Winter Revelry

The Centennial in Review 20 • Wooden Skis Make a Comeback 24 • The Fourteeners and Beyond 36

Trail & timberline

The Colorado Mountain Club • Winter 2012 • Issue 1017 • www.cmc.org

Winter Revelry Trail & Timberline

1

2

Trail & Timberline

Letter from the CEO A year to remember

W

hile I’m writing this letter to you all, I’m recovering from an amazing hike up Pyramid Peak for the Colorado 14er Challenge the CMC put on September 8, as part of our amazing Centennial Celebration series. Words cannot describe what a perfect day and a perfect group we had. The entire 14er Challenge will go down in the CMC history books. CMC teams summited every publicly owned 14er in the state. Leading up to the event there was ongoing media attention through major news and radio channels. There were camera crews along on several of the trips, we had EcoFlight aircraft circling peaks to catch a glimpse of the climbers, and weather forecasters and emergency first aid contacts available at the CMC command center in Frisco. It was quite exciting to check in with the CMC command center to update them on our progress and hear about the progress of the other teams on the 14ers. What a day!

Our Centennial year is coming to an end,

and I’m even more proud to be a member of the CMC team and very grateful for everyone who helped to celebrate the year in such a meaningful way. Read my full recap of the Centennial year on pages 20–23 of this issue.

*** I’m very excited to introduce you all to Samantha Watts from V3 Outdoor Fitness.

In this issue, Samantha writes our “Clinic” column on pages 16–17, and I can guarantee her words of advice, as well as her outdoor boot camp classes will increase your health and fitness in leaps and bounds. I first came to Samantha’s class in early July of this year. After trying various boot camp classes throughout my life, I was wary of yet another instructor yelling at me to do push-ups and sit-ups, at 6 am no less! What a pleasant surprise I found in Samantha’s class.

Samantha pushed my body in ways that I have never been pushed before, and she makes it fun. I found myself coming home

from her class and showing my husband the new exercises I learned. If you want to improve your current fitness or just get in great all-around shape, try one of her classes. If you live near Boulder or Louisville you’re in luck. For those of you in Denver, shoot Sam an e-mail (info@v3outdoorfitness.com), and maybe you can get a big enough group to make the drive worth her while. Hopefully I’ll see some of you out there!

Last but not least, I want to wish you all a happy, fun, and safe holiday season. Our mountains will hopefully be covered with snow for much of the winter months. The thought of that image as I watch the leaves changing outside my office window makes me smile . . . and hope for a new pair of Telemark skis!

Katie Blackett Chief Executive Officer

Trail & Timberline

1

20

24

20 A Year to Remember A look back at the CMC’s Centennial Celebration.

By Katie Blackett

24 Wooden Skis Return to the Front Range Insight into the history and construction of wooden skis.

By Gary Neptune and John Wallack

34 Fern Lake Lodge A favored winter retreat of days gone by.

28 Camp Hell A profile of the 10th Mountain Division and its base of operation, Camp Hale.

By Jay Fell

By Woody Smith

36 The Fourteeners and Beyond Who made the lists in 2012?

32 Snowshoeing Up High Grab your snowshoes and head for a summit.

By Linda Kothe Crockett, Teresa Gergen, Dave Goldwater, and Chris Ruppert

By Alan Apt

Winter 2012 Trail & Timberline • Issue 1017 • www.cmc.org

2

Trail & Timberline

Departments 36

01 Letter from the CEO 06 On the Outside 08 Mission Accomplishments

Learn the latest from the conservation and education departments, as well as news on the huge success of the Backcountry Bash, the CMC 14er Challenge, and a close encounter with a raging wildfire near Estes Park.

13 Around Colorado What's happening in your group?

14 Safety First The 10 Essentials and beyond.

By Deb Robak

16 The Clinic The benefits of cross-training.

By Samantha Watts

On the Cover A frosty winter day at the top of Grand Mesa.

By Rod Martinez

18 Pathfinder

Ice climbs within a short drive of the Front Range.

By Brendan Leonard

40 End of the Trail Remembering those who have passed.

42 CMC Adventure Travel

Statement of Ownership, Management, and Circulation

1. Publication Title: Trail and Timberline 2. Publication Number: 0041-0756 3. Filing Date: 9/25/12 4. Issue Frequency: Quarterly 5. Number of Issues Published Annually: 4 6. Annual Subscription Price: $20 7. Complete Mailing Address of Known Office of Publication: 710 10th St., Suite 200, Golden, CO 80401 8. Complete Mailing Address of Headquarters or General Business Office of Publisher: 710 10th St., Suite 200, Golden, CO 80401 9. Full Names and Complete Mailing Addresses of Publisher, Editor, and Managing Editor: Publisher: Colorado Mountain Club, 710 10th St., Suite 200, Golden, CO 80401; Editor: Christian Green, 710 10th St., Suite 200, Golden, CO 80401; Managing Editor: Christian Green, 710 10th St., Suite 200, Golden, CO 80401 10.

Owner: Colorado Mountain Club, 710 10th St., Suite 200, Golden, CO 80401 11. Known Bondholders, Mortgagees, and Other Security Holders Owning or Holding 1 Percent or More of Total Amount of Bonds, Mortgages, or Other Securities: None 12. Tax Status: Has not changed during preceding 12 months. 13. Publication Title: Trail and Timberline 14. Issue Date for Circulation Data Below: Fall 2012 (September) 15. Extent and Nature of Circulation:a. Total number of copies (Net press run): Average No. Copies Each Issue During Preceding 12 Months: 4,233 No. Copies of Single Issue Published Nearest to Filing Date: 5,373 b. Paid Circulation (1) Mailed Outside-County Paid

Want to get away? Wander the world with your friends at the CMC on these classic trips.

Subscriptions Stated on PS Form 3541 (Include paid distribution above nominal rate, advertiser's proof copies, and exchange copies) Average No. Copies Each Issue During Preceding 12 Months: 3,733 No. Copies of Single Issue Published Nearest to Filing Date: 4,823 (2) Mailed In-County Paid Subscriptions Stated on PS Form 3541 (Include paid distribution above nominal rate, advertiser's proof copies, and exchange copies) Average No. Copies Each Issue During Preceding 12 Months: 400 No. Copies of Single Issue Published Nearest to Filing Date: 450 (3) Paid Distribution Outside the Mails Including Sales Through Dealers and Carriers, Street Vendors, Counter Sales, and Other Paid Distribution Outside USPS速 iv. Paid Distribution by Other Classes of Mail Through the USPS (e.g.

First-Class Mail速) Average No. Copies Each Issue During Preceding 12 Months: N/A No. Copies of Single Issue Published Nearest to Filing Date: N/A (4) Paid Distribution by Other Classes of Mail Through the USPS (e.g. First-Class Mail速) Average No. Copies Each Issue During Preceding 12 Months: N/A No. Copies of Single Issue Published Nearest to Filing Date: N/A c. Total Paid Distribution: Average No. Copies Each Issue During Preceding 12 Months: 4,133 No. Copies of Single Issue Published Nearest to Filing Date: 5,273 d. Free or Nominal Rate Distribution 1) Free or Nominal Rate Outside-County Copies included on PS Form 3541 Average No. Copies Each Issue During Preceding 12 Months: N/A No. Copies of Single Issue Published Nearest to Filing Date: N/A

2) Free or Nominal Rate In-County Copies Included on PS Form 3541 Average No. Copies Each Issue During Preceding 12 Months: N/A No. Copies of Single Issue Published Nearest to Filing Date: N/A (3) Free or Nominal Rate Copies Mailed at Other Classes Through the USPS (e.g. First-Class Mail) Average No. Copies Each Issue During Preceding 12 Months: N/A No. Copies of Single Issue Published Nearest to Filing Date: N/A (4) Free or Nominal Rate Distribution Outside the Mail (Carriers or other means) Average No. Copies Each Issue During Preceding 12 Months: N/A No. Copies of Single Issue Published Nearest to Filing Date: N/A e. Total Free or Nominal Rate Distribution Average No. Copies Each Issue During Preceding 12 Months: N/A No. Copies of Single Issue Published Nearest to Filing Date: N/A f. Total Distribution Average No. Copies Each Issue During Preceding 12 Months: 4,133 No. Copies of Single Issue Published Nearest to Filing Date: 5,273 g. Copies Not Distributed Average No. Copies Each Issue During Preceding 12 Months: 100 No. Copies of Single Issue Published Nearest to Filing Date: 100 h. Total Average No. Copies Each Issue During Preceding 12 Months: 4,233 No. Copies of Single Issue Published Nearest to Filing Date: 5,373 Percent Paid Average No. Copies Each Issue During Preceding 12 Months: 100% No. Copies of Single Issue Published Nearest to Filing Date: 100% 6. The Publication of Statement of Ownership will be printed in this, the Winter 2012 issue of publication. 17. I certify that all information state above is true and complete. Christian Green, Editor, October 24, 2012.

Trail & Timberline

3

Trail &

What do you give

timberline

the Outdoor Addict who already has

g!? n i h C MC. yt ip to the r h s r e e b mem eivev e gift of them th G

www.cmc.org/gift

No long lines, no last minute shopping, and no racking your brain (and wallet) to find the latest gear craze. The CMC connects people with the Colorado Mountain experience. What holiday gift can you think of that offers 25 skills schools, 3000 trips per year, discounts on gear, books, international travel, a mountaineering museum, access to film, music, art festivals and more? It’s not your latest gadget.

Your outdoor enthusiast will appreciate membership to the premier organization providing human-powered mountain adventures that are safe, enjoyable, and environmentally responsible since 1912.

The official publication of the Colorado Mountain Club since 1918.

Editor Christian Green editor@cmc.org

Designer Jessica D'Amato Advertising Sales Robin Commons

advertising@cmc.org

The Colorado Mountain Club 710 10th Street, Suite 200 Golden, Colorado 80401 303-279-3080

Youth Education

Adventure

Conservation

The CMC is a 501 (c)(3) charitable organization.

www.cmc.org The Colorado Mountain Club is organized to ▶ unite the energy, interest, and knowledge of the students, explorers, and lovers of the mountains of Colorado; ▶ collect and disseminate information regarding the Rocky Mountains on behalf of science, literature, art, and recreation; ▶ stimulate public interest in our mountain areas; ▶ encourage the preservation of forests, flowers, fauna, and natural scenery; and ▶ render readily accessible the alpine attractions of this region. © 2012 Colorado Mountain Club

All Rights Reserved

Trail & Timberline (ISSN 0041-0756) is published quarterly by the Colorado Mountain Club located at 710 10th Street, Suite 200, Golden, Colorado 80401.

Periodicals postage paid at Golden, Colorado, and additional offices. Subscriptions are $20 per year; single copies are $5. POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to Trail & Timberline, 710 10th Street, Suite 200, Golden, Colorado 80401. Advertisements in Trail & Timberline do not constitute an endorsement by the Colorado Mountain Club.

Please recycle this magazine.

Printed on 10% post-consumer waste recycled paper.

4

Trail & Timberline

For Members

member benefits

→ Join us on over 3,000 annual trips, hikes, and activities in the state’s premiere mountain-adventure organization. → Expand your knowledge and learn new skills with our schools, seminars, and events. → Support our award-winning Youth Education Program for mountain leadership. → Protect Colorado’s wild lands and backcountry recreation experiences. → Enjoy exclusive discounts to the American Mountaineering Museum. → Travel the world with your friends through CMC Adventure Travel. → Receive a 20% discount on all CMC Press purchases and start your next adventure today. → It pays to be a member. Enjoy discounts of up to 30% from retailers and corporate partners. See www.cmc.org/benefits for details. → Receive the Shared Member Rates of other regional mountaineering clubs and a host of their perks and benefits, including lodging.

Visit cmc.org/Alpine6 for details.

opportunities to get more involved Charitable Donations

Join our select donors who give back to the club every month by using electronic funds transfer (EFT). It is easy and convenient, you can discontinue anytime, and you’ll provide support for critical programs. Sign up at www.cmc.org/support.

By naming the Colorado Mountain Club in your will, you will be able to count yourself among the proud members of the 21st Century Circle. Read more at www.cmc.org/legacy. Please consult your financial advisor about gift language.

By donating $1,000 or more to the Annual Campaign, you'll enjoy the exclusive benefits of the Summit Society, including hikes to places that the CMC's conservation department is working to protect, an annual appreciation event, and a complimentary copy of a new CMC Press book.

If you have any questions about donations, please contact Sarah Gorecki, Development Director, at 303.996.2752 or sarahgorecki@cmc.org.

Volunteer Efforts

If you want to share your time and expertise, give back to the club by volunteering on a variety of projects, from trail restoration to stuffing envelopes. Visit www.cmc.org/volunteer for a complete listing.

Contact Us

Our Membership Services team can answer general questions every weekday at 303.279.3080, or by email at cmcoffice@cmc.org.

SCFD

The Colorado Mountain Club thanks the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District and its citizens for their continuing support. www.scfd.org

The Colorado Mountain Club is a proud member of Community Shares of Colorado.

It PAYS to be a member!

SCFD

SCFD

SCFD

▶ 40% off admission at the American Mountaineering Museum

▶ 20% off titles from The Mountaineers Books

▶ 10% at Neptune Mountaineering, Boulder

▶ 10% at Bent Gate Mountaineering, Golden

▶ 10% at Wilderness Exchange Unlimited, Denver

Not a member?

▶ 10% at Mountain Chalet, Colorado Springs ▶ 10% at The Trailhead, Buena Vista

▶ 10% at Rock'n and Jam'n, Thornton Visit www.cmc.org/join Trail & Timberline

5

On the Outside Peaks on Red Mountain Pass, south of Ouray.

Rod Martinez 6

Trail & Timberline

Trail & Timberline

7

Mission Accomplishments Giving Back Stewardship in 2012

By Lisa Cashel, Stewardship Manager

Earlier this year on the pages of this magazine, CMC Conservation Director Scott Braden laid out the case about the responsibility we have as a major recreation club to give back to the lands that give us so much (“We Must,� Summer 2012, Trail & Timberline).

To that end, we’ve made promoting stewardship projects within the CMC a priority for the Conservation department. Our hope is to provide opportunities for volunteer service to our members, but also to more broadly help build a deep culture of stewardship within the Colorado Mountain Club.

The Colorado Mountain Club State Stewardship Program is grateful for the hard

work completed by our volunteers, grants and in-kind donations, and our project partners around the state. The CMC State program coordinated 330 volunteers for 3,670 hours of volunteer service. We completed 12 projects and hosted one film festival, canceling only two projects due to bad weather. As winter approaches, we begin to tally the 2012 volunteer efforts of our CMC Groups around the state and begin to scout projects for 2013.

CMC Conservation has developed a Request for Proposals process to solicit projects from land managers across Colorado. This process will help us match projects to our members’ interests and will allow us to be more strategic as our program continues to grow.

Please join us in thanking everyone who supports CMC’s volunteerism on public lands throughout Colorado. △

Project Partners US Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, Jefferson County Open Space, 10th Mountain Division Huts Association, Denver Mountain Parks, Wildlands Restoration Volunteers, REI Denver, Access Fund, Rocky Mountain Field Institute, Roaring Fork Outdoor Volunteers, Colorado Fourteeners Initiative, SYRCL Wild & Scenic Film Festival, Mountain Studies Institute, San Juan Citizens Alliance Grants Xcel Energy Foundation, Aspen Ski Company Environment Foundation, REI, Patagonia, American Hiking Society, CMC Foundation, CMC Boulder Group, National Forest Foundation, Bureau of Land Management Take It Outside program, Anonymous In-Kind Donations Mountainsmith, Lowa, Access Fund, American Backcountry, Gibbon Slacklines, Starbucks, Clif Bar, Rocky Mountain Popcorn Company The future of our program depends on acquiring new trip leaders for stewardship projects. If you are interested in leading trips (no previous trail or restoration work experience is necessary), contact stewardship@cmc.org or 303-996-2764.

20th Annual Backcountry Bash Sets a New Record!

By Sarah Gorecki, Development Director

This year’s Backcountry Bash was the best yet. The 20th annual Backcountry Bash, with its long and storied history as the annual fundraising event of the Backcountry Snowsports Alliance, was attended by over 400 revelers on Saturday, November 3, at the American Mountaineering Center.

Through silent and live auctions, ticket sales, and donations, the CMC was able to raise a record $39,000 for the CMC’s Backcountry Snowsports Initiative (BSI).

“The best thing about the event was witnessing the incredible generosity from our members, supporters, and sponsors. Several of the event sponsors doubled, or even quintupled, their live auction donations so that we could raise that much more for CMC’s conservation work,� said CMC CEO Katie Blackett. “The night reminded us all that none of our human-powered recreation is possible without the work CMC does.�

The Backcountry Snowsports Initiative is the winter advocacy program of CMC’s Conservation department. It was created in 2009 through the merger of the Backcountry Snowsports Alliance and the CMC, and works to protect the winter backcountry and human-powered recreational opportunities.

The event was hosted by pro backcountry skier Donny Roth, who helped to spread 8

Trail & Timberline

the message of the need to preserve a quiet ers had the opportunity to bid on an incredbackcountry experience. The top-selling ible array of gear and hut trips in the silent items in the live auction were two backcoun- and live auctions. △ try ski trips with Donny B=> 53/@ ’ 0=BB=; 2=::/@ in Marble, Colorado. The winners also get to demo ski gear from Dynafit and avalanche safety gear from Backcountry Access! Donny is also a professional backcountry ski guide, and one of the stars of last year’s WILDY X Bash film, Solitaire. Learn DEMO PROGRAM! more about Donny at $120 FOR 3 DEMOS http://www.independentCAN BE APPLIED TO THE PURCHASE OF NEW SKIS descents.com. The Bash AT AND TELE AVAILABLE! featured a great lineup of TAKE UP TO 2 PAIRS ski films from the Winter OUT FOR EACH DEMO!

