Trail & Timberline #1024

The preservation debate 18 • Climbing Gannett Peak 34 • Tales of Toponymics 38

Trail &

timberline The Colorado Mountain Club • Fall 2014 • Issue 1024 • www.cmc.org

Celebrating Wilderness Trail & Timberline

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Letter from the CEO 50th Anniversary of the Wilderness Act

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his year is the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act. We’re celebrating the protections it affords to America’s wild places—some of the very places where we as Club members like to hike and climb. At its inception, the Wilderness Act set aside more than 9 million acres of federal land to be forever protected from development and, since then, over 100 million additional acres have been similarly protected.

We’re dedicating this issue of Trail & Timberline to the Wilderness Act. Heather MacSlarrow, CMC’s Conservation Director, writes on the great American debate between preservation and extraction; John Fielder shares his thoughts on the importance of experiencing the wild up close; former staff Bryan Martin writes on the role land trusts play alongside federal land managers to preserve private lands; and photos from the Denver Group’s Photography Section beautify the pages throughout.

For those history buffs among us, you may recall that T&T Issue 1006 (Spring 2010) was also dedicated to wilderness—look through its pages to read more.

In concert with federal agencies, nonprofit organizations, academic institutions, and other wilderness groups (loosely coordinated as “Wilderness 50”), the CMC has been involved this year in numerous Wilderness 50 activities. At the American Mountaineering Museum, we hosted a monthlong exhibit displaying handpicked photographs from John Fielder highlighting the state’s wilderness areas. This culminated in A Celebration of 50 Years of Wilderness in Foss Auditorium, with over 300 CMC members and friends in attendance on May 21. John Fielder narrated an hour-long presentation of his photographs from wilderness areas across the nation, interspersed with local Colorado author Dave Rothman’s readings from his poetry and short stories highlighting his own experiences in wild places.

The CMC partnered with Volunteers for Outdoors Colorado on a trail maintenance project in the Mt. Evans Wilderness on June 28. We will participate in the Evergreen Walk for Wilderness on September 6. Reg-

istration and information are at www.evergreenwalkforwilderness.com. CMC will also join with John Fielder and many other conservation organizations at the John Denver Tribute for Wilderness, to be held October 25 at the Buell Theatre. Information and tickets are at www.cmc.org/conservation.

Numerous events will be held through Colorado this fall. The Wilderness Act: A Historical Exhibition will take place in Denver from September 3-October 31. A Wilderness Fireside Chat will be held in Durango on September 5. A Walk for Wilderness in Leadville and a Ute Trail maintenance project in the Gunnison Gorge will occur on September 6. A Walk for Wilderness in Steamboat Springs will be held on September 7. A wilderness hike in Fraser will be held September 12. The Evolution of an Adventurer will be presented in Avon on September 25. Crazy About Canyons hikes will take place in Black Ridge Canyon on September 27 and Dominguez Canyon on October 4. A Colorado Wilderness Act of 1993 Celebration will happen in Tabernash on October 4. For more information on any of these events or to register, visit www.wilderness50th.org.

We are in the midst of a host of anniversaries: the Club’s centennial in 2012, the Wilderness Act’s 50th this year, and Rocky Mountain National Park’s centennial next

year. These are all reminders of the hard work our predecessors have done, and the efforts we need to keep making to preserve the mountains and their beauty for generations to come.

My time here as Interim CEO is drawing to a close. As I write this, the Board has appointed Colorado native Scott Robson as the new Executive Director, concluding a comprehensive three-month search. Robson brings two decades of experience to the role, including director of parks and recreation positions with the City of Evergreen, City of Denver, and the City of Louisville.

It was a privilege to serve as Interim CEO for the past few months. Our Club is primed for a bright future. As a dedicated member, I’m eager to see where Scott takes us in the years to come. I want to express my gratitude to all of you for the roles you play in the CMC. Every member, volunteer, leader, and instructor is instrumental to our success.

While I’ll be leaving the office, I plan to continue working on revitalizing our Club while I enjoy our nation’s beautiful wilderness areas. See you all on the trails or at the crags! △

Matt Stevens Interim Chief Executive Officer

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18 Fifty Years of Wilderness

34 Gannett Peak

26 Reflections on Wilderness

38 So You Want to Name a Mountain…?

The long-standing debate over preserving public lands

By Heather MacSlarrow

An interview with John Fielder

By Josh Kuhn

HAMS graduates tackle Wyoming’s high point

By John Martersteck

CMC members’ attempts at naming Colorado peaks

By Woody Smith

30 Outside the Park Boundary

The role of land trusts in preserving Colorado’s wildlands

By Bryan Martin

Fall 2014 Trail & Timberline • Issue 1024• 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 membership and youth education departments, as well as news from the CMC Foundation and Year of the Mountaineer.

14 Around Colorado

What’s happening in your group?

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On the Cover

16 Safety First Tips for wilderness survival.

By John Lindner with Judy Hildner

22 Pathfinder

Crossing Devil’s Causeway in the Flat Tops Wilderness.

By Edward Nunez

40 End of the Trail

Remembering those who have passed.

42 CMC Adventure Travel

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

Fall colors in the Eagles Nest Wilderness. Jao van de Lagemaat

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The official publication of the Colorado Mountain Club since 1918.

Editor Sarah Gorecki editor@cmc.org

Designer Jessica D. Case Advertising Sales

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. © 2014 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/Join/MountainClubPartners

Give

Your support helps our programs reach new heights! Give online today at cmc.org/support.

Make your support last all year by becoming a Peaks Partner with a recurring donation of $10 or more per month. Sign up today at cmc.org!

Charitable bequests of any amount help ensure the sustainability of CMC for generations to come. A planned gift does not need to be large to make a difference. Learn more about the 21st Century Circle at cmc.org.

