Friday, June 30, 2006

MEC's response

Yesterday I received a response from MEC to my email and it looks like we're on our own...

"Hi Brad,
We do support conservation projects and we are definitely interested in conservation initiatives within the Y2Y corridor. We fund these kind of project through different programs, such as our Research, Capacity Building and Advocacy and Education Grants. We evaluate these project proposals based on specific criteria for each grant category. Your project sounds fantastic, but unfortunately we don't have unlimited resources and we can't support all of the great projects that come our way. I wish you all the best with this expedition and with the film."

Community Involvement Coordinator
Mountain Equipment Co-op

:(

Saturday, June 24, 2006

The BIG shopping trip

JUNE 23, 2006
This week we went grocery shopping for two months of food for our resupply packages.



Four exhausting hours later, after visiting both Costco and Superstore, our apartment floor is now covered with boxes and bags of pasta, rice, potato flakes, gravy, sauces, dehydrated veggies, dried fruit, chocolate bars, clif bars, granola, oatmeal, cans of tuna, powdered milk, hot chocolate, pudding, more chocolate bars, peanut butter, gatorade and more trail mix than I know what to do with.



The first thing I think is, "will I actually be able to eat all of this food?"
And then I think, "will I actually WANT to eat all of this food??"

It is hard to plan what you are going to eat two months in advance, especially trying to keep it nutritional and appetizing with mainly dried and dehydrated food. But there are some small stores at our resupply points where we can supplement our food supply with some fresh items and of course a few restaurant stops in towns along the way!

We are creating 7 resupply packages, mailing some and dropping off the others on our drive to Waterton Lakes National Park and the start of our trek.

Do they make a delicious dehydrated steak dinner yet??

Wednesday, June 21, 2006

My letter to MEC

JUNE 20, 2006

Last month I submitted a proposal requesting the support of the Mountain Equipment Coop (MEC) Expedition Fund and the response that I received last week was less than positive. I responded with the following and I am awaiting a reply...

"By creating my film "Trail Magic", one of my major goals is to raise awareness of the Great Divide Trail (GDT) and the wilderness corridor that it passes through. The GDT is a long-distance trail of no equal. It is truly a wilderness route, allowing hikers to explore, up-close, some of the most wild and spectacular terrain in the world. And yet few people have heard of the GDT while even fewer have hiked it's entire length in a single continuous journey. Unlike the Trans-Canada Trail or the long-distance trails in the U.S. (e.g. Appalachian, Pacific Crest), the GDT has never been designated as an official long-distance route. This is largely due to the fact that Parks Canada and the BC and Alberta Provincial Governments are reluctant to spend the time to study the feasibility of such a route and recognize the positive impacts it could bring.

In 1970, Jim Thorsell prepared the original GDT proposal to the federal government, suggesting that the GDT would act as a backbone trail for the Canadian Rocky Mountains, connecting the myriad of other smaller trail systems into one continuous wilderness corridor. With the involvement of both Federal and Provincial Governments, the GDT would promote an unparalleled cooperation of land management groups and allow for significant progress to be made in the establishment of a continuous, preserved wilderness corridor in the Rocky Mountains. But sadly, the bureaucratic attitude of the Federal Government and the lack of cooperation from the multitude of land management interests led to the concept of the GDT fading away.

But today there is new hope that the GDT may yet live. By working with the Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative (exploring their continuous wildlife corridor concept), I hope that the film is able to raise the profile of the Great Divide Wilderness and bring more awareness to some of the mismanaged and/or over-resourced land that the route passes through. At the same time my film will highlight what IS working along the GDT and hopefully lessons that can be learned in order to allow the dream of an official long-distance Great Divide Trail to come true.

I am a non-profit filmmaker and I am passionate about this project, but it will be very difficult without support from resources such as MEC. I would very much appreciate MEC's support in this project in any way."

Thursday, June 15, 2006

The Great Divide Trail Map



For more detailed maps and trail information go to: www.bradlandproductions.com/gdtmaps.html

Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative

JUNE 12th, VANCOUVER, BC

I spoke with Lorraine Laplante (Director of Marketing and Member Services) and Nicky Blackshaw (Communications) of the Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative (www.Y2Y.net) today about their involvement with Trail Magic.

Y2Y has two main initiatives: 1) Science & Action; and 2) Communication & Awareness. The latter of which we would be getting involved with in a project called 'Lay of the Landscape'. Lay of the Landscape is a database being prepared by Sean Britt of Y2Y that includes all of the different land management areas in the proposed Y2Y Wilderness Corridor (which the GDT closely follows throughout the Rockies) and details the points of conflict, 'hot spots', and challenges that exist. Our involvement would be to document (by means of our film) the real-life challenges for a backpacker while traveling through these hot spots and our personal opinions based on our experience along the Y2Y Corridor - good and bad; positive and negative; what is working and what is not.

I am preparing a Media Release for Y2Y distribution and will gather more information in further discussions with them...

Meeting the Great Divide Trail Association crew

MAY 25th - CALGARY, ALBERTA

This afternoon, I went to the Alberta Wilderness Association office located in an old, two-storey schoolhouse in a quiet, residential neighbourhood near downtown Calgary, where I had arranged to meet with three of the original members of the Great Divide Trail Association (GDTA); Dave Higgins, Jeff Gruttz, and James Prescott.

Dave Higgins

Dave is one of the founding members of the GDTA, established in 1974 by a mainly volunteer staff dedicated to bringing the concept of the Great Divide Trail alive outside of the Park system. Dave was part of the original GDT recon mission called "Project: Great Divide Trails." In the summer of 1974, he and five other enthusiastic individuals scouted some 4800 kilometres of trail on foot throughout the Canadian Rockies south of Banff. Dave and the GDTA designed and built miles of Great Divide Trail outside of the National Parks between 1976 to 1987.