Wildlands Alliance Backcountry Film Festival. This year’s films featured a fesNEW MERCHANDISE PURCHASES ONLY, MAY NOT BE COMBINED WITH ANY tival cut of Jeremy Jones’s OTHER DISCOUNTS OR OFFER PLEASE PRESENT MEMBERSHIP AT REGISTER film Further, and Skiing the Void, from Sweetgrass Productions. For the second year in a row, staff from Chipotle served a hot taco bar, while Avery Brewing Company served up delicious brews. Event-go-

YO U B E R O F E B Y R T

CMC MEMBERS RECEIVE 10% OFF INSTORE.

UY

New Horizons

Youth Education Program Makes Outdoor Climbing a Reality for Urban Youth

By Melanie Joyce, Youth Education Program Manager

“You can do it! One more move!”

If one sound brings back the summer of 2012 for CMC’s Youth Education Program (YEP), it’s shouts of encouragement. During three months this summer, YEP taught more than 300 kids the joys and challenges of outdoor climbing. From never-evers to advanced former campers helping teach programs, the crag was where it was at this

▲ Happy belayers are the best belayers. Yoni Geffen

summer for YEP. A particular highlight of the summer was the amount of urban youth that YEP was able to get out of the city and into the mountains. Although Denver kids can see the Rocky Mountain skyline from their homes, many have never made it to the mountains. This summer YEP was able to help change that through a variety of programs. While YEP served groups of kids from as far afield as Boston and Detroit, the greatest impact was felt closer to home with youth from two local urban organizations, First Ascenders and Manual High School.

On the morning of May 12, 15 high

school students from Denver School of Science and Technology, who are part of the First Ascenders program, stepped tentatively off their bus at Supremacy Slab in Eldorado Canyon State Park. As YEP instructors started the introductiown to their six-week outdoor climbing intensive program, the skies promptly opened up and doused the group in freezing cold rain. One of the first lessons you have to learn if you’re going to climb in Colorado is to have a backup plan, so the group headed off to the Boulder Rock Club to finish up day one. During the course of six Saturdays (most with nicer weather), that group went from starry-eyed nervous beginners to confident and knowledgeable climbers.

Jerry Madlock, program participant, summed the experience best with the following words, “This program helped me by showing me that I need to put myself out there and take the opportunities I’m given to try new hings.

I'm usually a person who would rarely take the chance to do anything new, let alone a physical activity. After this experience, I realize how important it is to get out of my comfort zone and go experience new things, because not everyone gets the opportunity to do something amazing.”

In mid-July, another bus full of apprehensive teenagers rolled up to a climbing crag in Vedauwoo, Wyoming. This time it was a charter bus, spilling over with high

school seniors from Manual High School, arriving at Vedauwoo on a mission. A longtime staple in the Denver Public School System, Manual closed down for a year in 2006 due to low performance, and has worked to find its footing since re-opening. Under the guidance of a new principal, Manual embarked the 2012–2013 school year on a dramatic re-envisioning of their program.

Operating under the vision statement that “Thunderbolt graduates will be the scholars and revolutionaries our society needs to abolish inequalities and make real our nation’s promise that all individuals have the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,” Manual made the decision to send all seniors on a two-day camping and climbing trip to Vedauwoo to help develop leadership among the senior class. During the trip’s opening meeting, students were asked if they had ever been camping before. Out of more than 50 high school seniors who grew up in Colorado, only a few hands were raised. None had ever climbed outdoors.

During the course of two days, Manual students threw themselves at challenges like true revolutionaries. They showed a tremendous amount of support for fellow classmates in need, and a friendly war of the sexes led to a lot of top-outs on climbs. Perhaps most important and inspiring, every single student gave climbing a try.

An integral part of the mission of CMC’s Youth Education Program is to make our programs accessible to all schools and youth in the Denver Metro area. Through grants and individual donations, we are able to make outdoor climbing programs a reality for groups such as First Ascenders and Manual High School. If you are interested in helping urban kids gain access to the mountains, please consider volunteering or making a donation with YEP today! △

There is no better deal than CMC education. Skilled mountaineers, skiers, and anglers teach their craft to other members informally on trips, as well as in CMC schools. This is volunteerism at its very best! CMC staff is dedicated to supporting education volunteers.

Recently, CMC Membership Services staff developed a resource manual for CMC school directors, with the goal to increase efficiency and reduce the time spent on administrative questions. It can be found online at www.cmc.org/schooldirector. This past September we hosted a summit for school directors to come together and discuss the challenges they face, share their best practices, and learn about available resources. Feedback was extremely positive from the evening.

—Brenda Porter, Operations Director

Trail & Timberline

9

The CMC 14er Challenge 52 Peaks Summited in One Day

“It was special to be part of CMC history” —Ian MacDonald, CMC guest climbing Mount Antero

On September 8, 2012, at 02:00 am, CMC trip leader Mark Miller and his team started for the summit of Longs Peak via the Keyhole Route. By early morning, more than 400 people in 58 teams across the state were en route to summit 52 publicly accessible 14ers. 7:00 pm that evening, Ryan Ross, CMC Centennial Series lead volunteer, along with several dozen CMC volunteers, turned off the lights at the Frisco Day Lodge, the site of the 14er Challenge Operations Command Center. They couldn’t help but smile.

“We did it!” Fifty-two peaks were indeed summited! It was a collective salute to the Colorado Mountain Club’s feat of 100 years of service providing the best Colorado wilderness experiences to generations of outdoor enthusiasts. Eight months of planning for one perfect September Saturday and then getting it. Sometimes crazy ideas work out beautifully.

An Idea Is Born December 2011—For the past year, Beth Dwyer had been successfully managing the Centennial Climbs program with the goal of having CMC trip leaders lead climbs of Colorado’s 100 highest peaks. With 2012 coming up, Ryan Ross wanted to build on the success and momentum of the Centennial Climbs and do something special and fun, a signature climbing event.

Enter his idea of a 14er Challenge Climb—summit all of Colorado’s 14ers in one day. Make it big. Add communications and video technology, weather forecasting, and an operations center to coordinate and report the event in real time. Recruit trip leaders statewide. Add a celebration party.

Sounded like a great plan. Sherry Richardson, longtime CMC volunteer, hit the ground running and took on the tough assignment of recruiting trip leaders for each of the 52 14ers.

Down to the Wire August 2012—With a month left, Sherry had 58 leaders in the game. Filling the trips had proven to be the greater challenge, but CMC trip leaders stepped up and met the challenge. They were wheeling and dealing, making sure that the club could achieve its goal. Conversations went something like this: “Hey, you have extra; please give me a few for my trip.” “Look, I am leading this trip, but can hand off to another leader and join your trip.” Recruiting even extended to the 14ers.com community. The situation remained fluid right up until the day before the event, when one of the climbs lost a leader. Exhibiting their amazing esprit de corps, trip leaders again stepped up and took care of it.

September 7, 2012—Most of the 58 teams

▲ CMCers atop Mount Antero, the 10th highest 14er in Colorado. From left to right: Tony DiAngelo, Jennifer Bruce, Dorthe Leaven, Mindy Carson Hatcher, Bill Luttrell (leader), Ian McDonald, and Rick Servantes.

10

Trail & Timberline

headed out to their respective trailheads.

Many of the climbers burrowed in sleeping bags under a beautiful clear night with a half moon shinning down on them. The night air felt cool and crisp, a taste of the coming fall.

Would tomorrow’s weather hold?

The Next Morning The CMC support volunteers arrived at the Frisco Day Lodge command center by 5:30 am. Soon the calls, pictures, and videos started coming in. Leaders Donna Gail Schneider and Clint Schneider called in at 8:30 am to announce they summited Quandary.

The first! As the morning progressed, more calls and more summits. Susan and Clint Baker called from Pyramid Peak teasing the support team about the delicious Palisade Peach Pie they brought along to celebrate Casey John’s 20th birthday. Eight months of training paid off for Carole Adler and her team from the CMC Over the Hill Gang as they made their way to the summit of Mount Democrat. Steve Soich’s team climbed both Mount Lincoln and Mount Democrat with an American flag in tow.

Cheryl Ames’s team enjoyed Mount Princeton’s hot springs the night before their summit of Princeton. Wonder if they took a dip afterwards? Donna Brockman’s team summited Pikes Peak and enjoyed a bucket

▲Trip leader Mark Miller led his group up the Keyhole Route of Longs Peak. From left to right: Jim Berryhill (co-leader), Mark Miller (leader), Mike Henney, Annie Parsons, Craig Goudy, and Dan Biro. Jim Berryhill

of chocolate chip cookies, gaining all the calories they shed climbing. David Wasson’s team suffered through the Lake Como Road approach to reach the summit of Blanca Peak.

David Kraemer led the Colorado Wilderness Families team up Huron Peak. Excited to reach the top were his son, Sean, age 9, and Fiona Anderson, age 10. They earned the distinction of being the youngest climbers reported in. The “Stinky Feet Award” went to Ben Ehlert, who, at 75, was the oldest, no, “baddest” person reported in.

He was on Lon Carpenter’s team summiting Mount Shavano. Honorable mention goes to Mr. Woody Curtis, who, at 72, climbed his first 14er, Mount Evans, which was led

by Paul Raab.

So it went, one by one, until there was only one climb team yet to be heard from: Rich McAdams and the team on Mount Wilson, who were adding in the El Diente Traverse, one of the most challenging 14er routes in the state. When they were heard from the next day, it was official: 52 peaks summited! The weather had held. Most ascents were framed by a gorgeous Colorado bluebird day. Perfect.

The Day After The Frisco celebration party was festive and fun and included 150 or so warblers singing “Happy Birthday” to Colorado’s very own world renowned mountaineer, Gerry Roach.

Thanks to everyone involved in the CMC 14er Challenge for thinking big and delivering. Yes, indeed; sometimes crazy ideas do work out.△

▲ CMC members pose in front of Old Glory at the top of Mount Democrat. From left to right: Sharon Lafer, Natalie Mack, Linda Wohlgemuth, Tim Lin, Rebecca Pisha, Steve Soich (leader), Holmes Gwin, Tom Dini, and Wes Berseth. Steve Soich ▲ Nine-year-old Sean Kraemer and 10-yearold Fiona Anderson, members of the Colorado Wilderness Families (CWF) Group, were the first in their group to reach the summit of Huron Peak. This was Sean’s tenth 14er and Fiona’s seventh. Erin Kraemer

▲ CMC members not only celebrated the CMC’s 100th birthday but also Casey John’s 20th birthday with a Palisade Peach Pie atop Pyramid Peak. The Maroon Bells are pictured in the background. Steve Bain

▲ The first 14er Challenge group to summit— Quandary Peak, 8:30 am. From left to right: Jody Rodine, Loren Jinkins, Stephanie Klass, Nick Stevens, Donna Gail Schneider (co-leader), Clint Schneider (leader), Rhonda Weiler, and John Berger. Mike Diehl

Thanks!!!

The 14er Challenge Production Team Thank you to Ryan Ross, Executive Producer; Sherry Richardson, Climbs Director; John Jackson, Technical Director; Rosemary Jackson, Assistant Technical Director; Dr. Beatriz Silveira, Event Medical Coordinator and Public Relations; Steve Saleeby and Phil Klotzbach, CSU Weather Forecasters; Rachel Scott, CMC Marketing and Communications; Chun Chang, CMC Web site Support; Linda Lawson, Deb Robak, and Karen Turley, Denver Safety and Leadership; Dave Goldwater, Climbs Support; Gaye Ruting, Nickie Kelly, Karen Liley, Sandy Robinson, Donna Lilly, Leslie Koshigoe, Marilyn Fellows, Diane Chipperfield, David Sears, and Gerry Roach, Communications; Bruce Gordon and Jonathan Kloberdanz, EcoFlight; Myles Sigal, Sheila Crombie, and Barbara A Swider, Sunday Party Volunteers; Jennifer Printz, Jon Zdechlik, and Nora Gilbertson, Town of Frisco.

And a very big thank you to all the CMC trip leaders! Without you, the 14er Challenge would not have been possible.

Corporate Sponsors The CMC would like to thank the following corporate sponsors for their support: Kaiser Permanente; Exempla; Odell Brewing Company; Regency Business Solutions; WhiteWave Foods; Adventure Medical Kits; Chums; Osprey Packs; REI; Mountainsmith; Backpacker’s Pantry; DaVita; Which Wich®; Town of Frisco; EcoFlight; Lake Dillon Lodge; Jad Design; Best Western; KBCO; Spectrum A/V Trail & Timberline

11

CMC Hikers Get Front-row View of Battle against Raging Wildfire

By Ryan Ross We were almost at the summit of Deer Mountain, a 10K peak at the primary east entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park. It was June 23. It was almost noon.

It was windy. The ground wasn’t dry, it was parched.

What we saw from the peak took our breath away. There was a wildfire burning less than a mile away and about a thousand feet below us, tearing through a neighborhood thick with homes and summer cabins.

And it was out of control. Way out of control.

The fire had started on the north side of the road into the park and was being pushed by the winds to the northeast. That meant we were in no danger; the fire was being pushed away from us. Our cars—parked at the Beaver Meadows Visitor Center—were not in danger, either. In fact, about the only thing in any real danger—outside of the immediate area of the fire—was the heart of Estes Park. We saw the town sprawled out directly downwind of the fire. If the fire gained a ridge about 200 yards from where we saw flames, it would run down the other side, and from there could enter the center part of town.

What could we do to help? We saw fire trucks on the upwind side of the fire. It was clear the right people were doing everything they could.

Before long there was a helicopter hovering over the fire. It flew to nearby Lake Mary, lowered a bucket, flew back to the fire, lowered to the level of the burning trees, dumped a load and went back to the lake for another load. It wasn’t enough. Soon another chopper arrived. Then another. It was like being in mission control, except that instead of trying to decipher blips on screens we could see the real battlefield.

The fire raged on, devouring everything. Through the smoke we could see a home going up in flames, the wooden frame igniting like a match, gone in seconds. Then another. Then a bigger home. More flames.

Higher flames.

There were plumes of white smoke (trees) and black (man-made structures).

We took turns looking through the binocu12

Trail & Timberline

lars, congratulating the owner on her foresight in bringing them along for the hike. Who knew we’d have front-row seats to a disaster unfolding right before our eyes?

More homes went up in flames. Were they going to evacuate the town as a precautionary measure? Was someone trying to decide that at that very moment?

Could they see what we were seeing? ▲The Woodland Heights Fire came precariously close to Estes Park on A C-130 fire-fight- June 23. Leslie Koshigoe ing aircraft—presumably with a load of fire retardant—started flying loops in front of tree in the wind ignited a spark. Turns out us. The pilots looked like they were trying the firefighters were fortunate in one respect: to decide whether they could help. But it the fire didn’t have a full load. The everalso looked like they were paying a lot of at- greens in the area were widely scattered, the tention to their escape route should they fly thin grass in-between not providing much low to dump on the fire. If they paid too fuel. And a dirt road downwind—the one much attention to the fire, they could easily we saw the fire truck on—created a natural, defensible fire break. fly into the side of a mountain.

An hour after we arrived, one thing As we approached our cars, we were became clear: the fire wasn’t gaining to the headed in the direction of the fire and only a northeast, even though that’s the way the wind few hundred yards from its upwind boundwas pushing it. Something was blocking its ary. A park ranger driving by spotted us, path. It was still raging, but it wasn’t growing. slammed her vehicle’s brakes, got out, and

Then the smoke swirled in one direc- started running toward us. We explained tion, and we saw a bright red fire truck that our cars were parked at the Beaver downwind of the fire on a dirt road. That Meadows Visitor Center. Ranger Amy let was either an extremely risky place to be, or us pass without frisking us. She looked like the firefighters had more confidence than us she’d had a long day. Some of her fellow rangers had homes in the fire area, she said. that they could win the battle.

A few minutes later, it was clear they There was no telling who among them were were right. They were more than making now homeless. headway. The flames shooting high were less Later, we heard a radio news report frequent. The fire line boundary still wasn’t about the fire. It was skimpy on detail, and growing. The fire was burning itself out, run- what detail it offered was either misleading, ning out of fuel. The fixed-wing aircraft disap- incomplete, or wrong. How could it not be? peared. Two hours after we arrived at the peak, The reporter hadn’t seen what we’d seen. the worst was over. We resumed our hike.

Denver Group trip leader Ryan Ross led a

They called it the Woodland Heights difficult B hike to Deer Mountain on June Fire. Twenty-seven acres. Twenty-two homes 23. Trip participants were Gaye Ruting, and two outbuildings destroyed. Cause: an Leslie Koshigoe, Tom Dini, Toni Morrison, electric power line rubbing against a pine- Debbie Gauchat, and Renee McCauley. △

Around Colorado

Our groups across the State Denver Who Are We? The Denver Group has more than 3,700 outdoorloving, fun-seeking members living in Metro Denver. Our diverse membership ranges from young adults (18+) to the Trailblazers (21 to 40) to our very active Over the Hill Gang (50+). We will be offering the following courses during Winter 2012–2013: Fly Tying School (begins January 7); Telemark Ski School (begins January 15); Winter Camping School (begins January 22); our new CPR course (February 21); Avalanche Terrain Avoidance Seminar ( January 5 and February 16); Beginning Ice Climbing (TBA); High Altitude Mountaineering School (TBA); Basic Mountaineering School Orientation ( January 8 or 14); Trip Leader School (TBA); Wilderness First Aid (TBA); and the second season of The American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education (AIARE) Level 1 avalanche training (February 1). Already have the skills; so now you want to play? Check out the online activity schedule and sign up. We have something going on nearly every day of the week, including leisure wildflower hikes, technical climbs over 14,000’, fly-fishing adventures, rock climbing in Eldorado Canyon, plus so much more.

