Writing the article on the Snows of the Great Divide got me thinking about encounters we had with snow while doing the field work for Project: Great Divide Trails back in 1974. Here are a couple of Great Divide snow-related excerpts from the book Tales from the Great Divide. In these sections of dialogue taken from the book, Dave refers to Dave Higgins, Lani to Lani Smith, Jenny to Jenny Feick (rhymes with hike), Cliff to Cliff White, and Davie to Dave Zevick.
For anyone interested in reading more stories from the folks who initiated the idea of Canada’s Great Divide Trail and Great Divide Trail Association, you can still purchase a copy of the Second Edition of the book in three ways:
Order a print-on-demand version from Amazon for Cdn $85.00 (rate in US$ varies with the exchange rate) plus shipping (free for Amazon Prime members).
Arrange to purchase a printed copy directly in person from Jenny Feick, the editor, in the Invermere area for Cdn $65.00 (shipping anywhere in Canada would cost $20.00) by emailing jenny.feick@gmail.com.
From Page 25 of the 2nd edition of Tales from the Great Divide:
DAVE: [Coleman was] “The perfect jumping-off point for all of our study areas for the first two-thirds of the summer.”
LANI: “That’s where you started from?”
JENNY: “Yes. We were going south to north, with the idea that the snow would be less in the south.”
CLIFF: “As it turned out, that year was a horrific snow year. We had a heck of a time!”
JENNY: (Looking at Dave) “When we were in Tornado Pass, we had so much snow.”
DAVE: “There was still about two to three metres of snow on the ground in the [Tornado] Pass, and we were trying to find trails! So, this is not really going too well.”
Jenny Feick trying to find the Tornado Pass historic trail in Alta. despite the deep snow in late June 1974. (Photo by Dave Higgins)
From Page 49-50 of the 2nd edition of Tales from the Great Divide:
CLIFF: “The nice thing about it was that the Great Divide Trail went through there. It was never logged as you come into Banff [National Park from North or South Kananaskis Pass], and all the way down through Kananaskis Country, either between the Height of the Rockies or on the Kananaskis side, it’s in pretty good shape. So, it was a nice way to finish the summer. We had a spectacular August, if I remember right. Fantastic weather.”
JENNY: “Except for when we got snowed on at Kananaskis Lakes!”
A mid-August snowstorm in the Kananaskis valley, Alta. In 1974 made parts of the study area inaccessible (Photo by Dave Higgins) Mount Sarrail and Upper Kananaskis Lake briefly appeared before again becoming cloud-covered.
DAVE: “August 12th, we had our first snow of the season. We got well and truly snowed out there. And the Kananaskis Road at that time was being turned into a Kananaskis Highway, and we had to actually traverse [the construction area].We had to drive our little beat-up car [the VW] over Highwood Summit, which was a complete mess. Actually, I think there’s a picture of the car on that [construction area], where the little car is set in all the rocks on the road and everything. It was taken around then. But I remember having to evacuate out of there in a blizzard, basically.”
Chris Hart’s VW Sedan in the Highway 40 construction zone near Galatea Creek, Alta. Summer 1974. (Photo by Cliff White)
CLIFF: “I can remember that day. Davie and I were at Connor Lakes that day trying to get out of the pass into Abruzzi Creek. It was a really snowy day. We had to go over that pass until we got into [the] Abruzzi Creek [drainage].We sort of did that loop, but never ended up on the Great Divide Trail. It was beautiful country. That was the one thing that saved the upper [Elk] valley. It was stripped down low, but up high it was just NOT logging country. It had been burnt in 1936, so all the side valleys were burnt out. And beyond a few seismic roads, which never found any oil or gas, most of the country there was in pretty good shape. So, that was nice. It started to get pretty nice after that.”
Dave Zevick struggles up Quarrie Pass, B.C. after a mid-August snowstorm in 1974. (Photo by Cliff White)
47 Years Later – 2021
Even today, hikers should expect to encounter snow on the high-altitude parts of the GDT any month of the year and prepare accordingly. While the lingering snows of June and mid-August snowfalls along the Great Divide were typical patterns observed in the 1970s through the 1990s, climate change is making these trends less predictable. In 2021, GDT thru-hikers experienced extremely high temperatures in June through to mid-August and the first significant snow fell in the alpine at the end of August and into early September.
Lauren “Neon” Reed on her way up the snowy Jonas Shoulder on September 1, 2021, during the Her Odyssey thru-hike of the GDT. (Photo by Bethany “Fidget” Hughes)
The High Rock Trail is officially the main route of the GDT this year – woo hoo! The opening ceremony for the HRT took place on July 22.
The GDTA will cease support of the old route from Deadman Pass to North Fork Pass.
Section C:
Sunshine Village is open again this summer which means the cafe, restaurant, accommodation, gondola and shuttle service to Banff are available. Resupply cache service is available for $100 + GST. Contact Sunshine Village for more information.
Peter Lougheed Visitor Centre will not be accepting resupply packages again this year but Nicole Sharpe has generously offered to deliver resupply boxes to the Elk Pass Trailhead in Peter Lougheed Provincial Park to GDTA members for a fee of $25 and to non-members for $40. Contact Nicole through Facebook or at nicole.d.sharpe@gmail.com to book your delivery service and receive mailing instructions. Once you’ve paid the fee, Nicole will give you her Zoleo satellite communicator number in case on-trail communication is needed.
Section D:
Improvements to the Collie Creek alternate route have taken place this summer, including the construction of a bridge over Collie Creek, making it highly recommended this year. Note the new (flagged) route to access the bridge.
There is a small route change at Conway Creek where the trail heads towards the Howse floodplain. Rather than fording Conway Creek back and forth, the route stays on the north side of the creek avoiding the two fords of Conway Creek.
Section E:
The Six-Passes Alternate Route is closed to all overnight random camping but is open to random day use activity.
The three campgrounds on the Maligne Pass Trail previously available online as ‘Maligne Pass North’ (Mary Vaux, Mary Schäffer, Trapper Creek) are listed in the online reservation system separately, 1 site per night at each campground, with the exception of Trapper Creek campground which is closed this summer.
Reminder that reservations for the two campgrounds that Parks Canada opened to GDT hikers last year – Cline and McCready – are both only available via phone.
Section F:
The Berg Lake Trail remains closed and it will not open this summer so hikers should plan accordingly when arranging resupply or exiting the trail.
The Moose River Trail remains open so hikers can connect with Section G.
Exiting via the Moose River Trail to Highway 16 is another option.
