2023 Emerging Trail Leaders

Emerging Trail Leader Scholarship Recipient

Ashot Davtyan

Yerevan, Argentina

I can’t believe I got the chance to apply for the first scholarship in my life. I am from South Caucasus, Armenia, a country with a growing trail network and hiking industry. I am so proud to be one of the pioneers of the 1st professional trail building project in my country in 2017, when an expert from the US was invited to teach how to build a trail!! This was the year when finally I discovered my passion for trails and outdoor construction.

The following years we started to build more trails involving local volunteers from the rural communities. But unfortunately there is still a lack of professional crew leaders and educational materials. We design and implement educational camps for training more locals to become a crew leader or a trail builder.

The current conflict situation in South Caucasus now makes us more passionate about creating new working opportunities for locals, especially for youth, keeping them in their home towns or villages and developing the tourism and recreation businesses out of the capital. There is a huge potential in the trail industry in my country and I am always looking for the best opportunities to get knowledge, share my own experience and make new contacts having the goal to help locals and communities to develop.

I am grateful to be considered for this scholarship opportunity, and should I be selected, I will use it to bring new opportunities and knowledge to my country and people.