Trail and Timberline Quarterly - November 2019

THE QUARTERLY

THE COLORADO MOUNTAIN CLUB / cmc.org

FALL ‘19 ISSUE 1036

FALL AND WINTER HIKING SAFETY pg. 1

THE DENALI DREAM pg. 2

UPCOMING COURSES & EVENTS pg. 4

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Letter from the Executive Director THE NEXT 100 YEARS This past summer, we asked you, our members, to weigh in on the future of Trail & Timberline, the flagship publication of the CMC. After 100 years of publication, it was important for us to know what you wanted for the next 100 years of the T&T. We heard you and are excited to announce that, based on your feedback, Trail & Timberline is returning to its legacy of being a quarterly printed newsletter. It will also be complemented by an expanded annual magazine, beginning in 2020, that will highlight the epic adventures of our CMC members. In short, we are psyched!

In this quarterly edition, we will be delivering on your request to see upcoming events & courses, trip highlights, member photos, and educational clinics. We welcome your input with stories and photos so we can shine a light on the true member experience.

I find it fitting that as we look to the future with a new 5-year strategic plan, we are simultaneously returning to our roots with Trail & Timberline. We must remain grounded in our legacy to successfully grow. That legacy provides the springboard for us to deliver on your hopes and wishes for the Club – bold new educational initiatives, more trips in a variety

The official publication of the Colorado Mountain Club since 1918.

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of disciplines, more resources for trip leaders, and expansion of our stewardship work.

It is going to be an exciting few years, and we look forward to working together to solidify our foundation for the CMC’s next 100 years.

As always, thank you for your membership and your support.

With gratitude,

Keegan Young Executive Director

ABOUT THE COLORADO MOUNTAIN CLUB The Colorado Mountain Club has been delivering conservation, education and recreational opportunities to the Colorado public since 1912. The CMC acts as a gateway to the mountains for novices and experts alike, offering an array of year-round activities, events and schools centered on outdoor recreation. The Club connects thousands of adventure-loving mountaineers and teaches the skills to safely and respectfully maximize living in an outdoor playground. © 2019 COLORADO MOUNTAIN CLUB / ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Trail & Timberline (ISSN 0041-0756) is published biannually by the Colorado Mountain Club located at 710 10th Street, Suite 200, Golden, Colorado 80401. Advertisements in Trail & Timberline do not constitute an endorsement by the Colorado Mountain Club.

Cover Photo Credit: Geoffrey Johnson

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Safety Tips

Students learning the proper techniques of snow travel, Wilderness Trekking School. Photo Brittany Smith

FALL AND WINTER HIKING SAFETY

by Art Hogling

Hiking season doesn’t have to end when summer is over. Some of the best hikes can occur in Fall and Winter. Risk factors increase, however, and you must step up your safety skills. Art Hogling and the instructors of the CMC Hiking Safety Seminar share the following suggestions. They will help keep your off-season hikes safe and fun.

QQCarry something to sit on. Cold ground steals your warmth quickly, even in summer.

QQAdd snow baskets to your hiking poles. You will not notice them on dirt trails but be very glad to have them on snowy patches and drifts.

QQGaiters are coverings for boots and lower legs. They keep the snow out of your boot tops and add overall warmth.

QQCarry chemical hand warmers. These weigh little and are invaluable in an emergency.

QQWatch out for dehydration. Don’t let the cooler weather and/or snow influence your liquid replenishment. Drink frequently.

QQCarry your extra clothes in a waterproof bag. Few packs are waterproof, and snow has a persistent way of creeping into them.

QQClothing: Add a neck gaiter (buff) to your clothing list. A lot of our thermo regulation comes from the back of the neck. Mittens are bulky but are warmer than gloves. Carry an

extra pair of warm socks. Keep an additional, dry layer handy for warmth during breaks.

QQIf weather is freezing, carry your water bottles upside down. Water freezes from the top down. A thermos bottle is a nice fall/winter gear addition. Or carry a water bottle inside your jacket. Insulated water bottle carriers work well and are commercially available. Or wrap a bottle in clothes in your pack. Start cold trips with hot water.

QQWear cold weather hiking boots. These insulated, weatherproof non-leather boots started appearing about 5 years ago. They keep your feet warm and have treads designed for snow.

QQCarry micro-spikes. Crampons are for big mountains and YAK Tracs are for parking lots. Micro-spikes are well regarded and work great on icy trails and compacted snow. Cold weather boots and micro-spikes are a great combination.

QQCarry a headlamp. It gets dark early, in fall and winter and you may find yourself walking home in the night.

QQChoose your destinations wisely. Easy summer routes have the potential to become deadly avalanche zones in winter.

To read the full blog, visit blog.cmc.org.