Section G:
With the closure of the Berg Lake Trail, exit or resupply (with support) via the Blueberry Trail are good options.
Improvements to the Walker Creek FSR took place last summer. BC Parks lists Walker Creek FSR as closed at km 37 due to unsafe road conditions, but the road remains accessible beyond that point for those with high clearance 4WD vehicles willing to drive the very rough and overgrown road all the way to from the Bastille Creek trailhead.
Robson Valley Adventures Unplugged has confirmed they will be providing shuttle and resupply services to the Kakwa and Blueberry trailheads this summer.
Following last year’s successful maintenance trip in the Jackpine valley, the route has been updated in several places. More of the old trail was discovered and restored but it does mean that the trail now fords the Jackpine River more frequently (at least 6 times more than previously). In normal water level conditions these fords are easy and only knee deep but hikers should be aware.
Two additional campgrounds were discovered in the Jackpine valley and have been added to the GDT map & app: Gilbey’s camp and Castor Creek campground.
Note the name of Sheep Creek campground has been changed to its historic name “Copper Kettle camp”.
This edition of the Pathfinder Newsletter includes articles showcasing adventures on the GDT, accomplishments this year, volunteer recognition, special interest topics, useful advice, and the highly acclaimed “Tales from the Great Divide, 2nd Edition” Enjoy!
Her Odyssey: AGM Presentation: Hear from Fidgit and Neon as they discuss their continued odyssey, this time on the GDT.
If you have questions or comments about the newsletter, or would like to publish an article or event in a future newsletter, please email us at greatdividetrail@gmail.com
By Brad Vaillancourt, President of the Great Divide Trail Association
At the beginning of the year, we gladly said goodbye to 2020 and we looked forward optimistically to a new start in 2021. Unfortunately, as we’ve all experienced, the pandemic continued and 2021 has produced its own share of challenges and stress.
As we approached another year under pandemic conditions, the Great Divide Trail Association continued to consider what was best for the health and safety of the trail community that we serve, while at the same time acknowledging that staying active in the outdoors is an excellent way to keep your body and mind healthy. Only a few months ago, as the summer hiking season approached and non-essential travel in BC was restricted, it looked like there might not be a hiking season this summer. But similar to last summer, things improved, re-opened, and people quickly began looking for opportunities to get out on the trail. Despite the pandemic and mother nature’s best efforts to keep people off the trail with flooding closing the Berg Lake Trail in Mount Robson Provincial Park and a devastating wildfire season in BC, day hikers, weekend hikers and thru-hikers were on the GDT in record numbers this summer; and by all accounts it was a spectacular summer to spend on the Great Divide!
Whether hiking on the trail or volunteering on a trail crew, life on the GDT offered people a little taste of normalcy – connecting with nature and like-minded individuals in the magnificent wilderness of the Canadian Rockies – it might not have been a cure to COVID but it sure felt good. With this in mind, we began preparing for a busy year, both behind the scenes and on the trail. The GDTA Board and committees continued meeting virtually every month, moving our Organization ever forward even if we never met in person. We learned a lot in 2020 and the continuing pandemic didn’t stop us from making plans for a busy trail building season and achieving several other significant accomplishments.
In the spring, our Outreach Committee began offering online webinars with the help of some fantastic members. The virtual presentations included different approaches to backpacking and gear selection and trip planning with safety in mind and were very popular, demonstrating the strong desire for events and connections in the GDT Community. Earlier this month, the Outreach Committee completed one of its most significant and exciting accomplishments, the launch of the online GDTA Merchandise Store, where you can find t-shirts, hat, mugs and more, all emblazoned with the GDT logo. Thanks to Robert and the rest of the Outreach Committee for all of their work this past year!
Led by Mary Jane, our Ensuring Financial Capacity Committee continued their excellent work to, well do exactly what the name of their committee says: ensure financial capacity for the GDTA. Fresh off of obtaining our charitable status, we launched our first ever Trail Supporter Campaign in late 2020 and raised over $8,500 in charitable donations. By the end of our fiscal year 2021, we had received over $16,500 in corporate and individual donations – an increase of $10,000 from the previous year. Remember that the GDTA is a charitable organization so all donations over $20 receive official tax receipts. With the loss of some of our previous funders, these generous donations were critical to the success of our operations this year. Thanks to the committee’s expertise in grant writing, we received four grants to fund our trail building operations, from Alberta Environment & Parks, Columbia Basin Trust, Alberta Culture and Status of Women Community Investment Program, and the Alberta Equestrian Federation. Thanks to all of our generous donors and supporters, and the Ensuring Financial Capacity Committee – we couldn’t do the work we do without you!
Our Organizational Excellence Committee continued to be incredibly busy behind the scenes, developing policies and systems to take our Organization to the next level. They implemented a new Document Management System and will implement new Member Management Software shortly. They developed Terms of Reference for all 6 GDTA committees, updated the GDTA’s bylaws, vetted new candidates for the Board of Directors and developed a new GDTA Board Manual. Thanks to the work of the Organizational Excellence Committee, the GDTA is a more robust and nimble organization able to navigate the challenging world we now live in!
Also behind the scenes, our Trail Protection and Advocacy Committee continued to build relationships, this year providing recommendations to the Livingstone Porcupine Hills Castle Recreation Advisory Group Final Report, working with Travel Alberta to get the Great Divide Trail listed on their website as a premier destination in Alberta, and participating in the Bighorn Steering Committee. Thanks to Ben, Dave and the rest of the Trail Protection and Advocacy Committee for getting the GDT on the map!
Folks looking to learn more about the surprisingly long and interesting history of the Great Divide Trail can now order Tales from the Great Divide 2nd edition from Amazon or as a PDF from the Nature Wise Consulting website.
Thanks to all of the work of our Trail Building & Maintenance Committee and Safety Committee in 2020, we were well prepared for another pandemic trail building season, with modified trips plans that adhered to public health restrictions and guidelines in place. Similar to last year, the volunteer response we received was incredible. It feels like I say this every year and I’ll probably say it again, but this year was our busiest year yet, thanks to the hard work of more than 100 volunteers donating over 5,600 hours of their time for onsite trail building and maintenance on the GDT. By the end of the summer, we had successfully operated 15 trips through an ever evolving pandemic with zero incidents or injuries.