For questions about donations, workplace giving, gifts of stock, or planned gifts, please contact us at give@cmc.org or 303.996.2752.

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/Centennial Visit www.cmc.org/join Trail & Timberline

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On the Outside Snowmelt cascade above Lake Isabelle, Indian Peaks Wilderness. Alan Lipkin

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Mission Accomplishments CMC Membership is a Fantastic Value Beyond The Hikes

By Brenda Porter , Member and Volunteer Engagement Director

Why join the CMC, when there are so many “free” hiking groups? Most people join the Club to hike, plain and simple. CMC offers thousands of hikes to our members throughout Colorado and beyond, so hiking is a good reason to join.

Yet the value of membership extends far beyond participating in activities—the CMC offers much more than any other outdoor club in Colorado!

The Colorado Mountain Club is a charitable organization—our cause is to improve people’s lives through mountain experiences in recreation, education, and conservation.

CMC is a community of people who love the challenge, thrill, and inspiration of exploring the mountains. Hundreds of members are also volunteers who provide thousands of hikes and classes every year. CMC provides liability insurance for our volunteers, so they can do what they do best— take people outside, knowing that they have organizational support behind them.

We instruct people how to enjoy the mountains, in safe, respectful, and fun ways.

We teach people of all ages—from preschoolers to retirees—mountain skills from A-Z, starting with avalanche awareness to z-pulley systems and an amazing array of topics in between, including wildflower identification, nature photography, mountain navigation, and trail building.

Membership fees are dedicated to pro-

viding membership services, including member communications, newsletters, the quarterly Trail & Timberline magazine, a trip calendar, and group support. And, many of our members make additional charitable donations to the CMC for conservation work, to provide opportunities for youth to experience the mountains, and to increase the CMC’s impact through special projects. We also secure grants and donations from foundations and corporations to conduct our charitable work.

The CMC Press provides the information you need to summit a peak, hike yearround, learn new skills, and relive history.

CMC members enjoy a 20% discount on CMC Press books, as well as discounts with a variety of outdoor retailers. See www.cmc. org for a full list of member benefits.

Because the CMC has thousands of members, we are a strong voice for natural places in the mountains, for both access and conservation. We protect natural places in the mountains through advocacy and stewardship, so that Colorado will continue to have inspiring, beautiful, sustainable mountain open spaces in which to recreate. In recent years, we fought for and won a stronger Colorado Roadless Rule, protecting over 4 million acres of national forests.

CMC works to ensure that human-powered, quiet recreation opportunities remain plentiful in Colorado. We work with land Hikers at Herman Gulch.

Photo by John Kieffer

Children at Mount Toll and Blue Lake, Indian Peaks Wilderness.

Photo by John Kieffer

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managers and a diverse set of stakeholders to create balance and understanding between different recreational user groups.

We are involved in travel and recreation planning efforts on public lands, oversight of state trails funding, and are active at the Colorado state legislature on matters affecting recreation and public lands.

CMC acknowledges that our recreation has impacts and we have an obligation to give back and be stewards of our public lands. Our Stewardship Program is designed to offer trail building and unique service opportunities for CMC members and the public. Overall, we are committed to helping build a culture of service and stewardship in the CMC and the community at large.

We advocate for recreational access to priority peaks and trails, working with private property owners and other stakeholders to gain hiker access. Recently, we successfully helped secure public access to Mt. Wilson, a Fourteener in the San Juans.

CMC is also is working with partners to identify and remedy issues with recreational liability in Colorado.

As a member of the CMC, you are part of an organization with more than a century of experience helping people explore, conserve, and learn about Colorado’s mountains. No other club in Colorado has those credentials. △

Funds Provide Member Training, Climbing Education

By Brenda Porter, Member and Volunteer Engagement Director

Like many, I joined the CMC to take Basic Mountaineering School. I had just moved back to my native state of Colorado and my goal was more to meet climbers than to learn skills, as I had been climbing Fourteeners and Thirteeners since I was 12 years old. That was when the CMC offices were in the old annex of the historic high school, when the Mountaineering Center was still a dream. Decrepit is an understatement—as I was paying for the course in an abandoned science classroom, a ceiling tile fell over the desk, barely missing the woman who was registering me!

That day in 1997, I learned about the volunteer-led capital campaign to renovate the American Mountaineering Center, providing a home base for the recreation, education, and conservation activities of the Club and a vision for something much bigger than what was then the current organizational reach.

A year later, the CMC secured a grant to provide youth opportunities and I was hired

to bring youth education into the CMC. In creating YEP—CMC’s successful Youth Education Program—I connected with many CMC members who helped immeasurably. They built our car-sized avalanche model, volunteered to teach youth classes, helped with curriculum development, and donated money for scholarships.

Over and over, they said that “paying it forward” was invaluable to their own experiences in the Club.

Now, as the Director of Membership and Volunteer Engagement, I primarily work with members and volunteers. I continue to be inspired by our members’ stories of how the Club has influenced their lives.

Eckart Roder and Steve Gladbach were longtime members who now both have named memorial funds. They both believed so strongly in the power of the CMC to positively impact people’s lives that their families set up funds to help expand CMC’s charitable work.

Since 2003, The Eckart Roder Education

Fund has provided funding for training to CMC trip leaders and instructors. An annual grant (with a proposal deadline of May 31 each year) enables members to apply for educational projects in the CMC. In 2014, the Denver Safety and Leadership Committee will receive $1,000 for avalanche training for trip leaders and the Boulder Group will receive $600 for winter safety training for members.

Last year, the Steve Gladbach Education Fund was created in memory of the Pueblo member who was an active and inspiring mountaineer. Contributions from the mountain community have funded videos that promote safety and education for mountain climbers (avalanche awareness and the 10 Essentials), as well as a memorial to Steve. Watch the videos at CMC’s YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/cmcticket. △ Contributions to both funds are always accepted at www.cmc.org/support.

