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Charlie Russell spoke to a sold out crowd of hiking enthusiasts, GDTA supporters, Girl Guides, Scouts at the John Dutton theatre in Calgary on March 21^st.   

Charlie Russell has spent the better part of 55 years studying and living with grizzlies and his philosophy boils down to: “They (grizzly bears) will trust you, if you trust them.” What makes Charlie Russell’s bear theories very special is that he not only talks about his ideas he has put them into practice. Against the advice of almost everyone he famously lived with grizzlies in a lengthy experiment in the rugged bear country of Kamchatka Peninsula on Russia’s Pacific coast.  For close to a decade he lived among a 400-strong bear colony.  The only “weapon” he carried was bear spray and he only used that to keep the mature male bears away from some orphan cubs he had rescued from a zoo.

He stayed with the Russian bears for six months a year and spent the other six months raising money worldwide to keep the experiment going.  He even built and flew his own airplane to assist in low-cost aerial surveys and to provide remote access. “I was more likely to be killed in my own airplane than attacked by a grizzly bear.”

Charlie Russell says his experiment proves grizzly bears are not dangerous if unthreatened and understood by humans. 

Charlie shared many moments from his time raising the grizzly bear cubs and when asked about a most inspiring moment said that it was every day, “Just imagine taking these three cubs for a walk in the wilderness every day, so many beautiful times, it was incredible.  They’d come galloping up to go for a walk and then off we would go.”

Charlie had this advice to give about encountering a bear while hiking: “If the bear was aware of you with lots of notice, get off the trail.  Bears like the trails too, it’s easier for them to walk.     If, however, you surprise a bear, you’d better have your bear spray ready.  They may go into protect mode and view you as a predator.” 

Russell acknowledges he was once attacked by a black bear near his ranch. He says he was saved by his son, but insists “I’ve always blamed the attack on myself”.  He says he did not show the bear sufficient respect and tried to shoo it away when it blocked his path. Instead of running, the bear, presumably feeling threatened, attacked.

The GDTA invited the Calgary Girl Guide Rangers to be their guests at the event on March 21^st.  It’s a little known fact, but the Girl Guides of Canada dreamed up the idea of the Great Divide Trail. In 1966, the Girl Guides were the first on record to propose a trail running the length of the BC-Alberta border through the Rocky Mountains, a trail that is now known as the Great Divide Trail.

The Rangers from the 72^nd Pathfinders Calgary attended the event and had this to say about Charlie’s talk:  “It was the opposite of what I was expecting… it was so much more meaningful and interesting than anything that we’ve seen before on bears.  I felt like we got to know them as people.” 

The event was sponsored by DIRTT Environmental Solutions.  All money raised from ticket sales went towards the completion and long term protection of the Great Divide Trail.

Let’s Get Dehydrated!
By: Shannon Budesilic

Any back-country dehydrating enthusiasts out there? This weekend, I managed to dehydrate some beautiful kiwi (little green, sweet gems) and some saskatoons and cranberries. The saskatoons, being a little dry already, turned out a little like saska-raisins, which are cool little blue shriveled things to behold (saska-raisins…I wonder if we can patent that one?). I had to halve the cranberries to get them to dry out because of their initial juiciness. I dehydrated them from thawed/frozen (believe it or not) and they turned out great! I love adding the berries and fruit to my breakfast portions, or eating them as a sweet little snack on the trail. The apple chips I prepared are also a good quality standby with a long shelf life.

Have you tried your hand at dehydrating lean ground beef? We, my carnivore hubby and I, always feel like some good quality protein is much needed after a few days on the trail. I will add the dried ground beef to any of my curry dishes, or to my pasta sauce (either one of these sauces dehydrates to a nice, useable leather that rehydrates quite easily on the trail). Dried meat products, like beef, if prepared properly, will last for up to six months. I may store my dried beef in the freezer prior to use, just in case.