With the help of 3 youth leadership groups: Crowsnest Bible Camp, Outdoor Council of Canada, and the Junior Forest Rangers, Great Divide Trail crews performed maintenance and trail enhancements on more than 150 km of trail including significant improvements to the remote Jackpine Valley Trail, a temporary bridge over Cairnes Creek, a long-term bridge over Cataract Creek, repairs to Lambe Creek bridge, and 8 km of new or improved tread on the High Rock Trail. 6 years, dozens of trail building trips and thousands of volunteer hours later, we can now officially open to the HRT as the main route of the GDT in 2022! This new section of the Great Divide Trail is a legacy achievement for the GDTA, all thanks to the many volunteers who dedicated their time and energy to make it happen. I’d be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge two guys in particular, Dave Hockey and Doug Borthwick. Without their dedication and efforts, the High Rock Trail would still just be a dream. Thank you guys!
At last year’s AGM, we increased our Board of Directors to 13 and welcomed six new board members as Donna Rutherford, Doug Whiteside, Peter Claghorn, Gina Van Haren, Ben Millen and Josh Edwards joined our existing board of directors, Jeff Gruttz, Deb Yanchula, Mary Jane Kreisel, Doug Borthwick, Chase Holthe, Robert MacLaine and me.
As this is my last meeting as the President and as a Board member, I would like to personally thank each of the directors for all the work they have done to move our Organization forward during these challenging times. Being part of the GDTA for the past 8 years, working with all of you to protect and preserve the GDT has been some of the most rewarding times in my life. The Great Divide Trail does more than just physically connect places by a path on the ground, it also connects people. Common purpose unites us and creates a community of individuals and organizations all pursuing the vision of the Great Divide Trail. I will always be passionate about the GDT and if you are too, I encourage you to get involved: become a member, join a committee, volunteer on a trail crew, donate, or just go for a hike or horse ride. I promise you won’t regret it.
By Jenny Feick, PhD, Editor of Tales from the Great Divide
Tales from the Great Divide, Vignettes on the Origins and Early History of Canada’s Great Divide Trail and Great Divide Trail Association is a self-published compendium of stories from individuals involved firsthand in the start and development of the GDT and the GDTA. First published in September 2019, Tales from the Great Divide brings to life the memories of many of the ‘originals’ whose vision, idealism, dedication, and hard work over five decades made Canada’s Great Divide Trail a reality. Transcripts of interviews and storytelling sessions, combined with excerpts from letters and other documents and hundreds of photographs and illustrations, reveal the adventurous, heartbreaking, and hilarious moments that characterized the early history of the GDT. Devising and establishing a route for this wilderness long-distance trail along the crest of the Canadian Rocky Mountains demonstrated naive courage and optimism. These pathfinders faced personal hardships and their trail work took place at a time before lightweight gear existed and without technological aids such as GPS, inReach, cell phones or satellite phones. In their quest to establish the GDT with a protected corridor, they confronted numerous threats and challenges.
The Second Edition of Tales from the Great Divide (416 pages, 300+ images) includes more than 100 pages of new material, over 100 additional images, and other enhancements. It also corrects errors found in the first edition after it was printed. This long awaited second edition was finally completed in mid-June, 2021 just as my husband Ian Hatter and I moved from Victoria on Vancouver Island to live near Invermere in the Upper Columbia Valley.
Tales editor Jenny Feick with the newly printed Second Edition in July 2021 in Invermere, B.C.
There are several ways to obtain a copy of the second edition:
Order a print-on-demand version from Amazon for Cdn $85.00 (rate in US$ varies with the exchange rate) plus shipping (free for Amazon Prime members).
Arrange to purchase a copy directly in person from Jenny Feick, the editor, for Cdn $65.00 (shipping anywhere in Canada would cost $20.00) by emailing jenny.feick@gmail.com.
Arrange an appointment to view a donated copy in the GDTA fonds within the Glenbow Archives in the University of Calgary’s Special Collections and Archives in the Taylor Family Digital Library by contacting the archivist at woelk@ucalgary.ca.
Several people who have already purchased the second edition sent me their first impressions.
“Tales From the Great Divide, 2nd edition – contains everything you want to know about the origins of the Great Divide Trail and the resulting non-profit association. Packed with a comprehensive history of the GDT and GDTA, it is also full of fascinating first-hand anecdotes from those movers and shakers who propelled the vision forward.” — Mary Jane Kreisel, Victoria, B.C. and Edmonton, Alta.
“David McCullough (Brave Companions: Portrait in History) states “How can we know who we are and where we are going if we don’t know anything about where we have come from and what we have been through, the courage shown, the costs paid, to be where we are?” Thanks so much to the GDT leadership and all those that preceded you for your vision in publishing this important part of the Great Divide Trail adventure.” — Kasy Kaczanowski, Brooks, Alta.
“A wonderful story of how young people undertook a formidable task and pioneered the Great Divide Trail in the Canadian Rocky Mountains. Young heroes and heroines describe hardships and excitements as they pioneered the Great Divide Trail in The Canadian Rockies on a mere shoestring of support.” — Des Allen, Calgary, Alta.
“No bridge plank left unturned. Extremely thorough. Comprehensive. Exhaustive research. Easy to start reading at any point. Delightful reading. Copy available for on-site perusal at the University of Calgary’s Library, Archives and Special Collections, Glenbow Collection via prior arrangement by appointment for U of C students, faculty and staff. Details here: https://asc.ucalgary.ca/contact/ “— Jeff Gruttz, Calgary, Alta.
“Thorough, informative, in depth, well-rounded. Offers a thorough and intimate perspective into the origins of the GDT. A well founded body of information which can be drawn upon to inform potential trajectories forward for the trail and its community. Thoughtfully written and laid out. The humor is just as prevalent in the conversations as the challenges faced.” — Bethany “Fidget” Hughes and Lauren “Neon” Reed of Her Odyssey, based in the U.S.A.
“Delightful read that brings alive the Great Divide Trail, from its birth, through its life – its infancy to its current growth spurt. Supported by a very impressive collection of photos, illustrations, and maps.” — Joan Pendleton, San Jose, Calif., U.S.A.
“Thanks to you, Louise [the desk top publisher who worked on Tales], and all the others for all the effort and time you have put into this – it will be a historical treasure. I marvel at all the work you and your team put into this effort. Thank you for the initiative turning an idea in to something tangible and historical… Although I am only on page 24 of the book, I am impressed with the detail included in those few pages. I enjoyed learning about the early history of the Trail and in particular the vision and dedication of Jim Thorsell when he saw an opportunity to share the grandeur of the Rocky Mountains in a unique and historic way – by foot.” — Wayne Marshall, Calgary, Alta.
