

Backpacker’s Best Burrito Bowl Recipe

by Melanie Sampson Life on the trail is full of the unexpected; weather and trail conditions can quickly change, there may be wildlife encounters, injuries, slips and falls, turn-arounds, fatigue, dehydration…the list goes on! If there’s one thing that a hiker can count on at the end of the day…

Pathfinder Newsletter – Autumn 2022

This edition of the Pathfinder Newsletter includes a few key announcements, and articles showcasing adventures on the GDT, accomplishments this year, volunteer recognition, trail crew fun, event reports, and special interest topics. Enjoy! 2022 GDTA Annual Report: It’s amazing what we’ve achieved this year! 2022 GDTA Volunteer Recognition Awards: A…

2022 AGM Summary and Introduction to New Board Members

by Ashley Irving On September 26, 2022 the GDTA held their Annual General Meeting in Calgary, Alberta at Elite Brewing & Cidery. This hybrid version also had an online option so folks afar could Zoom in and take part. Approximately 75 people were in person, with another 20 online. Keynote…

2022 GDTA Volunteer Recognition Awards

by Kate Hamilton GDTA volunteers are one of the most important parts of the organization. Without them, there would not be a Great Divide Trail. We have amazing, committed and skilled volunteers that work hard year round. All of our volunteers are important and have a significant impact to the…

2022 GDTA Annual Report

Presented by Doug Borthwick, President, and Kate Hamilton, Executive Director. ============================================================== by Doug Borthwick, President Wow! What a year. It started pretty rough for a lot of us on the Board. The changing pandemic situation was opening up travel, there were key life changes, and burnout experienced, and as a…

2022 GDTA Trail Building and Maintenance Trips

by Tasha Shakotko and Kate Hamilton The trail building and maintenance committee, chaired by Dave Hockey, had a very busy and productive summer. Several trail crews answered the needs, both planned and unplanned, of Sections B, D, E, F and G. All told, it amounted to: Trail crews kicked off…

Conifer Cornucopia

By Jenny L. Feick, PhD All pictures taken by the author unless otherwise noted. Anyone hiking on Canada’s Great Divide Trail in the summer of 2022 could not help but notice the prolific cone crop on the spruce and fir trees along the GDT. In fact, anyone hiking in the…

Draft Update on the GDTA Trail Users Code

By Jenny Feick, PhD The original Great Divide Trail Association (from the mid-1970s to late 1980s) developed a trail user’s code that first appeared in 1975 and 1976 in the two editions of their policy paper. On pages 9-10 of the Great Divide Trail: Banff to Waterton, Its Concept and Future,…

Oldman River Headwaters Quiz

by Jeff Gruttz The Quiz: For all our Southwest Alberta hikers / geography keeners….. which number is closest to the number of glaciers, or visible remnants thereof, contained in the most southerly drainage basin traversed by the GDT, the Oldman River drainage basin? Clue: this is a semi-trick question. 0…

The Trail Crew Experience

by Joey Gompels During lockdown in the UK, everyone became obsessed with something. From hoarding toilet paper to home fitness, anything to stay sane. My obsession of choice was the Great Divide Trail. A wild thru-hike over 1100 km from Waterton at the US border to Kakwa Lake, tracing the…