Check out the official Denver group Web site for more information and updates: www.hikingdenver.net. Also sign up for our monthly electronic newsletter, the Mile High Mountaineer, which includes all of our fun Out and About Town activities, including group dinners, movies, happy hours, and more.

Get Involved As always, the Denver Group has many fantastic volunteer opportunities open to our members.

We are always looking for new Trip Leaders to lead A, B, C, & D hikes throughout the year, and we do offer Trip Leader training to help you get started. Keep an eye on the Mile High Mountaineer for upcoming courses.

Learn More Check out www.hikingdenver.net and the Mile High Mountaineer for upcoming special events and monthly new member hikes and orientations.

We are adding new events all the time. Have a question today? Contact Denver Group member Sharon Kratze at skratze@gmail.com. We invite you to join the Denver Group and look forward to playing with you this summer!

Pikes Peak The Pikes Peak Group of the Colorado Mountain Club is based out of Colorado Springs. We are a diverse group of approximately 600 members with a variety of activities and challenge levels that include: hiking, backpacking, rock climbing, biking, ice climbing, skiing, snow climbing, conservation activities, and snowshoeing.

In addition, we offer courses in basic mountaineering, which includes wilderness fundamentals, land navigation, rock climbing, alpine snow mountaineering, ice climbing, and backpacking; high altitude mountaineering which includes glacier travel; backcountry skiing; anchor building; lead climbing (rock and ice); in introduction to avalanches; snowshoeing; wilderness first aid; hut to hut clinic; scrambling clinic; lightweight and ultralight backpacking clinic; winter wilderness survival; and GPS training.

Below is a list of upcoming classes, starting in January:

Aspen The Aspen Group has an exciting winter schedule, starting with our annual banquet, December 15, at the Mountain Chalet in Aspen. It’s followed by several soirees with slideshows of trips to whet our appetite for new adventures.

We have a hut trip February 6–8 to the Peter Estin Hut, which will include avalanche education in the hut and practice outside led by CMC member Scott Messina, who is also involved with Aspen Mountain Rescue. We then have a moderate hut trip February 13–15 to the 10th Mountain Division Hut. We look forward to our Moonlight snowshoe in Lenado, followed by a potluck dinner. We are pleased to offer a Wilderness First Aid Course taught by certified instructor and CMC Operations Director Brenda Porter.

We welcome participation from all of the groups across the state.

Intro to Backcountry Ski—January 1, 3, 5, 13, 27. Contact Eric Hunter ehunter67yahoo.com for more information.

Snowshoe Class—January 1, 2, 6. Contact Eric Hunter ehunter67@yahoo.com for more information.

Basic Mountaineering School Colorado Ice Climbing—January 28, 30; February 2, 3. Contact David Anderson danderso@uccs.edu for more information.

Introduction to Avalanche—January 29, 31; February 2. Contact Eric Hunter ehunter67@yahoo.com for more information.

Technical Ice Climbing School—February 7, 16–18. Contact Grant Wilson n2sngltrk@yahoo. com.

Winter Wilderness Skills—February 27; March 2, 3. Contact Eric Hunter ehunter67@yahoo.com for more information.

Advanced Backcountry Ski—March 6, 9, 16.

Contact Eric Hunter ehunter67@yahoo.com for more information.

Basic Mountaineering School Colorado Wilderness Fundamentals—March 12, 14, 20, 23, 24. Contact Collin Powers powerscollin@yahoo. com for more information.

To learn more, attend the monthly Pikes Peak Group meeting the third Tuesday of each month (except May, November, and December) at 7:30 pm, at the All Souls Unitarian, or connect with members of the Pikes Peak Group by joining us on one of our many trips or classes.

BOULDER The Boulder Group came into existence in 1920, eight years after the Colorado Mountain Club was founded. Today, the group’s 1,100-plus members enjoy a variety of climbing, hiking, backpacking, running, and skiing activities. Boulder Group outings range from casual after-work hikes and leisurely flower photography walks to high mountain meadows. With our proximity to the Flatirons and Eldorado Canyon, it’s no surprise that rock climbing is a favorite activity.

We help our members enjoy the outdoors safely with highly regarded training such as: Boulder Mountaineering School, which offers a series of courses ranging from trip planning, survival, navigation, rock and snow schools, and mountaineering skills. For classes and outings information, please check out our Web site at http://www.cmcboulder.org/.

Get Involved We have plenty of volunteer opportunities available, and we welcome new instructors. Information can be found at www.cmcboulder.org/ trips/#TripCoLeaders. If you already have the skills and want to get out and play, check out the online activity schedule and sign up. We have a plenty of activities in the upcoming months.

Hope to see YOU soon!

Trail & Timberline

13

Safety First

The 10 Essentials and Beyond: A Systems Approach

By Deb Robak, Director of Safety, CMC Denver Safety and Leadership Committee

Welcome to “Safety First”, a new addition to Trail & Timberline. In each column, we will offer tips to help you avoid problems on the trail by increasing your safety awareness. In the first column, Deb Robak touches on the 10 Essential Systems.

The 10 Essential Systems are the very basics of what every hiker needs to carry in his/her pack. It is a REQUIREMENT for all CMC members. That is why CMCers can be identified by the enormous size of their packs. After reviewing the 10 Essential list from numerous organizations, most agree with the following:

1. Navigational Tools—Map/Compass/GPS 2. Flashlight/Headlamp + Batteries 3. Extra Food 4. Extra Clothing—Season Appropriate 5. Sun Protection 6. First Aid Kit and ID 7. Pocket Knife/Multi-tool 8. Matches/Fire-starter 9. Water/Water Purification 10. Miscellaneous

Summer Additions Insect Repellent Head Covering/Bandana Winter Additions Hat/Balaclava Extra Socks Hand Warmers Gloves/Mittens Gaiters Foot Traction Device Shovel

Now here’s the beyond part. These are not simply 10 items. There are a number of items per category, hence the need for a big pack. In addition, the tenth item is miscellaneous, requiring the addition of more articles to your pack. Remember these items are not intended to be shared. They are for your survival; keep in mind that one day you may have to spend an unplanned night in the elements.

1. Navigational Tools—There is no substitute for a map and compass. Keep your map and directions protected in a plastic sleeve. If you have a GPS, be certain you know how to use it, even in the dark. Bring extra batteries.

2. Flashlight/Headlamp—Bring an extra bulb and batteries. Test periodically.

3. Extra Food—Even though this should be an extra day’s supply, the size can be reduced by packing high energy food, such as bars and gel packs.

4. Extra Clothing (appropriate for the season)—As we know, Mother Nature can be fickle in the mountains and even the Front Range. The options are endless, but I’ll name a few: wind/rain jackets, rain pants, ponchos, garbage bags, lightweight tarps, etc. You should always have an extra layer of clothing to insulate you from the elements or to change into if your clothing gets wet: think wicking inner layer, insulating mid layer, and protecting outer layer.

5. Sun Protection—This includes sunscreen, lip balm, hat, and sunglasses. Next time you’re getting your eyes checked ask for those disposable sunglasses the doctor gives you after dilating your eyes. Keep them in your pack just in case you forget your glasses.

6. First Aid Kit—First aid items can be found in a number of sites, such as REI and the Wilderness First Aid Manual. In addition, although it is rarely listed in the 10 Essential Systems, you should have identification in your pack. This includes your ID, such as a driver’s license, insurance card, emergency contacts, COSAR card, and pertinent medical information, such as allergies and medical conditions. Don’t forget your personal medication (labeled). A pencil and paper should also be included.

7. Pocket Knife/Multi-tool—This would include a sharp knife (we’ve all seen 172 Hours, right?). A flexible cutting wire is a lightweight addition for cutting tree limbs.

8. Matches/Fire-starter—Waterproof matches should be in a waterproof container. A backup butane lighter can be added. Fire-starter can be in the form of dryer lint, petroleum jelly-laced cotton balls, or any of the commercial items.

14

Trail & Timberline

9. Water/Water Purification—In addition to the appropriate amount of water you are already carrying, you need to make provisions in case you run out. The easiest and lightest water purification is in the form of tablets, such as iodine. Periodically, check the expiration date. Others include devices such as filtration pumps and steripens. There are also many lightweight, collapsible water containers if water sources are few and far between.

10. Miscellaneous and Very Important: • Signal device—whistle and mirror or DVD • Cell phone • Watch • Duct tape—the fix-all of everything and/or repair kit • Cord used for constructing a shelter, shoelaces, hauling gear, etc.

• Emergency blanket/bivy/tarp (can be used in making a shelter) • Extra reading glasses if needed • Metal cup for warming fluids and melting snow • Orange vest or orange newspaper protector sleeve for hunting season 11. Confidence in using all of the above.

The armed forces survival instructors use the rule of 3’s when teaching survival.

You can survive: • 3 weeks without food • 3 days without water • 3 hours without shelter • 3 minutes without air

▲ The 10 Essentials

But not 3 seconds without hope.

Trail & Timberline

15

The Clinic The Importance of

Cross-training

By Samantha Watts Two outdoor activities I do a lot of are trail running and hiking. One component of training that many people choose to ignore and that I find very important when training for these activities—as well as in helping to become a well-rounded athlete, preventing injuries, and improving speed—is cross-training or strength training (I will use these two terms interchangeably throughout this article.) Whether you strength train on a regular basis or want to focus on it during your offseason, it will increase your overall performance.

In the past, not as many trainers and coaches paid

attention to developing stronger or more functional muscles in their athletes. The main focus for athletes was to constantly practice their sport. However, as time has progressed, athletes began to focus on building the overall strength in their entire body. Thus, trainers and coaches began to see cross-training as an essential component of regular training.

One of the most fundamental questions about strength training is the reasons behind it. After all, if you start a program without clear intent, you are not likely to achieve great results.

Benefits

Cross-training has several benefits, whether you are a competitive athlete or simply want to improve your overall fitness to become a stronger hiker.

▶ It provides a total body tune-up, something you will not get if you concentrate on just one type of activity.

▶ It includes a variety of activities in your exercise program that will help prevent boredom.

▶ Exercising various muscle groups will help your muscles adapt more easily to new activities.

▶ Since you will not be using the same muscles in the same way all the time, you may experience few overuse injuries.

▶ If you do become injured, you usually will not have to give up your entire fitness program. You may be able to modify or substitute exercises.

Switch It Up to Get Fit

Hiking is great exercise in and of itself. Think about how much easier and enjoyable it is to function with a strong core, legs, and upper body from following a consistent strength training routine. We all know that doing the same 30-minute workout at the gym day after day can get a little monotonous. And if you are bored, you are more likely to want to skip it all together. Cross-training provides variety to workouts, so you don’t reach a plateau and stop progressing. This is stated perfectly by one of my clients, Jan Mitchell, “I had been a competitive athlete most of my life. I had stopped training, became overweight, and lost my fire for competing. I finally got to the point where I needed to do something about my body and my spirit. Sam helped me push through the really hard times of getting back into shape. I am back in the saddle enjoying century bike rides again. I am 55 and boot camp will keep me going until I’m 100.”

A strength training boot camp session will range from upper body workouts (Tuesdays and Fridays) to lower body workouts (Mondays and Thursdays) to all around body workouts (Wednesdays). Every class has strength, cardiovascular, and core training 16

Trail & Timberline

incorporated into it. Each class is completely different, so no two classes will ever be the same. Exercises range from lunges, squats, push-ups, burpees, jumping, etc., to many different combinations and creative plyometric movements. The main goal is to focus on the specific muscle groups being targeted to get the most out of your workout. When you cross-train, you are strengthening parts of your body that may not get much of a workout during your current routine. That is why doing resistance training is so beneficial in order to have a well-rounded fit body. If you are only working the same muscles, those particular muscles will become stronger, but the rest of your body will become a great deal weaker. The saying, “use it or lose it,” definitely pertains to us as we age. Strength training increases certain skills that will help your performance in your chosen activity:

▶ Improved balance ▶ Increased flexibility ▶ Greater agility

Injury Prevention

Most overuse injuries can be prevented or at least prevented from returning. Perhaps one of the biggest benefits of cross-training is injury prevention. Overuse injuries are common among serious athletes, as well as more casual fitness enthusiasts. Most of them can be blamed on four factors.

1. Inadequate recovery ▶ when your body doesn’t fully recover from one training session to the next.

2. Biomechanical irregularities ▶ such as overpronation and leg- length discrepancy.

3. Muscular imbalances caused by the sport itself ▶ tight ham strings and weak quadriceps, for example.

4. Improper or worn-out footwear ▶ cross-training can’t help you with your footwear choices, but it can address the other three factors.

It isn’t uncommon for longtime athletes to lose so much knee cartilage through repetitive impact that they develop osteoarthritis and are forced to hang up their shoes. By mixing in strength or cross-training, you just might spare yourself the frustration of only being able to swim in the future. This is further conveyed by Dr. Elizabeth Yurth: “As a sports medicine physician here in Boulder, I am in a unique position to be able to recommend Sam to those who are battling both recent and chronic injuries of all types. She well knows how to modify exercises safely and yet push people enough so that they can actually fully recover and become stronger and more

▲ Katie Blackett working her core while doing the plank.

resilient than ever before.”

Therefore, in working different muscles, you are putting less strain on the muscles that you are constantly using. Adding activities such as strength or resistance training to activities like running and hiking can help you increase muscle strength and endurance, give your muscles a needed rest, and help you attain your fitness goals.

The Bottom Line

If you have been stuck in an exercise rut, repeating the same old exercises, with barely any results, or need to improve your overall strength, then maybe your body needs to be shocked by something new and different. Strength training is a workout that constantly changes, working all systems in the body from musculoskeletal to cardiovascular systems. Find an activity you enjoy—or hate to do because you are not good at it but most likely need to do more of it—and do it a couple of times a week to give yourself a great mental and physical break from your sport of choice. Better efficiency, more strength and power, and greater training volume without additional breakdown are the ways in which cross-training directly boosts fitness.

Whether you consider yourself an athlete, a weekend warrior, or someone who tends to need a kick in the butt, V3 Outdoor Fitness welcomes everyone, and the boot camp offers a group setting that will challenge you within your own ability. Contact me for more tips on how to implement cross-training into your workouts.△ Check out V3 at www.v3outdoorfitness.com or contact Samantha Watts at 303-483-1166.

For CMC members, I am offering 3 months of unlimited Boot Camp classes for $200 (a $250 saving). The classes are offered year-round, Monday through Friday (5 days) from 6–7 am.

Trail & Timberline

17

◉

Pathfinder

◉

A Winter Six-pack

It’s a Short Drive to These Front Range Ice Climbing Crags

By Brendan Leonard

▲ Matt Lloyd climbs Hidden Falls in Rocky Mountain National Park. Matt Lloyd

When winter descends upon Colorado, not everyone’s dreams turn to skiing—some of us hear the thunk, thunk of our tools finding the perfect stick in Styrofoam-like ice, and mimic swings and kicks in our sleep, not powder turns. Of course, we’re lucky to have access to both incredible powder skiing and great ice climbing.

During the past decade and a half, when many Coloradans heard the words “ice climbing,” we automatically thought of Ouray, home to our world-famous ice park and 100-plus routes with uber-easy access. But Ouray is a minimum five-anda-half-hour drive from anywhere on the Front Range, and most of us don’t get there as often as we’d like. Thankfully, there are plenty of quality ice crags within a short drive of Front Range cities, providing great places to learn technique on toprope, place ice screws, and tackle your first lead climb, and even your first multi-pitch route.

18

Trail & Timberline

1. Lincoln Falls

Its position on the northeast slopes of Mount Lincoln, and its almost-12,000-foot elevation mean a long ice season in this area.

The flows come in earlier and stay a little later than other areas close to the Front Range.

But that also means it’s popular: You’ll have company unless you pick a weekday or a very early weekend morning to come here.

Routes: The three main flows at Lincoln Falls offer plenty of lines from WI2 to WI5, topropeable using trees and a few bolt anchors. The three-pitch WI3 Scottish Gully is a friendly multi-pitch line—belays can be built using trees at the top of pitches 1 and 2, and bolts at the top of pitch 3.

Location/approach: From Hoosier Pass, drive one mile south on CO 9 and turn right onto County Road 4. Drive almost a mile on County Road 4 and take a sharp right onto a dirt road that heads toward Montgomery Reservoir. Depending on snow, the

road may be open all the way to the parking lot at the reservoir. If not, park where the road ends, being careful not to block any roads or driveways. Lincoln Falls is visible straight west of Montgomery Reservoir.

The approach hike gains 800-some feet and takes 30 to 45 minutes.

2. Hidden Falls

This small flow in the Wild Basin Area in the southeast corner of Rocky Mountain National Park may be named “Hidden,” but it’s no secret from Front Range ice climbers.

It’s a beginner-friendly spot, with walkup toprope access and friendly climbing.

Routes: A single flow sports two WI3WI4 lines, which can both be toproped from trees. An additional, short line can be toproped or led to the left of the main flow, and makes for a great, if short, first ice lead.

Location/approach: From the town of Allenspark, drive 2.1 miles north on CO 7,

watching for a sign to the Wild Basin Area.

Turn left onto County Road 84 and drive into the park. The road continues 2.5 miles to the ranger station, but is closed approximately 1.5 miles from CO 7 in the winter.

