Reflections from the GDT FKT

By Andrew Cotterell First Day “Today was the hardest and most rewarding day. First part was like the Rockwall, Iceline and Molar Pass. Then lots of willow bushwhacking. Body feels good, muscles are tired. bugs are intense. Love you dearly!! Xxx” –  InReach message to my wife, Megan on day…

Continue reading

Hiking Saskatchewan Crossing to Field, SOBO

By Barb Lauer Another summer, another section of the GDT completed.  Woohoo! This summer it was Section D, Saskatchewan Crossing to Field (SOBO).  Lynnie and I have now completed more than half of the GDT and feeling better and better that we will eventually complete it all! Section D SOBO…

Continue reading

Thru Hiking the Great Divide Trail with a Baby

Author:  Kyle Philibert-Palmer Background:  Kyle & Natasha Philibert-Palmer thru-hiked the GDT in 2021 with their 8 month old son “Toothless”. They write about their adventures, including this hike, on their website http://backpacksandbikeracks.com When we were planning a family, we had one thing in mind: We planned on sharing the outdoors…

Continue reading

2021 GDTA Volunteer Recognition Awards

Each year we recognize the efforts of our volunteers who have gone above and beyond to help us achieve our objectives. This year we want to recognize the efforts of these 7 individuals whose hard work and dedication were a big part of our success in 2021:  Jim Schieck – In recognition of…

Continue reading

Adopt a Trail Program

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,…

Continue reading

Solving the Conifer Conundrum

By Jenny L. Feick, PhD Unless noted otherwise, all photographs in this article were taken by the author or Ian Hatter in the Canadian Rocky Mountains. Is it a pine? Is it a fir? Is it a spruce? And why should I care? Most people hike through the coniferous forests…

Continue reading

2021 Trail Building & Maintenance Trips

For this year’s Trail Building & Maintenance article we decided to let the volunteers tell in their own words about the trail crew trips. Over and above these reports there was one major “Scouting Trip” early in the spring, which besides setting the stage for all the High Rock trips,…

Continue reading

Pathfinder Newsletter – Spring/Summer 2021

With the arrival of the summer hiking season, the Great Divide Trail Association continues to consider what is best for the health and safety of the trail community that we serve. While pandemic recovery continues and the world slowly reopens, staying active in the outdoors is an excellent way to keep…

Continue reading

GDTA Spring 2021 Webinars

by Charlene Deck This spring, the Outreach Committee presented two webinars to help hikers prepare for the trails this summer: one on trip planning and safety and one on gear selection. Trip Planning and Safety Keri Bowzaylo, an ultra-runner, fitness professional, and apprentice interpretive guide, showed us how to plan…

Continue reading

Thinking Outside the Donation Box

By Mary Jane Kreisel June is an exciting month for the Great Divide Trail Association! Our volunteer trail building trips in BC and Alberta are about to begin. Hikers from far and wide will soon embark on a thru-hike of a lifetime on the GDT. Others will attempt a challenging…

Continue reading