“… the size and heft of the book looks intimidating and I thought it would take forever to read! But once you get by all [of] the preamble, it is an extremely interesting book. It is the first book I have read where it is a verbatim record of people talking and it surprisingly flows very nicely. I love the stories of how the GDTA came to be and especially the tales of circumstances that happened during the survey hikes. There is a massive amount of background detail included in the footnotes that further explains certain comments. I find I have to keep reading the stories to a point where the topic shifts so that the flow is not interrupted and then I go back to the footnotes to read those. I am impressed by the volume of information in this book and the thorough, detailed research. It is great to have so many photos as well to help explain or illuminate certain aspects of the story. It is indeed a labour of love and will be a valuable resource for those who are interested in keeping the history of the GTDA alive and informing others about it. Well done, Jenny!! … what an incredible legacy you have, both in being part of the hikes and surveys and now in helping to record the history. I will look forward to the rest of the read. Bummer that you did not get a photo of the tree in the car!! “ — Peggy Taylor, Victoria, B.C.
“Amazing to see how long some people have been involved with the trail! This book is on our coffee table.” — Gail DesMoulins, Municipality of Crowsnest Pass, Alta.
“I’m loving this new second edition. Wow! Wonderful. To me, the additional content made the whole book flow together. It reads better. The new edition to me has a more in-depth storyline. It holds my interest to keep reading. And of course, there are NO MISTAKES! It’s more enjoyable to read. The additions you added [like the subtitles] make this book make more sense than the first edition. It makes a much better read than the first Edition.” — Lani Smith, Olds, Alta.
The front cover of the new improved Second Edition of Tales from the Great Divide now available in print or PDF.
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 1 of my trip.
It’s about 7pm on July 12th and I’ve made it to Morkill Pass campsite. I look at my watch and see I’ve been on the move for 13 hours 47 minutes, covering 57.4km and 2,216m from Kakwa Lake. In front of me there is a fire pit, an aged horse corral and a flat spot for my tent. I begin a routine that will become a ritual over the next three weeks. First, down a protein shake as taking in protein and carbs within 20 minutes of finishing exercise is ideal for muscle recovery. Next, I need to wash. I head to the river and strip off, washing my shoes and socks thoroughly as any dirt in them could cause blisters tomorrow. After a dip and a scrub I dress in my rain jacket and pants, not for the rain but for the bugs! Mosquitos crowd every inch of exposed skin and I decided bug spray wasn’t worth the weight, something I’d rectify in Jasper even though by then I’d endured the worst of it. With no camp shoes, I ease my bare wet feet back into my wet shoes with the insoles taken out and shuffle back to my gear. Now for dinner. It’s a simple affair as I don’t have a stove. Instead, a few kms before camp I added water to my dehydrated meal – Irish Shepherd’s pie which packs a hearty 800 calories for a 100g serve. I pour on lashings of olive oil and some crushed up Pringles to sneak in yet more calories. Lying with my feet in the air I wolf it down whilst swatting mosquitoes and soaking in an immense feeling of accomplishment and reflecting on the day. I’m glad I didn’t know at this point that each of the next three days would be more challenging than this one. Then again, the scale we have to judge difficulty is based on what we’ve done previously. There is a space between the hardest thing we’ve done, and our ultimate limit which this scale can’t describe. Despite preparing for over a year mentally and physically, Section G+F would push me into this space near constantly for the four and a half days it took me to cover them, completely resetting my scale and expanding the ultimate limit of what is possible for me.
I’m conscious of the time as I want to get the most rest possible, so I force myself to move. I do some stretches and get my cork massage ball into any sore muscles – hips, calves and hamstrings are always on the agenda. I find my tobacco pouch and walk a little way to a tree that stands out to me on the edge of the campsite. Taking a pinch I kneel down, placing the tobacco on the earth beneath the tree as I had been shown and go through everything I’m grateful for – the incredible views, my legs for getting me here, even the bugs and the bushes. Expressing gratitude helps ground me, reminding me to be thankful of this experience, no matter how hard it feels at any moment. I do this every morning and evening of my trip, which helps me experience and then let go of my emotions from the day, and start hiking without any demons from the previous day’s hardship.
Finally I set up my shelter (a Dan Durston X-mid 1p) and try to slip inside without letting any bugs in, an impossible task. Now to take care of my feet – I check for blisters, popping any I find with a sterilized safety pin, then I coat them in Aquaphor – a thick balm that stops them from drying out and cracking. Thankfully I have no blisters yet, but after a couple of weeks this will take me 45 minutes every night. It’s still light outside as I set my alarm to 4am and lay my head on my stuff sack full of spare clothes.
20 minutes later, I’m still wide awake – I’m burning up and sweating so I throw off my down quilt and strip off my base layer. After a while I start to shiver, yet I’m still really warm. I lay there confused as my whole body shudders, shivering from the cold, whilst at the same time I’m sweating from internal heat. This goes on for about an hour and a half.
My mind races as negative thoughts fight to take control – Am I sick? Is this a fever? I’ll later realise it’s probably just the day’s accumulated inflammation leaving my body. I’m not able to take anti-inflammatories like Advil because I have Crohn’s disease, so to combat the inflammation I started stopping a couple of times a day and sitting in cold rivers, using them as ice baths, which helped a lot.
If this is day one, how can I possibly do this? How can I keep going?
Just see what happens. Worry about it only if it becomes a problem.
You’re an idiot and you’re never going to make it. You should give up and hike back to Kakwa.
If you need to take extra breaks tomorrow, that’s what you’ll do. Right now is not the time to make a decision.
If you can’t sleep, how will you possibly hike tomorrow?
Rest is nearly as good as sleep.
Eventually my temperature stabilizes enough that I can sleep. An hour later and my hips are so tight that the pain wakes me up. I begin a cycle of sleeping for about an hour, waking, stretching and massaging my hips until I can find a position comfortable enough to fall back asleep. I figure I managed just over 4 hours of sleep in total before my alarm signals for me to start moving again.
Surprise Pass Alternate from Wapiti Mountain, July 12th 2021.
Don’t wear shorts in Jackpine valley or this is what your knees will look like afterwards! Luckily my only ‘stupid light’ gear choice of the trip.
Learning to love river ‘ice baths’ to combat inflammation. I was incredibly lucky with the weather, but the heat definitely got to me.
Fastest Known Time
In July 2021 I hiked the GDT from Kakwa Lake to the US border in 20 days, 6 hours and 55 minutes, setting a supported Fastest Known Time in the process. One of the most common questions I’ve been asked is simply “why?”. It’s a great question, one that has many answers and has caused me a lot of reflection before, during and after I completed the hike.