Dave is passionate about the GDT and still leads trail maintenance trips into the Rockies every summer. He was excited about our hike and film project, hoping that it may breathe some life into the support of the GDT. He offered to help us out with on-route resupply and may even join us on the trail.

Jeff Gruttz

Jeff came to Calgary in 1973 from New Jersey to complete his Masters thesis on hiking trail impact. Shortly thereafter he joined the GDTA and moved permanently to Calgary. In-depth trail feasibility studies like Jeff's thesis rarely happen today as current wilderness management is so focussed on how to manage existing trail systems that there just aren't the resources available to invest in new trail concepts or long-distance trail systems.

Jeff is a trail-designer/builder extraordinaire and shares his skills and experience as a volunteer with several trail maintenance organizations. He has an incredible wealth of knowledge on the history of trail systems in Canada and the U.S., noting that concepts like the Recreational Trails Act in the U.S. (providing funding support for the U.S. long-distance trail systems) do not exist in Canada making it difficult for trails such as the GDT to survive.

Jeff's hope is that a new dialogue with Alberta's Sustainable Resource Development will boost the profile of the GDT, get the GDT officially recognized and put it on the map... literally!

James Prescott

James joined the GDTA in the late 70s and has been passionately building and maintaining the trails of the Divide ever since. James described the methods of trail-building to me in great detail and the love he had for the art of trail-building was obvious. He described his experience on the Great Divide as a magical place where he finds much peace and solitude.

James believes that the answer to 'should the federal government officially recognize the GDT?' is not an easy one -- it would inevitably lead to a significant increase in backcountry users and would require improved trail infrastructure and several individuals dedicated to regular maintenance and management of the Great Divide trail network. He invisions the next generation of the GDTA playing a large role in the future of the trail. James smiles and says, the original spirit of the GDT is still alive.

Tuesday, June 06, 2006

Pre-hike trip to Banff and Canmore

MAY 22nd - CANMORE, ALBERTA

I arrived in Canmore today after a long day of driving in slow holiday-Monday traffic, but the weather was good so the drive was enjoyable. I stopped for lunch on Rogers Pass (where there is still a foot of snow) but the main chain of the Rockies is already relatively snow-free... more like late June than May so that bodes well for trail conditions on our hike.

I met with Dustin Lynx, author of the definitive Great Divide Trail Guidebook, at his home in Canmore. Dustin and his wife Julia made me feel right at home. After dinner with Dustin, Julia and their son and daughter, Dustin took me for a hike to one of his favourite spots near Canmore and we chatted about the GDT, hiking, climbing, travel and just life in general. He is a great guy and it was very easy to chat and get along. He was able to provide an incredible amount of advice on planning for my trek.

Julia is passionate about the conservation aspect of the GDT and she works with the Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative (Y2Y) establishing a continuous protected wildlife corridor along the Rocky Mountains. She encouraged me to spend some time in my film discussing the subject of conservation and I think that whether I plan to or not the subject will inevitably come up, especially in areas where the scar of industry impedes our progress (like in the south). I plan to explore the subject more and speak with Y2Y before my hike begins.

I didn't get much video footage of Dustin.. it didn't feel right. It actually felt invasive to put the camera in his face and ask him to talk. Obviously, as a filmmaker, this is something I have to learn to overcome. But our chats were personal and much of what he and Julia spoke about was emotional and it felt like I would be betraying their openness and trust to record what they shared with me. But I found my visit with them very inspiring and the process of doing interviews and putting a documentary film together is much less daunting.

MAY 23rd - BANFF, ALBERTA

I met with Jim Thorsell this morning and had another inspirational conversation. In 1969 Jim prepared the Mountain Park Trail Study for Planning and Considerations of the Great Divide Trail and then in 1970, he wrote the original "Trail Guide and Map for the Proposed Great Divide Trail." Jim defined a long distance trail such as the GDT as "a major objective which is challenging and monumental in its rewards, providing an alternative challenge to alpinism." He proposed that "the Great Divide Trail has a rationale in preserving a continuous stretch of wilderness through the mountain parks and in fostering cooperative planning among them."

Jim had many stories and insight into the lengthy history of the GDT and how things came to be the way they are with respect to the trail and lack of government interest. He still thinks that there is a chance for the trail to be officially recognized but realistically new feasibility studies would have to take place since those done at the time when he originally proposed the trail are now outdated. He hopes that my film might re-energize interest in the GDT.

In the afternoon, I delved into the archives of the Whyte Museum in Banff and discovered some amazing information and articles on the GDT from the late 60s and early 70s, reinforcing Jim's point that most (if not all) of the studies completed on the GDT are seriously outdated.

I will be meeting the Great Divide Trail Association and Alberta Wilderness Association folks tomorrow in Calgary...

Trail Magic: Pre-production

In July 2006, four people will abandon their cushy West Coast lives and set out to survive for 60 consecutive days in the remote wilderness of the Rocky Mountains while trekking more than one thousand kilometres on the Great Divide Trail. They will tackle icy river crossings and precipitous mountain navigation while confronting hungry bears and blood-sucking insects on their journey from the Alberta-U.S. border to Mount Robson, the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies.

They will film every day and document their entire adventure, inviting the audience to follow their physical and emotional journey; discover how (or if) they are able to overcome all of the obstacles to successfully complete their trek; and experience the magic of life on the trail.

The adventurers are: me (Brad Vaillancourt), Christy Stesky, Paolo Bordignon, and Bev Jones. I plan to chronicle our journey in this blog as often as I can, updating our progress on the trail and telling stories of our adventures.

The journey and film are currently in the pre-production and planning stages. For more detailed information check out www.bradlandproductions.com/gdtfilm.html