Trail Administrator’s Update

Do you find winter to be a time of quiet and reflection with snowy days and long, cozy nights, or a time for the thrill of sliding down tall mountains on skis or sleds? If you’re like me, it’s both! I love soaking in the vast views of the Divide from the tops of my favorite ski areas here in Colorado and enjoying the gentle swoosh of my cross-county skis on a quiet forest trail. And now as I settle into a year as the Continental Divide Trail administrator, I have a new appreciation of all that the Divide, and the Trail itself, means to so many people in every season.

There was a time when we talked about winter as the off-season, a time to catch up on all the work we put off during the higher use summer months. In many places, that is no longer true as people continue to find respite in the outdoors year-round. For the CDT, winter means celebrating accomplishments from the previous field season and planning for the next one. We already have a great list of projects for 2022 that includes working with CDTC and partners and volunteers along the Trails to relocate some sections of the Trail to make it more sustainable, assessing and repairing damages from fires and blowdowns, and improving trail information and signage both on the Trail and at trailheads. We also just selected projects for 2023 so Forest Service, BLM and National Park Service managers can get a head start on planning and coordinating with partners. Thank goodness the work never stops!

Looking forward, it is clear to me that the success of the CDT is built upon the strong foundation of relationships among land managers, the CDTC and other nonprofits, volunteers, youth corps, and Trail users who care passionately about this special place. However, the perspectives of the dozens of Native American Tribes that have past and current connections to the landscapes of the Continental Divide are not well represented. A big focus for 2022 is to better understand and begin to document indigenous stories and perspectives across the CDT so we can better manage the CDT as a trail for all people.

National Trail Program Manager U.S. Forest Service