On a hike with Eckart Roder on the east ridge of Sniktau. Photo by Fred Hayes

Steve Gladbach loved to teach and mentor youth and adults in the mountains.

Photo by Britt Jones

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Inspiring the Mountaineer in All of Us

By Rachel Vermeal, Marketing Director, with Lin Wareham-Morris

The Colorado Mountain Club is aiming to inspire the mountaineer in all of us in 2015.

The 2015 Year of the Mountaineer emphasizes the role of mountaineering in the Colorado Mountain Club’s past, present, and future. Created by passionate CMC members, the statewide initiative will host a number of events designed to engage and motivate climbers of every skill level.

Beginning in the fall of 2014, the CMC looks forward to offering Club members and the general public a range of events that celebrate CMC’s century-old passion for the mountains.

One of the capstone projects of the Year of the Mountaineer is the World Summit Series, which will see CMC climbers explore six of the world’s seven highest peaks: Denali (Mt. McKinley), Mt. Kilimanjaro, Mt. Kosciuszko, Mt. Elbrus, Aconcagua, and Mt. Everest. All six expeditions will be directed by experienced and qualified CMC trip leaders who will provide real-time photographic and blog updates on their preparations and summit or base camp attempts.

Closer to home, Year of the Mountaineer will feature a series of guided hikes for all ability levels in celebration of Rocky

Mountain National Park’s centennial year.

CMC members played a significant role in the foundation of the world-class national park in 1915. James Grafton Rogers, one of the founders of the CMC and its first president, was integral to campaigning for the establishment of the Park. In fact, the early CMC leadership, using Rogers’ expertise and diligence, helped draw the first outlines of boundaries and drafted (and redrafted) the first bills introduced to Congress.

CMC members and the general public are invited to attempt climbs of 100 of the 125 named peaks in the park, hike a series

of trips that total 100 miles within the park boundaries, and partner with the CSU Extension Colorado Native Plant Master Program for guided wildflower hikes.

No matter how you choose to get involved, Year of the Mountaineer is going to be an exciting and invigorating time for all members of the Colorado Mountain Club. Mountains aren’t just part of our name, they’re an essential part of all our lives. We’re looking forward to celebrating the hills and all those who wander them in 2015. △ Learn more at www.cmc.org/yearofthemountaineer.

As Coloradans, we all appreciate our proximity to Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) with its easy abundance of climbing, hiking, backpacking, fishing, and camping. But, as a CMC member, are you aware of just how instrumental our early members were in the creation of the Park?

Consider how these CMC charter members provided the leadership and dedication that helped create RMNP: • Enos Mills, naturalist and a park advocate, solicited the help of James Grafton Rogers to form the CMC; Rogers became the first president of CMC (April 1912).

• CMC, in the spirit of John Muir’s Sierra Club, advocated on behalf of establishing RMNP as one of its main objectives.

• Morrison Shafroth chaired the CMC’s National Park Committee, supplied more accurate maps of the proposed park area, and helped Rogers to draft and redraft bills presented to Congress.

• CMC members organized outings to experience the park project firsthand; they climbed Flattop, Hallett, Taylor, Otis, and Thatchtop Mountains, descending Odessa Gorge to Fern Lake Lodge (1913).

• The CMC held a camping outing from Grand Lake to Horseshoe Park (1914).

• CMC formed a nomenclature committee to sort out and establish peak and place names; Harriet Vaille served as chair (1914).

• Unable to find adequate print resources that referenced historical Indian names within the proposed park, Harriet Vaille and Edna Hendrie, CMC members, set off by train and wagon to interview elder Arapahoe living on the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming (1914).

• Partly funded by CMC, three Arapahoe elders traveled to Estes Park to participate in a two-week horse pack trip to chronicle Native Americans’ historical connections to RMNP ( July, 1914).

• James Grafton Rogers, George Barnard, and Harriet Vaille painstakingly interviewed Estes Park residents, researched old maps and accounts, and also carried transits through the mountains to establish altitudes until names for dozens of peaks, lakes, and streams were verified. Thus a draft of the Longs Park [Peak] Quadrangle could be prepared to accompany the bill approving the creation of Rocky Mountain National Park by Congress ( January, 1915).

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Teens Embrace Leadership Learning at Inaugural Outdoor Summit

By Molly Daley, Youth Education Program Manager

In an age when our technological dependency seems to be everincreasing, many of us turn to the mountains for solace. We feel overwhelmingly connected through technology, while at the same time more detached. The outdoors offer a remedy: the chance to escape monotony, to push our physical limits, and to reconnect with a more natural and primitive state of humanity. Where would we be without such a connection to the natural environment?

The younger generations are often criticized for their extensive reliance on technology, lack of a connection to nature, and the inability to problem solve and navigate personal interactions. Teenagers often receive the brunt of this criticism—they are teetering at the juncture between childhood and adolescence, a critical time in their personal development and adoption of crucial life skills. Vital among these are effective leadership skills.

A primary function of the CMC’s Youth Education Program (YEP) is to ensure the continued robustness of the Club’s community of responsible outdoor adventurers.

Over the past year, YEP has taken action to address the increasing importance of leadership development in teenagers, through the lens of outdoor adventure, with the expansion of the Teen Ventures program.

As defined by the Youth Education Program, “Teen Ventures aims to optimize the lessons that the mountains can teach, and apply them not only within the context of outdoor leadership, but in many ways that can benefit young participants as they transition into adulthood.” This past June, YEP moved to create the first-ever Teen Ventures’ Outdoor Leadership Summit (TVOLS)—a multidisciplinary summer course designed to introduce key concepts and skills used in the outdoor leadership/ education profession. The course covered a variety of topics, including group coordination, teambuilding/game facilitation, rock climbing skills training, environmental stewardship, as well as safety and risk management while leading camping, hiking, and rock climbing trips.