Beginnings
Setting a Fastest Known Time, or FKT, has become increasingly popular over the past few years, perhaps due to races being cancelled due to COVID-19. I’d started following FKT’s a few years ago through watching the Karl Meltzer and Scott Jurek films about running the Appalachian Trail, and occasionally would catch myself looking at local trails on FastestKnownTime.com.
I started to get curious about the Great Divide Trail after instructing an Outward Bound Course near Fording River Pass in 2017. Seeing it travel off the edge of the GemTrek map made me wonder about where it went. We didn’t see another hiker in 12 days that trip, and the GDT went through more remote terrain than we were in – what was this trail!?
As I spent more time running, climbing and skiing in the Rockies, I kept thinking about it. I thought that completing a trail like this would give me all the skills I might need to look at a map, draw a line that looked appealing, and be able to travel the route – the more remote, wild and rarely travelled the better. I enjoyed trail running in the mountains more than hiking, purely because it turns a day hike into a half day, or sometimes a 2-3 day hike can be done in a single day! This just seemed more efficient, plus carrying less stuff and yahoo-ing on the downhills is really fun!
So when my first 50-miler in May 2020 was cancelled, I set my sights on a local challenge, the Canmore Quad. It involves getting to the summit of the four mountains closest to Canmore, Grotto and Lady Macdonald on the one side and East end of Rundle (EEOR) and Ha Ling on the other. Starting and finishing in town the day ends up being 50km and about 4,800m of elevation gain. Unfortunately for me though, Ha Ling was closed for trail work, so I chose the slightly further, slightly higher, and definitely steeper Mount Laurence Grassi to replace it. After 13hrs 55mins, 59km and 5,100m gained, I was amazed at my body and finished smiling, feeling undoubtedly tired, but somehow not broken. My friends had supported me throughout the day, cheering me on, setting up aid stations and running with me on one or more of the peaks. I totally surpassed what I thought I was capable of and somehow enjoyed it!
After that, my ideas started to come together. I’m not a fast enough runner to win any races, but I started to believe that if I trained enough I might be able to run 40 or 50km with a pretty short recovery. If I could do that, could I turn a week-long hiking trip into a weekend run? With this thought fresh in my mind I looked up the GDT on the FKT website and found it didn’t have many entries, the fastest time was 23 days 8 hours, held by Elaine Bissonho on the return leg of her Yo-Yo (meaning she hiked from Waterton, to Kakwa then turned around and hiked back). If I could manage 50km a day I might be able to beat her time. After a three day, 110km fastpacking trip to the Ya Ha Tinda I committed to it. I loved this trip, my friend Adam and I covered so much ground compared to when I had hiked in the same area with Outward Bound, and we only saw a couple of people horse packing the whole time. In 3 days we saw nearly everything that I had wondered about when looking at a map of the region. I even got to Forbidden Lake which I knew that at least 3 Outward Bound trips had tried to get to but never made it! The feeling of being ‘out there’, making decisions for ourselves and seeing so much each day had me hooked. I got home and started training and preparing for the GDT in 2021.
A perfect day on the Rockwall trail. Megan cooked up the best burger of my life at the Floe Lake trailhead and the thought of this propelled me forward all day. Day 11, July 22nd 2021.
Preparation Fascination
When it came to the ‘why’ of the FKT, part of the fascination about it was the preparation. It was a year of focus, research and training that completely engrossed me. I guess it was my pandemic project!
So how light could I make my kit while still staying (a little bit) comfortable and safe? Before this trip I had about 80 nights of backpacking experience. I’d always focused on being well prepared, taking an extra headlamp or layer ‘just in case’ and a secret chocolate stash we could eat during a storm. When I was instructing for Outward Bound I once loaded out for a 12 day trip in the Ya Ha Tinda with no resupply and my pack weighed nearly 60lbs! This trip was awesome, but because we couldn’t move very fast I didn’t feel like we got to see as much as I would have liked.
It took me about 5 pre-GDT trips to get my gear really dialled, but now I have a 10lb base weight that I honestly wouldn’t make many changes to if I was going at a more relaxed pace (here’s my gear list). I’d probably add a pillow and my Kindle but not much else! I also realized that running with an overnight pack puts me at a high risk of injury, and my body wasn’t strong enough. I found I could cover more ground and be less tired if I hiked efficiently with few breaks, than if I ran sections. I was also amazed at how enjoyable it is to hike with a light pack! By substituting the speed of trail running for the ability to go all day, day after day, I was able to see even more and started to love being on trail for the whole day. It’s just so freeing to cover that much ground. It also makes bushwhacking and moving over deadfall a lot easier!
Gasping for air on Northover Ridge, thanks to Nikos for the company and amazing photos – https://www.fastlight.ca/
A still morning on Northover Ridge. Day 14, July 25th 2021.
It’s in the Execution
There was the preparation, then there was the challenge in the actual doing of it all. I was struck by a comment from my coach (Joe “Stringbean” McConaughy) in our last conversation before I started my trip: “Based on your planning and physical preparation, I have no doubt you can complete this trip. The execution, however, is a completely separate thing.” Given the length of the trail, the remote nature and the reliably unreliable Canadian Rockies weather, this trip was going to be all-encompassing, and require me to find the balance between the present moment, while also planning ahead and paying attention to what was coming up if I had any chance of a successful thru-hike.
Purpose, Connection, and Support
Something I didn’t expect to be such an important part of my trip was how it enabled me to connect with others, which can kind of be split into three parts. Firstly, fundraising – I get so much from being outdoors, and I feel so lucky and privileged to be able to fit a trip like the GDT into my life. I wanted to give other people that opportunity too so I decided to use this trip as a fundraiser for Crossing the Divide, a charity that provides free outdoor education trips to disadvantaged youth. We raised just over $10,000 in total, which is so incredible – so thank you if you contributed to this! Hearing the updates of the total grow throughout the trip always gave me a huge boost.
Another thing that kept me going was connection to the GDT community. Just after Cataract Pass was where I crossed paths with the first section hiker, it was awesome to meet someone who understood what I was going though. It wasn’t until Howse river floodplain that out of the smoky horizon appeared two thru-hikers. I’d meet a few more groups that day, and about 5 or 6 thru-hikers each day after that. It was practically intoxicating chatting and connecting with everyone, and I was always sad that I had to pull myself away to keep on hiking. I definitely felt I missed some of that community feeling of hiking and camping together with people I met on the trail, sharing stories and experiences. I’d like to do another thru-hike or section where I get that opportunity. Thank you to everyone who took the time to chat, who gave me extra snacks and encouragement – I cherished it all!