I also dehydrated some home-made French (split yellow) pea soup and it turned out beautifully! Basically, you make the soup (ensure the veggie or meat bits are tiny so they dry completely; or blend the soup prior to dehydrating), spread a 1 cup of soup onto a plastic dehydrating sheet, and dry it out at medium temperature until very dry. On the trail, I reconstitute with an equal amount of water (ie. 1 cup dry soup to 1 cup hot water; typically, 1:1 ratio depending on how thick your prefer your soups). Try reconstituting this in a thermos if eating out on a winter adventure (works beautifully on the trail). You can add instant rice to beef it up if you like. If you plan ahead, the thermos will allow you to rehydrate a meal (such as lunch or dinner) as you enjoy the sights along the trail.

I know some good quality dehydrated meals are available (ie. Yamnuska), and the quality is getting better, but you can’t beat something that is homemade. For more inspiration, stay tuned for the next installment of Backcountry Kitchen!

A few weeks ago the Alberta Government proceeded with an Order in Council to make both the Castle Provincial Park and the Castle Wildland Provincial Park official. For the history of this process, you must go all the way back to 1895 when part of the area was included in the Waterton Dominion Park, now known as Waterton Lakes National Park. In the early 1920’s, the area was removed from the Park and transferred to the Alberta Government to become a Provincial Game Reserve. In 1954, the status of a Game Reserve was lost and this was the start of mining, logging, and eventually oil and gas exploration. In 1977, the Eastern Slopes Policy created areas of Prime Protection promising long term protection. Through many years of constant advocacy from groups like the Alberta Wilderness Association (AWA), Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS), the Castle Crown Wilderness Coalition and thousands of concerned citizens, we are now finally at a stage of protection that will persist in perpetuity.

The Castle area has been internationally recognized for its high biodiversity and identified as a landscape that is deserving of protection. The area being part of the eastern slopes provides one third of all freshwater into the Oldman River watershed and habitat key for species including threatened Grizzly Bear, Westslope Cutthroat Trout, Bull Trout, White Bark Pine, Limber Pine and Wolverine. The area is also valued by various user groups and used for cattle grazing, trapping, hunting, fishing, OHV use and hiking. Taking all of these perspectives into consideration has made for an interesting and fulsome planning process.

The Great Divide Trail Association (GDTA), through a contact at the Alberta Hiking Association, was invited to join the last part of the Government consultations. GDTA President, Dave Hockey, participated in the recreation working group, reviewed science reports, linear footprint models and reveled in the challenge and learning experience of working with other land managers. The largest benefit was the opportunity for the GDTA to express its organizational opinions and input as hikers and advocates for our long-distance hiking trail in the Canadian Rocky Mountains.

The draft Castle Management Plan has now been released by the Government of Alberta for all Albertans to read and respond with their comments on the survey. The GDTA encourages you all read the plan and weigh in to help shape the future management of the Castle area. Too often we sit back and do not express approval for a job done well by the government, but this time let’s work together, share our voices and support the Castle.

The AWA headquarters was packed on Saturday, January 28 as it hosted the first event of 2017 put forth by the GDTA Outreach Committee:  Julia Lynx concert: A Benefit for the GDTA.

Julia Lynx thru-hiked the GDTA in 1996 with her partner Dustin, an experience that eventually evolved into a comprehensive guidebook that helped revive interest in the long distance trail and still is the definitive GDT resource used to this day.

The trail and mountain has inspired Julia’s work, which she generously shared with us on that evening.  Accompanied with friends and her daughter, Julia invited us to her living room to share her passion for the Great Divide and the outdoors.

Those in attendance were treated to not only an intimate concert but also some slides of the trail and the wonderful stories that go along with it. The vintage photos from Julia and Dustin’s hike twenty years ago were followed with another presentation from Julia’s daughter, Tenaya, who relayed the tale of a mountain hike she did with her dad while exploring for potential new routes on the trail.

Heath McCroy and daughter Léa joined Julia on stage and entertained the crowd to songs rendition that included, along with original composition from Julia, interpretation of pieces from Jack Johnson and Bob Dylan, among other. There was also a notable adaptation of the Robert Burns poem “My Heart’s in the Highlands” which Julia sang on the harmonium.

