Youth and the Outdoors

An Exploration of The Colorado Trail by One of Our Own 22 • Boulder’s Summit Club 29 • The CMC’s New Young Adult Program 33

Trail &

timberline The Colorado Mountain Club • Fall 2013 • Issue 1020 • www.cmc.org

Youth Outdoors e

and th

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Letter from the CEO Memories of Days on the Trail with Your Children

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he theme of this issue of Trail & Timberline is youth and the outdoors. For those of you who have children, I hope the read brings you great memories of outdoor adventures with your children, either in the past or more recently. You may be able to take some of our tips on outdoor safety with children and put them to immediate use! For those of you without children, you likely had family members or friends who instilled the value of appreciating nature and the outdoors. My family is very outdoorsy, and some of my best memories are of the time spent on the trails with them. In fact, while we were growing up my father and mother started a family tradition of a nightly post-dinner walk. No nights were missed, even as my brother and I got older and were participating in several sports and afterschool activities. I can remember how much I enjoyed almost all of those walks through the forest in our backyard. Our dog and cat would even join us. As I got older, I would moan and groan each night my parents

insisted that we walk. All I wanted to do was talk on the phone with my friends. Nightly post-dinner walks will become a family tradition with my own children, no matter how much they moan and groan as they get older. There is something about the outdoors that helps make children and parents open up to each other.

Another one of my favorite articles is Development Director Sarah Gorecki’s story on her amazing adventure hiking The Colorado Trail this past summer. When Sarah came to me during the winter months of 2013 to ask if she could take seven weeks off to hike the CT, I didn’t hesitate to say, “how cool!”

My only request was that she write a piece for T&T so that we could try to enjoy some of the trail alongside her. It’s important to know that CMC staff members are outdoor adventurers and spend much of their “nonwork” time in the great outdoors.

Last but not least, I have some fun news to share, and the theme of this issue couldn’t come at a better time. My husband, Matt,

and I are expecting our own Junior Mountaineer this November. Our baby boy is due on Thanksgiving Day! We joke that after our childless years of spontaneous travel, always enjoying good food and wine, and being able to do whatever we want as a couple, our son is coming on one particular day to remind us that life is about to change big time!

A hospital meal of soggy turkey and instant mashed potatoes will be a quick wake-up call. We couldn’t be more grateful and excited to expand our family. Most of you know my dogs, Tollie and Rooney, through the pictures in T&T and seeing them in the office. I’ll soon be adding a Binky® and some diapers to the backpack next to the dogs’ tennis balls! Have a great fall, and I wish you a good night’s sleep, which I will sorely miss! △

Katie Blackett Chief Executive Officer

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22 A Walk across the Sky

Our Development Director’s journey along The Colorado Trail

By Sarah Gorecki

29 The Summit Club Boulder’s kid climbers

By Karl Gustafson

33 Alpine Start

New CMC group offers mentored outdoor experiences for 15- to 25-year-olds

By Carmen Stagg

37 Stories from the Juniors

A look back at the CMC’s first official young adult group

By Woody Smith

On the Cover

A beautiful day for a hike at Roxborough State Park.

Photo by Frank Burzynski

Fall 2013 Trail & Timberline • Issue 1020 • www.cmc.org

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

Learn the latest from the conservation and youth education departments, as well as news on the inaugural Backyard Benefit and the CMCF Fellowship recipients.

12 Around Colorado

What’s happening in your group?

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14 The Clinic

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Quick Tips for Hiking with Children.

By Rolf Asphaug

16 Pathfinder

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Enjoying the history—and rockiness—of Mount

Princeton.

By Christian Green

20 Safety First

Ensuring your children are prepared on the trail.

By Annie Smith

40 End of the Trail

Remembering those who have passed.

43 CMC Adventure Travel

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

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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 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. © 2013 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.

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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.

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! ▶ 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

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On the Outside Sunrise from the trail to Torreys Peak.

Photo by Rick Gaither

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Mission Accomplishments Rampart Range Wildlands Project Update

By Emily Orbanek, Conservation Fellow

Since its formation in 1912, the Colorado Mountain Club has advocated for the protection of open spaces and wildlands. Shortly after the creation of the Club, its founding members were instrumental in helping to convince President Woodrow Wilson to sign the Rocky Mountain National Park Act in 1915. The movement to create RMNP was the first in a long and successful history of the CMC’s involvement in protecting wild places, from the expansion of Dinosaur National Monument in 1938 to the designation of the Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument in 1969 and the passage of the Wilderness Act in 1964.

The Club’s success with conservation initiatives, especially land protection, during the past 100+ years is rooted in our dedicated and passionate members. So it comes as no surprise that the CMC’s newest initiative, the Rampart Range Wildlands Project, started with our members in the Denver and Pikes Peak groups.

The wildest section of the Rampart

Range lies roughly 40 miles southwest of Denver and 20 miles northwest of Colorado Springs. Its proximity to Colorado’s largest metropolitan centers, coupled with the remoteness of the area, especially on the northern end, makes it a unique candidate for wilderness designation. Currently, about 30,000 acres are protected under the Colorado Road▲ Volunteers work on the Ice Cave Creek Trail during the CMC’s first less Rule, but the area workday, June 7. Photo by Emily Orbanek is under significant threat from oil and gas development, user-made illegal-motor- buy-in from many different stakeholders. ized trails, and encroaching urban sprawl. The CMC is committed to working with This part of the Rampart Range provides the spectrum of recreationalists; conservaconnected habitat for endangered plants tionists; county, state, and federal governand animals, along with important mi- ment agencies; and surrounding commugration corridors for large game. nities. Stakeholder outreach is in the early In late 2012, the Denver and Pikes stages and off to a strong start. ConversaPeak conservation groups decided to tions will likely continue throughout the fall mobilize community support for the and into next year in order to build a strong Rampart Wildlands, which resulted foundation of support for this unique island in a new trail building project out- of solitude in the heart of the Front Range. side of Palmer Lake. The existing Ice We are working to identify which parts of Cave Creek Trail is eroding, danger- the Rampart Wildlands may be suitable for ous, and beyond repair; in early 2013 a wilderness designation, and how to best members of the Denver and Pikes conserve the rest for hunting, habitat, and Peak Groups, with the help of a trail quiet-use recreation. engineer from Friends of the Peak, In 1978, the U.S. Congress designated laid out a new connector trail up the Indian Peaks Wilderness; during a hearing canyon northwest of Lower Palmer in support of the bill, it was said that wilReservoir, which offers stunning derness is “another step toward the restoviews and better access to unique ter- ration of an ancient balance of knowledge, rain that will satisfy day hikers and heart, and spirit, nourished by the earth and mountain bikers alike. guarded by the wise.” Much like Indian Preservation of natural areas can- Peaks, the Rampart Range Wildlands are not happen without the support and worthy of our protection. △ ◀ Unique rock formation along the Ice Cave Creek Trail. Photo by Tom Mowle

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Inaugural Backyard Benefit a Tremendous Success

By Kristin D’Epagnier, Development and Marketing Coordinator

On Friday, June 28, 2013, blankets and lawn chairs filled the American Mountaineering Center lawn, at the corner of Tenth and Washington streets, as supporters of CMC’s Youth Education Program kicked back with beverages from Odell Brewing Company and Oogavé Natural Soda. As the event kicked off, the smell of hamburgers and delicious pulled pork from Golden’s Spot Bar & Grill drifted through the summer air. The evening included the melodic sounds of mountain-inspired bluegrass music from Colorado bluegrass band Trout Steak Revival. More than 180 people attended the inaugural event and showed their support for YEP. “The Backyard Benefit was the perfect event for our community to come out and show their generous support for the Youth Education Program,” said YEP Director

Melanie Leggett. “YEP is all about having fun in the outdoors, and the spirit of the night really reflected that fun-loving nature of our program.”

Through ticket sales, a silent auction, and donations, the CMC was able to raise nearly $6,000 for the Youth Education Program.

Top auction items included: dinner, drinks, and tickets to the 2014 Banff Mountain Film Festival for 10 people; a downtown Golden overnight escape for two; and a San Juan Hut trip for four. Some lucky Backyard Benefit attendees walked away with incredible deals on gear from CMC’s favorite outdoor companies, including Adventure Medical Kits, Mountainsmith, Osprey Packs, Therm-a-rest, and Summit Terragraphics. The silent auction lineup included something for everyone. The Weinberg family walked away happy campers from

the event, as the kids took home a Mountainsmith Youth Pursuit Pack and a pair of Colorado Ballet tickets. Mom and dad received an excellent deal on a comprehensive medical kit from Adventure Medical Kits.

The CMC was proud to partner with title sponsor, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans.

Thrivent matched donations made leading up to the event and helped offset the event expenses. The family-style-backyard-barbeque-inspired theme couldn’t have been accomplished without the help of Golden’s Spot Bar & Grill, Odell Brewing Company, and Oogavé Natural Soda. Of course all who attended could agree that the evening was made complete with the sweet sounds of one of Colorado’s best bluegrass bands, Trout Steak Revival. A big thank you to all who attended, and we look forward to hosting the second annual Backyard Benefit in 2014! △

▲ More than 180 people enjoyed a beautiful night in Golden in support of the CMC’s Youth Education Program. Photo by Brie Sexton Bluegrass band Trout Steak Revival performs during the Backyard Benefit. Photo by Brie Sexton ▶

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YEP Expands Programming This Summer

By Ryan Johns, Youth Education Program Manager/Summer Program Director

The Youth Education Program (YEP) is always looking for ways to expand programming, and this summer was no different. This year, YEP took on the lofty goal of doubling summer programming. That meant twice the students, twice the instructors, and twice the amount of gear. With initial reports showing YEP will serve over 250 more students than last summer, it looks as if we accomplished this mission with flying colors!

During an average summer, YEP offers 10 weeks of individual enrollment summer camps, with a maximum of 12 kids in each camp. Most camps are centered on teaching students the basics of rock climbing. We do this for kids ages 11 to 17, through a series of climbing camps, starting with Introduction to Climbing, where students learn to belay and rappel. The next level is Intermediate Climbing, where students fine-tune belaying and climbing skills, while learning the basics of anchor building and safety systems.

Finally, students progress to Advanced Climbing, where they are given the opportunity to follow a guide on a multi-pitch traditional climbing route. Our younger campers, ages 8 to 11, climb, hike, and even sled at Saint Mary’s Glacier during our Meet the Mountains and Mountain Explorers camps.

Every May, YEP hires two full-time summer staff to serve as lead instructor and rope setter for these summer camps. Sometimes staff move here from out of state for this opportunity and sometimes we are able to promote our current part-time staff into these positions.

Either way, getting ready for this busy summer schedule requires training and resources. We have a highly skilled group of individu-

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als working for YEP, and we are able to run a highly successful program, thanks to their hard work.

This summer’s goal of increased programming was complicated by the fact that YEP only owns one 15-passenger van, which is used every day transporting students to and from local climbing and hiking sites. We had to find a way to reach an extra 120 students over 10 weeks and get them to our outdoor sites without the use of our own vehicles! This problem was solved primarily by a decision to focus on increasing our summer programming with groups able to provide their own transportation, rather than our individual enrollment camps.

Existing partnerships with local organizations; such as Colorado Academy, Boys & Girls Club of Metro Denver, and Manual High School; as well as a new one with Jefferson County School Age Enrichment program, and the Women’s Leadership & Adventure Summit, which took place at the AMC in July, helped fill our schedule. In perhaps our most exciting summer development, the Alpine Start pilot program for young adults kicked off its programming with classes and events throughout the summer. Offerings included kayaking, climbing, biking, rafting, hiking, and more. With several successful outings already under its belt, the program is off to an exciting start.

We have hired more staff, a summer intern, and thanks to a generous gear donation from Black Diamond, we have been able to manage all the extra programming while keeping our quality and safety as the top priority. With so much expansion this year, the big question is “what will happen next?”△

CMCF Awards Six Fellowships in 2013

By Tom Cope, Colorado Mountain Club Foundation

This year the Colorado Mountain Club Foundation awarded its three named fellowships to PhD students doing fieldwork in Colorado. Kara Cromwell, recipient of the Kurt Gerstle Fellowship, is a student at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. She is spending this summer at the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory in Gothic, Colorado, studying host-parasite interactions affecting mayflies, a key species in trout streams. Julia Hicks, recipient of the Neal B. Kindig Fellowship, is examining the impact of spruce beetle outbreaks on species biodiversity among birds. She is a student at the University of Colorado–Boulder. For the third year in a row, Monica Rother was awarded the Al Ossinger Fellowship. A student at

the University of Colorado–Boulder, she is seeking an explanation for the poor recovery of ponderosa pine forests following wildfires—likely a result of warmer, drier climate conditions and higher fire severity.

Fellowships were also awarded to William Adicoff, an undergraduate at the University of Denver, for dating Pleistocene glacial sediment; Jean Fleming, an MS student at Colorado State University, who is evaluating species distribution models for predicting effects of climate change; and Amanda West, a PhD student at Colorado State University, who is studying the movement of invasive plants to higher elevations at Rocky Mountain National Park in response to the effects of fire and climate.

This year’s review committee consisted

of Paula Cushing, Curator of Invertebrate Zoology at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science; Colorado Mountain Club Foundation board members Jim Gehres and Tom Cope; and former CMCF board member Al Ossinger. △

Monica Rother

Julia Hicks

Kara Cromwell

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Around Colorado

Our groups across the State DENVER Who Are We? Our website—www.hikingdenver.net—is where you’ll find everything about the Colorado Mountain Club’s Denver Group. With over 3,200 members, we offer something for everyone 18 years or older who loves the outdoors. The CMC leads over 3,000 trips a year into the mountains.

Would you like to meet folks in your age range?

Check out the Trailblazers (21–40) or the very popular Over the Hill Gang (50+). For more information, take a look at the e-version of our monthly newsletter, Mile High Mountaineer, at www.hikingdenver.net Get Involved Get involved with hiking, including wildflower and photography hikes; fly fishing; rock climbing; learn new skills at our schools; or work on a conservation project. All of our trips and schools are led by member volunteers.

Learn More Send an e-mail to office@cmc.org for specific questions. Or attend one of our New and Prospective Member Orientations on September 30 or November 26, both of which start at 6:30 pm at the American Mountaineering Center in Golden. For more details go to www.cmc.org/ Calendar/Events.aspx Upcoming Schools and Programs (All held at the American Mountaineering Center in Golden). Please check out the links below: Wilderness Trekking School Starts September 10. For more details go to www.hikingdenver.net/schools/wts Member Open Climbs Held on September 4, 18, and 25; October 2, 23; and November 12. For more details go to www.cmc.org/Calendar/Trips.aspx Wilderness First Aid Starts October 7. For more details go to www. hikingdenver.net/schools/wilderness-first-aid High Altitude Mountaineering Seminar Starts September 30. For more details go to www.hikingdenver.net/schools/hamsseminar Photography Section Programs Held on September 11, October 9, and November 13. For more details go to www.hiking denver.net/specialinterests/photography-section Members of the Fort Collins Group’s Young ▶ Adventurers atop Longs Peak. Photo courtesy Kevin McCartney

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Basic Mountaineering School Self Rescue Class Starts October 14. You must be a BMS graduate (or waivered) to participate. For more details contact Bill at cmcpoodle@gmail.com Knot Tying School Starts November 4. For more details go to www. hikingdenver.net/schools/knottyingschool Boulder Who Are We? 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 to 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.

Details about Boulder Group Outings may be found at http://www.cmcboulder.org/trips/ Get Educated One of the hallmarks of the Boulder Group is the robust set of classes and clinics it offers. During the fall, the Boulder Group offers Rock Leading School (RLS) and Backpacking School. Spots in these courses fill fast, so if the fall courses are already full, now is a good time to begin planning for the winter courses, because fall registration opened on August 6, and some fall courses began as early as mid-August and early September.

Fall offerings include Hiking and Survival Essentials, Hiking Navigation, Hiking Route and Trip Planning, Basic Rock School (BRS), and GPS Navigation. For details about these courses, go online to: http://www.cmcboulder.org/bms/index.html

Get Involved There are many ways to become involved with the Boulder Group, by participating in outings, taking courses, volunteering, working on conservation projects, and leading trips. New trip leaders and co-leaders are always welcome; interested persons should contact the Outings Chair and/or view the information at http://www. cmcboulder.org/trips/#TripCoLeaders.