Howse River Floodplain, just before meeting my first NOBO thru-hikers. Day 9, July 20.
Perhaps the biggest part was the support and encouragement I received from friends. I may have completed the trail from end to end on my own, but they all made it so special. Megan did an amazing job managing the logistics of my resupplies, rallying friends to help or meet me on the trail, and updating my social media so people could stay current on how I was doing. Hearing about how many people were messaging her, as well as what my fundraising total was always spurred me on. At Upper Kananaskis Lake day use I was greeted by a small horde of friends, including my physio who brought his treatment table to put some life back in my tired legs! On the final day from Cameron Lakes to the US Border, each km ticked off Megan would play me videos she had collected in secret from friends and family sending their love and support. These are just a couple of the great lengths everyone went to in supporting me. In all I was accompanied for about 290km, and I’m so grateful to everyone who helped out. Seeing what others were willing to do for my goal also provided motivation, I didn’t want to let them down. I know they would have my back no matter what happened, but it makes me think if you have a big goal, maybe share it with your friends and ask them to be involved in some way. I know I needed all the help I could get with this one!
The best resupply a thru-hiker could hope for, complete with physio!
Resupplied and refreshed, all smiles heading towards Elk Pass.
The End. And Afterthoughts
In the end it was a rollercoaster three weeks that I’m incredibly proud of and grateful for, but I’m not sure I’ll be repeating any time soon! I’ll still be hiking, running and skiing in the mountains though, and have more time now to stop and chat. In the end, I found purpose in having a huge goal that I slowly worked towards, joy in being outside on trails and connecting with others, and wonder at all the beautiful sights and what my body could handle when I had trained for it. I learnt a lot more that I don’t have room to share here, and love getting nerdy about gear, food, training and anything I can put in a spreadsheet – reach out if you want to know more about anything! Hope to see you out there on the trails!
Last day feels. I think this picture says it all, hard earned joy. Thanks to Megan for capturing it!
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 with the various alternates might just be my new favourite section… the variety of the terrain (floodplain, ridge walk, historical pass, spectacular pass, moraines, and glaciers – it had it all), the relatively easy start (it’s very flat if you start at Saskatchewan Crossing!), the new trail and bridges that have been built, the co-operating weather when we needed it most and the remoteness (we saw only two other hikers on the main part of section D – excluding the popular Iceline and Mistaya Canyon).
We completed Section D (~115km) in 6 days, 5 nights starting on August 21 and were joined by Dustin Lynx, author of Hiking Canada’s Great Divide Trail and River Taig, an uber experienced thru-hiker having hiked the GDT almost four times! In addition to the wonderful company, it is always nice to have along very strong hikers who can go first on the water crossings! Neither River nor Dustin had hiked the newly created route for Section D with the spectacular alternate routes. And we were all especially excited to celebrate River’s six-month post kidney donation anniversary on the hike! WOW! It was both humbling for us and exciting to celebrate with River!!!
The Team (still smiling at the end; left to right: River, Lynnie, Barb and Dustin)
Based on Dustin and River’s stories of the previous Section D, a HUGE shout out to Dan Durston, and Brad Vallancourt who created the new route including alternates, and to Dave Higgins and Doug Borthwick who have led trail building crews to Section D for the past few summers. Thank you!!
We started out in sunshine from Owen Creek (this is where Section E starts) and walked a lovely trail that was out of sight of the David Thompson highway and had great views of Mount Murchison. At the intersection with Hwy 93 we turned left and walked along this highway for about 5 km to Mistaya Canyon trailhead. It was on this highway that we met one of our thru-hiker icons for the trip, a solo hiker named Annie – a positive, strong looking 20 something year old who looked like she was on a day hike! She came into our minds a few times on the trip “wow, how did she do this on her own?” We met two other thru-hikers… more on them later.
We continued from Mistaya Canyon and joined the Howse Floodplain – they are both spectacular! With the sun still shining, we kept walking and eventually found a place to random camp.
Howse Floodplain
More Howse Floodplain
We were a bit surprised how often the main route along the floodplain did go into the forest. But the tradeoff of not having to continually cross water, appealed to most of us. River was the exception and was itching to get back out to the floodplain where there isn’t always a trail to follow, it can be faster, and the views are much better. Either way, there were also a few very steep, a bit sketchy up and down climbs to avoid dangerous crossings of the Howse River. The route also crosses Conway Creek, which would have been a lot scarier if Dustin and River weren’t there to lead the way. The other thing to watch for along the floodplain is crossing innocuous looking streams, slow moving water clouded with slit so you can’t see the bottom… they can get quite deep without much warning! So I’ve added to my water crossing learnings… pole ahead to test the depth of water!
We met our next iconic happy thru-hiker on the way to Howse Pass. He was walking barefoot and had lovely painted toenails!! Apparently, he started out with sandals but they were hurting his feet and so he reverted to no shoes as much as possible! How he did this with all the rocks, tree roots, pine needles, wood splinters, you get the picture, I have no idea.
Walking through the historic Howse Pass with the plaques and historic signage felt really special.
One of the signs at Howse Pass
We camped at Lambe Creek after a day of on again off again rain – we were soaked. No rain gear seems to prevent wetting out after hours in the rain…. that is except my bright blue poncho (picture below which nobody else would be caught dead walking in!).
It was at Lambe Creek that we met our third iconic happy hiker – Justin Outdoors. After a day of rain, he walked into camp smiling! I had to ask him if he was dry, i.e. why are you so happy?? As it turns out he was soaked as well. And I can only think that he was relieved to be camping with four wet, tired, mildly grumpy old folks on the trail. Sometimes any company is good company! Word quickly spread through our camp that Justin is a You Tuber with many thousands of followers…. check out his videos of his GDT hike this summer.
Just by Lambe Creek campsite, there is bridge over Lambe Creek which was repaired this summer by the GDTA. Lynnie volunteered on this maintenance trip … she shared some harrowing stories of folks leaning off the bridge (while properly secured) to reinforce the railing. Much harder work than thru-hiking the trail. Thank you GDTA volunteers!!!
The bridge over Lambe Creek (phew!)
Another new bridge, this one over Cairnes Creek
We had a very short day after Lambe Creek (~7 km) and camped at Cairnes Creek, as we chose to wait out the weather. We were aiming for no rain, snow, or heavy cloud cover when we tackled Amiskwi Ridge. A hard core thru-hiker could definitely do Section D in less time than we did.
