Outside Magazine an Innovative Partner in CDTA Programs, Events

(Outdoor Retailer Show, Salt Lake City) From the beginning more than a decade ago, Continental Divide Trail Alliance has sought corporate partners interested in finding creative, innovative ways to introduce the Continental Divide Trail to the public at large and help us garner support necessary to complete the “King of Trails.”

Outside Magazine continues to build support for CDTA through innovative partnerships that include special sections focused on the CDTA’s volunteer programs and annual TrailFest Celebration.

In 2006 alone, more than 1,000 volunteers from across the country will work on over 50 projects, contributing over $400,000 in volunteer labor. By the end of the season this year CDTA volunteers will have built 101 new miles of Trail, five bridges and four trailheads.

TrailFest 2006, just completed, was the largest celebration of the Continental Divide Trail ever and marked the largest number of trekkers to get out on the Trail in one day ever. More than 300 trekkers – hikers, mountain bikers and llama and goat trekkers – got on the Divide during the event. Some 400 pancake breakfasts and 350 “Taste of the Trail” dinners were served. Kids took 700 kayak rides, climbing wall climbs and trips around the mountain bike course at Kid AdventureFest.

In addition to its support of programs and events, Outside Magazine has provided significant in-kind support for our membership campaigns, helping us to increase the number of people who are actively joining in our efforts to complete and preserve this national treasure.

“We pride ourselves on the quality of the partnerships we have developed over the past decade and our relationship with Outside epitomizes the type of relationship we strive for,” according to Bruce Ward, CDTA co-executive director.

The Continental Divide Trail was established by Congress as a National Scenic Trail in 1978. When complete, the “King of Trails” will be the most significant trail system in the world. Stretching 3,100 miles along the backbone of America from Canada to Mexico, it accesses some of the most wild and scenic places left in the world while conserving the environment and promoting personal well being.

Since 1995, the Continental Divide Trail Alliance has played a central role toward the completion, management and protection of the Trail and it is the voice for unity in the diverse story of the Trail.

For more information about the Continental Divide Trail, call (303) 838-3760 or toll-free 1-888-909-CDTA (2382). Or visit www.cdtrail.org.

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