A great way for new and prospective CMC members to learn more about the Boulder Group and its many classes, trips, and activities is to attend one of the Open Houses that take place at 7:00–8:30 pm on the 3rd Wednesday of every odd-numbered month. The next Open House is September 18. Experienced members will be on hand to share their enthusiasm and knowledge about hiking, camping, peak bagging, rock climbing, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, and more. The Open Houses take place at the Boulder Group club room, in the Table Mesa Shopping Center, on the southwest corner of Broadway and Table Mesa Road, between Neptune Mountaineering and H&R Block. We hope to see you and a friend there!

FORT COLLINS Young Adventurers The Fort Collins Young Adventurers aim to bring younger CMC members together to foster friendships among those who share similar experiences both in the mountains and in their everyday lives. This mission of the Young Adventurers was set in October 2010 by Mark Lorie, Kevin McCartney, and Brian Waite. The three 30-something’s recognized an opportunity in the Fort Collins Group to bolster the ranks of those between 20 and 50 years of age. Fueled by inspiration from other leaders, we set off on a journey to lead trips especially appealing to our

younger members.

Nearly three years later, the Young Adventurers group has successfully grown and their shared passion for the outdoors is stronger than ever.

There are a dozen “core” members of the Young Adventurers; though the Lories and Waites have moved and are dearly missed, the group continues to play hard and expand.

What types of trips are offered for the Young Adventurers? Many! From off-trail hikes, peak climbs, and backpacks, to snowshoeing and backcountry ski trips. We like to get out to exciting places—ones that may be difficult for individuals to get to. These trips have the “FC Young Adventurers” label in the title on the calendar section of the CMC website: http://www.cmc.org/Calendar/ Trips.aspx. Young at heart adventurers (those over 50) are welcome to sign up for these trips, and when space allows they can certainly join in the fun. A couple times a year we also get together for a pot luck, picture show, plus discussion of dreams of upcoming trips.

Experiences are richer when shared. We look forward to sharing more adventures as a group and are excited about the places we will see in our wonderful home, the mountains of Colorado! Please contact Kevin McCartney for more information at kmccartn@frii.com.

PIKES PEAK Who Are We? The Pikes Peak Group is based out of Colorado Springs. We are a diverse group of approximately 600 members with a variety of activi-

ties 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); 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, beginning in September: PPG Pikes Peak Intro to Desert Trekking and Canyoneering September 25 and 29; Field Session October 3–6; Cost $50 If you have only been hiking in the mountains of Colorado, there is another world out there.

When you have climbed enough peaks to wonder what other environments you might want to explore, the next step for you may be desert terrain. Come learn the proper gear, safety, and entry level techniques for basic desert trekking and basic canyoneering. Below is a sample class outline. Variations should be expected.

Class 1: Handouts, desert terrain, risks, mitigation, and gear to bring.

Field Session 1: Ute Park and Red Rock Canyon

Open Space to review some basic travel and survival items. We will also evaluate student abilities to handle a four-day desert trip.

Field Session 2: Four-day trip to Utah’s San Rafael Swell to hike easier canyons. Some scrambling will be required, but no technical gear will be brought along. Must be able to scramble easy, short routes with little or no exposure. For more info contact Eric Hunter ehunter67@yahoo.com PPG Intro to Mountain Biking September 10, 12, 14, 21, and 28; Cost $35 Learn the gear, maintenance, safety, and entry level techniques for basic mountain biking.

Mountain biking is a great way to enjoy the wilderness with a little more skill and finesse, of getting out for a short outing after work, and for building cardio before a big climb. There will be two classroom and three field sessions for the mountain biking class. There are also rental costs if you don’t own the gear. The mountain biking classroom dates are September 10 and 12, from 6:00–9:30 pm, and the field dates are September 14, 21, and 28 all day. A general fitness level to go on a full-day bike ride is required for the field sessions. The field sessions will be progressive in nature to build on skills. For more info contact Eric Hunter ehunter67@yahoo.com Other classes are planned but not yet scheduled. Contact Eric Hunter ehunter67@yahoo. com or Collin Powers powerscollin@yahoo.com for more info.

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 our new venue, the All Souls Unitarian Church, 730 N Tejon Street, or connect with members of the Pikes Peak Group by joining us on one of our many trips or classes.

ASPEN The Aspen Group, which primarily consists of approximately 170 members who mainly live in the Roaring Fork Valley, has been having a wonderful summer with many hikes to new places. We brushed up on our GPS and rock climbing with informative classes. We always welcome CMC members from other groups. Check out CMC’s website for information about our McNamara Hut trip this winter. To sign up for Aspen Group trips, always call (970-925-6648) or e-mail (kurtskarma@aol.com) our leader, Carol Kurt, as opposed to signing up online.

◀ Members of the Aspen Group enjoy a summer hike near Tabor Lake. Photo by Thomas Hext

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The Clinic Quick Tips for Hiking with Children

By Rolf Asphaug, Colorado Wilderness Families Group

He couldn’t have been more than 10 or 11 years old. The boy was lying on his side, curled into the fetal position, at the bottom of Longs Peak’s Homestretch: a steep gully at 13,500 feet that’s one of the last obstacles before you reach the summit. He must have already negotiated Longs Peak’s vertigo-inducing Narrows section, as well as the 8 miles and 4,000 feet of elevation gain between this point and the trailhead.

He wasn’t injured, but he looked physically and mentally spent. His eyes were open but listless. And above him was his eager dad, trying to rouse him for that final summit push. Meanwhile, it was already close to noon, and on this late August day thunderclouds were beginning to take shape all around us.

Something was wrong with this picture.

Now, I may not have had all the facts. It may well be that this boy was just as excited as his dad about this trip, and I just happened to see him at a low point. There are some children his age—and more than a few among CMC families— who relish the challenge of climbing Fourteeners and other high summits.

But on the whole, kids don’t care nearly as much as adults do about peak-bagging. Given the choice between a hard slog to a summit and an easy stroll to a mountain lake, a kid will take the lake every time. Especially if it contains salamanders.

Members of the CMC’s Colorado Wilderness Families Group embrace the salamanders. Most of us are parents of younger kids, and we want to get our children as hooked on the outdoors as we are. Through trial and error, we’ve realized that the best way to do that is to dial down our ambitious hiking goals and focus on making the journey, as well as the destination, as fun and stimulating as possible. We do offer trips to Fourteeners, but most of our trips involve camping near bodies of water, with shorter hikes on the program.

Do you want to enjoy hiking Colorado’s wildernesses with your kids? Here are a few tips:

Have a Fun Destination

“Fun” for kids often involves water. It’s amazing how much enjoyment kids can get out of skipping rocks on a lake, wading in an icy alpine pond, floating sticks down a stream, or feeling the spray of a waterfall. But fun can also involve a high-quality, interactive visitor center; or a hike with lots of lizards and bugs in the offing; or maybe a geocache or two with hidden treasure.

Have Lots of Tasty Snacks

Kids need to replenish their fuel stores often. Be sure to bring trail food, such as nuts, string cheese, and gorp. And when their energy or spirits are flagging, kids often perk up incredibly if you offer them a little, slightly decadent treat, such as a Life Saver or a couple M&Ms®. Some parents also like to let their kids know that there’s a special treat in store—maybe a candy bar or some hot chocolate—when they reach the destination.

Go at a Kid’s Pace

Stop often for rest breaks, and when your kid discovers that fascinating ant, lizard, or plant, give him or her plenty of time to look at it. Stroll, don’t march. Make sure that the terrain doesn’t intimidate or frighten your child.

Be Flexible ▲ CWK kids Fiona and Jonathan play on a lakeside boulder on a campout near Leadville. Photo by Rolf Asphaug

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Don’t hesitate to call it an early day and turn around if you find a logical stopping point that seems to fit with your child’s energy and interest. You may have had your heart set on reaching that special summit, but recognize that your son or daughter may instead for-

ever cherish the day you hiked less than a mile and picnicked next to an anonymous little stream.

parents), suddenly their outlook changes and they’re having a grand time. And as a result, so are we.

Don’t Forget the Essentials

Have a Greatly Increased Margin of Safety

It goes without saying that you should have all the Ten Essentials, including adequate clothing for everyone. Of all the essentials, probably the most important for your kids are water and sun protection, because kids will forget all about them if not regularly prompted by you. Make sure your children stay well hydrated and sun-screened.

Keep Kids’ Packs Light

It’s probably a good idea for you to have your kids carry some of their gear, if only a small water bottle, jacket, and whistle. At 9 and 11, our boys are old enough that they take pride in carrying their own Ten Essentials, especially the pocketknife, first aid kit, and fire starter. But if your kids carry packs at all, make sure they’re very light compared to yours.

Go Electronics-free

Keep all electronics—iPods, etc.—in the car if not at home. (Having an iPod in your car can be great if you hit a traffic jam on the way home.) This means you, too: keep your cell phone holstered, partner. Otherwise your kids will get jealous.

I once came across a dad carrying an infant, no more than a year old, in a baby carrier. Alone. On top of Quandary Peak. His dad was one sprained ankle away from a potentially dangerous struggle to get safely back home. If the baby started to cry, the dad might not be able to tell whether the cause was mere diaper rash—or altitude sickness. And in case of a thunderstorm, that metal-framed baby backpack . . . I don’t need to spell that out for you.

When we’re hiking with kids, we have precious cargo that is totally, 100 percent dependent on us for safety and survival. We need to stay mindful of that, and purposely avoid the exciting, enervating risks we might take when we’re on our own. But the flip side is that hiking with kids helps us experience the nature surrounding us through a precious new prism: a kaleidoscope of childlike wonder. △ Rolf Asphaug is a former CMC president, Denver Group chair, Denver Wilderness Trekking School director and instructor, Denver Telemark Ski School instructor, and Denver hike and ski trip leader. Rolf is currently a CMC Colorado Wilderness Families Group officer and trip leader, Cub Scout leader, and deputy general counsel for the Regional Transportation District. His wife, Jane, and their two sons love CWF outings—especially ones with salamanders.

Teach Your Kids What to Do if Lost

Tell your kids to stay close to you, and always let you know if they need to take a potty break or otherwise leave your side for a moment. Teach your children to “hug a tree”, if they become lost. Tell them to stay put and wait for the adults to find them. Have them carry a whistle: three blows means you’re lost. But put the whistle in a pack pocket or somewhere out of the way; otherwise it’s too tempting for them to use their whistles as toys.

Invite a Friend

We have two young boys. If we’re hiking with just mom, dad, and them, we know there’ll be some drama, squabbles, or sullenness en route. But if we let them invite along a friend or two (with their

Trip Leaders Needed for CWF

Leading a CMC trip with eager kids is an especially rewarding, meaningful experience. There’s nothing quite like seeing a child summit his first peak, wade in a mountain stream, or skip rocks in an alpine lake. The Colorado Wilderness Families Group is seeking new trip leaders, whether they are currently CWF Group members or leaders in other Groups who are willing to lead CWF trips. Please contact CWF co-chair Martin Kelly at martinjk@yahoo.com if you can help.

Kids can make it to the top of Fourteeners, if you make the journey interesting.

Mount Sherman is a good choice not just because it’s a moderate hike, but because there are fascinating mining ruins en route. Photo by Rolf Asphaug ▶

▲ On this trip, the kids were convinced they’d spotted Grizzly Bear tracks.

Never mind that they looked more like average dog tracks to unimaginative adults. Photo by Rolf Asphaug

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Pathfinder

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Mount Princeton: The southernmost Fourteener among the Collegiate Peaks, Mount Princeton stands watch over the Arkansas Valley like a sentinel manning its post. As one heads south on U.S. 285 toward Johnson Village, the image of the majestic peak draped in alpenglow is unforgettable. Standing 14,197 feet, it rises some 7,000 feet above the valley below.

I first saw the peak a few years back, while driving to Crested Butte for a long weekend of outdoor fun. When I returned home from Crested Butte, I made sure I googled the mountain that serves as a backdrop to Buena Vista and Salida. After some quick research, I found out that Mount Princeton was one of four peaks in the Collegiates named for Ivy League universities.

How was it that I hadn’t heard of mounts Princeton, Harvard, Yale, and Columbia, considering I had at one time worked for the Ivy League?

Fast-forward to this past summer. Having tackled Mount Elbert the first weekend of June, I was looking for another moderate Fourteener to climb in the Sawatch Range, one that wouldn’t require camping the night before. Mount Princeton seemed to be a good choice, due to its proximity to 285. As I began to research Mount Princeton, not only did I become intrigued by the challenges posed by the rockiness of the mountain, and with it, the unique geology of the area, but also by the mountain’s affiliation with its namesake university and the geology professor who was reportedly the 16

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A Rocky Delight?

first climber of record to summit the peak.

Ironically, the story behind the naming of Mount Princeton began in New Haven and Cambridge, respectively. During the summer of 1869, Harvard geology professor Josiah Dwight Whitney, the namesake of California’s Mount Whitney, the highest peak in the contiguous United States, led a group of recent Harvard graduates on a survey trip to the central Sawatch Range.

Whitney and the Hooper School of Mining and Practical Geology graduates were joined by William Henry Brewer, Whitney’s chief assistant during the first geological survey of California, from 1860 to 1864.

Brewer accompanied Whitney during their 1862 ascent to the top of Mount Shasta— then thought to be the highest peak in the United States—and would become professor of agriculture at Yale’s Sheffield Scientific School in 1864 (He, along with Yale geography student Clarence King, were responsible for attaching Whitney’s name to Mount Whitney in 1864.)

During this time, there was some question as to the location of the highest peaks in the United States. When the Whitney-

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By Christian Green

Entering the meadow, Princeton comes into full view. Photo by Christian Green

led survey team set out to explore the central Sawatch in 1869, they had heard stories that some of the peaks in the region were over 18,000 feet. This was confirmed by Brewer in one of his journal entries in late July 1869.

From their vantage point atop Mount Silverheels, near Fairplay, he recounted: The view from the summit was most extensive and grand—hundreds of unnamed peaks as high as we were, while numerous ones rose much higher. I still question if any are as high as Mount Whitney in California, but I shall not be surprised to find some peaks that are higher.

Although the Whitney-led team would discover that these peaks did not reach 18,000 feet, the section of the Sawatch that would become the Collegiates left a lasting impression on them, as they do with most individuals who see these peaks for the first time. Throughout the years, many outdoor enthusiasts have been seduced by what is the largest concentration of Fourteeners in Colorado. The members of the Whitney expedition were no different. In fact, it was

Mount Antero, from Mount Princeton, July 1921 CMC Trip. Courtesy Colorado Mountain Club archives.

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Looking west from Mount Princeton, July 1921 CMC Trip. Courtesy Colorado Mountain Club archives.

during their expedition that both mounts Harvard and Yale earned their famous monikers—depending on the account, to honor the entire survey group, or according to Brewer, to honor Whitney and himself.

Mount Princeton, on the other hand, did not earn its name until four years later.

In 1873, there were two federally funded survey teams exploring central Colorado— a civilian-staffed team, led by geologist Ferdinand V. Hayden, and a military-staffed team, led by Lieutenant George Wheeler.

According to author and attorney Merritt Blakeslee, the Hayden Survey bestowed the name Mount Princeton to the peak as a tribute to Princeton physical geography professor Arnold H. Guyot, both for his support of Hayden and as “a deft means of appropriating to his Survey the prestige of Guyot and Princeton University.” Conversely, the Wheeler Survey named the peak Chalk Mountain, for the chalk cliffs—

which are actually granite that’s been transformed into white clay by water from the nearby hot springs—on the south side of the mountain.

After a series of Congressional hearings, the Hayden Survey, thanks to overwhelming support from the academic and scientific communities, which was enhanced by the survey team’s varied scientific backgrounds, had won out over the Wheeler Survey by 1876. Then, in 1879, Congress consolidated the Hayden Survey under a new agency, the United States Geological Survey, which was supervised by the Department of the Interior. Thus, because the Hayden Survey had been folded into the Department of the Interior, it was decided that all of the geographical place names would follow those adopted by the Hayden Survey, rather than the Wheeler Survey. Nearly 30 years later, in 1907, the Third Report of the United States Geographic Board officially ruled that the

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name would be “Mount Princeton . . . not Chalk.”