Walk the road until a sign for the trail to Upper and Lower Copeland Falls, and continue on that trail, watching for Hidden Falls up on the left through the trees (approximately .5 miles). Cross the stream and head uphill to the falls.

gain, the approach to the Black Lake Slabs is no easy walk, but on a nice day, the solitude and long, easy ice routes can be worth it.

The moderate angle, typically great ice conditions, and walk-off descent make for a good first multi-pitch ice lead. Conditions in the winter can be harsh on this north-facing slope, but springtime can be much 3. Jewel Lake ▲ Matt lloyd climbs in Clear Creek Canyon. Daniel Madson.

The approach hike to the Jewel Lake ice friendlier.

Routes: Three fat WI1–2 climbs—a mellow snowshoe or ski up into Glacier Gorge—is a worthy day trip in itself. flows usually form here, The ice climbing at Jewel Lake, on an east- and multiple lines can be climbed. Lead facing slab in the trees above the lake, is a lines and set up topropes off ice screws or v-threads, or tackle a multi-pitch line up small crag with a handful of quality routes.

Routes: Three or four beginner-friend- to 400 or 600 feet long. From the top of ly WI2–4 lines can be climbed here, on multi-pitch lines, hike up to the Spearhead up the canyon. topropes set up by walking around the flow Plateau above and then hike east toward Location/approach: The Beer Garden is Longs Peak and down the approach gully visible on the left side of Clear Creek Canfrom the left or right, or led from the base. yon, about 2.9 miles east on U.S. 6 from Location/approach: Jewel Lake can be ap- back to Black Lake.

Location/approach: Black Lake is just a its intersection with Colorado 58 in Goldproached from the either the Glacier Gorge couple more miles up Glacier Gorge (see en. Park in a pullout on the right side of the or Bear Lake trailheads in Rocky Mountain driving directions for Jewel Lake, above) road and scramble down to cross the frozen National Park (Glacier Gorge is closer, but from Jewel Lake.

From the Glacier Gorge creek. Coors Lite is four miles up the canyon the parking lot is small and fills up quickly Trailhead, ski or snowshoe five miles up the from the U.S. 6/CO 58 intersection. Park in on weekends). From Estes Park, drive 3.8 Glacier Gorge Trail, past Mills Lake and a pullout on the right, and cross the creek—a miles on U.S. 36 into RMNP, and turn left Jewel Lake, gaining 2,000 feet of elevation. five-minute walk puts you at the base of the onto Bear Lake Road. Drive 8.2 miles on Hike around Black Lake climb. to the southeast side and a few hundred feet up the gully. The climbs form on 6. Silver Plume Falls the south side of the gully, Only an hour from downtown Denver, and a short approach hike, Silver Plume Falls is partway up. a small and popular ice destination in the winter. Multiple reasons to get here early on 5. Clear Creek a weekend: It’s south-facing and in the sun fast, the area can get crowded, and arriving Canyon A favorite for headlamp ice early and heading home early will hopefully climbers who want a quick keep you out of most of the ski traffic on I-70. after-work fix in the win- Routes: The falls off Silver Plume Mountertime, Clear Creek Can- tain form a wide fan of ice 80 feet tall at yon has a handful of lines its highest, and a handful of climbable WI3 from one to three pitches, lines span the face. Several bolted anchors ▲ Lincoln Falls is a popular climb that can get pretty crowded on the that can scratch the itch for have been drilled into blocks above the falls for weekends. Pictured here is Brian Williams. Michael Gasell a few sticks close to Denver. topropes, and can be approached by hiking up Routes: Coors Lite, the the rocky terrain on the right side of the falls.

Bear Lake road to the Glacier Gorge Trail- highest-quality line in the canyon, is WI2–3 Location/approach: Drive west on Interhead on the left. Ski or snowshoe the Gla- and can be climbed up to three pitches, alstate 70 to the town of Silver Plume, off cier Gorge Trail (3.2 miles) to the south end though the first pitch is the highest qualexit 226. Drive west on Water Street, which of Jewel Lake. About 100 yards past the lake, ity—and has a bolt anchor at the top of its turns into an abandoned mining road on the head west across Glacier Creek and look for first pitch. The Beer Garden is a 60-foot north side of I-70, paralleling the interstate. the falls a couple hundred feet above the creek. flow literally on the side of the road that Watch for a stream coming from uphill on goes at WI3, and is topropeable from trees the right side of the mining road. Park nearby or chain anchors. A handful of other routes and hike up the frozen streambed (wearing 4. Black Lake Slabs At five miles and 2,000 feet of elevation of varying quality and length can be found crampons) to the base of the routes. △ Trail & Timberline

19

A Year to Remember Recapping CMC’s Centennial Celebration

By Katie Blackett, Chief Executive Officer

After 12 months of continuous celebrations with old and new friends, publicity and sponsorships throughout the state, as well as memories that will last a lifetime, our Centennial year is coming to a close. In the words of a longtime CMC member: “the Centennial events brought out the CMC members who no longer have the ability to do the daily trips the CMC puts on, but who were pioneers for the club. It was great to see familiar faces that I haven’t seen in a long time.” We started the Centennial year with a “Meet the Authors” roundtable for our Centennial book, 100 Years Up High: Colorado Mountains & Mountaineers, on November 1. Janet Neuhoff Robertson, James E. Fell, Jr., David Hite, Christopher J. Case, and Walter R. Borneman presented the process of writing the book; discussed key themes of the book, including the founding of Rocky Mountain National Park; answered questions; and signed copies of the book. If you haven’t picked up a copy, you can still buy them. What an impressive piece of art! The authors started work on this book years ago, and their hard work as well as foresight about what the book should cover was spot-on.

20

Trail & Timberline

▲ A cake with 100 candles commemorates the CMC’s 100th birthday during the centennial event in Estes Park. Courtesy Colorado Mountain Club.

Next up was the Kick-off Celebration, on February 11, at the American Mountaineering Center. After food, wine by Silver Oak Cellars, a fantastic classical band, and tables in the exhibit hall displaying memorabilia from every decade in the club’s history, we headed upstairs to the auditorium to hear a presentation by our keynote speaker, former Denver Post reporter Mark Obmascik, author of Halfway to Heaven: My Whiteknuckled—and Knuckleheaded—Quest for the Rocky Mountain High, who charmed the audience with his hilarious account of his season climbing Colorado’s 14ers. Mark had the crowd rolling with laughter, and his book is another great read I would recommend. Other special guests for the evening included Colorado’s pre-eminent historian, Tom Noel, who talked about what Colorado was like in 1912. Another highlight was the special time-travel presentations that featured prominent club members from every decade of the club’s history. Yes, you read that right; we had a presentation for every decade of the club’s history.

On April 28, we hiked in Estes Park, had famed photographer John Fielder take a “member” photo, and then ended the evening with live music, food, and beverages, as well as a cake with 100 candles! In total we had eight CMC Groups represented in Estes Park. Rocky Mountain National Park’s Superintendant, as well as the CEO for the YMCA of the Rockies presented the CMC with an award for the instrumental work done to make the park a national park, as well as to get the area designated as wilder-

couple of the attendees were former CMC members who were thrilled to be able to attend a CMC event in their hometown of Buena Vista. Many of the CMCers who partied in Buena Vista, hiked in the Collegiate Peaks earlier in the day. It was fun to hear the stories and adventures. Even a long day of hiking couldn’t keep some folks from dancing along to the band late into the evening. Many of us camped overnight in Buena Vista in order to enjoy more of the town. Toward the end of the event, the skies opened up and poured rain down on our group for a good half hour. We have a handful of photos with everyone huddled under the covered picnic pavilions, but all with big smiles on their faces. Many of the CMC employees enjoyed rafting on the Arkansas River earlier that day. While the water level may have been very low, good times were had.

Who can forget the Colorado 14er Challenge? It was an epic day that took a lot of work by many loyal CMC members to make all of the pieces come together. We had groups hike 14ers who had never done

ness. A highlight of the event was the young children who attended with their families.

Throughout CMC’s history, youth have been an important part of the club. Many current CMC members grew up in the “juniors” chapter of the club, as did their own children. Our Colorado Wilderness Family chapter attended every event, and it is a wonderful sight to see the future mountaineers and stewards of our land celebrating with the CMC. For those folks who weren’t quite ready to end the day, a large bonfire was built to warm those who remained and to serve as a comforting backdrop to recount stories about the past.

Smack in the heat of summer, we traveled to Buena Vista for the Centennial Celebration Festival, on July 21. Nestled in McPhelemy Park, we partied, feasted on a Southwestern buffet with a beautiful birthday cake that had our logo on the front in colorful frosting, danced to the music ▲ Copies of 100 Years Up High and commemorative centennial mugs of a bluegrass band, and were on display during Centennial Celebration Fest in Buena Vista, in slacklined across a river! A July. Courtesy Colorado Mountain Club.

Trail & Timberline

21

provided a lot of comfort to those of us on the peaks.

Thanks to the Pikes Peak Group, our Volunteer Appreciation event, on October 20, grew into an open house for the Pikes Peak Group to showcase the club, as well as gain new members. The mayor of Colorado Springs attended the event and welcomed us all to his beautiful city.

Morning and afternoon workshops educated us on topics such as snowshoeing, light backpacking, women in mountaineering, hiking 14ers as well as thru-hiking The Colorado Trail, and a finale of a tribute to Spence Swanger, longtime CMC member and first recorded finisher of CMC memorabilia from every decade, including the 1910s, was on display at the Kick-off Celebration. Courtesy Colorado the Colorado CentenMountain Club. ▲ nials, who died in July 2010, while climbing in tary. Calling in to the the Dolomites of northern Italy. After the headquarters in Frisco workshops, volunteers mingled at a happy and talking to our tire- hour to recognize their loyalty and hard less volunteers as well work to the club, as well as to give away as getting weather up- goodies. It was exciting to see the Pikes Peak dates was great fun. Group take this event head-on and make it Hearing the kudos and bigger than we could have hoped for. The cheers from everyone speakers were top-notch and educational. else in the room as we Not only did our Pikes Peak Group put on a called in got many of fun event, but I think everyone walked away us pumped up! Not to smarter in terms of mountaineering history, mention leading up to as well as current day mountaineering. the hikes, hearing the The final event of the year, our holiday CMC mentioned on party, on December 8, will be centered on the release of the DVD of the 14er Chal▲CMC staff members pose for a photo after climbing Mount Bierstadt KBCO and Channels during the Centennial 14er Challenge in September. Courtesy Scott Braden 7, 2, and 9. Wow, what lenge, as well as the John Fielder member a day! The following photo. The mood will be festive and anxious day, we celebrated at as folks hope to catch a glimpse of photos or so before. In fact, one of the groups were the Frisco Day Lodge under clear blue skies. video of themselves at the events throughout employees of one of our sponsors, DaVita. I don’t think our volunteers slept a wink the the year. As someone who carried around a It’s nice when our supporters hear about night before, because pictures of the hikes video camera taking film of CMC members, what the CMC does and even better when as well as video were on display during the I have some bribe-ready material! they get to experience it themselves. Many after-party. I’m not sure how they got their Many of you saw a certain volunteer, of us have hiked a 14er before. But hiking a footage so quickly! Many volunteers took to Ryan Ross, at every Centennial event. If 14er on a day buzzing with excitement was the mic to tell funny stories and congratu- you volunteered with any of the events, you a new experience. Some highlights were see- late their teams for summiting. I was proud communicated with Ryan quite a bit. Ryan ing our friends EcoFlight flying their plane that the headquarter volunteers were as ex- was my partner in crime throughout the over the heads of our hikers while taking cited as the hikers on the day of the climbs. entire year. It was Ryan’s vision to transform video for us to use in a future documen- They were our cheerleaders throughout and the Centennial year into bi-monthly events. I 22

Trail & Timberline

▲ CMC CEO Katie Blackett speaks during one of the Centennial events. Courtesy Colorado Mountain Club.

asked Ryan to give me a quote to add for this article. It turns out he is not only volunteer extraordinaire, but he’s quite reflective as well.

The centennial series demonstrated that the CMC’s 100-year-old spirit is strong. There’s nothing old about walking in the footsteps of those who’ve been on these trails and summited these peaks for a century. There’s a special bond uniting all those who’ve shared the wonders of the backcountry, no matter when they were with us. It’s a bond that spans the decades, still energizing, still challenging, still helping those who know little more than a walk in the park learn that stretching your boundaries in the backcountry renews, inspires, and invigorates in a way no energy drink can come close to matching.

The mountains are forever, the CMC endures, and a second century beckons.

Walk tall, CMC. Walk with the pride you’ve earned after 100 years. Thank you, James Grafton Rogers. Here’s to another 100.

ent organization. The success of our club, whether as a leading voice in conservation efforts or profiting from our award-winning publications, is due in large part to the devotion of our members. So cheers to a new year and a huge thank you to everyone for making the last year one that will go down in the CMC history books!

Last but not least, I need to thank some key players who really made the year happen. It brought me great pride to see volunteers throughout the state working side by side with the state staff all year. The year started being planned early in 2011 with the Centennial Committee and became a great success.

Ryan Ross. I can honestly say the year would not have been what it was without his vision and energy. Thank you, Ryan, you’re a rock star.

Steve Bonowski, John Devitt, Beth Dwyer, Linda Lawson, Christie Lee, Al Ossinger, Bob Reimann, Sherry Richardson, Giles Toll, Janet Neuhoff Robertson, James E. Fell, Jr., David Hite, Christopher J. Case, and Walter R. Borneman.

▲Volunteer extraordinaire Ryan Ross played a huge role in helping to make the CMC’s Centennial Celebration a great success. Courtesy Colorado Mountain Club.

There are dozens and dozens of others who helped out at the events. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your dedication and support! We will have links on our Web site to photos and videos that have been taken throughout the year. Stay tuned.△

I think Ryan’s thoughts sum up the year.

While I’m sad to end such a fun- and event-filled year, I’m also excited to embark on the next 100 years for the CMC. The CMC board of directors and I have finalized a new vision, as well as a strategic plan for the next five years that focuses heavily on member satisfaction and recreational offerings that continue to make the CMC relevant and popular amongst the Colorado community for many more years. Without you all, the CMC would be a very differTrail & Timberline

23

Wooden Skis Return

to the Front Range

By Gary Neptune and John Wallack

â–˛ John Wallack, Gary Neptune, and Bob Olson show off their wooden skis at the Brainard Cabin, January 2012. Jean Foster

How many restaurants in Colorado are decorated with old skis and poles? Walk through Ragnar’s Restaurant on the Rendezvous Saddle at Steamboat Springs or The Bistro at The Iron Horse Resort at Winter Park or even The Big Shooter coffee shop in Kremmling. They all are decorated with old wooden skis. The best collection along the Front Range is undoubtedly at Neptune Mountaineering in Boulder. Look closely at the designs. Are the skis for touring, jumping, or Alpine slopes? What vintage are they and what terrain were they used for?

Skiers have seen several pair of wooden skis around the Brainard ski trails in the past couple of years. Last January, when Bob Olson and John Wallack hosted at the Brainard Cabin, in the Brainard Lake Recreation Area of Roosevelt National Forest, four pair 24

Trail & Timberline

of the old-style planks were in use. These are handmade skis in the traditional styles used 130 years ago. They are shaped from birch planks with hand tools and the graphics are carved or burned designs highlighted with concoctions of pine tar and linseed oil.

These handcrafted planks were not the only wooden skis on the trails. There were laminated wooden Bonnas and Gresshoppas. After all of the P-tex and plastics of the past 40 years, what is the appeal of wooden skis? The short answer: wooden designs are satisfying

to create and are great fun to ski.

Over the years, skiing has evolved from an efficient means of transportation in snowy parts of the world to an entire range of recreational sports. The ski sport has branched out to Nordic (mixed terrain) and Alpine (downhill, typically assisted with lifts). Nordic styles range from set-track racing to XC trail touring to light backcountry touring, ski-mountaineering, and off-piste free-heel downhill. Alpine styles range from downhill racing to ski-area piste, moguls or trees, and telemarking. Specialized equipment has been developed to target every style. Synthetic materials and complicated manufacturing processes have been employed to achieve specific goals. Wooden skis, particularly the handcrafted traditional designs, provide an insight to the evolution of the gear.

Historic Insight

The wooden skis pictured at the Brainard Cabin are based on the Telemark design.

It was a design developed in the Telemark District of Norway, where downhill turning was a key factor in the design. Two Planks and a Passion: The Dramatic History of Skiing by Roland Huntford gives a fairly detailed history of the sport and the evolution of the equipment and technology. Oslo, called Christiania until 1877 (and Kristiania until 1925), is located in the southeast corner of Norway. Telemark is located in the hills halfway between Oslo and Norway’s west coast. Norway was the heart of recreational skiing, and annual races were held in Christiania starting in the 1860s. The

Wooden skis: 1) Huitfeldt “Telemark Ski”, Norway, c1900. This ski became the standard for both Nordic and Alpine use at the turn of the last century. 2) Simond France, c1893. The first skis made in the French Alps were made by Simond.

A Chamoniard friend of Nansen visited Norway and brought back skis to use as models. 3) Viking Skis made in Cadillac, Michigan, in the early 1900s. 4) Northland Skis of St Paul, Minnesota, 1912–1928. Former foreman of the Strand Ski Company founded Northland, which was at one point the largest ski manufacturer in the world.

5) Strand skis, New Richmond, Wisconsin, c1920.