The wait was worth it, the clouds cleared, and we headed up Collie Creek alternate and then onto Amiskwi Ridge alternate. Both alternate routes are fantastic – Collie Creek saves many kilometres of dirt road walking and Amiskwi Ridge has spectacular views if you are lucky enough to have the weather.
The trail out of Cairnes Creek is well flagged and even sign posted for Collie Creek alternate, there has been new trail work done there recently. It is lovely! Collie Creek was probably our toughest water crossing (fast flowing, white water looking) in Section D. But again we had Dustin and River there to lead, and so it was a-okay (definitely easier than the crossings in Section G). There was a very steep up from the creek crossing but the trail was awesome, like going up soft, cushy steps.
Lynnie Crossing Collie Creek
The trail up Amiskwi Ridge (SOBO) was another story… it starts out okay but when you come to the clear cut, it’s very tough going. This might have been because we waited too long to take a break and were hungry or it might have been because the clearcut flagging was pink and not dissimilar to the GDT flagging! It doesn’t matter… we gained the Amiskwi Ridge and it was AMAZING! This section might just be the most geologically diverse stretch of the GDT with various rock formations and fossils; we even stumbled onto a warm spring! Not to mention the spectacular views of the surrounding heavily crevassed glaciers. It is a must do on this section if the weather cooperates.
Views from Amiskwi Ridge
More Views from Amiskwi Ridge
The other alternate route that we did was the Kiwetinok Alternate and I can’t rave enough about this… First the bad news… it’s a tough go with a lot of elevation gain, loss and gain again in a short distance. The toughest part of this alternate for me was the Kiwetinok Gap which really surprised me. It gets very steep near the top of the gap and then over the top there’s a nice walk down a dry river bed until you have to find the very steep, very faint trail (looked like a bear trail to us) through the trees to get down to the meadow. The immediate hike up to Kiwetinok Pass is more demoralizing than difficult! Going SOBO, there is good trail with flagging when you first start the alternate to above the trees on the approach to the Gap and again on the way down from Kiwetinok Pass (thank you Parks Canada!). In between these two areas, you’re a bit on your own (or with GPS). And if you happen to do the alternate northbound, make every attempt to walk backwards up towards Kiwetinok Pass or turnaround often – the views are spectacular!! [NB: Kiwetinok Pass alternate is not safe in early season due to a cornice that forms on the north side of Kiwetinok Gap.]
Hiking up to Kiwetinok Gap
Hiking up to Kiwetinok Pass [notice Kiwetinok Gap top right that we just came down!]
Walking Through Kiwetinok Pass
Coming down from Kiwetinok Pass
After the walk down from the pass, the trail joins the Iceline Trail and then onto Yoho Lake campground and then Field.
The Iceline
This last part of Section D is fantastic and so worth doing (with the small exception of the last 5 km into Field which had so many horizontal switchbacks that we thought we were going uphill!). We saw the unbelievable glaciers of the Iceline, Canada’s second highest waterfall – Takkakaw Falls, a herd of 30+ mountain goats grazing around the Burgess shale fossils and spectacular views of Emerald Lake and the backside of the President and Vice-President peaks. An outstanding final day! Quick sidebar… Yoho Lake campground is gorgeous, it’s actually on Yoho Lake and comes complete with two red Adirondack chairs to enjoy the view!
I hope you get a chance to do this section with the new alternate routes… it is so worth it!
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 and hiking with our child, and if they would allow us, go on a thru-hike with them.
We never thought at that time we would do another GDT thru-hike with our future infant son. The GDT was, in our minds, something we would do again in 10 years or so when the GDT becomes more popular, better supported and our kid could carry themselves and some of their gear. Maybe we could do part of it along with a Continental Divide Trail thru-hike if we wanted to think big.
When the pandemic hit, we initially thought it would be over after a few months and a Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) thru-hike would be feasible. But after close to a year of travel restrictions, public health measures, and uncertainty with PCT permits we found ourselves thinking, “Is the GDT feasible to hike with a baby?”. After all, we thru-hiked the GDT in 2018 and had a strong understanding of the trail and logistics, and we have been volunteering with the GDTA ever since, and the GDTA has resolved a lot of the challenges we had on our 2018 thru-hike.
After confirming our son (trail name “Toothless”) liked hiking with us (something we’ve now been doing with him since he was 3 weeks old) we started thinking about the GDT in more detail and started planning how we’d thru-hike the GDT with a baby.
Our biggest challenge would be the long food carries. Our biggest fear would be a few of the water crossings.
We helped mitigate the food carries by receiving an incredible amount of support from trail angels who would help us with resupply drops, sending resupply packages to places not on the GDTA list, staying at a lodge one night, and maintaining a good old fashioned calorie deficit at times. This would still leave our packs heavy, but it seemed doable.
For the water crossings, the GDTA built some new bridges, and for the rest we just had to see how it went. We planned a few bail points, planned major crossings to be as early as possible, and accepted the fact we might need to camp out for a day to let the water levels get lower.
We started our thru-hike on July 5th, the same day we started in 2018. This time we planned on taking longer (58 days instead of 49 days) to go less far (to Mt Robson instead of to Kakwa).
We started with uncertainty. There was an unprecedented heat wave – right when we were travelling to the trailhead and thankfully before we started. The longest Toothless had gone backpacking was 6 days (82km on the Sunshine Coast Trail) and we didn’t have a solid daily routine yet. We committed to hike Section A to Coleman, where our car was being stored at A Safe Haven B&B, and decide if we wanted to continue or not while there. If we were not having fun, or if the days are too hard and long, then we would have to call it and change our plans to doing shorter stretches and section hike instead.
The first few days in Section A were hot with more elevation gain and loss than we anticipated, but we pushed ourselves and managed to stick to our itinerary despite late starts and needing to finish early in the evening to feed Toothless dinner and get him in bed. We quickly settled into a routine of alternating between hiking as quickly as possible during Toothless’ naps and extended breaks to let him explore and play in the dirt. This was exactly the confidence boost we needed and by the time we reached Coleman, all three of us were excited to keep going on the trail.
Sections B and C provided us with more great weather and beautiful views. We spent 22 nights in row sleeping outdoors before we reached Field! In addition to enjoying the outdoors with Toothless, we got to see him ham it up and socialize with other hikers on the trail – a welcome surprise as we weren’t sure how our pandemic baby would interact with other people.
Then we hit our first major hiccup of the trip in Section D; I got an overuse injury in my ankle halfway through. So, we bailed off the trail and took 4 days off to rest before skipping ahead about 50km to Section E to stay on schedule and keep our reservations.
