A crew has been busy upgrading the Hudson’s Bay Company (1849) Heritage Trail this summer.
Coordinated by the Hope Mountain Centre with funding from the New Pathways to Gold Society, the project successfully completed three overnight campsites and improved many kilometers of the historic trail.
The camps are equipped with tent pads, bear-proof food cache, toilet, fire ring, and benches. Thousands of dollars in donated tools, materials and volunteer labour have added value to the project.
Last week, Brad Fandrich and Valley Helicopters donated a free helicopter load of construction materials to Camp Du Chevreuil, enabling the crew to complete the last camp located high on the slopes of Mount Davis in the Upper Sowaqua Valley.
While improvements will continue to be made each year, the 50-km trail is now open and ready for hikers and horseback riders to enjoy. Existing road networks allow easy access so that people can travel short sections of the trail if they don’t want to tackle the entire route in one trip. Hope Mountain Centre intends to market and promote the trail, starting in 2013.