One of the most successful early U.S. manufacturers due to simplicity and cost. 6) Skis made on the farm in Iron Belt, Wisconsin, c1930s, by Emil Nelson. John Wallack/Gary Neptune ▶

skis at this time were all hand crafted. No two pair from any area were identical, but some generalizations could be made about the designs. Most of the regions of presentday Norway and Sweden represented in the Christiania races practiced “straight run” skiing on mostly level ground. The skis from areas such as Stockholm were very long and straight-sided and deeply grooved for stability. By contrast, the terrain in Telemark was hilly and full of obstacles. Consequently, the need for maneuverability and turning drove the ski designs in Telemark. The Telemark design was shorter (around 240 centimeters) and had a greater width at the shovel than the waist and it widened out again at the tail (sidecut). There was often no groove to allow easier turns.

The best known of the skiers participating in the Christiania Races from 1868 to 1875 was Sondre Norheim (also spelled Nordheim) from Morgedal, a village in the heart of Telemark. He won first place in the Christiania Races after skiing a steep 500-meter gully, the Flekstveidt chute, upright, including a 20-meter jump. As AnneGry Blikom and Eivind Molde describe in Sondre Norheim—The Father of Modern Skiing, there was a 17-year-old boy in the audience of the 1868 Christiania Races, named Fritz Huitfeldt, who was so impressed with Norheim’s skiing that he would go on to champion the Telemark technique and ski design. Norheim crafted his own skis and created bindings with flexible toe and heel straps from twisted willow shoots.

For years, the participants from Telemark dominated the Christiania Races.

In the 1880s, one of the Christiania ski racers who praised Norheim was the famous arctic explorer Fridtjof Nansen. Nansen ◀ Wooden Skis at Brainard Cabin made by John Wallack, Bob Olson, and Gary Neptune.

John Wallack

would go on to win the Norwegian national cross-country ski races 12 times. In Nansen’s 1892 book, The First Crossing of Greenland, he admired the jumping and turning maneuvers of the skiers from Telemark: “In these arts the ‘Telemarkinger’ are complete masters, and the younger school of Christiania ‘skilöbers’ [ski-runners] have proved their worthy pupils.” Nansen organized and led what was to be the first successful crossing of Greenland in 1888. His plan to cross the snow and ice on skis was criticized initially, but it proved to be a good choice.

Two pair of oak and seven pair of birch skis were made for the expedition. The oak were 230 centimeters in length, with a shovel of 92 millimeters and a waist of 79 millimeters.

The birch skis were made parallel throughout (by mistake) and were shod with thin Trail & Timberline

25

plates of steel with a rectangle of elk-fur for traction. In hindsight, the “skins” were not needed, and the simpler, grooved oak skis performed better for the actual conditions and were recommended for future expeditions.

Manufacturing of Solid Wooden Skis

As recreational skiing gained in popularity, the demand for the equipment grew. Mass production of skis has gone through several major phases in the 130 or so years since 1880. While the last 50 years has been the age of fiberglass, plastics, and metal, the first 80 years of mass production began with solid wood and ended with laminated construction. There are some 92 brands of wooden skis listed on the woodenskis.com Web site, most with some short story. For example, in Europe, one of the early ski manufacturers was L. H. Hagen and Company of Christiania (Oslo), Norway. This company provided skis to the Amundsen and Scott expeditions to the South Pole. Arne Åsnes worked for Hagen in Oslo in 1910 and would eventually start his own ski company with three of his brothers in 1922. Hagen worked with Fritz Huitfeldt in Oslo to develop bindings.

Huitfeldt would go on to win a gold medal at a ski exhibition in Christiania in 1896 for his ski design. He started manufacturing the

ski and called it the Telemark. It had 19 millimeters of sidecut. It swept the market, and Huntford considers it the origin of modern ski designs, both Nordic and Alpine. The photo on page 25 shows a Huitfeldt Telemark ski as #1.

E.C. Richardson, an early English ski author, recommended the Telemark design “for the best all-round service.” His classic 1909 book, The Ski-Runner, has now been digitized and is available online. In those early days, many skiers were still crafting their own equipment. There is great detail provided in selecting the wood, optimizing the grain, and shaping the ski.

During the last half of the 19th century, many Scandinavians, including Sondre Norheim, would immigrate to Minnesota, Wisconsin, and North Dakota. They brought the sport of skiing with them. Hagen skis were used as models for ski designs around 1900 in Ashland, Wisconsin, by Aksel Holter, who shared the information with Martin Strand. John Allen describes the early days of the sport in his book From Skisport to Skiing—One Hundred Years of an American Sport 1840–1940. In the United States, some of the earlier production of skis in quantity occurred in the upper Midwest. In 1888, the Excelsior Ski Company of St. Croix Falls, Wisconsin, had

▲ Elaine Vardemis in ski-making class using a spoke shave on the surface. Gary Neptune

its first successful season producing 50 pair of “A No 1 Skis”. The Strand Ski Company was started in 1896 and moved from Minneapolis to New Richmond, Wisconsin.

In 1911, Strand had orders for 1,500 pair of skis. The skis were made of solid wood, mostly of Norway Pine shipped from Indiana. A foreman from Strand branched out to start Northland Ski in St. Paul, Minnesota, in 1912. According to woodenskis.com, Northland became the largest ski manufacturer in the world. Strand, Northland, and Viking skis are all shown in the photo on page 25. The manufacturing process for solid wood construction required both careful selection of good quality planks, as well as woodworking skills through the production process.

Laminated Wooden Skis

▲ 1) Bob Olson sawing plank. 2) Gary Neptune marking shape from model. 3) Carved ski tips. 4) Wayne Bruckner and Gary Neptune shaping sides. 5) Bob Olson and John Wallack shaping surfaces. 6) Skis in bending jig. 7) Carving decorations with a parting tool. John Wallack/Gary Neptune

26

Trail & Timberline

Lamination was the second major phase of wooden ski construction. Huntford describes how lamination was used initially in 1891 by Nansen’s sledge maker, H. M. Christiansen of Christiania. The laminated design was prompted by a shortage of good quality ash wood. The Christiansen skis had serious shortcomings, though: the adhesives of the time were not waterproof. Bjørn Ullevoldsæter patented lamination processes in 1932 and 1935 that were successful. His methods minimized the variations in materials and employed better adhesives. Huntford calls Ullevoldsæter the Henry Ford of the ski industry. Shortly thereafter, Peter Østbye licensed Ullevoldsæter design and laminated the vertical components. This was patented in 1937 as Splitkein (split cane) construction, and it became the mainstay of many ski products for the next 40 years. Rossignol patented a variation of the Splitkein construction in 1941. The Rossignol Olympic 41 laminated ski remained in production until 1965. The Åsnes Ski Company adopted the Splitkein construction in 1952, and patented a new construction.

▲ Elite skis made in Norway for Norsk Ltd. in Boulder. John Wallack

Along the Colorado Front Range, the Groswold Ski Company operated in Denver from 1932 to 1952. At the 2002 International Ski History Congress, Jerry Groswold described his father’s company and involvement in the sport in the paper, “Thor C. Groswold—One of Skiing’s First Great Salesmen”. The patent for Splitkein construction was licensed in Denver by Thor Groswold in 1939. Thor developed gluing ovens and experimented with microwave to set the glue. In 1948, the Groswold Ski Company became the first official supplier to the U.S. Alpine Ski Team and the first U.S. Olympic Gold Medal was won by Gretchen Fraser on Groswold skis. The Groswold Ski Company was one of the producers of the 10th Mountain Division skis.

In an interview, Ingvar Sodal described his own experience moving from Trondheim, Norway, to Boulder to attend the University of Colorado in 1962. At that time there were very few Nordic skiers in the area. Surplus military skis were common. In 1965, Ingvar wanted to replace his skis and there were few choices available, so he decided to order some Elite skis from a wholesaler in the Trondheim area. He sent out half a dozen mimeographed sheets to the small cadre of Nordic skiers and quickly had an order for 70 pair of Elites with boots and poles! An additional order for 30 more followed on its heels—some new and some corrections for size and fit. The skis employed Splitkein construction, lignostone edges, and hard hickory surfaces.

The interest in Nordic skiing along the Front Range grew by kicks and glides. By 1967, Sodal started Norsk Ltd. with outlets

on The Hill and Table Mesa, sharing retail space with the Spoke Cycle Shop. Ingvar started the CMC Boulder Group’s XC Ski School in 1969, and the NCAR Auditorium, where the ski lectures were held, was regularly filled. To create a good ski tour to the Brainard Cabin, Sodal initiated the CMC efforts to clear the South (now CMC) ski trail in 1970 and the North (now Waldrop) trail in 1971. By 1975, the time demands of the ski business were competing with his engineering career, so Sodal sold Norsk to Gary Neptune. Neptune Mountaineering, started in April 1973, was already selling Bonnas and Åsnes Nordic gear.

In January 2006, a celebration was held at the Brainard Cabin to mark the 40th anniversary of Sodal’s importing of Nordic skis. Nordic skiers drug out their traditional gear and skiied to the cabin for a social lunch to celebrate the ocassion.

How Does One Make Handcrafted Wooden Skis?

A few years ago, two CMC skiers travelled to Minnesota to learn more about handcrafting wooden skis. Gary Neptune and John Lacher took the ski making course at North House Folk School, in Grand Marais, Minnesota. The course was taught by Mark Hansen. John Lacher describes the activity: “We bent 5/4 inch white birch planks, which had been in warm water for 48 hours.

We then sawed to shape, planed, scraped, and carved into the product. We finished with one-third turpentine, one-third linseed oil, and one-third birch tar. White birch is pretty, light, and easy to work, but perhaps not the strongest.” They brought back birch skis, new skills, and enthusiasm for creating handcrafted skis.

After making another few pair of skis, Gary Neptune set up a pilot course to develop a ski making class. Wayne Bruckner, Bob Olson, and I were gladly willing to participate. Gary provided birch planks and workbenches at Neptune Mountaineering. He created another pair of skis, as he walked us through each step in the process.

First, we selected an old ▲ Gary Neptune, Bob Olson, and Kris and John Wallack at Left pair of wooden skis to use as a Hand Reservoir enjoying wooden skis after a February snow.

template. After selecting the orientation of skis based on grain of the wood, we traced the outline on the planks. We cut the planks to the basic outline (plus ¼” margin) with a band saw. The margin allows for fine tuning the shape with hand tools. This removes about 20 percent of the material (based on a plank as wide as the shovel and as long as the ski). The rest of the shaping was done with the use of hand tools: block plane, spoke shave, carving knives, and metal scrapers.

The shaping of the ski to its final thickness and outline leaves only 48 percent of the material (based on a plank as wide as the shovel and as long as the ski).

To bend the skis, Gary made a jig. We soaked our flat boards in (initially hot) water for a full day, then easily bent the tips in the jig. Voilà! With some fine-tuning using heat, we were able to form the skis. We carved graphic designs with parting tools or traced the design with a wood-burning tool.

We waterproofed the skis with a 50/50 mix of pine tar and linseed oil. Bindings were not easy to find; however, we located some vintage cable bindings at an antique store and found some bindings on used telemark rentals.

Gary has since presented the course at Neptune Mountaineering to two classes of three students each. There will be more classes at Neptune Mountaineering, but the schedule has not yet been determined.

After the skis are made, there’s more satisfaction to be experienced. The cold, dry snow typical of the Front Range is the perfect environment for these boards. The wooden skis have a springy feel, turn well on the hills, and glide smoothly on the trails.

Gary has even used his wooden skis numerous times at Loveland Ski Area. Snow conditions there are generally good enough so that the birch edges are adequate. With the pine tar bases, only a thin coating of wax is needed to get great traction. It was really quite satisfying to create and then use the skis, and we’ve had several wooden ski tours in the Brainard Area.

Mark your calendars! This season, let’s designate February 23rd and 24th as “Wooden Ski Days” at the CMC’s Brainard Cabin. The Wallack-Masters-Olson crew will be hosting the cabin that weekend. Dust off those wooden skis and tour to the cabin to join in the fun. △ Trail & Timberline

27

Camp Hell The 10th Mountain Division and Camp Hale in Hot War and Cold War

By Jay Fell

Ski Training. Troops in the 10th Mountain Division use the snowplow turn to descend Eagle Ridge above Camp Hale. Denver Public Library, Western History Collection, Mac Julian.

“It was the only infantry division in history to ever require an interview to join,” quipped one veteran years later. This was the 10th Mountain Division, which distinguished itself in World War II and after in the Cold War, and which had a huge impact on the development of skiing and mountaineering in Colorado and just 28

Trail & Timberline

about everywhere else.

The division evolved early in World War II. In the winter of 1939–1940, several Bostonians nursing a few martinis, discussed how Finnish troops equipped for winter warfare had held off far superior Soviet forces. They also pondered what might happen if larger events sucked the United

States into the conflict, as seemed likely.

That night, one of the conviviants, Minot C. “Minnie” Dole, the president of the National Ski Patrol, along with Roger Langley, president of the National Ski Association, agreed to petition the Secretary of War to create a unit trained for both mountain and winter warfare. This suggestion led to the

◀ A Soldier at Camp Hale. This individual crouches for the camera in his “whites”, or winter uniform, together with skis and rifle. Denver Public Library, Western History Collection

creation of the 87the Infantry Regiment, the first of three regiments eventually amalgamated into the 10th Mountain Division.

Since knowledge of skiing was essential, the National Ski Patrol conducted interviews with potential soldiers.

In 1942, once the United States had entered the battle, the army chose Pando, Colorado, as the base of the division’s operations. It seemed an ideal place deep in the mountains with plenty of cold, ice, and snow. It also had train service, though the site was barely a whistle-stop on the Denver & Rio Grande Western line from Colorado Springs to Salt Lake City. But there was a new paved road over Tennessee Pass to Leadville and still another just completed over Vail Pass, the work of tough-talking Charles Vail, chief engineer of the Colorado Highway Department. It carved a route directly west across the high peaks from Copper Mountain and cut off the more cumbersome roundabout route over Shrine Pass and through the remote mining town of Red Cliff.

The new division drew recruits from everywhere. Most came from all parts of the United States, and some from foreign countries, especially instructors. Joe Stettner, originally from Illinois, had already made a name for himself in Colorado pioneering ascents of the East Face of Longs Peak. And Henry Buchtel, a prominent CMC leader

and frequent contributor to Trail & Timberline, made sure that his letter of recommendation from the CMC itself noted that he was “a capable and experienced mountaineer . . . experienced in rock climbing . . . [and ] an active and excellent skier.”

But not everyone had ski or mountaineering experience—one Bob Dole arrived from Russell, Kansas, not known for its mountains since Denver City and everything else in Arapahoe County, Kansas, was folded into Colorado Territory in 1861.

And there were many refugees from other countries. Members of the Women’s Army Corps, known as the WACs, provided important administrative services to make the camp function.

The army called the new post Camp Hale, meaning that it was a temporary military post. The soldiers called it “Camp Hell.” The barracks were primitive, cold enfiladed everything, and recreational opportunities were limited in so remote a place.

The nearest town of any size, Leadville, was mostly off-limits owing to the welcoming demi-monde. And “the Pando hack” pervaded Camp Hale and assailed the troops.

Like smog in Los Angeles and the brown cloud in Denver, it reflected a temperature inversion that prevented smoke from the barracks, offices, and trains from escaping the valley floor. And it was a serious matter.

It’s been noted that it claimed the lives of

some soldiers training at that altitude, about 9,200 feet and higher.

The training reflected the stateof-the-art for rock climbing and skiing. Loaded down with guns, ammunition, and bulky army equipment, the troops learned or sharpened their knowledge of ropes, knots, and pitons for climbing and practiced the techniques used in rappelling for descent— skills relatively new in the United States at that time. The famed Colorado mountaineer Albert R. Ellingwood had helped pioneer their import and use in the 1910s and 1920s. Skiing built on older practices as well. Some 25 years before, in World War I, Austrian ski troops had developed a quick new turn popularized after the war by Hannes Schneider and others at San Anton am Arlberg—hence the Arlberg Technique—which surged in popularity, the basis of modern downhill skiing. The military developed Cooper Hill (today Ski Cooper) between Camp Hale and Leadville to provide the troops practice in the technique, though most never got beyond the snowplow turn, albeit a practical technique when encumbered with heavy equipment.

There was training in cross-country skiing as well. It was far less glamorous than downhill skiing, but far more practical for winter warfare in the mountains.

However spartan the post, however tough the training, and however great the dangers that lay ahead, the mountains above Camp Hale caught the eye of would-be entrepreneurs who looked beyond the war to opportunities in the postwar world. Many noticed that the dry snow and rolling terrain suggested superb downhill skiing, then just beyond its infancy in Colorado. Others observed well-to-do tourists and inexpensive land. Still more noticed the all-but-abandoned mining towns, such as Aspen, just next door to fine skiing. But all that would have to wait. The 10th Mountain Division went on to distinguish itself on the Italian Front, and as the troops moved out of Camp Hale, in came soldiers of a different sort, German prisoners of war, mostly captured in the oven of North Africa.

Trail & Timberline

29

Camp Hale: Nestled high in the Pando Valley of ▶ central Colorado, the post served as the mountain training headquarters of the 10th Mountain Division during World War II. Denver Public Library, Western History Collection, David B. Allen

Once the war ended in 1945, some 10th Mountain veterans returned to Colorado, where they became key figures in launching the great ski boom of the postwar years. Aspen was a magnet for some. It had hosted the Rocky Mountain ski championships in 1938, Ruthie’s Run had become famous for its moguls, and some thought they could capitalize on the famous Roch Run. 10th Mountain veterans soon became significant in the expansion of prewar areas, such as Arapahoe Basin and Winter Park.

And Pete Seibert, seriously wounded in the Battle of Riva Ridge in Italy, became the key player in the founding of Vail later on in the 1960s, when he and other venturers quietly organized the Transmontane Rod and Gun Club to acquire lands in the Eagle Valley to help launch the resort. “We’ve climbed all the way to heaven,” he remembered saying after scouting out what he and others oncecalled “No-name Mountain,” which evolved into Vail. The run at Vail known as Riva Ridge came to commemorate the division’s losses in Italy.