This was a great evening of folk music and trail stories, the perfect antidote to warm up those cold January nights. Great work from the GDTA Outreach Committee for planning and organizing this event, and many thanks to Julia and her cohort for being part of this successful evening and sharing their passion for the GDT dream with us.

If you would like to hear some of Julia’s music, her CD “Wild Patience” is available for order at http://www.julialynx.com/album/.

The next scheduled outreach event will be a talk Charlie Russell: Living and hiking with Grizzlies. The evening will also feature speaker Dustin Lynx who will kick off the evening by sharing some of his adventures on the Great Divide Trail and beyond. This not to be missed event will be held on Tuesday, March 21 at the John Dutton Theatre Library, 616 Macleod Trail SE. Get your ticket today on Eventbrite.

Online reservations for the 2017 hiking season for Jasper National Park’s backcountry campgrounds begin on Wednesday, January 25, 2016 at 8:00 am MST.

For more information, check out Jasper’s backcountry brochure.

New for 2017: Maligne Pass north

Hiking the Great Divide Trail this summer? It is now possible to book a site on the Maligne Pass route north of Maligne Pass. Note that this trail and the campgrounds along it are unmaintained, so carefully read the instructions on the reservation system.

Note that for the Miette Lake/Pass Trail, you must call the Jasper Trail Office (780-852-6177) for a random camping permit.

Reminder, Annual Wilderness Passes (backcountry camping permits) cost $68.70, but Parks Canada Discovery Passes are free in 2017!

Backpacker Magazine’s Long Trails edition awarded the Great Divide Trail the title of “Wildest Thru-Hike” – Check out the article by Ted Alvarez here.

Few blazes, fewer trail angels: Canada’s Great Divide Trail offers a rare chance to go back in time and experience the birth of a thru-hike.

To commemorate the 150^th anniversary of Canadian Confederation, Parks Canada is offering 2017 Discovery Passes for free. For all of 2017 this pass gives visitors unlimited access to National Parks, National Marine Conservation Areas and National Historic Sites across the country. Note that campground fees are not included in the Discovery Pass. Go to the Parks Canada website for more information. 

Every year, horseback riders and hikers from around the world travel through the mountains on the Great Divide Trail behind the Robson Valley highway corridor.

“Fires made travel very difficult through a large section of the trail within Robson Park, so travellers were challenged navigating their way with downed burned timber – like a logger’s version of ‘pick-up-sticks’, boggy muskeg, and river crossings when the trail was elusive and impassable from bog, muskeg, or blow-down on either the east or west side of the Moose River,” explained Eileen MacDonald, Chair of the Robson Valley Chapter of the Backcountry Horsemen of BC (BCHBC).

This past summer, the Robson Valley Chapter of BCHBC, Mount Robson Provincial Park staff, and the Great Divide Trail Association, pooled resources and manpower to work on the GDT for a week from August 12 – 20.

By Fabian Kurte

The bachelor’s thesis is done. The certificate is still not printed but I am already dreaming about the wild North American Rocky Mountains. I want to get away; for a while at least. Experience some of the nicest backcountry, do it at my own pace. Soon I find out about the “big” trails. Pacific Crest Trail, Continental Divide Trail, Appalachian Trail, but somehow those sound too worn out, too crowded, too developed and too long to be achievable during my summer break. Luck finds me reading a blog written by Erin “Wired” Saver and I am hooked. At this point, I don’t know if it’s just her good writing and pretty pictures, but I want the same wilderness experience she’s talking about on the Great Divide Trail in the Canadian Rocky Mountains.

Fabian making his way through the wilderness

I organize the most important parts or my trip and fly to San Francisco. I try to get the rest of my thru-hiking plans sorted while travelling through the US and grow more excited every day, telling people about my big summer plans. Unfortunately a lot of things go wrong. A friend of mine cannot join me as planned, the guide book is sold out, an ultra-light tent I ordered doesn’t arrive, some of the campgrounds I need to book are already full, the Canadian postal service is about to strike and then a knee injury interrupts my training. Staying positive, I see that the long-term weather forecast predicts a warm, dry summer thanks to El Nino.