The five-day course was held in the lovely

setting of Golden Gate Canyon State Park.

A group of nine pilot participants (ages 1518), hailing from every corner of the Front Range and all walks of life, took part in TVOLS’ inaugural debut. This hearty band of teens came with a love of the outdoors and a desire to take their leadership skills to the next level.

Upon arrival at base camp on the first day, with Mt. Thorodin looming above, the teens undertook their first challenge as a cohesive group: Establish the five qualities an effective leader must embody for a group to be successful. Without hesitation, a thoughtful discussion ensued amongst the participants. In no time at all, they agreed upon five leadership qualities: Realism, Fairness, Compassion, Accountability, and Confidence. Each quality was inscribed on a set of Tibetan-style flags, strung together, and proudly hung at camp for the duration of the course. They became a mantra of sorts, providing a point of reference and motivation as the group accomplished miles of hiking trails, crux moves while climbing the Dude’s Throne, hours of volunteer service in Eldorado Canyon, five days of camp chore

rotations, and continuously stepped outside their “comfort zones” to accomplish team building initiatives and group debrief discussions. When all was said and done, the week seemed to end too soon.

One participant’s reflection offers a poignant view through the TVOLS looking glass and its relevancy to everyday life. “I believe there are lessons to be learned and places to be seen. When I’m surrounded by nature, I feel really independent and that allows me to look beyond everything else.

My positive energy keeps getting stronger and that’s because I feel relaxed and selfsupported. I am aware of the fact that there will come a time in my life where I will have to take on responsibilities and depend on myself rather than others. To have been able to go on this amazing program, I feel like will benefit me to do all those things.”

YEP will continue to engage these TVOLS alumni throughout the year by providing them with volunteer opportunities and additional programming, so that they will continue practicing the skills and concepts acquired during their course. △ Photos by Molly Daley

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Friends of Colorado: Why Join the CMC If You Don’t Live In Colorado?

By Scott Otteman

If you’ve visited CMC’s website recently, you may have noticed that it’s become easier for climbers and hikers who live outside Colorado to join the Club online. Friends of Colorado, the CMC group in which out-of-staters are placed, has gotten a web makeover. It is now listed alongside the in-state CMC groups, and there is a new full-page description of the FOC that touts the benefits of out-of-state membership.

It may come as a surprise to some that there are folks beyond Colorado’s borders eager to join the CMC, given that most events, trips, and courses take place inside the state. That this is so is a tribute both to the Rockies’ strong draw as an outdoor vacation destination, as well as the CMC’s reputation among in-the-know hikers and climbers nationwide as the go-to source for high-quality, relevant information on how and where to safely explore in Colorado’s high country.

Currently, about 150 families and individuals residing in 34 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and even Canada (2 memberships) form the FOC, making it the 5th most populous of CMC’s 14 membership groups. Texas is the only state with double-digit membership, and Arizona, California, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, New Mexico, and Ohio each boast seven or eight memberships. On

the other end of the spectrum, Alaska, Alabama, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, North Carolina, North Dakota, Nevada, New York, and Oklahoma claim a single CMC member apiece.

I reached out recently and asked some FOC members to share their reasons for belonging to the CMC. My unscientific poll uncovered a few common themes, but also underscored that the motivations for long-distance membership are as varied and diverse as the geographic locations of the out-of-state members themselves.

A healthy portion of FOC members are pursuing climbing or hiking projects that promise to bring them back to Colorado repeatedly. Checking off the Fourteeners figures prominently in many accounts. But also cited frequently are long-term goals like finishing the Thirteeners, summiting the state’s top 100 peaks, leisurely attempting all 50 Colorado Scrambles (Class 3 or higher) routes, or section-hiking the entire Colorado Trail over the course of multiple visits.

Paul Alexander, a materials engineer now based in Fairlawn, Ohio, originally read about the CMC in Runners World magazine, where it was mentioned in an article encouraging runners to test their aerobic fitness at high altitudes. An avid runner himself, he immediately decided his next vacation would be in Colorado.

“I didn't do any races but I did start climbScott Otteman with son Daniel and wife Connie on Mt. ing the FourBierstadt. Photo by Scott Otteman teeners and fell in love with the scenery and the people,” he said.

“Once [fellow Club members] find out you are from out of state… they are very helpful and genuinely try to make you feel at home and one of the group.”

Patti Phillips of Fairbanks,

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Alaska, whose sons graduated from CU and CSU, comes south to hike in the summers and hopes to complete the Colorado Trail.

She contrasts hiking in Colorado favorably with the hiking she’s able to do closer to home.

In Alaska, she noted, “we have to worry about grizzlies and have many cloudy and rainy days, obscuring the peaks and routes.”

Some FOC members hold jobs that take them to Colorado regularly, which lets them explore between shifts. Summer Gregory, for instance, has used her membership for hiking and snowshoeing while working as a Park City, Utah-based flight attendant with regular layovers in Denver.

“It’s important to me to get outside, enjoy the outdoors and meet people, too,” she said. “Being stuck in a metal tube for hours in a workday and in hotels and airports can drive anyone crazy!”

Others join primarily to take advantage of the organized trips CMC conducts outside Colorado. Upon retiring from the Federal Aviation Administration six years ago, Roland Kessler of Casper, Wyoming signed up to take part in a CMC Adventure Travel climb of Russia’s highest peak, 18,510-foot Mt. Elbrus. Since then, he’s been on another AT adventure to Kenya’s Mt. Kilimanjaro and also joined group climbs in Utah and Colorado.

John Golob of Kansas City, Missouri, said he especially appreciates CMC’s efforts to persuade private landowners to open their trails and trailheads to hikers and climbers.

