Help us build a spectacular (and safe) hiking trail in the Caucasus
We are raising money to build a trail between the regions of Svaneti and Racha in the Greater Caucasus mountains of western Georgia. This trail will become a part of the Transcaucasian Trail (TCT), a proposed trail network that will eventually stretch across the Caucasus. The long-distance trail will connect more than two dozen national parks and protected areas in the region, an idea that Der Spiegel has already recommended as one of the best new hikes in world.
Last summer, our team traveled around Georgia scouting routes, collecting data, and building support for the Transcaucasian Trail. This summer, two other members of our team are continuing that scouting effort in Georgia and Armenia. You can follow their adventures here: www.transcaucasian.com
Now that we’ve done the research and gathered support for our idea, we want to demonstrate what actually building the TCT will look like and how we will do it. The Svaneti-Racha section will serve as our first TCT trail building pilot project.
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The Svaneti-Racha trail is a perfect pilot project in many ways. The route will connect two proposed national parks and pass through some of the most stunning landscapes in the Caucasus. It will bring hikers who have discovered Svaneti across the mountains to Racha, which has very little tourism despite its incredible beauty. It will create sustainable economic opportunities for the remote mountain communities in both regions. And this year the Georgian government is working to formalize the creation of Racha National Park, so the trail will provide access to this brand new, and very significant protected area, and help to highlight the importance of its conservation.
The route we are building this summer between Zeskho, Svaneti and Ghebi, Racha was an established hiking route between these two regions in the past, but the trail is in serious need of rehabilitation and reconstruction. The current route is dangerous and easy to lose, and in places totally non-existent. Fixing it means building tread for the trail, creating safe river crossings, and clearing and marking the path where it has become overgrown. You can read more about the route here: http://www.caucasus-trekking.com/blog/svaneti-racha-1
This summer our goal is to construct and rehabilitate roughly 40 km of trail, utilizing rotating teams of volunteers working for eight weeks in July and August. The volunteers will be a combination of Georgian and international volunteers. Some are experienced trail builders, but many will be learning the skills it will take to build and maintain the trail in the future. This group will form the core of a growing base of trail experts in the region who will help design, build, and maintain the trail rest of the TCT in the coming years.
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We will be able to cover some of the administrative costs of the program through a generous donation to the TCTA, and contributions of time and effort by our awesome team. But we still need to raise money for some really critical parts of our budget.
Here’s what we need:
-$3,100 for equipment: This includes trail building equipment like shovels, picks, loppers, axes, a clinometer for measuring the slope of the trail, GPS devices, kitchen equipment for cooking meals, and first-aid kits for the work crews.
-$800 for communications: In order to ensure the safety of the volunteer team, we need a satellite messenger and subscription for emergency communications when we are out of cell phone range, as well as two-way radios.
-$3,000 for food: We will be feeding 7-8 crew members for 8 weeks.
-$2,400 for gas and transportation: We will need at least one support vehicle that can bring the volunteers, supplies, and equipment to the trailhead as well and help the team in case of emergency. We will also cover volunteer travel to and from Tbilisi, and we’ll need to rent horses to support the teams when moving camp locations.
-$3,000 for rent and administrative costs. This includes the cost of setting up a summer office in Mestia (which will also serve to house volunteers on weekends) and other administrative costs that we haven’t been able to cover so far.
Based on the success of our work this summer, we will start planning for the scale-up phase of our project next year, steadily increasing the number of kilometers of trail we are building each summer. Any extra funds we raise beyond our goal will support the work of the Transcaucasian Trail Association, including trail crews in summer 2017.
The Impact
Over the next five years, the Transcaucasian Trail (TCT) project aims to develop a world-class, long-distance trail network across the Caucasus, linking roughly two dozen existing and proposed national parks in the region. The network will consist of two intersecting trail corridors, each roughly 1500 km long. One corridor, oriented east to west, will connect the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, and the other, oriented north to south, will connect the Greater Caucasus and the Lesser Caucasus.
These well-marked and well-maintained trails will provide a world-class experience for hikers and other trail users, while increasing economic opportunities for local communities. The TCT system will improve access to historic sites and protected areas in the region and raise their profile, helping to ensure that the natural and cultural heritage of the Caucasus can be enjoyed by future generations.
The TCT will serve as a recognizable international brand for hiking and ecotourism in the Caucasus, making it a safer, more accessible and more enjoyable experience. More visitors who stay longer will increase income and employment for the local population. Greater international recognition of the region’s rich cultural and natural diversity will support its preservation. More empowered local communities will be able to effectively respond to and benefit from the growth in tourism without negatively impacting the environment. And by promoting the region as a whole, rather than individual countries, the TCT concept also helps build connections between communities, ecosystems, and people in a place where there is too much focus on the things that divide.
The Transcaucasian Trail Association (TCTA) is a non-profit organization based in Washington, DC, dedicated to the development, promotion, and maintenance of the TCT. Our team members in London, Yerevan, and Tbilisi have many years of experience in the region and deep, grassroots connections with our affiliate organizations, local communities along the trail, and relevant national and local authorities in the region. The TCTA will serve as the central coordinating body for trail development and promotion, building the necessary partnerships with individuals, communities, NGOs, academics, businesses, and governments, and laying the groundwork for successful trail development.
We have partnered with the National Hiking Federation of Georgia to help develop the trail in Georgia.
Risks and Challenges
We are being ambitious in our plans for the summer. By September, we plan to have designed and built a safe and sustainable trail from Svaneti to Racha, but the uncertainties of nature and the weather, as well as other unforeseen circumstances, could prevent us from completing all of the trail that we would like to. As important as completing the trail will be creating a safe and fun working environment for our volunteer crews and teaching them new skills, which we will certainly be able to do with your support.
Other Ways You Can Help
Even if you can’t contribute, you can still help out by spreading the work about the TCT. You can also check out current volunteer opportunities and sign up for our newsletter here: http://transcaucasiantrail.org/en/get-involved/