*** Coincidentally, the first individual to officially reach the summit of Mount Princeton was William Libbey, an 1877 Princeton graduate. Libbey and fellow Princetonian W.W. McDonald, both students of the aforementioned Dr. Guyot, had come to Colorado two months after Libbey’s graduation to log reports on the topography, meteorology, and hypsometry (the measurement of elevation relative to sea level) of parts of Colorado, Wyoming, and Utah. After arriving in Denver on June 25, the duo spent the next few days getting outfitted for their stay in Colorado, where, according to Libbey, they spent three weeks “measuring Pike’s Peak, Mts. Lincoln, Bross, Quandary, Silverheels, Princeton, Evans and Gray . . .” Employing mercurial barometers to measure the pressure difference at the base versus the summit, Libbey and McDonald would come up with a height of 14,208.90’, compared to Hayden’s 14,196’, for Mount Princeton (According to the U.S. National Geodetic Survey, the official height is 14,197 feet.)

On the morning of Tuesday, July 17, McDonald headed to the town of Helena to take a base measurement, while Libbey set off to climb Mount Princeton. Noting the beauty and symmetry of Princeton, Libbey made it to within 1,500 feet of the summit before encountering much difficulty.

It was at that point that “his only way [to the summit] lay over a bed of debris such

The saddle between Princeton and Tigger Peak, with part of the trail visible on the left. Photo by Rick Gaither

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Truly a rocky delight!

Photo by Rick Gaither

as he had never experienced before; the size of the boulders being such that nothing but the hardest sort of crawling would answer.”

Upon reaching the summit at 12:30 pm, Libbey built a six-foot high stone “monument.” In the middle of this monument, he placed a stick upon which he noted his accomplishment of summiting Princeton. Libbey deemed the view atop Mount Princeton as one of the best he and McDonald experienced during their trip to Colorado: The scene from this point of view was simply indescribable; the broad valley of the Arkansas spreading immediately below, and the Sawatch Mountains stretching away on either side. It rivals in beauty the scene from Mount Lincoln. It does not combine such an extent of prairie with great mountain regions as does Pike’s Peak, but for pure mountain scenery it is very grand.

Libbey was conferred the first PhD in geology from Princeton in 1879 and would go on to serve as a professor of physical geography at Princeton from 1882 to 1923. He was also quite the marksman, twice earning a spot on the U.S. Olympic Rifle Team and winning a silver medal at the 1912 Stockholm Olympics at the age of 57.

In August 1916, nearly 40 years after Libbey’s trip up Mount Princeton, the Colorado Mountain Club’s Roger Toll and Lucius Hallett placed summit registers on the Collegiate Peaks. At that time, there was some confusion as to which peak was Mount Harvard. The residents of Buena Vista claimed that Harvard could be seen from town, when in reality, this was another Fourteener. As Toll noted in their trip report: “The peak previously referred to as being visible from Buena Vista is here referred to as ‘South Harvard Peak.’ It is onehalf miles south-east of the highest point

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of Mount Harvard and is connected by a saddle about 1,000 feet in elevation below the peak.” Toll, a 1906 graduate of Columbia, added: “The south peak is sufficiently distant and distinct from the north or main peak to be entitled to a name of its own, which would avoid the confusion which now exists as to which is the true summit of Mount Harvard. If it is found to be entitled to an individual name, I would suggest the name of ‘Mount Columbia’ as appropriate for the Collegiate Range” (The name was officially adopted by the CMC in 1922.)

The Colorado Mountain Club was also responsible for naming the fifth 14,000-foot Collegiate Peak when John L. Jerome Hart proposed that the then-unnamed Fourteener, just to the north-northwest of Mount Harvard, be called Mount Oxford during a climb with Albert Ellingwood in the late 1920s. And you guessed it: Hart and Ellingwood had attended Oxford University.

History lesson in hand, it was my turn to explore Mount Princeton. What would the day hold? On the way up Mount Elbert, three weeks prior, we fought a 40-mile-perhour gale from treeline to summit. Now that it was almost July, we figured the wind would be less of a factor. However, after reading numerous trip reports on 14ers. com, not to mention William Libbey’s account, I went to sleep with visions of rocks dancing in my head.

*** Between the thunder and fireworks on Friday night, 3 am came sooner than I would have liked, which would come back to bite me later in the morning. Sleep deprivation aside, by 4 am, I was pulling into the parking lot across from the Conoco station

Alpenglow on Mount Princeton. Photo by Rick Gaither

Mount Princeton, from the rock trail. Photo by Christian Green

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Mount Antero, from the saddle between Tigger Peak and Mount Princeton. Photo by Christian Green

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near the junction of U.S. 285 and C-470 to meet my friends. The drive down 285 was a breeze and after stopping in Johnson Village for a bathroom break, we reached the radio towers on Mount Princeton Road, at 10,800 feet, by 6:45. Here, we swapped our flip-flops for hiking shoes, grabbed a quick bite, and gathered the rest of our gear for what would prove to be a challenging 6.25 mile round-trip hike. The hike up the remainder of the road was a good warm-up; a gradual ascent is more my speed, at least during the first part of a Fourteener. After about a half hour or so, we reached the section where an actual trail (not a road) heads toward Mount Princeton. I was surprised to find that the rock stairs leading up from the road were so easy to spot; in their trip reports, many hikers noted how they had walked right past them. They must have been engaged in some pretty meaningful conversations.

At this point, a little more than a mile into the hike, we came across a mother and son from Portland, Oregon, who had hiked up the entire road from the parking lot near Frontier Ranch, at 8,900 feet. Yes, we felt a bit guilty that we started nearly 2,000 feet higher, but we would not have made the summit otherwise. They had spent five days getting acclimated to the elevation, which does not seem to be the norm. Between reading trip reports and encountering people on the trail who live at or near sea level, it always surprises me how many of them fly to Denver and attempt to climb a Fourteener the very next day. At any rate, we would encounter the Portlanders again on the way down; though they may not have had the chance to summit before the thunderstorms rolled in.

Once atop the steps, the trail crosses a rocky meadow for approximately a quarter mile, before it jogs toward the left for another quarter mile or so. It is here where the view opens up and Mount Princeton rises above the trail, affording the hiker a nice photo opportunity. Although I had been warned by numerous hikers via their trip reports, little did I know what was to come next. Ironically, the last trip report I read, dated June 24, was titled “A Rocky Delight.” Rocky, yes; a delight, no. For the rest of the hike, approximately 2,000 feet in elevation gain and one and a half miles, the majority of the trail is over talus and boul-

ders, some of which are particularly loose.

According to Jack Reed and Gene Ellis, in Rocks above the Clouds, both Mount Antero, just to the south, and Mount Princeton are composed of “uniform light-gray medium-grained granite, emplaced about 34.3 million years ago.” Known as the Mount Princeton batholith, this mass of rock was certainly intrusive and sure made for some tough sledding.

The trail reaches a small rock “wall” at around 12,800’, which IS easy to miss.

From here, the new trail switchbacks up the steep slope to the saddle between Tigger Peak (13,300’) and Mount Princeton. The old trail continues on past the rock wall to the west. Upon reaching the saddle between Tigger and Princeton, the trail turns right and follows the ridge northwest toward the summit. At this point, it’s important to stay as close to the ridge as possible, because this presents the path of least resistance; i.e., least amount of loose rocks and boulders.

Around the 13,600’ mark the trail becomes a bit steeper, but the main concern heading toward the summit is focusing on footing, as one maneuvers over the talus and boulders. As Roger Toll wrote during his climb up Mount Princeton on August 28, 1916, “. . . Mount Princeton is one long slope of slide-rock, all of which is loose, but does not roll easily enough to make the going very difficult. The method of going up this slide rock resembles that of a squirrel in a revolving cage, but without the same agility.” I don’t know about the squirrel analogy, but at times I sure felt as if I was running on a

hamster wheel.

We reached the 14,197’ summit by 10:15, but I was tired; my lack of sleep the night before certainly didn’t help. Traversing talus and boulders for most of the trip and doing some Class 2 scrambling for a portion of the ascent also contributed to me being fatigued. As one hiker noted, “it [Princeton] is constant rocks, all shapes and sizes”; though certainly not comparable to what William Libbey most likely endured during his ascent on July 17, 1877. Some rockrelated advice: always keep an eye out for the cairns, because it’s easy to lose sight of the trail. This is not a hike for dogs, unless they are part mountain goat. And it’s important to take one’s time on the way down; it’s much easier to lose one’s balance on the loose scree and talus when one’s legs become heavy. In addition, if one encounters rain, as we did when we were about halfway down, proceed carefully when navigating the rocks, because they can become slippery in a hurry. △ References Blakeslee, Merritt. “For the Honor of Our College”: Naming the Collegiate Peaks of Colorado’s Sawatch Range. Colorado History. No. 15, 2008, 83–127.

Libbey, William Jr., and W.W. McDonald, of the Princeton Scientific Expedition. “Topographic, Hypsometric, and Meteorologic Report.” September 1877.

Reed, Jack, and Gene Ellis. Roof of the Rockies.

Golden, CO: Colorado Mountain Club Press, 2009.

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Safety First A Good First Aid Kit Is Essential When Hiking with Children

By Annie Smith, Marketing Coordinator, Adventure Medical Kits

My fondest memories as a child are of the fun we had in the outdoors with my family. No matter what we were doing, whether we were hiking, skiing, or attending a picnic birthday party, it was exciting to be outside. If we got any minor cuts or scrapes from our adventures, our parents were ready with our family’s first aid kit so that we could get back out there and enjoy our time. Luckily, when we were more seriously injured, whether it was my brother breaking his arm or me flying off a snow embankment and cracking my chin open, we were within close proximity to a hospital. For some, the idea of spending time in the outdoors with children can feel daunting. However, with the right knowledge, preparation, and patience these outdoor experiences can be the memories that last a lifetime.

Brown University researchers recently conducted a study on hikers in New Hampshire and found that 71 percent of inexperienced hikers are unprepared and 46 percent of hikers with “a lot of experience” are unprepared. It’s surprising to hear how many people go out into the wilderness without the proper gear. Another study, the results of which were published in the American Journal of Medicine, found that the number one first aid injury that caused people to cut their outdoor activities short (go home early) while hiking the Appalachian Trail was a problem with blisters on their feet.

Headaches and muscle inflammation are other common problems. A good first aid kit with the right supplies and instructions can help you take care of not only more serious injuries, but the common ones that are most likely to either cut your trip short or make it less than the enjoyable experience you had hoped for. The simple act of carrying a first aid kit while in the outdoors gives you an advantage over most people.

While many family kits focus on cartoon bandages and stickers, the centerpiece of Adventure Medical Kits’ Family First Aid Kit is the book, Caring for Children in the Outdoors, by Barbara Kennedy M.D., a comprehensive guide to first aid for children. This book is your go-to source for 20

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how to prepare yourself to have your best family memories outdoors. It is filled with tips on age-specific activity recommendations and safety issues; common childhood illnesses and when to worry; age appropriate medication dosage for children; and common environmental injuries and illnesses, including altitude illness, heat illness, hypothermia, and more. What follows are some recommendations adapted from Dr. Kennedy’s book.

Children from the ages 0 to 2 are limited in communication, and they need to be watched very closely when on the trail. Be aware of their temperature, signs of infection from cuts and scrapes, and effects of altitude. Lack of appetite can be a sign of mild altitude sickness. Always be ready to treat any ailments that occur and be sure to have evacuation plans prior to departure. For added safety for children who can walk/crawl on their own, you can set up a play area (tent or tarp) or even attach bells to their shoes. Setting up a designated play area will limit the amount of objects they can put in their mouth, as well as ensure that you are aware of their location. That said, new parents should learn child and infant CPR. When hiking with children, be aware of the food you are providing for them. Avoid bringing any round or hard food that a

child could potentially choke on. On trips don’t bring any food that your child hasn’t already eaten; this will prevent a potential allergic reaction. Boiling, UV disinfection, chloride dioxide, and iodination are all good ways to disinfect water for drinking. Small amounts of iodine appear to be safe in water, but keep in mind that concentrated iodine is a poison and must be kept away from children.

Hiking with children from the ages of 2 to 4 can be a bit more challenging for a few different reasons. They want to be independent and have control, and they tend to get upset easily. They are also a bit too heavy to carry for long periods of time, yet they cannot walk on their own. In addition they tend to have more accidents, because they are just learning bladder and bowel control. Having realistic expectations is the key.

Keep things slow, simple, and be flexible. At this age they are far more interested in the two-foot area around their feet, looking for bugs and under rocks, than they are in making progress on the trail.

Similar to the 0 to 2 range, you will want to watch 2-to-4-year-olds very closely. Be aware of plants and wild mushrooms, because they are still prone to putting things in their mouth. Avoiding campsites with steep drop-offs and fast moving water is a

Adventure Medical Kits’ Family Kit can be purchased at Jax, and other AMK kits can be purchased at REI and Christy Sports. ▶

▲ Each Family Kit includes Caring for Children in the Outdoors, a comprehensive guide to first aid for children.

good start, as is dressing your child in bright clothing so they can be easily spotted. You can give your child an emergency whistle to use if they get lost. Teach them to “hug a tree” if they are lost; this easily relatable concept will make them stay put if they wander off.

When children reach the age of five and enter school, they gain the ability to be much more engaged in wilderness activities.

They can be more involved in the preparation for hiking and/or overnight camping trips. Being able to look at maps to see how far you will or have hiked is always fun for kids. This age is also a great time to teach children about the rules of the wilderness, because these are lessons they will carry with them the rest of their lives.

From five and up children become more self-sufficient; they should be taught to be aware of their surroundings. Teach them to observe landmarks and to turn around and look where they just came from and where they are headed. Teaching them basic survival skills, such as shelter building and maintaining warmth, can be fun for them. With this newfound self-sufficiency, they like to feel as if they are helping and doing something of value for the group. If you want to give them a backpack, it should weigh no more than 10 percent of their

body weight. Once they reach four feet tall, they can be fitted for a framed backpack.

Caring for Children in the Outdoors goes into great detail on how to treat fevers, colds, vomiting, diarrhea, dehydration, and much more. Carrying a book on how to treat and respond to these types of ailments is a very useful tool, and knowing when to worry is the key in these types of situations.

You want to find a medical kit that contains a wide range of first aid supplies, which will provide peace of mind for the whole family. The Family First Aid Kit from Adventure Medical Kits has all the essentials and has been modified to accommodate children and adults. The kit contains After Bite®, The Itch Eraser® to treat bug bites and bee stings and to prevent the scratching and itching that can lead to infection. The wound care section contains antiseptic wipes and triple antibiotic ointment, butterfly closure strips for closing small wound edges, and perhaps the easiest to use and apply bandages on the market—Easy Access™ bandages. These can be applied with one hand with minimum paper waste to dispose of. The Family First Aid Kit also contains moleskin to cushion hot spots and prevent or treat blisters. For more serious injuries, such as fractures and sprains, the kit contains a 2’ elastic bandage

with clips and a cold pack. Also included is the effective and deet-free insect repellent, Natrapel® 8 Hour. Finally, you want your standard medication: acetaminophen for aches, pain, and fever relief; antihistamine for allergic reactions; and ibuprofen for muscle pain relief. Inside there is a bonus kit—the Family Medic—that you can remove and put in your daypack for short outings and keep the larger kit in your car.

The key to a successful and happy family camping trip is to be prepared. Always do your research for the area you’re headed to, and remember your Ten Essentials: navigation (a map and compass); sun protection; insulation (extra clothing); illumination; first aid supplies; fire starting materials; repair kit and tools; nutrition (extra food); hydration (extra water); and emergency shelter, such as an emergency reflective blanket.△ * Parts of this article were adapted from Dr. Barbara Kennedy’s book, Caring for Children in the Outdoors.

Annie Smith, Marketing Coordinator for Adventure Medical Kits, recently climbed Mount Shasta with the Breast Cancer Fund and raised more than $6,000 for the cause.

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A Walk across the Sky

By Sarah Gorecki, Development Director

C

lick, step, click step, breathe. I hear the crunch of gravel; my lightweight hiking poles swing forward with each upward step. We’ve just left San Luis Pass and have a brutal 900 vertical feet to climb before the next, unnamed pass. There are no switchbacks here. My muscles burn from fatigue—we’ve already hiked more than 40 miles in just over two days. And there will be no rest for a while: we need to hike an average of 16.5 miles per day for the next four days to make it to Molas Pass.