Downhill skiing became the rage in the postwar, Cold War years, the preferred winter sport of baby boomers, but high costs, crowded slopes, and long lift lines led to a rejuvenation of cross-country skiing in the 1970s. Once the sport of long, thin skis, and balance poles, such as the original downhilling of the 19th century, cross-country skiing adapted many of the new techniques and equipment of the postwar downhillers, and 10th Mountain Division veterans became key figures in developing the backcountry hut system. Many had skied from Camp Hale to Leadville and others had crossed the mountains from Leadville to Aspen during their training. Fritz Benedict of Aspen, a veteran of the division was one. Another was Fred Braun of the Aspen Group of the CMC. Their efforts eventually evolved into the 10th Mountain Division Hut System surrounding the Holy Cross Wilderness Area in the Aspen, Leadville, and Vail area.

And the group received a boost from former Defense Secretary Robert McNamara, who financed cabins as memorials to his wife.

Some trails were also named for individual veterans, such as the Waldrop Trail near Brainard Lake, named for Harry Waldrop, 30

Trail & Timberline

a member of the Boulder Group.

While Camp Hale’s role in World War II is the best known aspect of its history, it had another role to play in Cold War Colorado. In the early 1950s, with tensions with the USSR building rapidly, the military developed the Mountain and Cold Weather Training Command. Though based at Fort Carson outside of Colorado Springs, the mission of this unit was to use Camp Hale to train soldiers and develop more advanced skills and techniques for mountain and winter warfare. As a result, the post sprang to life again, though it had to be entirely rebuilt for soldiers in this “second generation.”

Some things had changed. Eugene Thomas, a soldier from Illinois, remembered years later that the army no longer “asked for three letters of recommendation.” They were “desperate for people” to endure the hard training and staff the unit. Another soldier, however, remembered that he sent in his “three letters of recommendation . . . that attested to my fantastic skiing abilities which were greatly exaggerated by three letter writers.”

Other things hadn’t changed. The Pando hack haunted the new soldiers as the army hadn’t improved on the pot-bellied stoves used in the new Quonset huts. They also tested new equipment developed as a result of the recently ended Korean War. In Korea, remembered Thomas, “troops couldn’t get out of their sleeping bags fast enough when attacked, but had to cut out the bottom and pull it up over them. So they tested the first sleeping bags with quick-release zippers.”

The troops also received new ski boots, “galoshes really—you couldn’t ski in them at

all especially during kick turns—too flimsy and loose to ski in,” he remembered. They tested a Quonset hut made of new material supposed to be fireproof, “although it went up in flames in a couple of minutes.” The skis were still very long, two poles with big baskets. And the troops whooped it up in Leadville when they could, although the town’s tenderloin remained at least officially off limits.

Like the developing ski areas, the military still used instructors from many foreign countries, individuals skilled in skiing, snow, and mountaineering in all seasons, but Camp Hale had some famous or soonto-be-famous American mountaineers. One trainer was Jim Whittaker, later the first American to summit Mount Everest. And the post welcomed Dee Molenaar, though still recovering from injuries sustained in one of the most famous efforts to ascend K-2, an incident known as The Belay. On that fateful day the year before in 1953, he was one of six men carried off by a snowslide and suspended off the edge of the mountain. They all would have died except for the efforts of the seventh climber, Pete Schoening, who used his ice axe to prevent all six and maybe Schoening himself from plunging thousands of feet off the mountainside. Schoening’s ice axe is on display at the American Mountaineering Museum in Golden, and Molenaar remains a friend of Thomas to this day.

The Mountain and Cold Weather Training Command also trained to defend the United States—and the Denver area— from invaders. In the 1935 Operation Ski Jump, the largest stateside military maneu-

ver since World War II, it simulated a battle in the mountains if enemies ever invaded the West Coast—though how these people would get an army across the Pacific Ocean and into the Rocky Mountains was left unsaid.

In 1958, the Mountain and Cold Weather Training Command left Camp Hale for Alaska, and from 1959 to 1964, the Central Intelligence Agency used the post as a facility to secretly train Tibetan guerrillas, because the terrain resembled the Tibetan Plateau. The new trainees named it Dhumra, meaning the Garden. And others in the CIA also used the post for training for Hmong guerrillas to fight in Laos as the Vietnam War slowly developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Rumors have long circulated that the military police guarding the post carefully monitored CMC and other groups hiking in the area.

To cover up all these activities, the CIA suggested that Camp Hale was a high security zone that would be used for atomic

testing—which seems a bizarre camouflage today with Pete Seibert’s group developing Vail just a few miles away, but the mountains were sparsely populated then, the Cold War at its most frigid point, atomic testing common, and Project Rulison, designed to use atomic bombs to free natural gas from the Grand Valley near Parachute, then in the planning.

They were the last uses of Camp Hale as a military post. In 1965, now decommissioned and dismantled again, the government transferred most of it to the U.S. Forest Service, which in turn placed it in White River National Forest. Gradually, it evolved into a popular site for hiking, biking, and camping, and a spot for introducing disadvantaged youth to the mountains. But some areas of Camp Hale continue to remain off-limits for recreation. Unexploded ordinance of every sort lies at certain points on the landscape, where combat training took place, and while most environmental cleanup in the mountains focuses on the waste

products from mining, here it focuses on the shells and rockets left behind from military training. That cleanup continues here in the early 21st century.

Camp Hale had an important impact on mountaineering in Colorado and elsewhere in the United States. Its veterans formed a major cadre in developing the postwar ski industry, both downhill and cross-country. And the 10th Mountain Division Hut System, used by innumerable back-country skiers, remains an important memorial. But the post also developed and popularized techniques used in rock climbing and contributed to the growth and popularity of that sport. And the training and evacuation techniques pioneered there as well led the way in the development of modern mountain rescue, a key facet of postwar mountaineering, which became a far more widespread sport than ever before.△

Company E resting on a climb up Sugarloaf Mountain. Gassed by the ascent, a couple of soldiers lean over their skis to catch their breath.

Denver Public Library, Western History Collection, Phil O’Rourke.

Trail & Timberline

31

Snowshoeing Up High

Tips for Winter Mountaineering

By Alan Apt

▲ The wind-scoured Flattop Mountain Trail. Alan Apt

Winter doesn’t mean you have to give up climbing summits. In fact, you won’t want to miss the beauty of sparkling snow and ice crystals, snow-draped trees, and wind tossing spindrift high into the air and sunlight transforming it into snow rainbows. It does mean you will need some different equipment to make it an efficient, safe, and enjoyable adventure. Snowshoes or backcountry skis are your two primary options. Postholing is not a wise choice and will cause consternation on the part of your winter recreation colleagues, because you will make snowshoeing or skiing more difficult options for everyone else by leaving deep divots in the trail. Postholing will also exhaust you quickly and will usually soak you inside and out. You will enjoy yourself 32

Trail & Timberline

much more if you invest in, or rent, a good pair of snowshoes or skis. Floating on top of most of the snow is a better option.

If winter mountaineering is your goal, then taking an Avalanche Level 1, or an avalanche awareness course is a must. The Boulder, Pikes Peak, and Denver groups are all offering classes this winter (please visit http://www.cmc.org/events/schools.aspx for more details). If you’re going high and deep into the backcountry, you will also want to rent or buy an avalanche beacon and shovel, and learn how to use them. Dressing in layers becomes even more important, so having an adequate backpack that can hold extra clothing and winter gear is essential.

Assume you will encounter high winds and sub-zero wind chills, and be ready with a

thick insulating hat, face mask, goggles, very warm gloves, warm socks (avoid cotton), and waterproof boots with gaiters. A wind and waterproof shell, with fleece or down supplement underneath is ideal. You might also enjoy calm conditions, with warmer temperatures and sun, so the pack will allow you to peel off your layers, and avoid sweating, which will freeze you later.

A pair of poles will provide extra traction, and stability, on steep slopes, whether you’re snowshoeing or skiing.

Snowshoes that are long enough to provide good floatation relative to your size and lots of claws for traction are a great choice for highly variable snow. Make sure the bindings will be easy to get on or off when you have cold hands. If you are renting, put

them on and off in the store. Imagine yourself on a steep side slope, and see if you think the claws will hold. Snowshoes with tubes tend to slide. You can have fun snowshoeing on mediocre, or crusty, icy snow that would make you miserable on skis. You can also count on bare ground and rocks on the way to the summit. So be prepared to carry your snowshoes or skis on your backpack part of the time. Early in the season, when snow is thin, spikes are a better choice. If encountering steep slopes with snow and ice is likely, then an ice axe and crampons will, of course, be necessary. Check the Colorado Avalanche Information Center Web site (http:// avalanche.state.co.us/index.php), and see if steep terrain is a good choice.

A compass and a good topo map are especially essential in the winter. It is much easier to get off-trail and get lost; then there is the possibility of a whiteout. Stop fre-

quently to orient yourself. Also, shorter days mean you might need a headlamp. Time yourself on the way up and assume the snow conditions will change, which will make your return longer. Know when the sun will be setting. Insulate your water, or it will turn to solid ice. Bring along hand and foot warmers in case it is much colder than anticipated.

Suffering is not part of the plan, fun is.

Now that you are prepared, here are a couple of summits, which are covered in my book, to enjoy.

Flattop Mountain

This trailhead is in Rocky Mountain National Park, at the end of Bear Lake Road. It is at 9,500 feet, so it usually has great snow.

The route has minimal avalanche danger if you stay on the trail. Once you get above treeline (11,500 feet) expect wind and a wind-scoured trail. You will be as▼ My friend Bernd on the Flattop Mountain Trail. Alan Apt cending around 3,000 feet to make the summit that is over 12,000 feet. Plan on a very early start, and an all-day adventure. Start out by walking to Bear Lake, and continue counterclockwise around the lake, and you will see signs for Bierstadt Lake, Fern Lake, and Flattop Mountain. All three trails share the same route for the first half mile. Bierstadt will exit to the right, and you will climb more steeply to the west to a great view of Longs

To order Alan Apt’s book Snowshoe Routes: Colorado’s Front Range, or any CMC Press title, visit our online store a http://www.cmc.org/ store/goods.aspx?categoryID=1, or we can take your order over the phone at 303-279-3080 (in Colorado) or toll free at 800-633-4417.

CMC members receive a 20 percent discount on all CMC Press books.

Peak. After a mile, look carefully for the Flattop Mountain Trail going left uphill, while the Fern Lake Trail goes straight. The sign may be snow covered. Now the real fun begins. The trail tracks a bit west to a great view, before turning north, and then southwest to the summit. You will be climbing a broad slope and over a couple of false summits.

Mount Bierstadt

This is a popular winter Fourteener summit. It is near Georgetown, on the top of Guanella Pass, which is open year round.

Having an all-wheel-drive vehicle is a good idea. There are a couple of sections with avalanche danger, so check the CAIC Web site. Whiteouts are not unusual, so pick favorable weather forecasts when storm fronts are not on their way into the state. The foot bridges through the willows might not be snow covered, so expect to carry snowshoes. It is a much steeper, more challenging route than Flattop, so not a good choice for a first winter summit. Once you park, you will be able to see the summit from the parking lot. The trail actually goes downhill and has a flat stretch through the willows, before it climbs. The summit will be to the northeast, so don’t meander too far off to the south as you switchback above treeline.

At treeline, hug the north ridge and create your own switchbacks. When you top out, you’ll have the final summit scramble to the north and a view of the Sawtooth Ridge to Mount Evans.△

COLORADO MOUNTAIN CLUB GUIDEBOOK

SNOWSHOE ROUTES SECOND EDITION

ALAN APT

Trail & Timberline

33

Fern Lake Lodge

By Woody Smith

▲ Fern Lake Lodge, circa 1922. Courtesy Colorado Mountain Club Archives

In the early days of the Colorado Mountain Club, few destinations evoked the glazeeyed excitement as Fern Lake Lodge in Rocky Mountain National Park. Located on the well-wooded shores of Fern Lake—about six miles west of the Park Headquarters—the lodge was built of local timber in 1910 as a summer fishing cabin by Denver doctor William Workman. Originally from Kansas, Workman moved to Colorado in 1902 for his wife’s health. He subsequently bought Moraine Park from Abner Sprague and began exploring the nearby mountains and valleys. Workman named many local features, including Fern and Odessa Lakes, the Little Matterhorn, and Notchtop Mountain. Workman sold the lodge in 1915 to the Higby brothers, who by 1917 had sold it to Frank W. Byerly.

Although intended as a summer concession, the Estes Park Outdoor Club lured CMC directors to the lodge in February 1916 for a “snow frolic,” including skiing, skating, snowshoeing, and tobogganing. Their effort to jump-start winter tourism became an annual CMC tradition—the highly popular Winter Outing at Fern Lake Lodge.

To keep up with demand, the original lodge was expanded and sleeping cabins were added. By the mid-1920s the lodge and outbuildings could accommodate 55 overnight 34

Trail & Timberline

guests and staff, although 40 was the maximum allowed by the CMC. The February 1929 Trail & Timberline captured some of the spirit: Have you registered? Don’t delay! We have ordered the best of everything: weather, snow, food, beds, firewood, laughter, companionship. We want you all.

TO YOU WHO KNOW Odessa and Fern, Tourmaline Gorge and Spruce Canyon in winter we can only repeat

“register early.”

TO YOU WHO NEVER HAVE BEEN on a Winter Outing . . . register quickly for the most delightful experience of your life, midst grandeur and beauty almost unbelievable.

This committee has exhausted its descriptive powers in previous years . . .

The truth is still beyond.

Despite the fanatic support, the Fern Lake Lodge did not open for the Winter Outing the next two years. But Mountain

Clubbers don’t easily forget: At Fern Lake nature has been lavish and has provided every feature that can be desired . . . Our committee will see that everything is added that man can supply . . . In town it is impossible to ignore the insistent worries that assail us all. Let the fine snows, the crisp air, the splendid cliffs and forests of Odessa Gorge dispel them for you!

—Winter Outing Committee, T&T, February 1932

▲ Snowshoeing and cross-country skiing were a fun part of the annual Winter Outing at Fern Lake Lodge. Courtesy Colorado Mountain Club Archives

But the renewed interest didn’t last; February 1935 was the last Winter Outing at Fern Lake, victim of changing times. In 1936, the CMC ran a “Ski-Bus” to and from Berthoud Pass—roundtrip: $1.75. The bus also ferried skiers from the bottom for 15-25¢.

At the end of the 1939 season Fern Lake Lodge closed to overnight guests and discontinued food service, except a light menu. In the summer of 1958, folk singer Judy Collins, a Seattle native who grew up in Denver,

worked the concession with her first husband. The lodge closed for good by the early 1960s.

In 1976, after years of neglect and vandalism, the National Park Service burned the Fern Lake Lodge and tore down the other buildings. The only reminder of those longago days is the Fern Lake Patrol Cabin, built in 1925.△ Thanks to James Rogers of the Denver Public Library, Western History Department, and to CMC Membership Service Representatives Crystal Reed and Jan Monnier.

References Buchholtz, C. W. Rocky Mountain National Park: A History. Boulder: University Press of Colorado, 1997.

Pickering, James H., and Carey Stevanus.

Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park—Then & Now. Boulder, CO: Westcliffe Publishers, 2006.

Trail & Timberline

35

the fourteener files

By Linda Kothe Crockett

“I was looking at pictures from my hikes, and I can see how I grew as a mountaineer, from my early cotton jean days to going up snow couloirs all goretexed out.”—Calvin Eisenach

“Mount Wilson proved the most elusive of the Fourteeners for me. Last September, I left my Navajo Lake campsite in the dark, got off course, and found myself summiting El Diente instead. I called my wife and said I was just minutes away from finishing. Big oops. So this time I went for Mount Wilson via the Kilpacker Trailhead. Got beguiled by South Wilson and summited wrong again. I downclimbed and traversed over to the real deal and finally summited Mount Wilson.”Jeff Branin

“I told many people that I would never climb all of the 14ers! This year concludes a 23-year journey of exploring the back roads, mountain towns, and mountains of Colorado with friends and family of all abilities.

This year also opens a new chapter of exploration—the 13ers!”-Carson Henrion

“I summited my first 14er on my birthday as a physical fitness reality check over a decade ago. Standing on the roof of Colorado that day had me hooked. After all the alpine starts, completing all the amazing, great 14er traverses, seeing wildflowers with intensity that can’t be captured in photos, climbing beautifully preserved peaks like Culebra, and meeting so many great friends at 14,000 feet, my favorite and final 14er was on September 28, 2012. After thinking about the celebration at the finish line for so many years, I actually decided what I wanted was the oppo-

“We have seen amazing sunrises, colors that are indescribable, columbines by themselves in a rockfield, and buzzed by bats and hummingbirds at 14,000 feet.” -John Wesley Barksdale, Jr.