Section E is one of our favourites, but unfortunately, this year we had a lot of precipitation. With Toothless we planned doing the section in 11 days. Out of those days we had 7 days of rain and 2 days of snow. This made the section challenging for Toothless since he didn’t get the best of views (hard to see anything when it’s completely white or grey out) or much of a chance to wiggle around. Thankfully the water crossings were straight forward; the Maligne River had the lowest water level we have seen in the past 3 years. While we weren’t worried too much about the Maligne River ford itself, it was a good data point for the remaining water crossings north of here since we have crossed it a handful of times before. But hiking over the Notch in snow was probably the only time on the entire trip I knew we made a bad decision and regretted it. Being up on the Notch with poor visibility, snow, and a phone that turned off due to the cold while we were carrying my child made me very concerned. I was doing everything I could to keep my composure so we could focus on making good decisions as we progressed. Natasha was thankfully cool as a cucumber. A few other groups also got caught up there and we all helped each other out with navigation and ensuring we kept sight of each other.
After our experiences in Section E, we carefully looked at the weather forecast for Section F and opted to finish at the Moose River Trailhead instead of Blueberry Lake (both of which are alternatives to the Berg Lake Trail which was closed this year). Finishing at Moose River allowed us to have a more balanced forecast and cut out a couple days of forecasted heavy precipitation and snow from our itinerary. This worked out for the better and it was overall a much more enjoyable section for Toothless. Knowing how the rest of the GDT is, I was really pleased with the Moose River Trail. The floodplain and trail along the river has the same flavour as several other parts of the GDT north of this, so it felt less like we were bailing and more like we were experiencing the GDT. We also lucked out and finally experienced the trail without wildfire smoke for a sustained period – so we got to enjoy the views throughout the entire section. This was new for us because during our 2018 thru-hike the wildfire smoke was the worst north of Section F.
Hiking the GDT with our son has been the most rewarding experience I have ever had, but it is probably the most challenging thing I have ever done as well. Thinking of these things separately – hiking the GDT in 2018 was the hardest thing I had done at the time. After that, raising our son then became the hardest thing I have ever done. So adding the two together is like hard squared.
Toothless has loved hiking since our first hike with him at 3 weeks old. What he loves is he gets to be carried by his mom or dad, which means being close with us and able to interact with us. During our thru-hike on the GDT he has grown so much. He started babbling, and we make sounds together, have conversations, and sing songs. When singing or in a good mood, he likes to bounce and dance in his carrier. He also started playing peekaboo, which is completely doable in a carrier while hiking. He also still loves just snuggling with us.
He also loves seeing new things and having the opportunity to interact with his environment. Every day on trail, he got to see a new type of tree, flower, or find a new object (like a sign or bear locker) to interact with. Through the GDT he went from noticing objects that are close up to pointing to far away objects and getting our attention. On ridge walks or in a floodplain, he would point to a far away mountain range and say the same thing he says when he sees a tree he wants to touch “da; da; uh”.
He also really loves moving, climbing, and crawling. The wilderness is a great place for him to crawl over and on things. He crawled over “stairs” for the first time on trail and stood unsupported for the first time. I hope to never forget those moments.
It’s easy to be cynical of a trail when you are immersed in it. Maybe you wish there were better climbs or views in a section. Maybe you wish there was actually a trail and not a bushwhack or river route. Maybe the campsites are in poor condition. This is, I think, especially easy to have happen when you have hiked a trail before. But when you hike it with a baby you start to see the wonder through their eyes and look for new or interesting things you maybe haven’t paid much attention to before.
Even though Toothless might not have conscious memories of the trail as he grows older and we encountered several challenges, we would make the same decision again to thru-hike the GDT as a family. I hope he continues to love the outdoors as much as he does now, and that he always reminds us to stop and enjoy the small things on trail too.
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 his important contributions to the 2021 GDTA Trail Building Trips. Jim participated in two trail building crews this past year, serving as a Crew Leader for the first time. Jim’s work as a biologist enabled us to get a bird survey done so that work on Racehorse Shoulder could be completed this summer. Jim and his wife Annette also hiked the entire High Rock Trail to produce a Trail Adopter assessment report.
Dave Higgins – In recognition of his leadership and important contributions to the 2021 GDTA Bridge Building Trips. Dave led bridge building trips this year to Cataract Creek and Cairnes Creek. Just like last year, Dave built not one but two much needed temporary bridges over Cairnes Creek, while dealing with the stressful red tape from difficult government officials. Dave continues to be the main person responsible for the rebuild of the David Thompson Heritage Trail and is leading the charge to get a permanent bridge built over Cairnes Creek.
Tasha Shakotko – In recognition of her important contributions to the GDTA Outreach Committee. Tasha has been a key part of the reinvigoration of the GDTA’s Outreach Committee, working hard to promote the Great Divide Trail and the Association including assisting with the set up the GDTA’s Online Merchandise Store.
Susan Massong – In recognition of her important contributions as TBMC Secretary and Trip Coordinator. Susan became the Trail Building & Maintenance Committee Secretary earlier this year and immediately began improving many of the administrative and record keeping processes of the committee. She took over the role of Trip Coordinator and very successfully managed the communications with dozens of volunteers over several weeks as part of this summer’s trail building program.
Dan Durston – In recognition of his leadership and important contributions to Support the GDT Community and Improve the Great Divide Trail. Dan led a trail maintenance trip to improve the notorious Jackpine Valley Trail this year. He continues to make many other improvements to the GDT, in particular to Section D. Dan always makes himself available to support the GDT community, answering questions and providing planning advice to aspiring thru hikers.
Dave Hockey – In recognition of his leadership and important contributions to Finishing the High Rock Trail and Getting the GDT recognized and protected in Alberta. As usual, Dave was a trip leader for multiple trips on the High Rock Trail, lending his vast amount of trail building experience to a new batch of volunteers this summer. As Equipment Manager, Dave was again responsible for procurement and storage for most of the GDTA’s tools and supplies. In his “spare time”, Dave continues to be the biggest advocate for the recognition and long-term protection of the GDT in Alberta.
Sarah Jones – In recognition of her important contributions to the Trail Protection and Advocacy Committee. Sarah has become an important member of the Trail Protection and Advocacy Committee. Earlier this year Sarah compiled information from several sources to prepare an invaluable briefing document for the board related to the rescinded coal development policy in southern Alberta.
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)
![Hiking up to Kiwetinok Pass [notice Kiwetinok Gap top right that we just came down!]](https://greatdividetrail.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Section-D-11.jpg)