Sweat trickles down my skin inside my shirt. The sun, strong at 12,400 feet, is burning my ears and scalp where my hair is parted and braided. I slip a dirty bandana under my visor, which helps to block the sun’s strength. I focus on the next 10 feet of trail ahead of me, tunnel vision enhanced by the bandana. Every once in a while, I force myself to look up at the green expanse of alpine all around us. We will be walking across this high alpine country—across the sky, it seems—for the next 68 miles to get to our re-supply point in Silverton.

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day hikes to test out my new gear, to start getting in shape, and to toughen up my feet. The Colorado Trail Foundation has organized the trail into 28 “segments” from Denver to Durango. Each segment can theoretically be hiked in a day, but many are 20 miles or longer—more than I can hike in a day with 30+ pounds of food and gear on my back.

I meticulously planned out my Colorado Trail hike week by week. Stacy Wolff, a former CMC Youth Education Program staff member, would be hiking with me for the first three weeks. After that, Anya Byers, former CMC conservation staff, would be with me for two weeks. My husband, Vasilios, would round out the trip by hiking with me for the last week. I mapped out re-supply points, calculated average mileages for each week, and measured out 1.4 pounds of food per day. Boxes of food and supplies for six weeks were organized in the basement according to re-supply point: “Bring to Lake City”, “CO 114 Re-Supply”, “Molas Pass.” Bill Manning, Executive Director of The Colorado Trail Foundation, would ask me how the packing and planning were going when I passed him in the halls outside the CMC office. “Good,” I’d say. “I have the whole trip worked out on a spreadsheet”. “Be prepared to throw your plan out the window,” he told me. How right he would be.

The Colorado Trail crosses miles and miles of beautiful high alpine terrain. Photo by Sarah Gorecki My Colorado Trail thru-hike is back on.

We learned this morning that the part of the CT that had been closed due to the West Fork Fire has been re-opened by the Forest Service. “I feel a weight lifted from my shoulders,” I laugh, “even though my pack feels super heavy!” After all the time I’ve spent planning this hike, training for it, and hiking 342 miles of the trail so far—I finally know I am going to be able to complete the trail.

I started planning my hike on The Colorado Trail in March. I’ve always been drawn

to the idea of thru-hiking, and I wanted to do something big to mark my 40th birthday. I wanted to re-connect with my younger self: the self who had spent 10 seasons in the field as a wilderness ranger and later, with the Colorado Fourteeners Initiative.

I wanted one more season sleeping under the wild skies. I had hiked parts of the CT where it passed below Fourteeners; I wanted to connect the dots and see Colorado’s topography unfold as I walked west.

In late April, my husband and I started hiking the first five segments of the trail as

It’s June 9 and the long-awaited departure date is finally here. Stacy and I are dropped off at the west end of Turquoise Lake, near Leadville, to begin the trail at Segment 10.

Segments 6–9 are still buried under a record spring snowpack and will have to be completed later in the summer. Bill Manning has already been proven to be correct: I’ve had to modify “The Plan” the first of many times.

On the first day, we hike south across the broad flanks of Mount Massive. We catch occasional views of the Arkansas River Valley and the town of Leadville. We hike slowly to get used to our packs. It’s a new moon, but we have plenty of daylight, because solstice is just two weeks away.

The days pass as we march southward through lodgepole forest, aspen groves, and hot sagebrush country in the valley bottoms. We walk the six flat miles around Twin Lakes and across its dam, marveling at seeing the lake and the landscape from a new perspective. For part of an afternoon, Trail & Timberline

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we sit on a “beach” on the south side of the lake, swimming in our clothes, washing out our dirty socks, and laying clothes out to dry on a driftwood log. We happily eat lunch and doze in the shade.

The days are long and hot, with barely a cloud in the sky. There are no afternoon thunderstorms to cool down the temperature; the sun is relentless. We marvel at the great weather we’re having as we hike past Mount Harvard, Mount Columbia, and Mount Yale. Mount Princeton, Mount Antero, and Mount Shavano slide by. Each day feels like a week as we walk southward past peak after peak. We are only hiking 10 to 12 miles a day, which seems to be a good pace for now. My body feels strong and we’re enjoying ourselves along the way. We are eating constantly but are always hungry; my shorts seem to have grown a size larger.

We meet lots of different kinds of people hiking the trail: a mom with two teens, retired people, a teacher from Kansas, a dad with two girls, a guy from Ohio trying to do as much of the trail as he can in the three weeks he has off work. Almost everyone we meet has The Colorado Trail Databook, fifth edition pack guide tucked into a pocket.

Most people have large-ish packs. One of the aspects I grow to love about the trail is the fact that it’s so accessible to all skill levels of hikers, and of any age. Unlike the Appalachian Trail, or the Continental Divide Trail, or the Pacific Crest Trail, The Colorado Trail is a thru-hike for everyone.

We hike in and out of drainages, stopping

to identify flowers and shrubs at different elevations. At the end of the week, we make a list of the flower, tree, bird, and animal species we’ve seen. It takes up several pages of my journal, and I’m grateful to have reacquainted myself with so many wonderful friends that call Colorado home: wild rose, penstemon, lupine, Parry’s primrose, Rocky Mountain iris, fairy slipper, Western pasque flower, purple fringe, monument plant, ptarmigan, blue grouse, Rufous hummingbird, and many others.

Crossing U.S. 50 feels like a major milestone, and marks the end of our 96.3-mile hike along the Sawatch Range. We climb to the Continental Divide for our first views above treeline, and enjoy the open expanses toward the San Juan and Sangre de Cristo Ranges. After a few miles of blissfully high terrain, we plunge into the forests of the Cochetopa Hills for the next 35 miles. The Divide here is not what I expected: it’s a broad, forested ridgeline dense with mosquitos. Because of the very nature of being on the Divide, at the top of the nation’s watersheds, there is very little water and we must plan our days carefully.

At Marshall Pass, we see the smoke plume from the West Fork fires for the first time. “Wow—that’s not a storm; that’s a huge plume of smoke,” I marvel. We speculate that we must be seeing the summer’s worst wildfire. “How far away do you think that is?” Our guesses range from 40 to 100 miles. All I know is that we are hiking southwest straight toward it.

The next day, we see another fire burning in what we guess is the vicinity of Saguache. It’s far enough away in the valley below us that we’re not concerned, but the smoke is thick. Ash falls through the trees and settles on my arm. We’re lightheaded and we wheeze from the bad air. Camping that evening at Tank Seven Creek, we see the sky fill with smoke. The sun sets an unnatural orange through the haze.

We start to meet CDT thru-hikers, and ask each one if they know anything about the fires ahead. A thru-hiker with the trail name of “Two Hats” says that a ranger told him the trail was closed from San Luis Pass onward; he had hitchhiked to Creede to

The Colorado Trail passes through six wilderness areas. Photo by Sarah Gorecki

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make the detour. The next hiker tells us the trail is still open. A mountain biker tells us the fire has reached 100,000 acres, the town of South Fork is expected to burn over, and the town of Creede is about to be evacuated due to smoke. It is impossible to verify any of the news we hear.

We decide to follow one of “Gudy’s tips” from The Colorado Trail Guidebook and take a detour off the trail to camp at Baldy Lake.

It’s about a half mile down a steep trail covered with loose, round rocks. We are rewarded by a pretty blue-green lake surrounded by sheer walls topped by a ring of white cornices. It’s as if we have stumbled down into a little piece of alpine tucked into the forest. We celebrate solstice with a Backpacker’s Pantry Crème Brulee dessert saved for the occasion. “This is why we’re out here,” I say. “I’m glad we’re here and not in the city.” It’s a Friday night, and I realize we’ve been hiking for two weeks. The moon is full.

The next day, we are re-supplied at CO 114, and I try to find out more about the fires. While driving toward Gunnison, we see a wall of yellow and black smoke billowing up against the La Garitas, the range we are scheduled to hike through next. I decide not to continue hiking toward the fire. By the end of the week, 56 miles of The Colorado Trail will be closed as the West Fork fire complex blows up, burning uncontained through dense beetle-killed spruce forests.

The following week, I meet up with Anya, my next hiking partner, and we decide to hike Segments 6–9, which I had skipped over in early June because of the late snowpack. We blast through the miles together, waking up at 4 am each day to get over the high passes: Georgia Pass, the Tenmile Range, Searle Pass, and Kokomo Pass. Because I’ve lost some days due to the fire, we are trying to complete three weeks’ worth of miles in just two weeks. My journal is dotted with smiley faces. “I’m tired.

We are cruisin’!” I write.

The monsoons have begun, and we have tall, dark clouds building each day by 11 am. We are hopeful that they will calm the West Fork fires while we are out this week.

On one ambitious day, we hike 23 miles, which I discover is too far for me: the ball of my left foot swells and the insides of both ankles twinge with a nervy pain I’ve never felt before. I ice my ankles on the top of the

Crossing the Tenmile Range.

Photo by Sarah Gorecki

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Tenmile Range with some snow left in a lingering cornice.

The moon is new again, just like when I started. It’s amazing to me that I’ve been out here for a month already. Sitting in camp one evening, Anya tells me, “This is where I’m happiest—out here away from cell phones, computers, and email.” I’m glad to be back out on the trail and couldn’t agree more. I sit outside and write in my journal at dusk, swatting mosquitos. Coyotes howl.

By the time we’re ready to hit the trail again, all but 22.9 miles of The Colorado Trail have been re-opened by the Forest Service.

We arrange for a shuttle to drive us around the closed portion and are dropped off on CO 114, south of Gunnison. We have six days of food and a meeting time at Molas Pass for our next re-supply.

We start off across Saguache Park, and the trail is searing hot by 7:30 am. For the most part, we hike on dusty roads. There is no water. We see a creek midway through the morning with a large herd of black cows trampling its willows. The water is undrinkable. We skirt a small bunch of the cows lying on the trail and take a wrong turn onto a two-track road, adding two extra miles to our day.

A few miles later we meet a “trail angel” who goes by the trail name “Apple.” “Two girls!” he exclaims. “You’re the first girls I’ve seen.” He is wearing an official-looking uniform shirt with a Colorado Trail Foundation volunteer patch on the sleeve. He has a blue pop-up tent set up along the trail with cold water, sodas, Doritos, and Oreos.

We’re grateful to fill up, because there is no confirmed cow-free water until Eddiesville Trailhead, 18 miles up the trail, and we’re

nearly out. Apple tells us The Colorado Trail has been re-opened by the Forest Service. “Really?” we say. “That’s great! We can do our thru-hike!” We’ll have to ration our food. And hike a lot of extra miles to make it.

The next day we reach Eddiesville Trailhead. There we see a Forest Service truck, which we flag down. They are putting up signs saying the CDT is closed. “Does this mean the CT is also closed?” we ask them.

My dream of being able to complete my Colorado Trail thru-hike comes to a crashing halt in less than 24 hours.

We decide we need to climb San Luis Peak in order to get cell service and confirm whether the trail is open or closed. Anya climbs it the next morning in 40 minutes, a small blue dot with flashing hiking poles visible along the talus ridgeline. The CT is confirmed open. Our thru-hike is back on!

We camp at Middle Mineral Creek, the last treed campsite with water before crossing eight miles of high, exposed country and Snow Mesa. Snow Mesa has loomed large in my imagination as the last major feature to cross before reaching CO Hwy 149 and the possibility of resupply at Lake City. A warning is also prominently highlighted in The Colorado Trail Guidebook: “This is one of the most remote sections of The Colorado Trail and Snow Mesa can feel completely cut off from civilization. This can be a good thing on clear, windless days, but a scary prospect if there are lightning bolts flashing around you.”

The creek is 20 feet below our campsite down a steep embankment, thick with willows. Anya heads down for water. As she

takes the first step down the slope, a moose explodes out of the willows and then stands regarding us over one shoulder from the safety of the other side of the creek. We watch the moose all evening as he tirelessly munches willows. That evening, I write in my journal, “The trail is relentless. Or maybe it’s our pace. Tired.”

The next morning our alarms go off at 4 am. Snow Mesa feels lonely and desolate to me, and for the hundredth time on this trip, I’m glad I have a companion to hike it with. Uncompahgre and Wetterhorn peek over the horizon. Dark-bottomed clouds are building and we hike fast, barely stopping to snap a picture. We make good time and are crossing CO Hwy 149 by 10:30 am.

Making it to this highway feels like a major accomplishment. We’ve just crossed 55 miles of what The Colorado Trail Guidebook calls the most remote part of the trail. I take a picture by a highway kiosk with a “You Are Here” map of the CT, proudly pointing to the spot that shows how far we’ve come.

We fill up on water in a small creek running alongside the road. There may not be water for 8.7 more miles, and we have another high obstacle to cross, Jarosa Mesa.

The trail climbs gently up, skirting some trees. We are now the same elevation as Snow Mesa. Looking back toward it, we see a dark storm cloud parked atop it flashing bright with lightning. It’s not even 11 am.

We nervously cross the open miles of Jarosa Mesa, scanning the clouds around us.

Constant booming comes from a cloud to the south of us, and a storm just ahead is gathering force. We decide to hurry into a Trail & Timberline

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Sarah and Vasilios at the start of The Colorado Trail in Waterton Canyon.

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urday. We are hiking at a rate of two miles per hour. If we start at 5 am, we only have enough hours to hike 12 miles before the storms come in. My ankles ache and I can’t find a way to set them down comfortably.

I wish I could go faster, but I can’t. With our plan to drop down into safe drainages, we’ll need to hike extra miles each day. We need good weather, but the weather forecast is for even stormier days ahead. The plan looks impossible. We have planned poorly.

We won’t make it. I turn toward the wall of the tent and squeeze the tears from my eyes.

It’s 2 am and I still haven’t slept.

In the morning I tell Anya I’m having doubts that we’ll be able to make it through the high section. “We either need good weather, or we need to be able to hike fewer

]

drainage to the north where there are some trees about a half mile off. Just as we reach the safety of the trees, the storm in front of us unleashes her power: crack BOOM! The skies pour rain. We huddle in our raingear under small stands of trees about a hundred feet apart. Crack BOOM! It pours.

After parking on top of us for a good 45 minutes, the storm heads toward Snow Mesa, where we now notice smoke rising from two spots where the recent lightning has started fires. It’s not even noon and we’ve seen two major storms, and we have several more miles to go before reaching a drainage with trees and a possible campsite.

The sun emerges and we quickly begin to feel like steamed vegetables inside our rainsuits. For the rest of the day we thread our way between dark-bottomed clouds.

We camp for the night near The Colorado Trail Friends Yurt and look at the map to plan out the next few days. We made some miles today, 19.5 in all. I can feel it—my left foot is swollen again, so I have to prop my ankles up on my pack. I haven’t looked closely yet at the maps for the upcoming few days, but I now realize that the next 32 miles are totally and absolutely above treeline, with no protected sites to camp in, and no timbered drainages to easily drop into. What would be a glorious and thrilling prospect in better weather, now looks seriously worrisome.

We hit the sleeping bags early, with the alarms set for 3:30 am, but I stare at the wall of the tent, doing the math over and over again. We need to make 16 miles per day in order to reach Molas Pass on Sat-

The author, thrilled to finish The Colorado Trail in Durango. Photo by Vasilios Gerasopoulos

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miles each day, or we need to be able to hike faster, which I can’t,” I tell her. “Maybe we should head into Lake City and come back to this part when we have more time.”

Over a breakfast of instant Starbucks VIA® coffees and powdered hot chocolate, we talk out our options. Anya suggests we try for Cataract Lake, 14.2 miles distant along the Divide. If it’s really hairy, we can drop down off the Divide on the Cataract Lake Trail, and hitchhike to Lake City on the Alpine Loop. I’m exhausted after only a couple hours of sleep, but we decide to try it.

Our hike across the sky begins. We pass up and over numerous rounded high points on the Divide, including the CT high point at 13,271. At Lost Trail Creek, we wait in the highest bunch of trees for the afternoon storms to clear. At 4 pm, there are storms in all directions but some brighter-looking sky where the trail heads up a pass toward Cataract Lake. We pack up and decide to make a run for it.