36

Trail & Timberline

▲ Nephi Thompson, with her family, on the summit of Pikes Peak, in July.

site—solitude. So, I set out for a solo sunrise summit. It was a few days before a full moon, so the moon set about an hour before the dawning of the day. Standing on top of the highest point in Colorado in total darkness, the cloudless starry sky were candles on my cake. The sunrise at 14,433 with the shadow of Mount Elbert cast across the Rocky Mountains signals the next chapter.”-Paul Clark

“When I climbed my first 14er, I

thought I would climb a few of them and be done. Once I had reached the halfway point, I thought maybe I could complete the 54. Over a decade later, including a 14-month move to Florida, four leg surgeries, and a complete renovation of my family’s homestead house from the foundation up, I was finally able to say I have completed the 54 ranked 14ers.”—Trish Conlon “My finisher climb was dedicated to Robert Jansen, who was killed August 25, 2012, in a rockslide on Hagerman Peak. He’d summited 53 Fourteeners at the time of the accident, including more than 20 with me. We were planning to finish together. We know you were there with us, Rob!”—Jeff Golden

“In 1996, I sustained a workman’s compensation injury and was classified as permanently disabled. This, after I had completed 50 of the Fourteeners. I accepted I would never climb again. A nine-year absence from the mountains was ended when, against all odds, I was able to reach the summit of Mount Bierstadt in July 2007. Since then I did everything I could to finish the last Fourteeners on my list.

In July 2012, I tried the ascent of Capitol Peak. I was about 100 feet below the summit when a small, refrigerator-sized boulder fell on my right foot, breaking it.

The descent down the mountain and the hike out were the hardest part. Less than eight weeks later, I finished the Fourteeners with an ascent of Pikes Peak. Too bad they didn’t serve beer on top of Pikes Peak.”-Rob McIntosh “I reached the summits of the 58 14ers in 117 days this summer. Eleven of those summits were gained on seven CMC trips.”-Dave Pasley (Note: Some climbers also climb unofficial 14er summits for their lists, hence the increased number.)

The Fourteeners list By Linda Kothe Crockett

Those who reported completion of Colorado’s fourteeners in 2012 NO.

1437.

1438.

1439.

1440.

1441.

1442.

1443.

1444 .

1445.

1446 .

1447.

1448.

1449.

1450.

1451.

1452.

1453.

1454.

1455.

1456.

1457.

1458.

1459.

1460.

1461.

1462.

1463.

1464.

1465.

1466.

1467.

1468.

1469.

1470.

1471.

1472.

1473.

1474.

1475.

1476.

1477.

1478.

1479.

1480.

1481.

1482.

1483.

1484.

1485.

1486.

1487.

1488.

1489.

1490.

1491.

1492.

1493.

1494.

1495.

1496.

1497.

NAME

Buzz Frum C. Paul Johnson John C. Minden Frank J. Daniels Marianne Curtis Mark D. Flanigan Michael J. Flanigan Calvin Eisenach Chris J. Ellis Imma Ferrer Edgar Y. Reed Patty Braun Simon Hambidge Bryan Mannlein Connie Smith Jay M. Jacobsmeyer Anna Mathes Natalie Moran Nephi Thompson Joe Aldridge John Wesley Barksdale, Jr. John Wesley Barksdale III Jeff Branin Robert A. Bursack Ken Cales Carson Henrion Shelley Kay Landgren Bill Saber Candace Winkle Troy Aupperle Steve Bain Doug Brown Jamie Brown Alan Buckingham Paul Clark Trish Conlon Frank Dong Greg Fischer Stephen B. Gest Jeff Golden James C. Hibbetts Martin B. Hidalgo David D. Johnson Robert A. LeClair Paul Lillis Patrick L. Lilly Cindy Mayer Rick W. McBee Isaac McGuffin Rob McIntosh Sarah Nelson John W. Ogle Don S. Otis Dave Pasley Randy Rush Kristopher Schweitzer Jamie Thompson Bill Wood Bill Gougér Samuel Hagopian Fred M. Radtke

FIRST PEAK

Longs Peak Handies Peak Capitol Peak Mount Elbert Uncompahgre Peak Pikes Peak Pikes Peak Mount Democrat Mount Democrat Mount Elbert Longs Peak Sunlight Peak Grays Peak Mount Bierstadt Mount Bierstadt Mount Harvard Quandary Peak Grays Peak Mount Sneffels Mount Evans Longs Peak Redcloud Peak Grays Peak Quandary Peak Longs Peak Mount Elbert Longs Peak Mount Bierstadt Grays Peak Capitol Peak Pikes Peak Grays Peak Grays Peak Grays Peak Grays Peak Missouri Mountain Mount Democrat Longs Peak Grays Peak Windom Peak Mount Sherman Longs Peak Mount Shavano Mount Bierstadt Grays Peak Quandary Peak Mount Sherman Uncompahgre Peak Pikes Peak Mount Evans Longs Peak Pikes Peak Mount Princeton Mount Sherman Crestone Needle Mount Shavano Mount Sherman Huron Peak Mount Belford Grays Peak Torreys Peak

DATE

Aug 1961 Jun 1954 Aug 1986 Aug 1975 Jul 1994 Aug 1990 Aug 1990 Jun 1998 Aug 1997 2000 Jul 1998 Aug 1976 Jul 1979 Aug 2008 Aug 2008 Jun 1988 Aug 2010 Jul 2010 Jul 1992 Jul 1974 Sep 1993 Sep 1998 Sep 1999 Aug 1990 Jul 2006 Jul 1989 Jul 1977 Jul 1988 Oct 1998 Jul 1991 Aug 1973 Jun 1985 Jun 1985 Aug 2004 Jul 2000 Aug 2001 Aug 2005 Aug 2010 Jul 2000 Aug 2009 Aug 2005 Jul 1968 Sep 2000 Jun 1998 Jul 1978 Jan 1976 Jun 1997 Jul 1996 Aug 1997 Nov 1976 Aug 1986 Jul 1970 Sep 2007 May 2012 Aug 1980 Jul 2004 Jul 2002 Jul 2002 Jun 1998 Jun 2010 Aug 2001

FINAL PEAK

Kit Carson Peak Pikes Peak Snowmass Mtn. Culebra Peak Culebra Peak El Diente El Diente Umcompahgre Peak N. Maroon Peak Crestone Peak N. Maroon Peak Culebra Peak Culebra Peak Snowmass Mountain Snowmass Mountain Mount Eolus N. Maroon Peak El Diente Pikes Peak Uncompahgre Peak Mount Eolus Mount Eolus Mount Wilson Snowmass Mountain Pikes Peak Mount Eolus El Diente Uncompahgre Peak Uncompahgre Peak Longs Peak Sunlight Peak Sunlight Peak Sunlight Peak Mount Elbert Mount Elbert Mount Sherman Missouri Mountain Mount Sneffels Huron Peak Mount Sneffels Little Bear Peak Mount Eolus Uncompahgre Peak Handies Peak Capitol Peak Handies Peak Ellingwood Point Pikes Peak Mount Eolus Pikes Peak Little Bear Peak Mount Elbert Mount Wilson Mount Eolus Capitol Peak Capitol Peak Snowmass Mountain Mount of the Holy Cross Little Bear Peak Mount Columbia Little Bear Peak

DATE

Aug 1966 Aug 1969 Jun 1993 Aug 2005 July 2007 Aug 2009 Aug 2009 Aug 2010 Sep 2011 Sep 2011 Sep 2011 Jul 2012 Jun 2012 Jun 2012 Jun 2012 Jul 2012 Jul 2012 Jul 2012 Jul 2012 Aug 2012 Aug 2012 Aug 2012 Aug 2012 Aug 2012 Aug 2012 Aug 2012 Aug 2012 Aug 2012 Aug 2012 Aug 2012 Sep 2012 Sep 2012 Sep 2012 Sep 2012 Sep 2012 Sep 2012 Sep 2012 Sep 2012 Sep 2012 Sep 2012 Sep 2012 Sep 2012 Sep 2012 Sep 2012 Sep 2012 Sep 2012 Sep 2012 Sep 2012 Sep 2012 Sep 2012 Sep 2012 Sep 2012 Sep 2012 Sep 2012 Sep 2012 Sep 2012 Sep 2012 Sep 2012 Oct 2012 Oct 2012 Oct 2012

For recognition in next year’s issue, send the registration form (visit www.cmc.org/14erform) by October 15 to the Colorado Mountain Club at 710 10th St., #200, Golden, CO, 80401; or you may send an e-mail to editor@cmc.org. For Beyond the Fourteeners/Thirteeners recognition, please include the date and name of the last peak.

Trail & Timberline

37

◀ Anna Mathes atop North Maroon Peak, in July.

▲ Dave Pasley, who climbed all of the 14ers in 117 days this summer, atop Mount Eolus.

▲ Sarah Nelson finished her last 14er during the CMC 14er Challenge, in September.

38

Trail & Timberline

▲ Randy Rush on the summit of Capitol Peak, in September.

▲ Richard Larsen, atop Jagged Mountain, in August. Larsen, a resident of Vermont, made approximately 25 flights to Colorado to complete the Centennials.

Beyond the Fourteeners By Chris Ruppert and Dave Goldwater 100 Highest Peaks NO. Name 60 Paul Johnson 192 Ken Kunkel 193 David Ditchkus 194 Doug Hatfield 195 Jim Foley 196 Richard Larsen 197 Mike Schumacher 198 Candace Winkle 199 Bob Cole 200 Michael Rodenak 201 James Donnelly 202 Kevin Baker

200 Highest Peaks 69 70 71 72 73

Tim Briese Brian Schultz Terri Horvath Bob Cole Mark Silas

Final Peak Thunder Pyrmaid Huerfano Peak Jagged Mountain Teakettle Mountain Jagged Mountain Jagged Mountain Pigeon Peak Uncompahgre Peak Crystal Park Rio Grande Pyraid Gladstone Peak Half Peak

Date 10/3/1992 7/30/2012 8/2/2012 8/4/2012 8/19/2012 8/25/2012 8/27/2012 8/29/2012 9/1/2012 9/2/2012 9/6/2012 9/16/2012

The Guardian North Star Mountain Clark Peak Crystal Peak Grizzly Peak B

7/26/2012 7/28/2012 8/26/2012 9/1/2012 9/15/2012

Crystal Peak

9/1/2012

McHenrys Peak

8/13/2012

Peak X 13,085'

9/14/2012

300 Highest Peaks 38

Bob Cole

400 Highest Peak 27

Kathee Thomure

500 Highest Peaks 25

Kathee Thomure

Beyond The Thirteeners By Teresa Gergen 800 Highest Peaks 8

Dan Bereck

▲ Bob Cole celebrating number 300 atop Crystal Peak.

"The Elephant”

8/26/2012

▲ Candace Winkle, pictured here on the summit of Uncompahgre Peak with fellow 14ers finisher Joe Aldridge, finished both the Centennials and 14ers this year.

Trail & Timberline

39

End of the Trail Marilynn Clark ▶ 1931–2012

By Karen Hickey

Marilynn Clark was the daughter of Edgar and Mary Clark. The Clarks lived in Greeley, Colorado, in the 1920s and moved to the Los Angeles area, where Marilynn was born on November 14, 1931. She had one sibling, her brother, Bob, 9 years older. She attended elementary school in California.

In 1951 she graduated from North Hollywood High School and then went on to college, earning a degree in medical technology. She received her California medical technology certification in 1956 and moved to Los Alamos, New Mexico, where she lived for a number of years. She moved to Colorado in the 1960s and held several jobs in the medical technology field, the last one before retirement being with the State of Colorado.

Marilynn was a very capable person— a rugged individualist—and she wasn’t afraid to speak up when the need arose.

She always made sure her name was correctly pronounced and spelled—Marilynn with two “n”s.

She loved the outdoors, especially the mountains. She was a 44-year member of the Colorado Mountain Club and was honored with a 40-year plaque at a ceremony in 2008. She was a well-known trip leader for the CMC. She led many A classification hikes and one year received recognition for leading the most A hikes of anyone in the 5,000-member club. With her beloved dog, Perky, she also led CMC doggy hikes.

During her early years in California, Marilyn enjoyed riding horses. She also did some downhill skiing in Sun Valley, Idaho. At

40

Trail & Timberline

some point she took up water colors and painted mostly flowers and floral scenes.

She did other handiwork, including knitting and cross-stitch. She made beautiful, very detailed cross-stitch hangings for her apartment, colorful and carefully done.

The sign on her apartment door said, “Welcome Friends”.

In Denver she lived in the house of some friends on Bellaire Street, in north Park Hill, later moving to her own home in Montbello. She lived in another apartment on Fairfax Street, in Park Hill, and then moved to a unit on Steele Street, in the City Park neighborhood. Around 2004, she moved to Canterbury Gardens, a retirement community on Mississippi Avenue, in Aurora.

She was pleased with the Aurora location, because she had a sliding glass door that opened onto an outdoor courtyard with trees, grass, and plants.

While at Canterbury she enjoyed taking walks in the neighborhood, especially to undeveloped natural areas. She also spent time reading, watching television, doing jigsaw puzzles, and attending activities with her friend Eleanor Bradley. Many of these were entertainment events at Windsor Gardens; others were excursions to the mountains, to nature preserves, to museums, and to other places of interest. She was a longtime birder who could recognize hundreds of species. She went on many bird counts with the Audubon Society.

After retiring, she served as a docent at the Denver Zoo, as a volunteer with the

Colorado Historical Society, and as a tour guide at Four Mile Historic Park. At Four Mile House, she dressed in authentic pioneer attire for regular activities and special events. She also volunteered with the RSVP Retired and Senior Volunteer Program and at Ocean Journey. She went on several Elderhostels, including one in Arizona.

One of Marilynn’s greatest joys was joining her brother, Bob, and his wife, Margaret, on vacation trips to Lumina Resort on Lake of Bays in northern Canada. Her nephews, John and Matt; their wives, Catherine and Angie; and their children, Emily, Maureen, Morgan, and Mary, were also on these trips. She always had a great time.

Marilynn passed away on August 13, 2012, at Life Care Center in Aurora following an illness of several months. In late April of this year she began having severe pain. Eleanor Bradley became aware that she needed medical treatment and was instrumental in getting her to the hospital, where she later had colon surgery. From the hospital she went to a rehab facility. When the pain returned, she was again admitted to the hospital.

Her parents and brother, Bob, preceded her in death. She is survived by her sisterin-law and her nephews and their wives and children. Also by friends Eleanor Bradley, Lita Mendenhall, Gayle Barrett, Judy Johnston, Barbara Duff, Karen Hickey, Jean Fisher, Shirley Bloomer, and Vi Johnson. She enjoyed holiday dinners with these friends, in their homes or in restaurants. Her specialty for the potlucks was a delicious molded raspberry (or sometimes lime) jello salad.

Her ashes have been scattered in the mountains that she so much loved, near Echo Lake, in the Mount Evans area. Memorial contributions can be sent to the Colorado Mountain Club, 710 10th Street, #200, Golden, CO 80401 in her name or given to CMC member Karen Hickey. △

Trail & Timberline

41

CMC Adventure Travel For your benefit and enjoyment, the following trips have been reviewed and approved by the Adventure Travel Committee and are officially sanctioned by the Colorado Mountain Club.

Visit www.cmc.org/at for more detailed itineraries and registration forms.

Torres del Paine Circuit Trek and Buenos Aires Cultural Experience Dec 16–Dec 31, 2012 Circuit Only: $3,333* Circuit + Buenos Aires: $3,712* Chile’s Torres del Paine National Park, set in the heart of Southern Patagonia, was declared a World UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 1978 and on the list to be declared a World Heritage site. Torres del Paine is one of the most impressive natural geographical spectacles on Earth. It becomes very apparent when you stand and stare in amazement at the unbelievable sight of this monumental cluster of mountain peaks that appear to stand all on their own in the middle of an otherwise flat plateau. These spectacular granite mountains, known as the Torres del Paine (or Blue Towers), jut out some 9,000 feet above the Patagonian steppe. They dominate this landscape of radiant blue glaciers, azure lakes, roaring rivers, and emerald forests. Join us on this amazing world-class CMC backpacking trip to Torres del Paine Circuit in Chile, rated #2 best backpacking trip in the world by Backpacker magazine. We will hike around the most spectacular Patagonia landscape of dramatic granite peaks, spires, horns, and towers in ten days. Due to long summer days, the sun doesn’t set until 10 pm, giving you plenty of time to enjoy the vistas of the impressive mountains, which are bound to uplift your spirit and bring joy to your heart every day during the 52 mile trek. You need to be “C” level hiker or approved by the trip leader. You only have to carry your backpack, since our guides will carry the tents and food. You will sleep in refugios (cabins) where available or in tents under the clear blue southern sky. After the amazing trek in Torres del Paine, it’s time to rest your tired body and explore your cultural side. You’ve an option to spend three glorious days relaxing and sampling exquisite Argentine cuisines and soaking in the sights, sounds, rhythms, and culture of Buenos Aires, which is known as the Paris of South America and was named by UNESCO as one of the 42

Trail & Timberline

three Cities of Design. The time in Buenos Aires is free for you to choose to do nothing or enjoy many activities this world-class city has to offer. There’ll be an opportunity to participate in free walking tours of the city. We’ll arrange a group dinner and a tango show one night before we depart for home. Some points of interest: Eva Peron Museum; the city’s magnificent structures, such as Teatro Colon, Palacio de las Aguas Correntes, and Palacio Barolo, just to name a few. You’ll return home stronger, relaxed, and recharged to take on 2013! This trip is for you if you have a sense of adventure, enjoy hiking, love being in the mountains, and like to enrich your life by learning about different places, cultures, tasting different cuisine, and interacting with people from different cultural backgrounds.

A pre-trip group hike with the trip-leader in late summer is mandatory for all participants.

Sign-up before May 1st and you’ll receive a complimentary dinner of succulent Argentinean lamb or beef with a glass of wine or beer in El Calafate. INCLUDED: Ground transportation, guide, accommodation, and meals during the backpacking trek. Three nights of hotel with breakfast and a dinner and a tango show are included in Buenos Aires. NOT INCLUDED: Airfare, travel insurance, visa fees, insurance, incidental, and personal expenses. *Price may change depending on the exchange rate and number of participants. Contact P Vilas Tulachan at ptulachan@hotmail.com or phone 408-420-2723. For more details of the trip and pictures, please check out: http:// www.HappyFeetAdventures.com.

