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.