We head up and over the pass, keeping an eye on the storms. We hike as quickly as we can, jogging at times. I remind myself that a sprained ankle out here would be very inconvenient, to say the least. “Go as fast as you can, but watch your footing!” I remind myself silently. At Cataract Lake, a thunderstorm fills the valley below. There is nothing to do but keep going. “The tallest thing around here is an alpine avens! Or maybe a bistort!” we marvel. We can see trees about four miles down valley in one drainage. Other than that, this is a world of

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Monsoon season in the San Juans.

Photo by Sarah Gorecki

pure alpine.

A mile farther, we reach a small drainage filled with willows. “This might be the best shelter we find for the night,” we agree. We find a low spot with willows about as tall as the tent and tuck in for the night. About an hour after dark, a lightning storm passes overhead. I lie in my bag counting the seconds “one . . . two . . . three . . . four . . .” between flash and rumble. Some strikes are less than a mile away.The flash from each is

incredibly bright, even with my hat pulled over my eyes. I try to imagine where on the ridgeline above the lightning is finding its mark.

The next day we are back on the trail before dawn. We have 17 miles of high exposed territory to cover before dropping into the safety of the Elk Creek drainage.

This, we agree, is the crux of the trip. The day dawns on the most beautiful landscape I’ve seen in Colorado. I observe out

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loud that I feel like a Star Trek explorer on Planet Alpine. We stop to take a few quick photos during sunrise of the surreal green landscape around us. A couple hours later, we pass the headwaters of the Rio Grande, a tiny stream barely three inches deep and two feet across.

By 10 am, we have travelled 11 miles through the most incredible high country I’ve ever seen. We stop to check the map and assess the clouds. The next six miles are committing—we must cross a high plateau similar to Snow Mesa with no exit point until reaching the Elk Creek drainage. We eat a few hurried handfuls of food and push on. My muscles burn during each uphill climb. A storm cloud rumbles to the west and south of us. Already tired from the morning’s miles, we push on as quickly as we can, jogging on the downhills. The CDT splits off to the south. There is one last climb, 1.5 miles into the wind, headed straight toward a dark-bottomed cloud. The final challenge of the day.

When we finally reach the trail to descend into Elk Creek, I am filled with relief and happiness. We have made it. For the first time, I know I will complete the trail.

I feel tears of relief and joy on my face as Trail & Timberline

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we descend the switchbacks into Elk Creek.

There is a storm filling the valley ahead, but I stop to take some photos anyway. The trail switchbacks down through the most lush and beautiful field of paintbrush I have ever seen. Cliffs to the north are dramatic, gleaming.This is the best part of the trip for me, and I know it. In another 20 minutes, we make it to the safety of the trees just as the sky opens up with pouring rain and flashes of lightning. We hunker down by the side of the trail to wait out the storm, eating handfuls of pulverized crackers, remnants of beef jerky, and dehydrated peanut butter. It’s the best lunch of the trip. I can’t stop smiling. The smells of rain and forest are delightful.

We are picked up at Molas Pass the next afternoon in a drizzle. I am excited for a shower and a trip into town. Silverton presents us with a handful of restaurants on the main street interspersed with boarded up buildings. On a side street, we spy a tiny commotion and head over to check it out. It’s a handful of runners finishing the famed Hardrock 100 endurance run. A few are posing for pictures at the “hardrock” itself, a large block of stone at the finish line.

We’ve just hiked 108 miles in seven days to get here; I marvel that these runners have just run 100 miles through the same mountains in less than two days.

The next morning, my husband and I find ourselves standing on the side of U.S. 550 waving good-bye to Anya as she drives off in our rental car.We are finally on the last leg of the trail. There are still 73.9 miles to go, but I am spurred on by thoughts of home, finishing, and what I will eat in Durango. We have time to enjoy the trail, stop and take photos, even jot notes in my journal as we hike. Vasilios carries most of the gear so I can have a lighter pack for the final stretch to “rest” my ankles. We ask everyone we meet, “Where are you headed?” the answer is always “Durango”. Where else, on this stretch? We overtake two old men hiking slowly who have clearly each already celebrated three quarters of a century. The man in front tells me, “I’ve hiked the trail three times. In my day.” He is helping his friend to finish the trail.

The flowers of the San Juans are thick, lush, and colorful. Paintbrush grows 18 inches high. Corn husk lily and monkshood stand taller than me. We camp at Cascade 28

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Creek the first night, one of the most spectacular campsites of the entire trail. Our campsite is set in a patch of krummholz, directly above a waterfall, with a large flat rock outcrop for cooking and gazing downvalley. Behind our campsite is a beautiful alpine cirque.

We hike south along the divide for the next 22 miles along a broad ridgeline, forested and shrouded in clouds. Visibility is often less than a hundred feet. Clumps of trees appear out of the mist. The mist turns to rain and we squelch through miles of puddles. We wonder aloud if we have taken a wrong turn and are now on the PCT. “I wonder when we’ll reach Oregon!” we joke.

We also wonder what mountains and views we are passing by.

After two days of wet shoes and damp clothes, and a final climb over Indian Trail Ridge, we descend out of the clouds and down 4,000 feet into thick, warm forest.

The moon, when we can finally see it again, is getting full. Our final night, we camp at 8,522 feet in seemingly tropical air. We receive many congratulations from fellow hikers on the final segment. On July 18, at 2 pm, after 36 days of hiking, we reach the Durango terminus of The Colorado Trail.

We celebrate with burgers, beer, and a piece of chocolate cake at Carver Brewing Co.

The Colorado Trail was harder than I expected it to be, but I’m glad that I was inspired to try it. I practiced my backcountry skills and learned a few new ones. Dealing with the daily logistics and challenges helped me to more fully trust my own judgment. I saw Colorado in her many moods.

I travelled through the landscape watching peaks, landmarks, and entire ranges melt away. I got to spend some time with friends in the backcountry. I lost a few pounds and gained some funny tan lines. I probably won’t have the opportunity to go on another trip like this for a long time, but I’m resolved to keep getting out into the wild places of Colorado as much as I can. Most of all, I am glad I was able to complete the trail.

I’m grateful to Anya Byers and Stacy Wolff for tackling the miles with me; to my husband, Vasilios Gerasopoulos, for the many re-supply trips he made, and for carrying a very heavy pack for the last 73.9 miles; and to everyone at the CMC for their support. △

The Summit Club Boulder’s Teenage Climbers, 1949–1953

By Karl Gustafson The author and John Vickery on Kit Carson summit, 1951. Crestone Needle and Peak are between us. Photo by Jim Vickery

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small piece on page 10 of the Boulder Daily Camera on August 1, 1953, was titled, “All 52 14,000-Foot Peaks in State Goal of Youthful Climbing Group”. This was probably the only official documentation of a group of pioneering young climbers who had just graduated from Boulder High School that June. The article went on to speculate that The Summit Club, as this collection of youthful climbers had tagged themselves, would remain “very much in business” in the coming years. But such would not be the case.

Sixty years ago marks the end of a unique and unknown chapter in Colorado’s climbing history. Almost no one knows that a group of 10 Boulder teenagers spontaneously took up rock climbing in 1949 while in junior high school, became good friends, and founded The Summit Club while attending Boulder High School. I was one of those 10 climbers, having been initiated into the sport of rock climbing at age 13, climbing up Boulder’s Second Flatiron in street shoes with two friends, John Clark and George Hall.

Early on the three of us taught ourselves to climb, often practicing at the Amphitheatre Rocks in Gregory Canyon. By high school, 10 of us had forged together as climbing comrades, and we decided our group needed a formal name: The Summit

Club. Our members were Cliff Chittim, John Clark, William (Bill) Fairchild, Ralph (Skip) Greene, Karl (Gus) Gustafson, George Hall, Lynn Ridsdale, Corwin Simmons, James ( Jim) Vickery, and John Vickery. We were all within two years age of each other and graduated from Boulder High School in the Classes of 1951, 1952, and 1953. To my knowledge, at this writing eight of us are still alive. Skip Greene died in 2010 and Bill Fairchild in 2011.

Although we climbed mainly for fun, we were pretty good climbers. Among our first ascents were the Matron North Face, the Schmoe’s Nose, the West Face of the First Flatiron, the Amphitheatre West Pinnacle North Chimney, the Window South Corner on the East Face of Longs Peak, the North Face of Mount Meeker, and the

Capitol-Snowmass Ridge. As soon as we were old enough to drive, we set out to do a bunch of Fourteeners, often skiing them in winter. We went up Stettner’s Ledges on the East Face of Longs Peak, a stateof-the-art difficult climb at that time, and we wanted to do the Diamond. But that was closed to climbing, to everyone, in that era. When we started climbing in earnest in 1949, we 14-year-olds used the inchthick bulky hemp climbing ropes of that time. But the better nylon ropes became available shortly thereafter. Our original climbing shoes were our basketball shoes, but we soon moved up to mountaineering boots with Vibram hard-rubber soles. In this pre-technical fiber era, our climbing attire consisted of blue jeans and cotton shirts, maybe with an extra layer tossed into Trail & Timberline

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Summit Club car camp for our ski climb of Mount Antero, 1952. L to R: Jim Vickery, John Clark, and Corwin Simmons.

Photo by Karl Gustafson

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our rucksacks. We bought our tents and sleeping bags cheaply at the Army Surplus Store. I began working in the basement of Roy Holubar’s house at 1215 Grandview in exchange for a few pitons or even an ice ax. He and his wife, Alice, were then running a fledgling mail-order mountaineering business from their home. I remember one time Roy paid me for my labor with an incredibly heavy pair of used mountaineering boots laden with those old Tricouni nails.

I lugged them all the way up the front of Pikes Peak on a Summit Club Christmasvacation climb. And down. When we got back I complained to Roy, who took them back in exchange for a carabiner and some sling rope.

***

There are interesting connections of this Summit Club to the Colorado Mountain Club and its Boulder Mountaineering School in its early days. The September 1997 issue of the Compass, the Boulder Group newsletter, celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the founding of that famed school, noted that the 1951 rock climbing school had been co-sponsored by the Rocky Mountain Rescue Group, Die Alpenisten, the University Hiking Group, and The Summit Club. Of course by 1997, no one knew who we were!

Although we were just teenagers, both John Clark and I taught for a year or two in that Boulder Mountaineering School in

the early 1950s. I recently delved into the old Boulder group minutes and found that John, Lynn, and I had joined the CMC in 1951. Those records also showed I was elected a “council member” of the Boulder group for one year. In essence, I was the liason between the Boulder CMC and The Summit Club. Unlike the Denver Group, the Boulder CMC Group in those days had no “Boulder Juniors”. So we were the best approximation. I still remember going up to Henry McClintock’s house, and to Professor Harold Walton’s house, to have tea with the Boulder CMC council members. At the time, I took all of that for granted. But as I look back, it was really rather gracious of them.

My first Fourteener was North Maroon

in 1949, when I was 14 on a CMC trip led by Roy Holubar and Horace B. Van Valkenburgh, CMC stalwarts. I also did the Little Bear-Blanca traverse on a beautiful long day on a CMC trip with Horace B. Van Valkenburgh in 1951. Some of us Summit Club youngsters joined a CMC trip to do the Crestone Needle-Crestone Peak traverse in 1951. By that time, we were mountain goats on the rocks, and once atop the Needle, we young hot-shots headed out to do the traverse in some kind of record time. In typical teenager fashion, we tended to regard the older CMC members with a bit of disdain, referring to them as “the old duffers”. But we got our comeuppance on that Crestone trip, from a Denver CMCer named Roy Rickus. Not only had he gone fishing on the day of the climb before breakfast, on the Crestone traverse he kept up with us, and then went on to do Kit Carson and Humboldt in the same day.

We were incredibly impressed. As for us, we had to go back down there later that summer to get Kit Carson and Humboldt on a nice sunny day.

***

Who were we?

Jim and John Vickery were twins. Their father had been a gold miner in the foothills Survival on Mount Bross after a night out at near -60 degrees, 1952. L to R: John Vickery, Jim Vickery, and Corwin Simmons. Note our Army surplus parkas (dyed khaki from the Army ski troopers' white and then trimmed in fur) and tents. Photo by Karl Gustafson

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The author rappelling off the Maiden, after Skip Greene and I made an early repeat of the new Walton traverse route, 1951. Photo by Roy Holubar

west of Boulder, and then became a stonemason, layering that beautiful sandstone that characterizes the University of Colorado Boulder campus. Jim and John worked as hod carriers with their dad in summertime and developed very strong hands that just loved the feel of rock. The small basement bedroom of the Vickery brothers in their modest family home on 8th Street in Boulder became a sort of clubhouse where we would meet to plot our next climbing adventure. Mrs. Vickery, who we fondly called Mamoo, was the perfect mother-figure for a rambunctious bunch like us. Never a reprimand, perhaps some nice cool or warm refreshments, and when we designed a Summit Club shoulder patch for our parkas, she had them made for us.

Skip Greene’s dad was a brickmason and Skip worked alongside him to develop into a sturdy man of few words. He went on to become a key player and caretaker at the University of Colorado’s Arctic and Alpine research station on Niwot Ridge.

When he died, in recognition of his 50 years of service, including executing tricky snowmobile-aided winter rescues in the high country, Rocky Mountain Rescue held a memorial for him at the research station.

John Clark, one of my first friends when

I moved to Boulder in 1948, came from a prominent Boulder County mining family. John went on to become one of the first Longs Peak climbing rangers. The “Clark’s Arrow” marking the route through the cliffs from the Loft to the Homestretch on the back side of Longs Peak is due to John.

John and I were almost blown off the top of the high ridge coming back from North to South Arapahoe Peaks by a 100 mph windstorm in late fall 1951. But we made it, sometimes needing to crawl while simultaneously bracing with our ice axes.

Corwin Simmons climbed mostly with Lynn Ridsdale and is probably the best known of any of us Summit-Clubbers due

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to his name on the Corwin Simmons Rock on Flagstaff Mountain. Corwin was an early pioneer of bouldering. To train for that, he would carry around one of those little blue hard rubber balls and keep clenching and unclenching it in one hand and then the other throughout the day. I remember him driving his parents crazy as he worked out routes, climbing all the way around their house. Lynn’s older sister, Jan Waddington, is a famous longtime CMC member, see the feature on her in Trail and Timberline, 1015 (Summer 2012, 32–35). But I did not know her in our high school climbing days.

About 10 years ago I happened to sit at a table with Jan and her husband, Dave, at an annual dinner of the Boulder Group and was astonished to learn that she is Lynn’s sister.

George Hall was the first of us to make contact with the climbing world, learning a few of the basic techniques from the CU rock climbers. Cliff Chittim climbed mostly with the Vickery brothers, as did Bill Fairchild. Cliff ’s mother died when he was a young boy and Cliff was raised by his Aunt Latora. Bill’s father was a musician who had played in the Glenn Miller Orchestra.

In his book High over Boulder (1995) with Cleve McCarty, the well-known climbing author Pat Ament made readers aware of

Summit Club shoulder patch on the author’s parka on Capitol summit, 1951. Our design admittedly shows some resemblance to the Matterhorn. Photo by Robert Allen

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Skip Greene on the Window South Corner, 1953. Four of us climbed the route, on two ropes, in eight hours from Chasm Lake to Longs summit. Photo by Karl Gustafson.

early Boulder climbing before his time. On page 6, he wrote: “On the flatiron rocks between Boulder and Eldorado, ascents were made that were the beginnings of serious free-climbing. The North Face of the Matron, for example, done by Karl Gustafson and Skip Greene in 1951, was confirmed years afterward to be 5.6.” Ament also, in his Bouldering at Flagstaff Mountain— The Early Years (available online at http:// www128.pair.com/r3d4k7/amentboulderinghistory1.html), relates his bouldering to the spirit of Corwin Simmons, and comments: “As many of the good climbers of the early years around Boulder, Corwin Simmons disappeared into obscurity and was never seen on the rock or heard from during the golden age of the 1960’s.”

Indeed, we left no written record of our own golden age of climbing, then 10 years earlier. One exception is my first-ascent traverse of the Capitol-Snowmass ridge in

1951. None of my Summit Club buddies could go, but I was able to talk Bob Allen, a CU student, into driving over and doing it with me. Roy Holubar, who had suggested that climb to me, insisted that I write it up for posterity: see Trail and Timberline, 404 (1952), 119–121.

