Tales from the Great Divide: Collector’s Edition

Published in September 2019, the first edition of Tales from the Great Divide, Vignettes on the Origins and Early History of Canada’s Great Divide Trail and the Great Divide Trail Association brings to life the memories of many of the ‘originals’ whose vision, idealism, dedication and hard work over five decades made Canada’s Great Divide Trail a reality.

Transcripts of interviews and storytelling sessions, combined with excerpts from letters and other documents and more than 200 photographs and illustrations, reveal the adventurous, heartbreaking and hilarious moments that characterized the early history of the Great Divide Trail. Devising and establishing a route for this wilderness long-distance trail along the crest of the Canadian Rocky Mountains demonstrated naive courage and optimism. These pathfinders faced personal hardships and their trail work took place at a time before lightweight gear existed and without technological aids such as GPS, inReach, cell phones or satellite phones. In their quest to establish the Great Divide Trail with a protected corridor, they confronted threats from resource extraction industries and ATVs, bureaucratic obstacles, fluctuating political support and financial challenges. Only 30 printed copies exist of this Collector’s Edition of Tales from the Great Divide.