Suddenly it’s my planned start day. I hitch-hike to Waterton and begin my adventure. I develop a routine as I fight my way north, up a hill, down a mountain, along a river and through valleys. The trail is versatile and every day something new overwhelms me whether it’s a staggering mountain view, a raging river or a meadow of gorgeous wildflowers. I meet many different people from those on horseback for a few days of backcountry adventure, to weekend hikers to a person hiking all the way to the Arctic Ocean. Even though I don’t know much about each person, I feel we are connected. This trail attracts special kinds of people looking for wilderness. I love this trail from the first to last day. The scenery, the wildlife, the trail itself, the solitude and the inspiring people I meet on the trail give me everything I had wanted in this summer.

Fabian and fellow thru-hikers meet up on the trail.

As a bonus to my thru-hike I was incredibly lucky the annual GDTA Signature Trail Maintenance Trip fit into my schedule! Along with 25 other volunteers, I spent five days in the backcountry building new trail, a first in thirty years for the GDTA! It was an extraordinary feeling taking part in this and after my time building trail with these people, I knew I belonged. I feel that this community is something you won’t find very often in your life. The work was hard but the food was amazing (and not just because I ate cereal, energy bars and pasta every day before). We had great talks and learned a lot about the trail and its history. After these days building trail, I continued on my thru-hike with a better understanding of how much work these guys put into the GDT to make it accessible for me and all the other crazy hikers. Thank you once again to all the volunteers and members at the GDTA!

The GDT wasn’t my first long backpacking trip, but there were still a lot of new things to learn and overcome. For example, I had never hiked in big carnivore country before. Hiking through grizzly bear territory gave me an unpleasant feeling but at the same time it also inspired me. Bears, wolves and cougars are part of the wilderness in the Canadian Rocky Mountains and walking in the tracks of these animals is one of the reasons why this hike is so special. I battled with these opposing thoughts often. When the trail disappeared or when I was standing in the mud up to my shins I would think, “why am I doing this?!” while at the same time thinking, “don’t complain, this is what you came for!”

Even though I had seen quite a few bears, I hadn’t run into any problems until the day I got to Aldridge Creek. I was hiking down the washed out creek, looking at this and that, whistling every now and then to warn the bears. Suddenly, I saw movement out of the corner of my eye. A big grizzly bear was sitting about thirty metres away above me on the edge of a wash out eating berries. She had her back towards me and hadn’t noticed I was there.  My mind raced along with my heartbeat. Shall I make some noise? Shall I go back or just continue?

Grizzly Bear encounter is all a blur.

I was still standing in the middle of the creek when two little cubs appeared and I knew it was time to go. I walked quietly and quickly continuing downstream while grabbing my bear spray. Suddenly, the bear caught wind of my scent and freaked out. She blared loud and deep and sprinted to the very edge of the wash out. I was frozen in shock at how fast she was and how vulnerable I was standing in the creek. She reached the edge and carved her claws in the ground and stopped. Standing there she blared once again down the river in anger, looking to the left and right searching me out. She pushed herself onto her hind legs and put her nose in the wind. As her gaze moved in my direction, I felt that she became calmer. To my relief she dropped down, walked along the edge, looked at her cubs and decided to leave things be. Looking through my pictures later in my tent that evening, I realized how much fear had taken over. Every picture was completely blurred.

The rest of the trip wasn’t so frightening. I was surprised how fast the time went by and suddenly I was already hiking north of Jasper! The days grew cooler, a snowstorm on the Skyline Trail resulted in an emergency descent and then one morning while I was hiking through thick brush, I realized how brown everything was. Autumn had begun and it was time to go home.

I finished this wild and solitary section at one of the most scenic places on the trail, Berg Lake, in Mount Robson Provincial Park. As I left the GDT behind and walked down to the Highway, I was overwhelmed by the speed of life. Two days later, I was back in Germany caught up in the flow. With appointments to keep, forms to fill and studies returned to, I quite often wish I was back on the trail reveling in a pace of life determined by my own two feet in the Canadian Rocky Mountains.