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 Dan Durston GDT Yo-Yo presentation at Trolley 5 Brewpub was sold out and standing room only. Then Chasing Sunsets, a panel discussion on transitioning from a hiker to backpacker was another great event, and upcoming in May another sold out event called Backcountry Emergencies. With the goal of reaching out to different demographics and giving back to our members, I have to say well done Outreach Committee!
The Trail Building & Maintenance committee has been hard at work too. Organizing 11 trail building and maintenance trips with more than 150 volunteers involved is a huge task, so much so we are going to hire our first paid temporary worker to handle some of the logistics. If you have not signed up for a trip yet you better get on it as they are filling up fast.
We have also started up a Fundraising Committee too, all of this trail building takes money and we want to make sure our revenue stream is both enhanced and more predictable. We are also applying for charitable status so keep your fingers crossed.
Of course, your Board of Directors is working on improvements as well. It always seems hard enough just to get through our regular business during our meetings, but we have dedicated one hour each meeting to work on the GDTA 3-year Strategic Plan. We hope this will give us an even clearer purpose and direction moving forward. On a more somber note, one of our board members had a serious accident and we are all thinking of him and hoping for a full recovery.
As this will be the last newsletter before our AGM, I wanted to let everyone know that I am stepping down as president. I have been on the board for 7 years and have enjoyed my time immensely. I’ve had the pleasure of working with many outstanding volunteers and have seen real progress in the building, maintenance and recognition of the Great Divide Trail. Above all else, it is the team of volunteers that has made the experience so fantastic. The GDTA is moving forward with lots of momentum and I wish the organization all the best in the future!
I hope everyone can take a little time this summer and get a few steps on the GDT and enjoy our trail and some well-deserved warmth.
Happy trails!
Dave Hockey