The CMC provides “clear and useful” information for developing one’s own hiking agenda, stressed Chicago, Illinois’ James Heckman. Moreover, he concluded, the CMC “reminds me of a place I love.”

That sentiment, no doubt, resonates with most of us living outside Colorado’s borders. △ Scott Otteman serves on the CMC State Board of Directors and is currently its only outof-state member. Scott, a writer and journalist, grew up in Fort Collins, CO, but he and his wife, Connie, have lived in Washington, DC, for the past 25 years. Scott and their son, Daniel, return to Colorado each summer to climb Fourteeners and visit family.

Spotlight on Corporate Partner: Avout

By Leslie Woollenweber, Development Director

In this issue of Trail & Timberline we’re putting the spotlight on Avout Corporation, the largest corporate supporter of CMC’s Young Adults Program, “Alpine Start”. Based in Denver, Avout was founded in 2010 by Barry Wiebe, President & CEO, and Terry Daley, Executive Vice President of Resource Services, to provide Oracle license sales and support, strategic-level advisement, staffing, and technology and infrastructure outsourcing for IT organizations.

Avout has proudly supported CMC since 2012 through 1% for the Planet, a worldwide movement comprised of companies that pledge 1% of their annual sales to nonprofit organizations focused on positive environmental change and sustainability. Barry and Avout’s Chief Giving Officer, Jake Wiebe, selected the nonprof-

its who would receive Avout’s donations based on two things close to their family’s hearts: Colorado’s outdoors and biking.

“We wanted to pick organizations that were doing meaningful work and be able to make contributions that were sizable enough to make a difference.”

Avout has grown rapidly over the past three years, and so has its support of CMC. Last year, funding from Avout helped launch the Alpine Start program, which focuses on bringing 18- to 25-yearolds together for fun and challenging activities that develop their outdoor and leadership skills. CMC worked with Jake to help shape the program. “I thought it was important that the participants take the initiative and do most of the leading, as opposed to having adults direct the program. That kind of investment results in a higher level of engagement, accountability, and learning.”

A big and heartfelt “thank you!” to the Avout team for making Alpine Start possible and for being such a strong partner in CMC’s mission. To learn more about Avout, visit www.avout.com. To learn more about 1% for the Planet, including how to become a participating business member, visit onepercentfortheplanet.org. △

Alpine Start participants are all smiles as they backpack into the Brainard Lake Recreation Area for an overnight expedition to the Brainard Cabin. Photo by Ryan Johns

CMC Foundation Awards 11 Fellowships in 2014

By Tom Cope

This year the Colorado Mountain Club Foundation awarded eleven academic fellowships, with all three named fellowships going to MS students. Amy C. Goodrich, recipient of the Al Ossinger Fellowship, is a student at CSU. She is studying revegetation of disturbed lakeshore areas in Rocky Mountain National Park following removal of a dam.

The Kurt Gerstle Fellowship was awarded to Robert Andrus, a student at CU–Boulder, to study the effects of spruce beetle disturbance, as well as aspen abundance, on fire severity in Colorado’s subalpine forests.

Aaron M. Sidder received the Neal B. Kindig Fellowship to evaluate mountain pine beetle range shifts in the Rocky Mountains under past, present, and future climate conditions. He is a student at CSU. In addition, a fellowship was awarded to an undergraduate at CSU, Marina Rodriguez, who is studying the effect of calcium supplementation on nesting tree swallows.

Two MS students also received fellowships.

Jiameng Wang, at CSU, is researching the extent of selenium uptake in hyperaccumulator native plants, and Nathanial Warning, a student at UNC, is monitoring rock wren

nesting behavior in the northern Colorado foothills. Three fellowships were awarded to PhD students: Benton Cartledge, at DU, to determine the impact of automobile traffic on accumulation of heavy metals on Mount Evans; Nitika Dewan, another DU student, to use plant and soil biomonitoring to evaluate impacts of Colorado uranium mines; and Brittany Ann Mosher, at CSU, to study a fungus disease in endangered alpinedwelling boreal toads.

This year’s review committee consisted of Paula Cushing (Curator of Invertebrate Zoology at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science), Jim Gehres, Kent Groninger, Al Ossinger, and Tom Cope. △

Aaron Sidder

Amy Goodrich

Robert Andrus

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Around Colorado

Our groups across the State DENVER Who Are We? www.hikingdenver.net is where you’ll find everything about the Denver Group. With over 3,200 members, we offer something for everyone who loves the outdoors for those 18 and over. The CMC leads over 3,000 trips a year into the mountains. Want to meet folks in your age range? Check out the Trailblazers (21-40) and the very popular Over the Hill Gang (50+). For more information, check out the e-version of our monthly newsletter the Mile High Mountaineer at www.hikingdenver.net.

Get involved!

Our trips include hiking; specialty hikes, including wildflower and photography hikes; fly fishing; rock climbing; and now that snow will be coming soon, watch for snowshoeing and backcountry skiing. Learn new skills at our competitively priced schools. It’s all possible because of our dedicated volunteer trip leaders, school directors, and instructors.

Find out more about the Denver Group Send an e-mail to office@cmc.org for specific questions. Or attend one of our New and Prospective Member Orientations, offered most months. Orientation starts at 6:30 pm at the American Mountaineering Center in Golden.

Please confirm dates and details by searching for “New and Prospective Member Orientation” on the schedule at www.cmc.org/Calendar/Events.aspx.

Wilderness Trekking School For more details go to www.hikingdenver.net/ schools/wts Member Open Climbs All group members invited. For more details go to www.cmc.org/Calendar/Trips.aspx Fly Fishing Monthly Program For more details go to http://www.cmcflyfish.org/ Wilderness First Aid For more details go to www.hikingdenver.net/ schools/wilderness-first-aid High Altitude Mountaineering Seminar For more details go to www.hikingdenver.net/ schools/hamsseminar Photography Section Programs For more details go to www.hikingdenver.net/ specialinterests/photography-section Basic Mountaineering School Self Rescue Class You must be a BMS graduate (or waivered) to participate. For details contact Bill at cmcpoodle@gmail.com.