We Summit-Clubbers were mostly from non-wealthy, even poor, families. Our summers demanded that we find jobs, which cut deeply into our climbing time. Although climbing was our major passion, we were otherwise typical high school students, engaged in the usual athletics and student leadership activities. Cliff Chittim, for example, was elected Head Boy of our senior Class of 1953.

Boulder in those days was not plush as it is now. The city consisted of 12,000 residents and 8,000 CU students. Instead of the 50,000 who now commute into Boulder to work, it was the other way around,

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The author exploring the Diamond on Longs Peak, 1952. Although Rocky Mountain National Park had officially closed it to climbing, everyone wanted to climb it. Photo by Skip Greene.

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with Boulder folks seeking good jobs in Denver. Pearl Street and downtown were full of rundown flophouses for destitute old miners. Those oldsters would come out into the sun and congregate on old wiremesh benches in front of the courthouse.

Jim Vickery, always of creative humor, and not derogatorily, coined the name “the waffle-assed gang” for them. Now you have the fancy Pearl Street Mall, and those old flophouses carry the names of the many fine restaurants and pubs there.

Although it was not our intention, The Summit Club effectively disbanded in 1953.

To celebrate our high school graduation in June 1953, eight of us organized an overnight campout on small ledges at the top of the Third Flatiron. We also did some nice climbs that summer. But it wasn’t long before real life took over. Many of us needed to work our way through college, and others lost interest in further education and began full-time jobs. Some joined the military. Although most of us kept our individual interests in climbing and hiking throughout our lives, there were no further Summit Club climbs after the summer of 1953.

But I think that we had the best of it.

Those were fantastic days, days of great adventure, and a unique camaraderie forged up on the rocks and peaks of our youth, days to be remembered forever.△ Karl Gustafson is a Professor of Mathematics at the University of Colorado in Boulder and a Life Member of the Colorado Mountain Club.

Karl Gustafson today.

Photo by Jillian Lloyd

Alpine Start: New CMC Program Is a Great Way for 15- to 25-Year-Olds to Get Introduced to the Outdoors

By Carmen Stagg, Young Adult Program Coordinator and Lead Instructor

Reviewing the basics before hitting the water at Bear Creek Lake Park during an intro to kayaking program, for Alpine Start Teen Ventures participants. Photo by Dan Orcutt

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ing others to those kinds of experiences has been a huge part of my life ever since.

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hen I first became involved with the Colorado Mountain Club, I was fascinated by the number of volunteer leaders who dedicate so much of their lives to teaching about skills and safety in the mountains and lead literally thousands of people a year into the wilderness, all on their own time. I was—and still am—utterly amazed. It made me wonder: What caused the spark for all these leaders? There had to have been an initial connection with the outdoors that made them want to volunteer their time leading others up snowy peaks or towering rock walls, or on miles and miles of trails into the wilderness. What makes a person so passionate about being in the mountains that they feel driven to share that experience with others?

While I did not grow up in Colorado, I knew I loved the mountains from a young age. It wasn’t until years later, however, that I knew I wanted to be an outdoor leader.

I distinctly remember the experience that sparked my interest. I went on a backpacking trip with my college’s Outdoor Adventure Club during Spring Break, to Havasupai Canyon in Arizona. We hiked down a mile of intense switchbacks into the canyon, then trekked eight miles to camp, crossing creeks and passing waterfalls along the way.

Our group, made up of both friends and strangers, learned together about cooking in the backcountry. We discovered innovative ways to clean—both dishes and ourselves— and laughed a lot at the novelty of it all. I remember spending hours looking up at the stars and pondering the interconnectedness and immensity of nature. One day on this trip was spent scaling a cliff down to the most beautiful swimming hole I have ever seen, where a waterfall shot out of the red canyon walls, filling two pools in the rock with water that was ice cold but oh so refreshing. The two pools were connected by rushing water forming a natural waterslide and separated by a few lone trees jutting out in stark green contrast to the rocky canyon. From there we hiked a strenuous 8 miles (16 miles round trip) along Havasu Creek to the Colorado River. It was incredibly challenging. But I felt inspired by my surroundings, and supported by my leader and trip-mates. And that was when I knew: This is the kind of experience that everyone should have. Around that time, I also discovered my love of climbing and found a climbing community that pushed me to continue the development of a healthy, active lifestyle, and the pursuit of outdoor adventures. Being in the outdoors and expos-

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I imagine all CMC members and trip leaders have had similar experiences to my backpacking expedition in Havasupai Canyon, one that brings the outdoors close to their hearts. Unfortunately, not everyone has the opportunity to appreciate the outdoors in ways that make them fall in love, or in ways that empower them to continue adventuring on their own. Especially among teens and young adults, in an age of personal electronic addiction, outdoor adventures are less and less common. This is not only a societal issue, but deeply impacts the CMC as well. The majority of the current CMC membership is 55 or older. Without an emergence of young leaders passionate about the mountains, what will happen to the CMC? It is for these reasons that the CMC is developing a new young adult program called Alpine Start. Alpine Start is a member-based program that will consist of two new young adult groups: one serving high school students ages 15 to 18 (Alpine Start Teen Ventures) and one for adults ages 18 to 25 (Alpine Start). Through a variety of mentored outdoor experiences, Alpine Start will provide 15- to 25-year-olds with opportunities for developing both technical and relational leadership skills, with the intention of empowering young adults to continue organizing adventures on their own, safely and responsibly. These groups intend to attract and serve younger members through activities that not only promote a passion for the mountains, but also a community of peers.

By partnering with the CMC Youth Education Program (YEP), Alpine Start is able to provide all necessary gear, qualified instructors, and offer a variety of options for outdoor adventures for this age range. Collaboration with existing CMC schools and Trail & Timberline

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leaders is also an important component of the program, because this enables participants to become familiar with the systems and structures of the CMC, and to gain an appreciation for the volunteer leadership structure of the Club.

Inspired by a term used by climbers, “Alpine Start” denotes beginning a mountain ascent in the earliest hours of the morning, in order to maximize climbing time, minimize risk, and increase the chances of reaching the summit. Similarly, the Alpine Start Program of the CMC allows teens and young adults to get an early start in building the skills and knowledge necessary to enhance their outdoor skills, develop as leaders, and increase their chances of success.

While there are a tremendous amount of youth and young adults who do not get to experience the outdoors because they do not have these opportunities and therefore do not consider them, there are also numerous young adults who very much want more exposure to outdoor activities, but have not yet found ways to get the experiences they want.

When we first began discussing the idea of a young adult program with interested 20-somethings, responses about what these young adults would want from the program ranged from, “I know how to climb, but it’s always other people taking me. I want to learn what I need to know to take other people out,” to “I just moved back, after college, and I want to find other people my age who want to go outside and have fun.”

The CMC Young Adult Program will meet these needs by providing opportunities for young adults to build outdoor skills

Alpine Start Teen Ventures participant reaches for his next move at an outdoor climbing session in Evergreen.

Photo by Frank Burzynski

and participate in engaging and rewarding recreational experiences with peers. Just like the existing CMC groups, Alpine Start will offer skill-based training, organized outdoor activities, and social events. Participants will have the opportunity to grow based on their interests, and pursue more challenging activities based on their level of comfort.

So what exactly does this program offer in terms of outdoor recreation and leadership opportunities?

Alpine Start offers a variety of programming throughout the year, ranging from rock-climbing, hiking, and backpacking to working with local environmental organizations. Alpine Start is unique in adventure-based programming in that it provides opportunities for continuous active experiences that are affordable, accessible, and fit into the already existing demands of a young adult’s schedule. Through outdoor adventuring and stewardship opportunities, participants are offered numerous fun and exciting opportunities to be physically active, challenge themselves, and work together in planning and reaching goals.

Separate offerings for teens and young adults allow for age-appropriate activities and the development of close-knit relationships with peers. Specific offerings may be modeled after, collaborate with, or expand upon what the CMC currently offers its members.

This summer marked the launch of our

Alpine Start Teen Ventures participants listen attentively to YEP Director Melanie Leggett discuss the basics of anchor-building at an Outdoor Climbing Skills session. Photo by Frank Burzynski

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Alpine Start Teen Ventures programming.

So far we have run a variety of programs for 15- to 18-year-olds, from climbing to kayaking to camping in the mountains.

These programs are designed to help teenagers learn new skills, and meet other people their age, who also have an interest in the outdoors. When writing this article, we were a few days away from embarking on a rafting expedition on the Arkansas River, where participants explored various components of leadership and community in the outdoors. Through experiential opportunities on the water and in the mountains, students will learn how to communicate with and use a crew, and explore what it means to bring people together into a cohesive group.

The Alpine Start Teen Ventures program is supported mainly through the CMC Youth Education Program, but is also led by a Youth Leadership and Advisory Board (LAB). This group, which is composed of 3 teenagers ranging in age from 15 to 18, assists the Young Adult Program Coordinator in program planning and outreach. Essentially, the LAB enables youth who have demonstrated a capacity for and interest in leadership to have a voice in the creation of Alpine Start programming.

Progressive leadership opportunities will be structured into the program as well, so that the longer participants are involved, the more responsibility they will be able to take on and the greater capacity for leadership they can build. As youth build confidence, they may have the opportunity to act as coleaders on trips and even co-instruct some program activities if desired. There will also be opportunities for mentorship between

A group of young adults excited about the program on a hike at Golden Gate Canyon State Park. Photo by Melanie Leggett

on this trip will also be afforded a free stay in one of the backcountry huts in the upcoming season, allowing for continued pursuit of their love of the outdoors!

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This fall will also bring more opportunities for young adults to develop their outdoor leadership skills. The Alpine Start group for 18- to 25-year-olds will begin this fall with a partnership with the CMC Denver Group’s Wilderness Trekking School.

Alpine Start will offer young adult participants the opportunity to complete the school together, receiving all the basic training and skills afforded by one of the most well-attended CMC schools, while remaining among peers and forming lasting friendships. Wilderness trekking school begins September 10. Consisting of a combination of evening lectures and group field days, it is a wonderful introduction to basic skills needed for safe mountain exploration—and a great way to find out what the CMC has to offer. In addition, upcoming training through Alpine Start will include courses on rock climbing, as well as opportunities to attend a variety of social events, such as film festivals, local hikes, and even a recreational tree climbing day! The ultimate goal of the program is to provide yearround offerings for young-adult members, based on their interests and desires. Hence, progressive offerings will be developed based on input from Alpine Start members, and could include basic mountaineering training (in collaboration with the Denver Group’s BMS), opportunities for continued and advanced rock climbing training, and snow sports.

I would have liked to have had more opportunities such as these when I was in high school. Perhaps I would have discovered my

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groups. For example, 18- to 25-year-old Alpine Start participants can utilize their leadership skills by volunteering to co-lead trips for the Teen Ventures program. Teen Ventures participants can practice their leadership skills on trips with peers, or by volunteering with youth participants in the CMC Youth Education Program. This sets the stage for a sustainable volunteer leadership structure as these groups grow, and gives group members tangible ways to practice leadership and give back to the Club.

Alpine Start Teen Ventures’ introductory programming has been largely successful this summer. Twenty teens from the Denver metro and foothills area have participated in Alpine Start’s initial program offerings, many of them returning for multiple trips.

Alpine Start’s 15- to 18-year-old program has also fostered partnerships with other groups, such as the Warren Tech Outdoor Leadership program and the Jefferson County Outdoor Lab School internship program. And of course, Alpine Start maintains a strong partnership and stepping stone relationship with the CMC Youth Education Program. Alpine Start Teen Ventures will continue into the fall, with many more opportunities for teenagers to get outside, to develop leadership skills, and to meet school and service-based requirements.

Because volunteerism and service is intrinsic to the CMC, stewardship is an important component of Alpine Start programming as well. On September 8, 18- to 25-year-olds in the Alpine Start group will have the opportunity to participate in a weekend hut maintenance trip in one of the 10th Mountain Division’s backcountry huts. Cleaning and caretaking of the hut will be accompanied by enjoyment of the pristine surroundings, and getting to know other young adult participants. Volunteers

passion sooner, or maybe I would have been more empowered to make wise choices when faced with all of the complicated decisions that come with being a teenager.

As one 15-year-old participant in Alpine Start stated, “Being involved in outdoor recreation lets me meet new people who share my interests, improves my confidence, makes me a happier person, and sustains a healthy lifestyle.”

This is what the CMC is striving to foster through the creation of its new Young Adult Group: A way for young adults to experience challenge, adventure, and community that promotes healthy lifestyles and a passion for the mountains. The Alpine Start program will strengthen the community of the CMC’s 7,000 members by developing more leaders within the CMC, making the CMC more appealing to a younger audience, and prompting greater participation from youth and young adults.

I remember once returning from a weeklong expedition with a group of teens, and overhearing a participant say, “Do you all remember that first day together in the van? It was so different. We were so different.” My co-instructor and I looked at each other and smiled. While our facilitation of the group experience may have had something to do with that, most of it came from the individual and collective lessons learned from being in the mountains together.

Yes, it’s true. The mountains can change you. The purpose of the CMC Young Adult Program is to harness the important lessons they can teach about leadership, trust, planning, and teamwork, and perhaps most important, what the mountains can teach you about yourself. As a teenager transitioning into adulthood, or as a young adult forging your future goals, these are lessons that are of the utmost importance. △

Feeling accomplished. Alpine Start teen participant Veronica Delgado smiles as she reaches the top of one of her first outdoor climbs. Photo by Dan Orcutt

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CMC Young Adult Program FAQs: For more information about Alpine Start, please contact Carmen Stagg, Young Adult Program Coordinator and Lead Instructor, at carmenstagg@cmc.org.

1. What age range does the new Young Adult Program cover?

The Young Adult Program will serve ages 15 to 25. This demographic is broken down into two target groups, 15 to 18 year olds (high school students), and 18- to 25-year-olds, with separate programming offered for each group.

2. At what age will participants become actual CMC members?

Participants will be able to join as CMC members at age 15. We would like youth to have the opportunity to become actual members of the CMC at 15, in order to begin familiarizing them with the systems of the CMC (registering for trips through the website, understanding the volunteer leadership structure, etc.), and so that they can begin to recognize the value of CMC membership.

3. How much does a membership in this program cost?

A membership costs $21.

4. How will the CMC support members under the age of 18?

Young adult program offerings for those ages 15 to 18 (i.e., high school students) will be supported mainly through the YEP program. This part of the young adult program, called “Alpine Start”, is meant to be a bridge between the CMC Youth Education Program and the CMC membership. This program is unique in that it will serve youth but be designed according to the structure of the greater CMC, meaning it will be club-based programming, as opposed to typical youth-education-type programming. Teens have the chance to help create and have a voice in the activities, and develop community through continuous involvement. Certified and paid instructors will lead events with this age group, with the option for CMC members to help out as volunteer leaders, if they are passionate about working with teens! Teens also have the opportunity for volunteer leadership through a Youth Leadership and Advisory Board (LAB) that assists with program planning and outreach.

5. How will this “Young Adult Group” be different from the existing Young Adult membership offered through various CMC groups?

Alpine Start Youth Leadership and Advisory Board member Kayla Walker. Photo by Frank Burzynski

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While various groups do offer young adult rates, there is no current programming specific to 18- to 25-year-olds. The purpose of this program is to provide youth/young adults ages 15 to 25 with opportunities unique to their age group, and among peers, through the CMC. The program was established to help the CMC retain its new young adult members, and increase the number of younger leaders in the Club.

Young adult members from any group will be able to participate in Young Adult programs, just as these new young adult members will be able to participate in activities/trainings offered by any other existing group. There has already been expressed interest from several current young adult members in the increase of offerings for their age range!

6. Will the training of young adults over 18 be subsidized by the Club or will these young adult members pay their own way, as do regular group members of the same age?

Young adults will pay their own way for specific technical and leadership training; though we will have scholarship opportunities available for those who cannot afford the training.

7. If young adults do join the CMC as full-fledged members, with prior training through the new Young Adult Group, will CMC groups be expected to waive Group training requirements?

