Trailblazing the Northern Divide

After finishing my Eastern Continental Trail hike, I had many ideas. I wanted to hike across America, I wanted to kayak, and as I had hiked the ECT, I had fantasized about all the things I wanted to do. Finishing my hike, I decided to go in a different direction, but still had a passion for exploration. I took a step back and decided I was most interested in big mountain ranges. In North America, none is longer than the Rocky Mountains.

For Americans, hiking the Rocky Mountains means the Continental Divide Trail (CDT), one of the three trails required to attain the famed Triple Crown of North American hiking. Yet, the CDT is not a trail which spans the Rocky Mountains. It is a trail which spans the United States, with each terminus being on a border with Mexico and Canada, respectively.

Recently, the Great Divide Trail (GDT) has been revived. This is a trail touching the American border at the Northern Terminus of the CDT, and stretching North to Lake Kakwa. This is a difficult and beautiful trail. Maintainers appear to have put a lot of hard work into this trail, and it has shown in the trail’s rising popularity.

And yet, the GDT does not cover the entire Canadian portion of the Rocky Mountains. The Rocky Mountains are officially bounded by the Liard River to the North. The mountain ranges north of the Liard River are part of the American Cordillera, but are not part of the Rocky Mountains. The distance between the Liard River and Kakwa Lake is vast and virtually uninhabited. To cover this distance would be a real exploration. This is my idea for the Northern Divide Trail (NDT).

I have put a lot of time into researching the route and documenting this proposed trail. As of right now, the top priority is coming up with a better strategy for resupplying in between Chetwynd and Toad River. This will probably be a long walk into Pink Mountain. The next priority is a review of the proposed trail to ensure that none of the proposed terrain is too steep or dangerous, and if there are doubts on this point, to create alternate routes.

There is still much work to be done, but I have created a solid base proposal. I hope that what I have started can make for a discussion among those who have more knowledge on the subject and who are in a better position to advance this proposal.