Gudrun "Gudy" Gaskill (1927 – July 14, 2016) was an American mountaineer who is regarded as the driving force behind the creation of the Colorado Trail, a hiking, biking, and horseback riding path between Denver and Durango, Colorado. Beginning in the 1970s, she helped plan out the route, solicited donations, and recruited teams of volunteers to work in one-week shifts developing the Trail each summer. She was named executive director of the newly formed Colorado Trail Foundation in 1987. She was inducted into the Colorado Women's Hall of Fame in 2002. Early life and education Gudrun Timmerhaus was born in Palatine, Illinois, to Paul and Elsa Timmerhaus. She became fond of hiking at age 14 when her father got a job as a summer ranger at Rocky Mountain National Park. As a youth, she also competed in downhill and cross country skiing. She studied at the Western State College of Colorado in Gunnison, earning a degree in education. She later earned her master's degree in recreation from the University of New Mexico. Colorado Trail Gaskill is credited as the visionary and driving force behind the Colorado Trail, a long, wide hiking, biking, and horseback riding path between Denver and Durango, Colorado. Gaskill and her husband had joined the Colorado Mountain Club in 1952. In her capacity as chairwoman of the club's Huts and Trails Committee in the 1970s, Gaskill helped plot the early portions of the Trail and recruited teams of volunteers to build several miles of trail each summer in one-week shifts. In 1984, when the Governor of Colorado threw his support behind the project, the project moved more quickly toward completion. Gaskill, who was named executive director of the Colorado Trail Foundation, helped plan new sections, solicited private and corporate donations, and recruited volunteers nationwide. These volunteers numbered more than 10,000. In 1988 the first of the route were dedicated. Memberships Gaskill became the first woman president of the Colorado Mountain Club in 1977. She also served on the board of the American Hiking Society. Honors Gaskill was honored by President Ronald Reagan in his Take Pride in America campaign, and by President George H. W. Bush in his Points of Light recognition program for volunteerism. She was inducted into the Colorado Women's Hall of Fame in 2002. Several Trail features were named in her honor. The Gudy Gaskill Bridge, a span over the South Platte River, was