Knot Tying School

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For more details go to www.hikingdenver.net/ schools/knottyingschool

tween Neptune Mountaineering and H&R Block.

We hope to see you and a friend there!

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 1,100plus members enjoy a variety of climbing, hiking, backpacking, running, and skiing activities.

Boulder Group outings include casual after-work hikes and leisurely flower photography walks to high mountain meadows. With our proximity to the Flatirons and Eldorado Canyon, it’s no surprise that rock climbing is a favorite activity. Details about Boulder Group outings may be found at http://www.cmcboulder.org/trips/.

Boulder Group Home Page: www.cmcboulder.org Boulder Group Facebook Page: www.facebook. com/ColoradoMountainClubBoulder

Get Educated During the fall, the Boulder Group offers Rock Leading School (RLS), hiking and survival essentials, hiking navigation, and hike route and trip planning. Spots in these courses fill fast, so if the fall courses are already full, now is a good time to begin planning for the spring courses. Fall registration opens in early August, and some fall courses begin as early as mid-August and early September: http://www.cmcboulder.org/bms/ fallSchedule.html Get Involved There are lots of ways to become involved in 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 visit 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 7:00-8:30 pm on the 3rd Wednesday of every odd-numbered month. The next Open House is September 17.

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 clubroom, located in the Table Mesa Shopping Center, on the southwest corner of Broadway and Table Mesa Road, be-

FORT COLLINS Who Are We? The Fort Collins Group is the fourth largest group in the CMC. We offer year-round activities such as monthly programs, hiking, climbing, snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing, and schools in mountain hiking, scrambling, snowshoeing crosscountry skiing, and more. Look for our CMC booth at the Sustainable Living Fair September 20-21 at Legacy Park in Fort Collins.

Upcoming Workshops Our snowshoeing and cross-country ski workshops are held in early December and January.

Programs We normally meet on the fourth Wednesday of the month, 7 pm at the Senior Center on Raintree Drive in Fort Collins. Our Program Speaker on September 24 is Erin Mills, granddaughter of Enos Mills, often called the “Father of Rocky Mountain National Park.” Our annual dinner meeting will be held on November 8 at the MacKenzie Place in Fort Collins. Gerry Roach is the featured speaker.

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

We offer courses in Basic Mountaineering, Lunch stop on Deer Mountain in Rocky Mountain National Park.

Photo courtesy of Don Carpenter

ing. The classroom session will be in Colorado Springs on September 24 from 6:00 to 9:30 pm. There is a oneday field session in Colorado Springs to cover the basics and evaluate fitness levels on September 28. A five-day trip to the San Rafael Swell in Utah is scheduled for October 1-5. Hiking level for the field sessions will be for full-day hiking with mild scrambling, with little to mild exposure, in hot terrain. Attendance at the classroom session and local field session will be required to attend the Utah trip. For class details, please contact Eric Hunter at ehunter67@ yahoo.com.

Aspen Group outing.

Photo courtesy of Carol Kurt

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.

Pikes Peak Intro to Mountain Biking 9/9/2014; cost $40. Learn the gear, maintenance, safety, and techniques for basic mountain biking. Mountain biking is a great way to enjoy the wilderness, get out for a short outing after work, and to build cardio before a big climb. There will be two classroom sessions in Colorado Springs and three field sessions. For class details, please contact Eric Hunter at ehunter67@yahoo.com.

Trip Leader Training (Pikes Peak Safety & Leadership) 9/25/2014; cost $25. This course provides the necessary training and satisfies part of the requirement for becoming a trip leader for the Pikes Peak Group. (Completion of a Wilderness First Aid course is the other requirement to becoming a trip leader.) The classroom sessions are September 25 and October 2 from 6:30 to 9:00 pm. The field session on October 5 will be scheduled as a CMC trip. For details please contact Paul Schoell at 4paul2@gmail.com.

Pikes Peak Intro to Desert Trekking and Canyoneering When you have climbed enough peaks to wonder what other environments might be out there, the next step for you may be desert terrain.

Come learn the proper gear, safety, and techniques for basic desert trekking and canyoneer-

Learn More Attend the monthly Pikes Peak Group meeting at 7:30 pm the third Tuesday of each month (except May, November, and December) 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.

EL PUEBLO The El Pueblo Group invites you to join us in beautiful uncrowded southern Colorado, whether it’s a challenging climb of West Spanish Peak, a hike up to the high lakes of the Sangre de Cristo Range, an easy ramble in the Wet Mountains, moonlight snowshoeing, kayaking on

the reservoir, biking, or a cross-country ski along the Continental Divide. We have outings for everyone. We meet in the Parish Hall of Ascension Episcopal Church, at 18th and Grand in Pueblo, every first Friday of the month at 7:00 pm. Recent programs have included thru-hiking the Colorado Trail, rafting the Grand Canyon, traveling in China, climbing Mt. Rainier, and a special presentation on the art of bouldering by local legend John Gill. All are welcome.

ASPEN The Aspen Group has about 200 members throughout the Roaring Fork Valley including many from other states. We love to have people from other groups join us on our adventures. We are enjoying our Aspen area mountains this summer and are looking forward to our Gates Hut trip, March 20-22, 2015. Please email Carol Kurt if you would like to join us at kurtskarma@aol. com. It will be $66 for the two nights.

FRIENDS OF THE ROUTT BACKCOUNTRY The Friends of the Routt Backcountry was formed in 1998 as a voice for local quiet users of the winter backcountry. We are delighted to have been able to put into preservation 25,000 acres of public land in our area for quiet winter use.

