MOTHER OF THE COLORADO TRAIL

Gudy Gaskill left a lasting legacy of stewardship along the Colorado Trail

BY MORGAN SJOGREN

The sun sparkled across After handing each of them horseback riders pay homage to Gudy, whose legacy Celebration Lake, as thru- ice-cold IPA’s, I stuck around continues along the high altitude route (13,271 feet at hikers and mountain bikers and in exchange asked the its high point) through the Rocky Mountains. convened to refill water and seemingly requisite questions one raises The dream of the Colorado Trail was born in the camp to cap off an idyllic to backpackers out on the trail: Where ‘70s, with a plan to originally complete the pathway in summer day on the are you from? How long have you been 1978. Still incomplete in 1984, the route was deemed Colorado Trail. The lake, hiking? Is this your first thru-hike? “the trail to nowhere.” For over a decade, with grit and sitting atop 11,200-foot However, one man’s motives for determination, it was Gudy (eventual President of the Bolam Pass, signals the hiking along the Colorado Trail caught Colorado Mountain Club) who rallied a crew of pure home stretch (50 more me off-guard. Steven Gaskill was hiking volunteers to complete the route from Denver to miles) for thru-hikers on the a portion of the trail Durango in 1987. 567-mile trail linking Denver to honor his late For the next three decades of her to Durango. After mother, Gudy Gaskill. life, Gudy remained utterly devoted completing a sweaty trail As he sipped his beer, to the Colorado Trail. Her efforts run myself, I looked at the he explained that she were recognized with awards from hiking trio and smiled — of helped dream up the former President Ronald Reagan and course, I had beer to share. idea to create the former President George H.W. Bush. Colorado Trail in 1974. Though Gudy’s commitment to the Gudy was not just his mountains peaked with the Colorado mother, but the “Mother of the Trail, her devotion to the outdoors Colorado Trail.” spanned her lifetime — heading up a The name Gudy sounded familiar youth ski program, working as a because of Gudy’s Rest — a bench ranger at Rocky Mountain National sitting atop the Colorado Trail’s final Park and serving as President of the vista before descending four miles Colorado Mountain Club (the first to its terminus at Junction Creek in woman to do so). Durango. Gudy's portrait can also be Steven recalled his mother’s spotted along the trail between boundless energy during her peak Molas and Bolam Pass, where years blazing the trail from 1980 she is commemorated with a to 2000. bronze plaque. “My mom ran somewhere around Gudy passed away in 2016 at the “This may be poor 15 to 20 one-week trail crews each age of 88, and while many day and thru-hikers may recognize Gudy’s form, but do you summer,” Steven said. “She would plan all the food for them with my Rest on the home stretch of trail, have an extra beer?” dad and coordinate all of the many may not be familiar with the volunteers that were signing up visionary “force of nature” that to do it.” blazed the trail for their experience. The location of Steven said during the trail crews, she would wake Gudy’s Rest was said to be one of her favorite spots, up early to make breakfast and coffee for the crew which speaks volumes considering the amount of before they awoke. He said his mom would clean up lifelong effort and human-power she poured into before going to oversee the trail crews and labor into every stretch of the Colorado Trail. the late afternoon, then she would start dinner for the Today, thousands of hikers, mountain bikers and camp, and lead songs and talks around the campfire. ››

Gudy with a volunteer trail crew in 1986.photo courtesy of Steven Gaskill

“And I don’t know how she did it all, because I think she probably stayed up until 10 or 11 p.m. every night and then got up the next morning at four o’clock!”

Adding to her busy inclinations, Steven noted that his mother also took the time to paint the mountain scenery and give the artwork as gifts to the volunteers. This fun familial atmosphere created by Gudy inspired volunteers to return year after year.

“They would even recruit friends to come,” Steven said. “You know, it was a great vacation that they felt like they were doing something.”

Gudy’s love for the mountains and ability to rally volunteers to maintain the Colorado Trail lives on through the Colorado Trail Foundation today. Last year, COVID-19 canceled all of the organization’s trail crews; but the Colorado Trail Foundation is confident they can get the trail’s annual maintenance back on track this summer.

Executive director of the nonprofit organization Bill Manning said, “The Adopter work program is routine maintenance: cutting trees, and preventing erosion. About 500 trees fall over and block the trail each year. We are very hopeful for the Adopter program this year. They want to clear (the debris off the trail) so everyone can have fun on it this summer. We are hoping we will be able to do it all this summer.”

To learn more about the Colorado Trail and to volunteer with a trail crew this summer, visit www.coloradotrail.org/volunteer.

MORGAN SJOGREN runs wild with words around the Colorado Plateau. In 2018, she published "Outlandish," a collection of stories and recipes written while living on the road and in the wild out of her Jeep (affectionately named Sunny). You can read more of Sjogren's books and stories at www.therunningbum.com.

COLORADO TRAIL STATS • 1974: Considered the birth year of the CT

• 567 Miles from Denver to Durango

• 90,000 Vertical Feet hiked over the duration of the trail

• The CT traverses through 6 Wilderness Areas, 8 Mountain Ranges & 5 Major River Systems

• The average elevation is 10,300 feet — with the highest elevation at 13,271 feet in the San

Juan Mountains and its lowest elevation at 5,500 feet near the Waterton Canyon trailhead by Denver

The Gudy Gaskill Bridge welcomes CT hikers at the junction of Segments 1 and 2, spanning across the South Platte River. photo courtesy of Steven Gaskill

A plaque on Segment 25 between Molas Pass and Bolam Pass commemorates Gudy Gaskill. photo by Tiona Eversole