FALL 2019 / THE QUARTERLY

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Trip Highlight Flying back after a successful summit of Denali. Photo Sheryl Lampert

THE DENALI DREAM Michael Restivo

Denali is the dream for any mountaineer. It’s summit at 20,310 feet, it is the prize of North American mountaineering, rising dramatically above the Alaska Range, and so prominent it can be seen from downtown Anchorage.

For two Colorado Mountain Club teams, Denali was the culmination of skills, talent, and perseverance, enduring icy cold conditions, rapidly changing weather, treacherous glaciers, crevasses, and long days hauling sleds of gear from camp to camp.

For Britt Jones, Scott Kime (Leader), Thomas Beuerman, and Roger Flahive, and Sheryl Lampert, Katie Hendrickson, Jamie Simpson, Louis Marroquin and James Graebner, all who met through the Colorado Mountain Club mountaineering programs, the summit, and raising the flag of the club on the roof of North America, was the result of months of training and a lifetime of dreaming and ambition.

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Heading towards the summit of Denali. Photo James Graebner

TRAIL & TIMBERLINE

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Denali is a mountain that requires a considerable amount of skill, being able to travel as a rope team on glaciers, using an ice axe for self-arrest and building anchors, climbing on steep 45-degree slopes, and being able to use crampons in a variety of methods to move efficiently and conserve energy.

After a short flight to the Kahiltna Glacier, the team hauled sleds of gear to a camp with several other expeditions. Digging into their tent, they waited for a weather window opportunity to move higher.

The team moved steadily through each camp, enduring long sustained pitches of steep snow climbing, frequently clipping in to fixed ropes and climbing between 5 to 7 hours a day.

Summit day involves crossing a steep section just outside of camp called the Autobahn, and on to Denali Pass at 18,200-feet. The summit bids, lasting between 10-12 hours involve some of the steepest climbing of the trip, frequently clipping into fixed ropes and pre-placed pickets along the route.

Past a long flat un-crevassed field, known as The Football Field, the team ascended the final ridge, climbing high above the clouds and the majestic Alaskan skyline until they could make out the final Geological Survey marker, proudly marking the roof of North America. At 5:00 PM on June 13, 2019, Alaskan Time, after months of training, after years of dreaming, the Colorado Mountain Club team stood proudly on the summit of Denali and unfurled the Colorado Mountain Club and Colorado state flags. With a prolonged celebration on the summit, the team started to make their way down.

After a long day of climbing just about 12 hours, they reached their tents at an Alaskan twilight approximately around 9:00 PM, watching the alpenglow fall over the glaciers below, bathing the peak in a fiery pink light.

The immense pride of having represented the club and it’s ideal of developing strong mountaineers and carrying Colorado’s mountain tradition proudly.

But they weren’t the only Colorado Mountain Club team to reach the summit of Denali, as just days later Britt, Scott, Thomas, and Roger flew the CMC flag for the second time.

Read about their adventure and the full story of this extraordinary spring season on the CMC Blog.

[TOP] Aerial footage of glaciers while flying back from Denali. James Simpson [MIDDLE] CMC team members make steady progress.

Photo Kate Hendrickson [BOTTOM] Successful complete CMC team summit of Denali. Photo Sheryl Lampert FALL 2019 / THE QUARTERLY

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Upcoming Courses 3 Day Wilderness First Aid (WFA) and CPR/AED Course Keystone • Nov. 15, 2019 • 6pm $150 members / $200 nonmembers

This nineteen-hour ECSI accredited course consists of instruction devoted to medical evaluation and treatment in the wilderness setting where definitive medical care is not readily available.

Youth Education Program: Winter Camp

Jan. 2, 2020 $160 members / $190 nonmembers Join us for winter adventures! Avalanche rescue scenarios, shelter building, snowshoeing and generally having a blast, for 3rd-6th graders. Includes 2 field days.

High Altitude Mountaineering Denver • Jan. 6, 2020 • 6pm $600 members

This class includes one lecture and three on-snow ski days. Learn to cross-country ski and get prepared to ski backcountry trails using classic Nordic-style technique. (No AT or Tele gear allowed in this school.)

The High Altitude Mountaineering School (HAMS) is for CMC members who are interested in learning and practicing the alpine skills that are needed to safely climb and enjoy high, glaciated mountains, including Mt. Rainier, Denali, the Andes, and the Himalayas! HAMS culminates in a high peak climb of Mt. Rainier, Mt Baker, Mt Adams or a similar high, glaciated peak.

AIARE Avalanche Level 1

Snowshoe Basics Class

Backcountry Ski Touring School Denver • Dec. 3, 2019 • 6:30pm $105 members / $125 nonmembers

Boulder • Six Sessions offered between Dec. 4, 2019 and Feb. 5, 2020 $470 Members / $515 nonmembers Denver • Four sessions offered between 1.24.20 and 3.13.20 • $385 members The AIARE 1 Decision Making in Avalanche Terrain is a three-day introduction to avalanche hazard management.