In April of 2013 Winter Wildlands Alliance won their lawsuit to bring winter lands into compliance with the 2005 Travel Management Rule.

A proposed rule has been issued and is currently under a comment period. Winter Wildlands Alliance and the Colorado Mountain Club are both involved in this comment period and are seeking 1,000 letters and signatures in support of certain proposal revisions. For more information, contact Leslie Lovejoy, Friends of the Routt Backcountry, frb@cmc.org.

Pikes Peak Group outing.

Photo courtesy of Neil Butterfield

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Safety first Wilderness Survival: Beyond the Ten Essentials

By John Lindner with Judy Hildner

Note to self: All the safety preparations in the world will be for naught if my vehicle collides with a deer while driving to the trailhead. That tidbit is from AAA―the most dangerous animal in the wild is a deer on the road.

With that in mind, on to more conventional safety measures for wilderness survival on the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act. Every member of the Colorado Mountain Club has access to the list of the 10 essentials for backpacking in the mountains or prairies. Preparing well for a hike of any type makes the experience much more enjoyable, because you can better cope with emergencies.

The paramount danger is always hypothermia, regardless of the season. It is the biggest killer of all―more lethal than falls, avalanches, swift water, or lightning. Lowering of the body core temperature to a dangerous level is the number one killer of outdoor recreation enthusiasts. The best possible strategy is to prepare for the worst and plan for the best.

Your survival kit (with you, not at home, in your car, or back at camp), and the knowledge and ability to use all of its contents under any conditions, is very important.

A positive mental attitude, avoiding panic and dealing with the situation, is the MOST important element to increasing your survival odds. You won’t survive if you think you won’t.

Be proactive about anticipating and dealing with the problem.

Hypothermia

• Seek and create shelter from cold, wind, snow, and rain. If a vehicle or man-made structure is not available, find a timbered area for construction of a shelter and fire. Natural materials, a space blanket, bivy shelter, or tarp can make all the difference for conserving body heat.

• Conserve, share, and create warmth. Avoid wearing any cotton garments, but if you do and they get wet, replace them with dry wool/synthetic clothing. Layer on damp wool/synthetic and loosen laces on footwear to promote circulation. Put hands in the armpits.

Share body heat if possible.

• Generate body heat. Nibble on high energy foods but avoid proteins, which use more energy to digest. Keep hydrated but try to avoid cold liquids. Muscle activity increases internal body heat and blood circulation.

• Build a fire. It should be in a sheltered area with available wood nearby. You should have a reliable fire starter (and a backup) in your emergency gear, and be familiar with its operation. Don’t wait until you are stranded in the dark or pouring rain to try and read instructions on your emergency supplies.

• Conserve your body warmth. Cover up as much as possible; body heat escapes fastest from wet and exposed skin. Pay particular attention not to sit, kneel, or lay on a cold and/or wet surface that conducts body heat rapidly.

• Look for hypothermia symptoms. First, the victim shivers, moves with poor coordination, and slurs speech. Next, when body core temperature lowers, irrational thinking begins. This is a crisis stage.

The victim won’t realize the danger and may remove clothing due to a false sense of warmth. Avoid alcohol, which also gives a false sense of warmth and well-being.

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• Send for help. Review information useful to a rescue group. If possible, send people to seek help; have them carefully mark your location and the route on the way out. They should contact the county sheriff or a park ranger, if the group is in a national park.

Remember, it all comes back to 98.6 degrees the optimum temperature for the human body. Mess with that core body temperature and you are in trouble. With that in mind, consider your body’s limits: Most of us could survive about three minutes without air, three hours without shelter (out in the cold), three days without water, and three weeks without food. Testing those limits is never the goal when heading into the wilderness, but knowledge is a powerful tool in your hiking repertoire.

Consider Your Group

Be realistic about your limits and cautious about the conditions and your group. If a hiking companion is peevish in the city, they will be more so in a wilderness emergency, compounding your situation. An uncooperative hiking companion will create more serious problems for both of you.

Likewise, someone wearing flip-flops and a T-shirt, without water or a plan to deal with weather conditions, isn’t the ideal companion. He or she will be a serious liability, relying on you and your equipment for help.

Hike with those who take the mountain experience as seriously as you do. In an unexpected situation, backpackers and hikers must be able to assess and prioritize what are the biggest threats to life.

In an unexpected situation, do what you can and use all available resources to minimize these conditions.

Tools and Supplies

Your mind is your primary survival asset, but alone it can’t start a fire, block the rain, or create an effective signal for rescuers. You’ll need a few basic tools/supplies with you to improve your odds of survival and minimize your pain/suffering.

Shelter Considerations

• Shelter (protection from your environment and hypothermia avoidance) is generally your highest priority.

• What is available where you are? Are there any manmade or natural possibilities for protection from the elements?

• It may upset your stomach to drink untreated water (if that is all that is available), but this will help your odds of survival.

• Shelters fabricated from natural materials offer poor protection from wind/wet/cold unless they are augmented with a wind/waterproof material such as a tarp or emergency blanket.

Signaling

• Have a wind and waterproof bivy shelter or durable tarp in your pack that can be quickly set up.

• You’ll need a draft-free space within your shelter with just enough ventilation for breathing and condensation relief.

• As much as possible, add dry materials to insulate yourself from the conductive heat loss of the ground.

Water • Keep your body hydrated; this is critical to body functions.

• Giardia is a waterborne cyst very common in natural water sources. It takes several days to make you sick, by which time you should be treatable (after you’re out or rescued!)

• The purpose is to alert, then communicate. Get attention and then convey your distress.

• Three of anything is the International Distress Signal.

• Carry several types of signals (whistle, mirror, bright tarp). Cell phone coverage is unpredictable in the backcountry.