CMC groups will be expected to waive training requirements only if sensible and necessary. There are already structures in place for waivers of certain requirements for adults who join with pre-existing experience. Market research has shown that the inability to or inflexibility in the waiver of certain requirements could be a barrier to membership for some young adults. If a need arises for any variation in the waivers of training requirements for those participating in the Young Adult program, it will be discussed further with CMC groups/schools and the Safety & Leadership Committee.

8. Will the technical and cultural training received by members of the new Young Adult Group be comparable to the technical and cultural training offered by the established training programs of other groups?

Yes. Every effort is being made to align with not only CMC standards and best practices, but industry standards. Young Adult technical and leadership training will be structured in alignment with the existing framework of the CMC and the established leadership protocols, in order to begin familiarizing participants with the structure and systems of the CMC. This will enable new young adult members to understand and take ownership in the CMC and continue to be members and leaders within the organization both before and after they are 25 years of age.

Incorporation/participation in existing CMC schools and training, as part of the leadership training for these incoming younger members is a goal of the program. Collaboration with existing CMC leaders and school directors is of the utmost importance in this endeavor. The more support the program gets from CMC members and leaders, the more feasible it becomes. However, there is also a need for separate or adjusted offerings for this group of young adults, in order to appeal to this demographic and work for them logistically. △

Stories from the Juniors

By Woody Smith

Top of South Maroon Peak. Left to right: Hugh Kingery, Jack Scudder, Mary Hitch, Cindy Miller, Sally Hitch, Dick Stenmark, Chuck Froese, and C. L. Bell. Courtesy Colorado Mountain Club Archives

“Juniors climb by a full moon (Mt. Elbert).”

“Juniors eat scrambled eggs with peaches for breakfast (Zip cabin).”

“Juniors slide down creeks (Sawtooth).”

—From “What Do Juniors Do?” By Tina Jonas, Denver Juniors, April 1973 T&T, 113.

During the summer of 1930, the Colorado Mountain Club held four “experimental trips for boys and girls”; the thought being that kids might enjoy the outdoors as much as adults. The trips were deemed a success and by September 1930 the Junior Colorado Mountain Club (ages 14–21) was formed. The JCMC had its own charter, officers, dues ($2.00/yr), and initiation fee (.50 cents). There were also JCMC representatives at each of the four Denver high schools—North, South, East, and West.

The first official Junior Group trips were scheduled for that autumn. On September 27–28, 1930, the Juniors were “Digging up a Dinosaur near Canon City.” Sunday, October 5, the Juniors went to Devil’s Head.

Two weeks later they joined the “seniors” for a trip to the Devil’s Garden, located about a mile west of Golden, up Clear Creek (T&T, October 1930).

The next year the Juniors had their own Trip Schedule for hikes. Soon many traditions were begun. The annual trips on New Year’s, the Fourth of July, and a 10-day out-

Denver Juniors Chuck Froese and Cindy Miller, Spring 1950. Courtesy Colorado Mountain Club Archives

ing in August gave structure to the year.

Other annual events were the Junior Banquet, Full Moon Hike, and the infamous Pie-Feed.

Though far from the thoughts of today’s climbers, Square Dancing was another favored activity of the early Juniors. As Boulder and Colorado Springs formed their own CMC Juniors, satellite groups of square dancing kids sprang up along the Front Range. Often meetings were concluded with a session, and Junior “callers” would get their chance to call a dance. (“Turn your partner round and round, do-si-do, step on her toe…!”)

Wrote Denver Junior Cynthia Cummings:

sors, an adult to give advice when needed, to allow mischief while steering clear of trouble. One such was Bill Davis, known to the Juniors as “Mother,” who became a sponsor in 1957:

The urge to swing into this exhausting pastime hits in odd places as made evident by the Sherman trip in ’42 when to the accompaniment of swinging ice axes and clanking hobs [hobnail boots] a square was called on top of the peak.

Square dancing anywhere is not for the short-winded people, and 14,000 feet of altitude soon had them gasping for breath. Squares have been formed around the fire in the evening as on the ’42 Massive trip or the Halloween trip of ’45.

(T&T, August 1946)

. . . The winter outing was held at the old Zip cabin on Loveland Pass. The most memorable aspect was the ski jump.

Someone had constructed it so it passed directly in front of the door. Every time you stepped out of the cabin, you risked being sliced down by a Junior hotdogger going off the jump. Then there was the noise. The old cabin had one big room around the fireplace and it served as an echo chamber. I think I may have snarled on that outing. Of course, everyone wanted to walk through the water tunnel to the Western Slope. The less said about that episode the better.

Following the Junior Outing in 1959– 60, a bunch of us decided to try our luck at cross-country skiing. . . . We got so good at it that at the regular Denver Group Technical School later that spring, we sent an avalanche across the highway at Loveland Pass and stopped Sunday traffic for four hours. There wasn’t any Eisenhower Tunnel in those days, either.

(T&T, May 1980)

Of course the youngsters needed spon-

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Bozo, the ranger’s dog, in camp. Courtesy Colorado Mountain Club Archives

1941 winter outing was injury free. Wrote Dick Stewart: “Due to careful planning and handling there was not a single accident among the fifty-two people registered.”

But Junior Outings were not always so peaceful and pleasant. Wrote John Wullshleger:

nation than fear for the Juniors. In 1940– 1941 the Junior Winter Outing was held at Howelsen Lodge near Berthoud Pass.

Wrote Denver Junior Dick Stewart: Mr. Moore, the caretaker, very kindly volunteered to take a party through the Williams Fork [ Jones Pass] diversion tunnel. [Eight Juniors] Made up the party, climbing from the west side of the tunnel to the pass through deep snow.

It took about an hour to go through the tunnel and another three hours to attain the 13,453 foot pass. Coming down via the road, we covered approximately ten miles on the whole trip.

Despite ill-advised tunnel hiking, two small avalanches, boxing, wrestling, singing, melodramas and square dancing, the 1940–

The Boulder Juniors 1971 Snowmass Wilderness trip left Boulder Library on a Friday night at the end of August. There was a long drive over Loveland Pass to Frisco where we ate an after-dinner snack and drove on to Dillon Reservoir in search of a campsite.

On Labor Day weekend the campgrounds had about as many spaces as you would find in downtown Los Angeles.

We stayed in a picnic area. It was snowing, or “slushing.” The trees were dripping and the ground was spongy. We went to bed wet and woke up wet and stiff.

We awoke to discover that the inside of the tent was wetter than the outside. . . . We made a stop at a Glenwood Springs Laundromat to dry our gear. We finally arrived at the Snowmass Lake trailhead.

The trail was wet from drenching rains.

Despite more rain on the hike to Snowmass Lake, the party awoke to a majestic sunrise: “Viewing the peaks . . . with sunlight creeping down their sides, revealing them in full, was like looking on as curtains open on stage, introducing to the audience a number of great players.” (T&T, April 1973) In April 1973 Theron Miller also of the Boulder Juniors wrote of his JCMC trip to Navajo Peak on the Continental Divide:

On the way up to fog-shrouded South Maroon Peak, summer 1950. Courtesy Colorado Mountain Club Archives

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. . . This area is famous for its wind, especially near Brainard Lake. The wind funnels down the valley and bites at the unprotected mountainsides with a force that is unbelievable. The higher up one goes, the worse it got. . . . By the time we had hiked to Lake Isabelle there was a slight drizzle of rain and the wind was tearing us apart. At approximately 11,000 feet we were moving up a 35 degree snow slope and walking into the wind.

Conversations were short because to talk one had to scream. Our sponsor . . . came up beside me and said, “Damn! Do you think the wind will blow?” . . . By this time it was dark and the wind had picked up as we struggled to pitch tents. In thirty minutes we had our tents pitched and were inside. . . . Every time the wind blew it sounded like a two-hundred twenty pound gorilla was playing trampoline with our tent.

The next day, with the wind still whipping, Miller and a friend chose not to climb with the rest of the party and were sliding around on a nearby “snow slope.” Finally their tent poles snapped under force of the wind, the “tent deflated like a big balloon.

With anger and disgust we ran down to salvage our equipment which the wind was scattering all over. After about an hour of running, slipping and salvaging . . . we had our stuff back in our packs.” They awaited the return of the climbers by “spending a long cold day huddled around a large rock.”

(T&T, April 1973) Despite the inevitable hardships and mishaps, sponsor Bill “Mother” Davis concluded: . . . I tried to share the beauty of the mountains and the joys of climbing with the members. We all worked to keep the basic CMC rules. Sometimes it was necessary to explain their logic or to justify their need. To me, those rules were established so that mountaineering could be done safely and enjoyably. Besides when you sponsor a Junior trip, you get the members under the best possible conditions. They are free from institutional restrictions (like those imposed by the schools) and personal restraints (like those required by the family). It is an ideal situation in which to test the selfdiscipline that is the core of true mountain climbing. I can’t remember any Juniors who failed to display this inner strength when it was needed. There is little call for mothering under such circumstances (T&T, May 1980). △

Reminiscences of a Junior

By Hugh Kingery

As a youngster I roamed the hills and streams near our mountain cabin on North St. Vrain Creek—a cabin without electricity or running water. Dad taught me fly fishing, mom and I identified birds. We joined a CMC Wild Basin Outing in 1943 and I worked as a camp boy on the 1948 Gore Range Outing. I recall vividly the trauma of horse-packing supplies into camp at Piney Lake.

The Denver Juniors highlighted my high school years: we climbed fourteeners, learned to ski (downhill and cross country), and traveled throughout Colorado. The Juniors left me with great memories of great times with great friends.

On my first winter outing in 1948 we stayed at a Denver Water Board cabin below Jones Pass. The come-on for the fourday outing touted a “super-deluxe ski lodge” with room for square dancing, all for a cost of $15. T&T described the skiing: “We all climbed up together, and four led the descent with telemarks and christies; the rest of us [including me] followed with sitzmarks. Deep powder snow is not the easiest thing to get out of.”

We climbed Castle Peak on a 1950 spring trip to Montezuma Mill above Ashcroft.

We attached skins to skis when we started at 4:30 am, but climbed the last 500 feet on foot to arrive on top at 9:30 am. The sun burst through and lit up an impressive panorama of Elk and Sawatch peaks poking up through clouds. The afternoon involved a snowball fight and construction of a snow (wo)man. A hired husky sled-dog team brought in our equipment, but we packed it out ourselves with pots and pans sticking out at all angles.

Another memorable trip targeted Mount Elbert in April. Before the climb, we clustered around the Lake County Courthouse to watch a pie-eating contest—delectable, cream-topped, strawberry and raspberry pies—between Dick Ryan and Dick Stenmark. But, after the girls smashed the pies into the Dicks’ faces, Leadville reverberated with a pie fight.

On the next day’s climb, wind-blown ridges turned a projected ski climb into a foot climb. One Junior didn’t want to go all the way so while the rest went on, he slept for two hours—on one side. The result: a

sunburn line down the middle of his face.

Everybody enjoyed a 1,000-foot glissade down toward camp.

Juniors specialized in glissading and in shenanigans during the snow sliding. Some managed it better than others—you could tell by the condition of their pants when they reached the bottom.

Juniors approved of pies: the annual election of officers happened in August, at a Pie Feed held at a nearby picnic area—in 1950, at Devils Head. These passed more sedately than the Leadville street fight.

On summer outings we worked as camp assistants; Snowmass was best. We labored every other day (some Seniors said not very diligently) and climbed on alternate days, on the regular Senior trips. From Snowmass Lake, we climbed the Maroons; the ranger’s 50-pound dog, Bozo, had come to camp and decided to go along. We crossed the valley, unable to see either peak because of fog, and went up a snowy couloir on South Maroon. Near the top Bozo got scared, so kind-hearted Jack Scudder carried him up in his pack. The dog got pack-sick on the way—the friendship quickly became onesided. We tied him to a rock while climbing North Maroon.

From Snowmass Lake we backpacked over a 13,000-foot pass (we called it “Impasse”) to Pierre Basin. We camped among rocks at Pierre Lake, altitude 12,500’, and cooked in shifts due to a very small fire.

Our climb began at six; we crossed a large boulder field, negotiated the knife-edge ridge (some on foot, some on all fours), and reached the top at nine—back to Snowmass Lake by 3 pm. The trip was well worth the backpack and half-cooked salmon.

We met for trips in front of the (old) Denver Public Library in Civic Center.

Parents dropped off their kids and contemplated the mayhem, as various articles of

clothing, usually shoes, ended up dangling from various monuments.

Transportation always challenged us. On a trip to Sunshine and Redcloud, I banged the oil pan of (my parents’) Buick with unfortunate results, though the trip went on.

On that trip we found climbing Redcloud steep and disconcerting—you take one step, slide back two. We also climbed Bandies by moonlight, during which T&T reported, “we managed to get caught very thoroughly on the cliffs. After an hour spent and one flashlight the only casualty we came out above the cliffs.” Bleating sheep made for an eerie descent.

Evening campfires involved lots of singing. An earlier group of Juniors published a song book that we used, along with the Intercollegiate Outing Club Association (IOCA) song book. Campfires ended with a traditional ritual: singing “Round the Blazing Council-fire’s Light,” reciting Henry Van Dyke’s “These Are the Things I Prize,” and singing “Taps.” We Juniors remember fondly the words (or most of them) to all three.

Our gang shared governance of the group: Mary and Sally Hitch, Cindy Miller, Dick Stenmark, Dick Ryan, Izzy Blandford, Buster Lewis, Jearme Hausehnarm, Jo Elliott, Jim Hays, Sterling Ambler, Chuck Froese, Sally Sutton, Bob Hartsfield, Rowland Tabor, Randy and Helen Ransom, C. L. Bell, Patsy Peregrine, Lynn Ward. We always had at least one “Senior” to “Sponsor” each trip. Chief among them: Malcolm Lindsey (the Senior founder of the Junior group), Bob and Dottie Swartz, Mrs. Mauselmarm, Don Peel, Bob Steele, Henry Buchtel, Mr. and Mrs. Hitch, Mrs. Peregrine, John Spradley, and Alice Rawson. All contributed mightily to our highcountry experiences, which have sustained us all our lives. △ Trail & Timberline

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End of the Trail Ken Barber ▶1925–2013

By Greg Long

I moved to Colorado in the early 1990s, a cocky 20-something from New England ready to conquer the Colorado mountains, and got introduced to a new and uniquely Coloradan species: 60-somethings who could kick my butt up one side of a Fourteener and down the other. Ken Barber was the trip leader on several of my early CMC trips and my introduction to that species.

For Ken, who passed away April 4, leading CMC trips was a way to give back while pursuing his goal of climbing all the Fourteeners. He introduced many climbers to the joys of the Colorado mountains, often by unusual routes. He led several trips up Pikes Peak from the south side after getting permission from the water department. His friendship with a local landowner also allowed him access to Little Bear from the south. Perhaps he was motivated to get permission for that one after taking his stock F-150 up the Lake Como road on a previous trip and limping home with a damaged drivetrain.

Things like restricted access and difficult roads were all part of the fun of achieving a goal for Ken. Once he had his mind set, he would pursue a goal emphatically; the only thing that would ever stand in the way was safety. If a thunderstorm or other hazard prevented his reaching a summit, well, the peak would still be there tomorrow. With a box of maps he kept handy in his office, Ken constantly sought out new places and challenges, and he was always willing to share them In addition to leading trips, Ken served as publicity chair on the Pikes Peak Group council for many years in the 1990s, lending his expertise and sense of humor to the group. I recall one discussion Ken Barber atop Capitol Peak.

Courtesy of Nancy Barber

about a fund-raising project when Ken—with a perfectly straight face and tongue firmly planted in cheek—suggested he could certainly get the money if we’d just help some of his developer friends access Section 16.

Ken leaves a legacy of giving back to the CMC with a smile on his face, and leaving smiles on the faces of those who hiked with him— when we could keep up.

Stephen Pahs ▶1963–2013

By Marianne Curtis

We will all miss our dear friend Stephen Pahs, who passed away on April 9. Those who have had the pleasure to hike with Stephen knew that he always greeted folks with a broad smile and had a contagious laugh to brighten the day. He was passionate about the mountains and hiked with enthusiasm and a strong will to conquer any kind of terrain. He enjoyed peak bagging, backpacking, and canyoneering.

Stephen had to have two knee replacements, but it didn’t discourage him from enjoying the mountains and getting back to hiking in the mountains as soon as he could. Stephen always carried the Ten Essentials and then some. He was so prepared that he was always able to offer extra pieces of equipment to other members.