Avalanche Terrain Avoidance Seminar (ATA)

Denver • Three sessions offered between Dec. 7, 2019 and Feb. 1, 2020 $30 members / $40 nonmembers This is a 4-hour seminar and a 4-hour field day for those who wish to AVOID avalanche terrain. The field day allows students to use slope meters to determine potential avalanche prone terrain and non-prone avalanche terrain as well as to determine route finding.

AIARE Rescue Course

Boulder • Two sessions offered on Dec. 13, 2019 and Jan. 24, 2020 $185 members / $210 nonmembers For any outdoor enthusiast, traveling safely in a winter environment is paramount to adventuring in and around avalanche terrain. This is an AIARE 8-hour Avalanche Companion Rescue course.

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Pikes Peak • Jan. 7, 2020 • 6pm $25 members / $35 nonmembers Learn the gear, maintenance, safety and entry level techniques for this entry into the winter wonderland for many people and a common activity in the winter schedule. This includes two classroom sessions and one field day.

Intro to Backcountry Skiing Class Pikes Peak • Jan. 7, 2020 • 6pm $75 members / $90 nonmembers

This course includes two classroom and three field sessions. Learn the gear, maintenance, safety and entry level techniques for backcountry skiing. Backcountry Skiing is a great way to enjoy the wilderness with a little more skill and finesse.

Avalanche Level 1

Pikes Peak • Jan. 28, 2020 – Feb. 2, 2020 • 6pm $175 Pikes Peak Group members / $200 other CMC members This course includes two classroom and two field sessions. Learn how to make good decisions while out in avalanche terrain. You will learn trip planning, identifying avalanche safe terrain, and efficient companion rescue, among other things.

TRAIL & TIMBERLINE

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Upcoming Events Fort Collins Group Annual Dinner – Vince Anderson Nov. 11, 2019 • 6pm • $35

Join the Fort Collins Group of CMC for their Annual Dinner, with a very special presentation

by Vince Anderson, international mountaineer and ski guide certified by the International Federation of Mountain Guide Associations.

YEP – Family Climb Night Nov. 15, 2019 • 3:30pm • FREE

This is a family oriented open climbing event, all ages welcome! FREE for members, $5.00 per family for non-members. We will have Youth Education Instructors and Volunteers there to teach climbing techniques in addition to teaching parents how to support their kids through this sport! No prior climbing experience required. Harness and shoes will be provided, however you’re welcome to bring your own.

Food/snacks will also be provided.

2018 Backcountry Bash. Photo Brittany Smith

Denver New and Prospective Member Orientation Nov. 20, 2019 • 6:30pm • FREE

Come learn more about the CMC! Get an overview of all the Club has to offer and hear from our staff members, volunteers, school directors and trip leaders at this informational meeting.

Denver Group Annual Dinner

RMOTHG Holiday Party

Catered dinner with Jane Parnell speaking on Forty-Five Years of Peak Bagging in Colorado.

Annual Holiday Party for the Rocky Mountain Over the Hill Gang. Come for the potluck and Fun!

Nov. 17, 2019 • 5pm • $30

CMC Climb Nights: Whetstone Climbing Gym Nov. 19, 2019 • 6pm $14 members/$18 nonmembers

Tickets include a day pass of climbing, a harness rental, and a shoe rental. Afterward, the bar inside Whetstone will be hosting happy hour pricing for the Colorado Mountain Club! So stay to climb, build community, and hang at happy hour in our Fort Collins Climb Night Series!

CMC Climb Nights: Summit Climbing- Silverthorne, CO Nov. 20, 2019 • 5pm • $10

Tickets include day pass to Summit Climbing Gym and beer specials at The Bakers’ Brewery. Join us for an evening of climbing, beer, friends, and fun with our Summit Climbing Climb Night Happy Hours. Summit Climbing is an incredibly unique co-op gym – member owned and operated.

Dec. 8, 2019

Photography Section Monthly Meeting Dec. 11, 2019 • 7pm

Annual Potluck and Social - See newsletter for details. All are welcome, come chat photography while members favorite images of the last year are on display and we have some food and beverages.

Colorado Mountain Club Benefit Gala Feb. 7, 2020

The Gala will help us raise critical funds for our youth & adult education programs so we can ensure that Coloradans are safely exploring our wild spaces for generations to come. The night will be spent catching up with friends over a catered dinner, a silent auction and keynote speaker, Golden-local and adventurer Erik Weihenmayer, that you won’t want to miss!

FALL 2019 / THE QUARTERLY

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WE BELIEVE IN

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GIVING BACK G R A P H I C D ES I G N

for the trail ahead.

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Mojave Creative Lab is a proud 1% for the Planet business member and contributes to numerous nonprofit organizations, including the Colorado Mountain Club, in order to help protect the places we play.

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