Best of Australia 2013 February 2–17, 2013 $1,675 basic land cost + optional $1,125 side-trip to Uluru (Ayers Rock) + estimated $1,600 airfare Say “G’Day” and explore the unique wonders of the Land Down Under with CMC Adventure Travel! Upon arrival in Sydney,

we’ll explore this fascinating city and its scenic harbor, and begin to get a glimpse of the unique Aussie wildlife and culture, including an option to tour the world-famous Sydney Opera House. Then we’ll head up to explore the hikes, vistas, and waterfalls of the Blue Mountains. From here, we’ll drive to Kosciuszko National Park and hike Australia’s highest peak, Mount Kosciuszko, one of the fabled Seven Summits. After returning to Sydney, we’ll change gears by flying to Cairns in the tropical north of the country, and spend a day snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef, and another with a visit to the rainforest—and keep a good watch out for crocodiles! An optional extension will have us flying from Cairns to the Aussie “Outback”, for hikes around the iconic Uluru (Ayers Rock) and rock domes of Kata Tjuta National Park, as well as getting to know more about the local Aboriginal culture. Then we’ll return to Sydney for a final night before departing for home! We will be hiking scenic paths of the Blue and Snowy Mountains, and prospective participants should be fit enough to tackle climbs up to 12 miles round-trip and with elevation gains of up to 2,000 feet. Basic alpine trekking skills are required. We will be using hostel or budget hotel accommodations, and a maximum of 12 participants will be accepted. Price includes all in Australia transportation, lodging, park entry fees, and package Great Barrier Reef/rain forest tour; participants will be responsible for their own U.S.–to-Australia airfare, Australian visitor visa, meals, gear, and entry fees for optional Sydney tours. Final trip price is subject to change depending on number of participants and fluctuations in exchange rates. Request trip application packets by e-mail from Gary or Daedra, or by mail at 1017 O’Connell Drive, Bozeman, MT 59715.

Yellowstone in Winter 2013

February 6–February 11, 2013 $1,025– $1,195 per person, depending on accommodations. Note: If the trip fills up there will be a $75 discount on the above for everyone. This will be determined before your final payment is due.

Steaming geysers, bison, elk, and other wildlife are all part of the experience of Yellowstone National Park in winter. Skiers, snowshoers, and photographers will enjoy the convenient trails leading directly from the lodge to geysers and waterfalls. The trip includes round-trip bus and snow coach transportation between Denver and Yellowstone, a one-night stay in Jackson, Wyoming, 3 full days and 4 nights at Old Faithful, happy hours, and several meals (4 breakfasts, 1 lunch, and 3 buffet dinners), plus park entrance fees and gratuities. We depart Denver by bus on Wednesday morning, February 6, stay overnight in a motel in Jackson, arriving in Yellowstone on Thursday afternoon.

We leave Yellowstone and return to Denver late on Monday, February 11, 2013. Prices are per person, based on double occupancy.

Most rooms have 2 double beds (we also have 5 king sized beds) and private bath. If you sign up as a single, the leader will assign another solo participant as your roommate.

The trip cost for the newer Snow Lodge hotel rooms is $1,195, the “Western” cabin is $1,150, and the rustic “Frontier” cabin is $1,025. (The cabins are 300 yards from the lodge so you may be “breaking trail” to the lodge when it snows.) The lodge contains meeting areas, a coffee shop, and two restaurants. Cabin accommodations are limited so sign-up is on a first-come, first-served basis for each level of lodging. Trip cost does not include remaining meals, (1 breakfast, 5 lunches, and 2 dinners), optional sightseeing excursions within the park, equipment rental, or trip insurance. There is a 3% guest fee for non-CMC members. Register with the leader by calling 303-887-3717 or e-mailing: rpratt905@gmail.com.

Multi-sport in Québec: Including Winter Carnival and a Night in the Ice Hotel February 15–23, 2013 $2,300 Canada is more than Moosehead beer, flannel shirts, and “Eh?” Participants will be immersed into Canadian culture. The outing coincides with Québec’s Winter Carnival, where we will view sleigh races, international ice and snow sculpture competitions,

snow bathers, and a night parade. Participants will explore Québec City, a UNESCO world heritage treasure that cradles 400 years of French civilization, Canadian history, and First Nations cooperation. After Québec City, the group will move to nearby Duchesnay Station Touristique, which has access to 37 kilometers of cross country ski trails and 30 kilometers of snowshoe trails that are groomed and well marked through spectacular wooded terrain, with warming huts along the routes. While at the Station, participants can also arrange a dog sled ride, ice fishing, or spa treatments (all for an additional fee). The final night will be spent at Québec’s ice hotel (called the Hôtel de Glace) experiencing the ultimate Nordic adventure by sleeping in a hotel made of ice and snow. While the Hôtel and its furniture are entirely made of ice and snow, guests will sleep comfortably in an ice-framed bed with a real mattress. A cozy sleeping bag (good to -22°F) is provided (the room temperature stays between 27°F and 23°F). An Ice Bar (with disco) and hot tubs are available nightly. A warm pavilion is a short distance away (open all night), with bathrooms and a snack shop. The price includes most meals, entrance to various events, and 8 nights’ accommodation. The price does not include airfare to Québec; trip insurance; bar tab; snacks; souvenir purchases; and several breakfasts, lunches, and dinners. Final cost may vary slightly depending on possible 2013 fee increases by local hotels or bus companies and exchange rates. For additional information, please call or e-mail the leader, Linda Ditchkus, and she will contact you.

New Zealand Great Walks: Milford and Routeburn Tracks February 22–March 09, 2013 (See additional date information below) $1,775 + airfare (est. $2,000–$2,500), food, and incidentals. TRIP IS NOW FULL! Join the CMC for an unforgettable adventure to hike two of the famous Great Walks in New Zealand—the Milford and Routeburn Tracks. This trip features 7 days of moderate hut-to-hut backpacking in Fiordland National Park on the South Island of New Zealand. These scenic walks are considered some of the finest tracks in the world. Layover days in Queensland (between tracks) and in Auckland (at the end of the trip) will allow participants to ex-

plore additional cultural activities on their own. If bookings are available, the trip will also include an overnight excursion on Milford Sound. The trip is limited to 11 participants. Final cost may be adjusted based on exchange rates at the time of bookings.

Final trip dates may be adjusted by a day or two depending on bookings for the Milford Track, which will become available in July 2012. Total trip length will not change.

Trip fee includes all track booking fees, all ground and water transportation in New Zealand, and all lodging in New Zealand.

Not included are airfare, and food and incidentals. Tents and stoves are not needed on the tracks, as we’ll stay in the bunkhouses managed by the New Zealand Department of Conservation. Food will be individual, or in small groups, and can be purchased in New Zealand. Leader approval is required for this trip. Participants should have good hiking skills at the CMC Difficult B level, and be able to carry a moderate (35–40) pound pack on good trails for 6–10 miles a day, some with elevation gain, in possible inclement weather conditions. To obtain the trip application packet, contact Polly Hays, at polly_hays@yahoo.com, and she will contact you.

Grand Canyon Backpack March 2013—Exact dates to be announced $442 As one of the seven natural wonders of the world, Grand Canyon National Park waits to be explored by the adventurous backpacker. Join fellow club members as we discover the canyon’s hidden treasures. Exact dates of this 8-day trip and the hiking route will be finalized by January, pending Park Service approval of the permit request.

The CMC Web site will be updated as more details become finalized, but the trip is now open for registration. The group will carpool from Denver and car camp the first night inside the park. We then backpack for 6 days/5 nights, experiencing up close the fascinating geology that makes this national park so famous. The hiking route will start and end from the south rim and visit remote areas as well as the main corridor trails.

Campsites will be at established campgrounds. Possible visit to historic Phantom Ranch at the bottom of the canyon. After hiking out we begin the drive back home, staying at a motel along the way (shared Trail & Timberline

43

lodging). Participants must be experienced backpackers and able to hike up to 10 miles per day at a moderate pace. All hiking will be on trail, with the first day involving a descent of about 4,000 feet. The climb out of the canyon will be done over two days, with an ascent of about 3,000 feet on the last day.

Trip cost covers all expenses except food.

Required pretrip meeting before departure.

Limited to 9 participants. Full payment of $442 ($75 nonrefundable) due upon registration. The trip leader has previously done 10 backpacks in the Grand Canyon.

For more information, contact Tim Musil (303) 384-3521, or tmusil@comcast.net, or complete and send the form below and the leader will contact you.

Best of the Grand Canyon—Colorado River Raft and Hike 2013 April 27–May 9, 2013 CMC members: $4,165 Non-CMC members: $4,290 This unique trip to the Grand Canyon offers participants the opportunity to experience this World Heritage Site on a motorized raft for 188 miles through the best of the canyon, departing from the historic Lee’s Ferry and ending with a helicopter ride from Whitmore Wash and a plane flight back to the start. It is especially ideal for those who would like to hike in areas that can be reached only from the river, and those who have always wanted to experience the canyon but who do not wish to make the 7 mile, 4,500’ trek in and out. Our outfitter, Hatch River Expeditions, has been guiding river trips through the canyon for over 70 years.

We will have 3 guides and 20 participants on two 35’ S-rig boats running 30 hp 4-stroke outboard engines (fuel efficient and quiet).

Each boat holds 18, so for this trip we will have plenty of room. An average motorized raft trip through the Grand Canyon is for 7 days with short daily hikes. Hatch is adding 5 days to the trip with over 100 possible hikes, depending on the group’s interest and the weather. They offer us daily-guided hikes at different hiking levels, or one may choose to rest in camp. There are several opportunities for point-to-point hikes where we may hike from one drainage to the next and the raft will pick us up later in the day. What is provided: Hatch provides all meals, snacks, eating utensils, life jackets, tents, camp chairs, and the helicopter and plane rides back to the put-in. A sleeping kit is avail44

Trail & Timberline

able for those who need camp gear—a sleeping bag, pillow, sleeping pad, ground cloth, and waterproof bag. The park entrance fee is included. The cost of the trip also includes all tips and one night (double occupancy) at the Cliff Dweller’s Lodge near the put-in on Saturday (4/27/13). The cost does NOT include: carpooling to and from Lee’s Ferry, any meals other than those on the raft trip, and extra beverages for the raft trip (water, lemonade, and sports drink are provided by Hatch). Dates: We will carpool or meet at the lodge in Marble Canyon, AZ, near the put-in on Saturday evening, April 27th, and begin our raft trip on Sunday, April 28th.

The trip ends on Thursday, May 9th, when we helicopter out of the canyon and fly back to the put-in area. The Grand Canyon, designated a World Heritage Site by the United Nations in 1979, is among the Earth’s greatest ongoing geological spectacles. About 65 million years ago in Earth’s shifting, a huge area of land was lifted a mile and a half above sea level, forming what is now the Colorado Plateau. For the last 6 to 10 million years, the Colorado River has been slowly carving its way down through the center, exposing 2 billion years of geological history. There are also prehistoric traces of human adaptation to a particularly harsh environment. Training and Physical Conditioning Requirements: For maximum enjoyment, a person may wish to participate in several hikes prior to the trip. The hikes will vary in difficulty in the range of our CMC levels A, B, and C. In general, a couple hiking levels will be available for most days.

There is always the option to take the day off and rest in camp. All of our hiking will take place below the altitude of Denver (the river is at about 2,500 feet). Because this is the desert, one must be able to adapt to the heat and cold. Some of the hikes offered will be full-day hikes of significant distance and altitude gain. Cancellation Policy for Participants: Trip deposit of $500 is payable at time of registration with leaders ($300 of this deposit is non-refundable); final payment is due November 15, 2012; for cancellation on or before November 15, 2012, there will be a refund of $200 ($500 less the $300 non-refundable fee); any refunds for cancellations after November 15, 2012, will be made only if a qualified replacement is accepted; travel insurance is recommended.

The leaders, Blake and Rosemary, have led 4 winter trips to Yellowstone for the CMC. They have been on 24 one-week backpacks in the Grand Canyon, as well as a 7-day

commercial raft trip and an 18-day private raft trip through the canyon. They led this CMC Grand Canyon Raft and Hike trip in 2008–2012. Register with leaders: 303871-0379, or blakerosemary@cs.com

Best of Russia: Three Capitals May 17–28, 2013 $2,450 + international airfare (estimated at $1,200–1,500) Join Svetlana Ehrhart, a native of St. Petersburg, Russia, who will be your hostess and trip leader. Svetlana worked as a tour guide for 12 years in St. Petersburg. This trip is a unique combination of a great cultural experience and easy hiking activity. We’ll start our journey in St. Petersburg, which was the capital of Russia from 1712–1918. We’ll explore the main museums in the city, like the Hermitage and the former summer residences of the czars. These are surrounded by gorgeous parks, where we will hike. We will also visit a typical apartment and dacha of today. We’ll then take a night train to Moscow, the capital from 1340–1712 and 1918– present. We’ll visit famous Red Square, the Kremlin, and other well-known sites. Late in the evening, we’ll go to Suzdal, which was the capital of a small Russian principality in the 12th century. It’s a small town with a lot of ancient churches and monasteries, and will afford some pleasant rural hiking. We’ll return to Moscow and stay overnight before our departure to the U.S. Hiking will be level A–B; the number of participants between 10 and 15. The trip cost covers all ground transportation, all lodging, some meals, park and museum admissions, cost for letter of invitation to enter Russia and visa, gratuities, leader expenses, and CMC fee. Cost does not cover airfare to/from Russia, trip and health insurance, airline baggage fees, some meals, bar tab, souvenir purchases, taxi from and to the airport. For more information, please contact Svetlana Ehrhart at svetochka12342@gmail.com or 303-915-8597, and she will contact you.

Trek Bolivia! 2013 June 9-21, 2013 $1,880 + airfare (5-7 persons) $1,780 + airfare (8-11 persons) Bolivia is a largely undiscovered country in South America that features spectacular hiking and climbing, friendly people, and low prices. With this trip, we’ll acclimatize

several days on the shore of beautiful Lake Titicaca at the small resort town of Copacabana, including one day to hike on the Island of the Sun (Isla del Sol) in the lake.

We then will trek for 7 days in the Cordillera Real northwest from La Paz, dropping down to 4,900’ on the east side of the Andes before we return to La Paz. We finish our visit with a bus tour to the pre-Inca ruins at Tiwanaku, west of La Paz. Excellent physical conditioning is needed to do this trip as we will hike daily at or above 12,000’ until the last several days of the trek. On trek, we will cross several passes over 16,000’. Also on trek, we will camp several nights at 15,000’.

The leader will arrange training and team building hikes beginning in early 2013.

Trip cost covers all lodging in Bolivia, all ground transportation, all airport transfers, guided tour to Tiwanaku, food while on trek, all group camping and cooking gear, moun- taineering tents (we may take our own), trekking guide, mules or porters when needed, park entry fees and ferry boat rides, Bolivia visa and service fee, contingency, gratuities, most leader expenses, and CMC fee.Cost does not cover round trip air fare to La Paz, meals in La Paz and Copacabana except as noted, personal gear, trip insurance or in-country rescues and medical expenses, indicated shots and personal medications,

bar tab, souvenir purchases, baggage fees of any kind, lodging single supplement, lunch in Tiwanaku, any travel in country separate from the CMC trip. The leader, Steve Bonowski, has led prior CMC trips to Bolivia in 2006 and 2011. To obtain the trip packet, contact Steve via e-mail(climbersteveb@ gmail.com). No phone calls please.

Best of the Grand Canyon-Colorado River Raft & Hike 2014 April 26 – May 8, 2014 (approximate dates) Cost: CMC members $4,195 (approximate cost). Non-CMC members $4,320 (approximate cost) This unique trip to the Grand Canyon offers participants the opportunity to experience this World Heritage Site on a motorized raft for 188 miles through the best of the canyon, departing from the historic Lee’s Ferry and ending with a helicopter ride from Whitmore Wash and a plane flight back to the start. It is especially ideal for those who would like to hike in areas that can be reached only from the river, and those who have always wanted to experience the canyon but who do not wish to make the 7 mile, 4500’ trek in and out. Our outfitter,

Hatch River Expeditions, has been guiding river trips through the canyon for over 70 years. We will have 3 guides and 20 participants on two 35’ S-rig boats running 30 hp 4stroke outboard engines (fuel efficient and quiet). Each boat holds 18, so for this trip we will have plenty of room. An average motorized raft trip through the Grand Canyon is for 7 days with short daily hikes. Hatch is adding 5 days to the trip with over 100 possible hikes, depending on the group’s interest and the weather. They offer us dailyguided hikes at different hiking levels, or one may choose to rest in camp. There are several opportunities for point-to-point hikes where we may hike from one drainage to the next and the raft will pick us up later in the day. What is provided: Hatch provides all meals, snacks, eating utensils, life jackets, tents, camp chairs, and the helicopter and plane rides back to the put-in. A sleeping kit is avaiable for those who need camp gear a sleeping bag, pillow, sleeping pad, ground cloth, and waterproof bag. The park entrance fee is included. The cost of the trip also includes all tips and one night (double occupancy) at the Cliff Dweller’s Lodge near the put-in on Saturday (4/26/14). Register with leaders: 303-871-0379, or blakerosemary@cs.com.

Trail & Timberline

45

Timeless

Colorado's Mountains are

By designating the CMC or the CMC Foundation in your will, your investment in them lives on.

Join the 21st Century Circle today. Contact our Development Director at 303-996-2752 to learn more about planned giving.

Photo: Glenn Randall Photography 46

Trail & Timberline