I’ll never forget the first time I encountered Willard Kinzie. In retrospect I had no inkling of how inspirational this man would be in my life, and for so many others as well. It wasn’t exactly a dark and stormy night – there have been a few of those in…
Dan Durston entertained a sellout crowd at Trolley 5 Brewpub in Calgary on the last day of winter, a fitting date as we start to get excited about hiking and camping this summer! Durston and his wife, T, hiked both directions of the Great Divide Trail, affectionately known as a…
Well it has been a busy winter for us at the GDTA, and I am sure everyone is happy that we made it through February. We hope you had a chance to take in one of our great outreach events. Our Outreach Committee certainty has been hard at work, the…
Effective immediately, the GDTA is announcing one change to the main route of the GDT as well as an update on the detour around the trail closures in Waterton Lakes National Park. Waterton Detour – UPDATED July 5, 2019 (Section A) – Most trails in Waterton Lakes National Park have re-opened this…
With less than four months until summer, it’s time to start making plans! This edition of the GDTA Pathfinder Newsletter has some important information for hiking and volunteering on the trail this year. Or if you are still undecided and are looking for inspiration, check out the articles written by David Higgins;…
The Great Divide Trail Association is an active organization with significant growth in 2018 and we are looking for an individual to take on the responsibilities of marketing and outreach. Some of our key accomplishments in 2018 include: Membership grew by about +30%. Significant work going into the planning, designing, constructing and…
By David Higgins Oddly, for someone who’s been closely involved with the Great Divide Trail for 45 of his 65 years, section-hiking the entire GDT – let alone thru-hiking it, where you knock the whole thing off in one go – is a notion that has never come into my…
By Dave Hockey In this issue of our newsletter I would like to chat about all the people it takes to put on a safe and successful trail building or maintenance trip. The GDTA prides itself on the quality of our trail building & maintenance trips but few people know…
By David Higgins In “The Vanishing Trail – Part 1” in last fall’s edition of the Pathfinder, I shared some background on the historic route traversing the Blaeberry River valley in British Columbia and the Howse River valley in Alberta. Known today as the David Thompson Heritage Trail, the backcountry…
By Brad Vaillancourt and Dan Durston Every family has its black sheep and the GDT is no different. Section D – Field to the Crossing – has an infamous and long-standing reputation of being the worst section of the GDT, demanding blood, sweat and tears from thru-hikers while providing very little…