With his prior experience as an EMT, he offered medical assistance on several occasions on hikes when members were injured and saved the day! On a CMC backpack trip to Bowdie Canyon, Utah, a member had a bad fall, so Stephen and the trip leader walked eight hours back to the car and drove to town to get a rescue helicopter sent in for the injured party. Stephen was always willing to help and a very caring individual. He enjoyed spending time with his brother’s family and his mother, who live in town. He was a fun and loving uncle to his young nephew.

He had many talents, including being an outstanding chef. His friends and family enjoyed many of his delicious creations. We would like to remember Stephen for his love of the outdoors, his perseverance in climbing, and the warmth of his friendship that he shared with so many of us.

Stephen Pahs atop Citadel’s south summit.

Courtesy of Dave Turk

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On the summit of Holy Cross, Molly in stripes, son John to her left. Summer 1966.

Courtesy of Chery Grund-Honiotes ▶

Mary F. (Molly) Sethman-Grund ▶ 1925–2013

By Chery Grund-Honiotes

Born November 12, 1925, and raised in Denver, Molly was a thirdgeneration Denver native. She grew up in Park Hill, with two sisters and an extended family of mountaineering and outdoor enthusiasts. The family history with the Colorado Mountain Club goes back as far as any of us can remember. Our Uncle George Harvey, Sr., was one of the founders of the Colorado Mountain Club. His son George Harvey and wife, Elvia, spent much of their free time climbing our Colorado Rocky Mountains; George named several 13ers and lakes. Molly’s father, Harvey Sethman, was also an avid climber and hiker. The family has a wealth of original photos taken by family photographer George, with cheerful climbing parties posed on some impressive cliff, rock wall, or peak summit; the women in their boots and long skirts, pick axes in hand.

As a child, Molly spent weekends at the family’s Lookout Mountain cabin, which is still in the family. At 13, she was rapelling off “Lover’s Leap”, a more than 1,000-foot drop-off overlooking Clear Creek Canyon. This was, of course, highly encouraged by Uncle George and father Harvey, who taught her. She officially joined the Junior Mountain Club as a young teen. And so her love affair with mountaineering was sealed; she was determined to summit all of Colorado’s Fourteeners, and carry on the family tradition.

Molly and her two sisters—identical twin, Marge, and youngest, Dodi—continued to climb through high school and college.

All graduated from CU Boulder, where Molly raced for the CU Women’s Ski Team and practiced her climbing skills on the Flatirons.

In 1962, she became the 18th woman to climb all of Colorado’s 14,000-foot peaks.

When Molly was 41 years old, Mount of the Holy Cross was added as an official Fourteener, so of course she had to climb it and keep up her record. In 1966, she and oldest son, John, then 16 and with several peak summits already on his record, did the trip together with a CMC party.

A few times a year, Molly would call school to report her children were sick, and take them to Arapahoe Basin or Winter Park for a day of skiing. Being in the high country with Molly was an endless stream of “see that peak, just north of the hogback? I climbed that on skis in 1946. Three hours of straight skiing all the way down!” Or “I know a fun way down! Let’s go under that rope and head through the trees.” Or “let’s stop a minute and take it all in! See that peak over there? I could take you up that one this summer! There’s an easy approach from the south. . . . ” Molly was endlessly, and so enthusiastically, in love with everything Colorado: our deep blue skies and marshmallow clouds, the steep mountain passes, the wildlife. In her later years, when she could no longer make the trip alone, she relished day trips to Echo Lake, picnics up Trail Ridge Road, and weekends at the family cabin.

Anything up high and surrounded by nature’s abundant beauty was a gift—as if she was seeing it for the first time. It defined her all of her days.

We imagine her now, once again skipping over river rocks and climbing up into the firmament, encouraging her companions with

“c’mon now, just one foot in front of the other, slow and steady.”

Happy Trails, Molly/Mom/Nanny.

Stephen A. Gladbach ▶ 1961–2013 Born June 6, 1961, in Kansas City, Missouri, Stephen Gladbach developed a love of the Colorado mountains during family trips to the state while he was a child. Like many of us, his love of the outdoors brought him to Colorado as a young adult. Settling in Pueblo, in the early 1980s, Steve climbed his first mountain in 1985 and never looked back. He summited all of Colorado’s Fourteeners, not just during the summer, but also during the winter. He often wrote about his climbs on 14ers.com; his climbing prowess earning him the title of “grandfather of the 14ers.” In addition to his climbing exploits in Colorado, Steve climbed the highest peak in North America, Denali (20,320’); the highest in South America (and the Americas), Aconcagua (22,841’); and the highest in Europe, Elbrus (18,510’).

A member of the Pikes Peak Group, Steve tragically died on June 23, while on a private climbing trip on Thunder Pyramid, in the Maroon Bells Wilderness, near Aspen. He is survived by his daughters, Linda (16) and Alise (13); his former wife, Nona, of Pueblo; his parents, Jack and Marge Gladbach of Roeland Park, Kansas; and his siblings, Joe, Kathleen Norkus, Tim, Ann Graham, John, Peggy Louree, Bill, Jerry, and their families.

Laurie Beth Loshaek ▶1950–2013

By Sherry Richardson

On July 15, 2013, Laurie Beth Loshaek, a 20-year CMC member, died peacefully in her home, surrounded by the people she loved.

Laurie worked as an attorney for HUD. Her playground was the mountains, both in Colorado and around the world. Laurie was the wife of George Kasynski, also a longtime CMC member.

Since joining the CMC in 1993, Laurie reached the summit of numerous peaks. Between 1993 and 1997, Laurie climbed Grand Teton (13,776’), Mount Chimbarazo in Ecuador (20,564’), and Cotopaxi in Ecuador (19,347’). On July 20, 1997, Laurie stood atop Denali (20,320’). During the years that followed, from 2001 to 2010, Laurie climbed peaks in Borneo, Mexico (Pico de Orizaba, 18,491’), France (Mont Blanc, 15,781’), and Morocco.

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In December 2006, Laurie and her husband, George, accompanied CMC member Chip Drumwright to Viet Nam to volunteer their time to the Himalayan Dental Relief Project (HDRP). This is a Colorado-based non-profit organization that recruits volunteers to provide free dental care to impoverished children. While there, of course, the three took the opportunity to climb the highpoint of Viet Nam, Phang Xi Pang (10,312’). In the Summer 2007 edition of T&T, Laurie described the climb: “The steep path of slippery tree roots and rock faces never relented. Dynamic veggie holds were our good friends. Tiny steps carved in bamboo logs helped us up and over treacherous sections. At times we pulled ourselves up by grabbing bamboo shafts that had been strategically cut by the side of the trail. (See the complete entertaining article at http://archive.cmc. org/Upload/ArticlesDirectory/5.pdf) Closer to home, Laurie finished the Fourteeners on August 27, 2004, with the ascent of Culebra (14,049’), following her climb of Mount Shuksan (9,131’) in Washington State in July. She also climbed several of Colorado’s Top 100 peaks, including Lizard Head, Peak 15, V10, and South Lookout Peak.

In 2010, Laurie climbed Rabbit Peak in California and Kilimanjaro (19,430’). On October 1, 2011, Laurie completed all the 50-state highpoints, finishing with Vermont’s highpoint, Mount Mansfield (4,393’). On May 19, two months before her passing, Laurie; her husband, George; and friend Jim Foley climbed East Blue Mountain

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in Golden Gate State Park.

Laurie’s CMC friends and family will sorely and sadly miss her determination in all her climbing successes and in her life.

Laurie Loshaek belaying a climber on the Matron. Courtesy of George Kasynski

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/AdventureTravel for more detailed itineraries and registration forms.

British Columbia Coast Mountain Getaway September 8–14, 2013 $3,200 Journey into one of Canada’s best kept secrets: The undiscovered natural paradise of British Columbia’s Cariboo Chilcotin Coast region. Trip includes inspiring alpine hiking in the Coast Mountains; flight from Nimpo Lake to camp; scenic float plane flight over the Monarch ice fields and expansive Coast Mountains; alpine lake canoeing; Grizzly Bear River float tour with a professional local bear guide to watch grizzlies feeding on spawning salmon; explore 10,000-year-old Nuxalt native petroglyphs; alpine flowers and crystal blue glacial lakes; giant cedar trees; breathtaking waterfalls; drive the famous Heckman Pass, with grades of up to 18%; discover the remote and dramatic Bella Coola Valley; enjoy healthy gourmet meals (day one lunch through day seven lunch); six nights cozy accommodations in backcountry cabins, lakefront cabins and lodges; scenic flight along the spine of the Coast Mountains from Bella Coola to Vancouver. This is a partially supported trip, sleeping bags will be carried by participants on two hikes, from hut to hut on days two and four. Other hikes will be day hikes, mostly off trail and over uneven ground but led by experienced, personable, and passionate guides. Hiking difficulty is mostly B or C, with off-trail conditions. NOT INCLUDED: Flight to Vancouver, British Columbia, ($545–$630 depending on stops); optional nights in Vancouver depending on flight times; flight to Williams Lake (Estimated $120—guide will assist with booking); travel insurance (recommended); alcoholic beverages if desired; tips. Minimum 6 persons, maximum 12. Call Janet Farrar 303-933-3066 or email wildjc@Juno.com.

Sikkim Himalayan Trek October 15–November 5, 2013 $3,220 Gyeljen Sherpa invites you to join him on a trek through exotic Sikkim. Once its own kingdom, tiny Sikkim is now a state of India. Sikkim is home to the thirdhighest mountain in the world, Kanchenjunga (8,586 meters/28,169 feet), one of the largest mountains in sheer size in the Himalayas. From Delhi, we will take a domestic flight to Bagdogra, then on to the legendary city of Darjeeling, home of His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, and the Tibetan government in exile. One day by jeep will bring us to the beginning of our two-week trek. We will be traveling through the Kanchenjunga Biosphere Reserve, walking in rhododendron forests, camping in small villages,visiting Buddhist monasteries and shrines, traversing high alpine passes, and experiencing breathtaking Himalayan vistas. We will camp beside the sacred lake of Lam Pokhari and cross the high pass of Goecha La, 16,207 feet, the highest point on our route. Along the way we will interact with the local people, getting to know their customs and culture and making new friends.The minimum number of participants is eight. Not included in the price: International and domestic airfare, travel insurance, personal spending money, and Indian visa fee of $73. Indian visas must be obtained before departing the United States. For more information, please contact Gyeljen Sherpa at alpineadventurel@gmail. com or call Gyeljen at 720-2073-7158.

Everest Trek Nepal November 9–25, 2013 $2,540

Join Pemba Sherpa, a native of the Khumbu region of Nepal, in the Himalayas on this spectacular trek along the foothills of some of the world’s highest peaks! Pemba has been guiding visitors to his homeland since 1986 and will do so again in 2013, taking us into the heart of the world’s majestic Himalayan Mountains. We start our trek with an exhilarating 35-minute scenic flight into the airstrip at Phaplu, a small town in Solukhumbu district. We will trek over gentle paths through agricultural farming land and small Sherpa and Rai settlements. We will then trek into the rarely visited Lumding Valley. Very few Westerners have ever ventured into this completely unspoiled valley!

We will be surrounded by striking scenery as we trek through virgin terrain while marveling at views of Everest and its neighbors.

We will also spend time with Pemba’s family in the small Sherpa village of Sengma and will relax for a couple of days in Nepal’s colorful capital city of Kathmandu. This journey is sure to satisfy your thirst for adventure, let you meet the people and learn the culture of Nepal, as well as bring you in person to some of the best views on Earth!

For more information please call Pemba Sherpa 303-525-6508, or e-mail pemba@ sherpaascent.com.

Cerro de Aconcagua 22,841’ November 25–December 16, 2013 $1,695 (4 to 6 people); $1,550 (7 people) It’s finally here; the first trip since early 2004 to the highest mountain in South America. Aconcagua, in good conditions, is the highest mountain in the world where one can gain the summit without setting foot on a glacier. However, the altitude and wind can quickly become factors affecting a climb. We’ll be there just before the start of the climbing high season. The trip is led by Steve Bonowski, leader of the 2004 AconTrail & Timberline

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cagua trip as well as numerous Club trips to Kilimanjaro and Mount Elbrus/Russia.

This climb is a formal expedition; moving loads and camps, climbing high and sleeping low, in order to get sufficiently acclimatized. Maximum group size is 8, including the leader. Minimum size is 4, including the leader. The posted trip cost includes all ground transportation and airport transfers; mule transportation of gear from Puente del Inca to Plaza de Mulas base camp and return; lodging in Mendoza (breakfasts, 2 nights—double rooms) and Puente del Inca (3 nights—quad rooms); ½ board in PDI; full board, including dinners, in Mulas when there; ½ board in Confluencia; sanitary services at Confluencia and Mulas; contingency; gratuities; limited leader expenses; CMC fee. Posted cost does not include round-trip airfare to Mendoza; Argentine reciprocity fee (entry fee—$160); Park climbing fee ($340); travel and evacuation insurance; baggage fees; single supplement; food and fuel for use above base camp; dinners and lunches in Mendoza; lunch in PDI; cost of any medical exams or medications; bar tab; souvenirs; snacks; porter services; Internet or satellite phone.

Pre-requisites are recent graduation from a Club high altitude or advanced mountaineering school, or instructors in said schools, and good physical conditioning. Equivalent experience will be considered provided one has experience hiking at 15,000’ or higher. For a trip packet, contact the trip leader at: climbersteveb@gmail.com.No phone calls please.

New Zealand Great Walks February 15–March 2, 2014 (Dates may be adjusted based on booking availability for the tracks.) $ 2,260 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 explore additional cultural activities on their own.

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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 and 11 participants. Current CMC member trip cost estimate is $2,260. Non-member estimate is $2,328. Final trip dates may be adjusted depending on track bookings.

Current projected dates are February 15 through March 2. 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, food, and incidentals. To register for this trip contact Patrick McKinley, Phone: 303-973-7387, E-mail: patrickmckinley@hotmail.com Notes: 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 up to 1,500-foot elevation gain, in possible inclement weather conditions.

Yellowstone in Winter January 29–February 3, 2014 $1,095 to $1,290 per person 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, three full days and four nights at Old Faithful Snow Lodge or cabins, happy hours, and several meals (four breakfasts, one lunch, and three buffet dinners), and all entrance fees and gratuities. We depart Denver by bus on Wednesday early in the morning and stay overnight in a motel in Jackson, arriving in Yellowstone on Thursday afternoon.

We leave Yellowstone and return to Denver late on Monday. Prices are per person, based on double occupancy. Most rooms have two double beds (we have five king sized beds) and private bath. If you sign up on your own, the leader will assign another solo participant as your roommate. The trip cost for the newer Snow Lodge hotel rooms is $1,290, the “Western” cabin is $1,220, and the rustic “Frontier” cabin is $1,095. (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 (one breakfast, five lunches, and two dinners), optional sightseeing excursions within the park, equipment rental, or trip insurance. There is a 3% guest fee for non-CMC members. Trip leaders are Rick and Deana Pratt. To obtain additional information or to register for the trip call 303887-3717 or E-mail rpratt905@gmail.com.

Best of the Grand Canyon— Colorado River Raft and Hike, 2014 April 26–May 8, 2014 CMC members: $4,265 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 4 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 daily-guided hikes at different hiking levels, or one may choose to rest in camp.

There are several opportunities for point-topoint hikes where we may hike from one drainage to the next and the raft will pick us up later in the day. Register with Leaders: 303-871-0379, blakerosemary@cs.com.

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 free sleeping kit is available 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). 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, Arizona, near the put-in on Saturday evening, April 26, and begin our raft trip on Sunday, April 27. The trip ends on Thursday, May 8, when we helicopter out of the canyon and fly back to put-in area.

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 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. Many hikes follow a social trail or are off trail.

CANCELLATION POLICY FOR PARTICIPANTS • Trip deposit of $500 is payable to the CMC at time of registration.

• $300 of this deposit is non-refundable.

• Final payment is due November 15, 2013.

• For cancellation on or before November 15, 2013, there will be a refund of $200 ($500 less the $300 non-refundable fee).

Any refunds after November 15, 2013, will be made only if a qualified replacement is accepted. Travel insurance is recommended.

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