• Use logs or rocks to form letters/symbols—do anything and everything you can to attract attention, both visually and with sound. △

John Lindner

•Director of CMC Wilderness Survival School for 18 years, also Senior Instructor in CMC Wilderness Trekking and Backpacking Schools.

•Graduate of numerous other outdoor courses including military survival training.

•Contributing author in five books on outdoor survival.

Photos by John Linder

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By Heather MacSlarrow, Conservation Director

Years of Wilderness

Summit Lake, looking into the Mount Evans Wilderness. Photo

by Janice Bennett

Preservation vs. Extraction

I

n 1492, when Columbus sailed the ocean blue, the lands now comprising the United States of America were inhabited by peoples who lived very close to natural systems. Some tribes subsisted on hunting and gathering, essentially dispersing the impact of their use across vast expanses. Some built longhouses and managed fisheries, containing human use to aquatic zones. And some cultivated crops and thinned forests, operating as an understated precursor to modern day land management agencies. Even with this use, Europeans found a continent largely driven by natural processes and rife with wildlands. Less than 500 years later, only 2% of the 2-billion-acre landmass of the U.S. would remain undeveloped, and a human population estimated to be as low as 1 or 2 million would grow to over 200 million (present-day population is more than 300 million).

European settlers, accustomed to smaller territories long turned agrarian, viewed these stretches of unbroken woodlands as foreboding, even sinister, something to be tamed and utilized for resources from which to build the new life they sought. This rela18

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tionship with the land around us can still be seen today in our manicured lawns, paved parks, and successful timber and oil industries. European settlement introduced individual land ownership, reinforced houses, vast clearing and ploughing operations, and large town construction projects.

In 1900, one of the first public preservation vs. extraction debates emerged. The City of San Francisco, growing rapidly, was interested in damming the Hetch Hetchy to augment the municipal water supply. The Hetch Hetchy, being located in Yosemite National Park, was a public good. John Muir, founder of the Sierra Club and widely renowned as one of America’s founding conservationists, fought long and hard to protect the Hetch Hetchy. In the end, although the valley was dammed, a preservation movement had begun.

When the United States Forest Service (USFS) and National Park Service (NPS) were created (in 1905 and 1916 respectively), they were the first established public preservation and management systems in the U.S. Even their creation personified the push/pull of extraction and preservation— their dichotomy of purpose was written into agency legislation. The mission of the USFS is: “To sustain the health, diversity,

and productivity of the Nation’s forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations.” The NPS is tasked to: “Conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and wildlife therein, and to provide for the enjoyment of future generations.” While it is obvious that meeting the needs of present and future generations requires a healthful resource, there is no easy answer as to what constitutes such a thing.

How much productivity should be pursued?

Does more enjoyment happen in a Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)-built lodge or an open meadow?

As the nation continued to grow, pressure on public lands and the preservation vs. extraction debate grew also. National parks became an ever-increasing public attraction, sparking a phase of intense development of recreation infrastructure in parks, especially after the invention of the automobile. Suddenly roads pierced to the heart of the wilds, and rustic lodges and chalets dotted the backcountry. In response, during the 1930s, conservation ethics were introduced into public land management.

Interior Secretary Harold Ickes pushed to establish national parks that would be managed as wilderness as opposed to recreation meccas. The Everglades, Kings Canyon,

Lone Eagle Peak, Indian Peak Wilderness. Photo by Craig Fagerness

Olympic, and Isle Royale were created with this intention. In 1933, departing NPS Director Horace Albright urged Parks personnel to “Oppose with all…strength and power proposals to penetrate…wilderness regions with motorways and other symbols of modern mechanization.”

Although there were agency staff in support of preservation, conservation enthusiasts were beginning to doubt that agencies could effectively protect areas given their opposing mandate of resource use through extraction and recreation. A study conducted by Dr. James P. Gilligan in 1953 underscored this concern and warned of rapidly shrinking areas of wildlands in the National Parks system owing to “the unrelenting pressures of mass use” and the obligation to “[exhaust]…every possible means of providing [the public with] accommodations.” The growing preservation movement longed for a more enduring protection that would not be impacted by changes in staffing or political trends. Bob Marshall, a forester and activist whose name would posthumously be given to a wilderness area, stated in 1934: “In order to escape the whims of politics…areas…should be set aside by Act of Congress. This would give them as close an approximation to perma-

The Wilderness Act

nence as could be realized in a world of shifting desires.”

In 1955, Howard Zahniser, then Executive Director of The Wilderness Society, penned the first draft of what would become the Wilderness Act. It would take nine years, 66 rewrites, 18 public hearings, 6,000 pages of testimony, and countless hours logged by dedicated conservationists to arrive at a passable document. On September 3, 1964, Public Law 88-577 was ceremoniously signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson in the White House Rose Garden. President Johnson characterized its importance thus: “If future generations are to remember us with gratitude rather than contempt, we must leave them something more than the miracles of technology. We must leave them a glimpse of the world as it was in the beginning.” The Wilderness Act carried with it permanent protection for 9.1 million acres of public land and the promise of a much greater network soon to follow.

It forever changed the character of wilderness designation from a malleable administrative classification to a perpetual state bestowed only by Congress and became the focal point in the back-and-forth between preservation and extraction.

As poetic and ceremonious as it was, the Wilderness Act left much of the finer details of its enactment unclear. Prior to its passage, the Act was opposed by numerous entities: Commercial interests such as the American Pulpwood Association, American National Cattleman’s Association, and the American Mining Association were concerned for their ability to create and provide goods and services to the American people; recreationists were concerned for their ability to continue to visit their public lands; and land management agencies were concerned for their ability to effectively manage the lands entrusted to them. In order to gain widespread support and pass through Congress, the Wilderness Act, while clear in its passion and devotion to wildlands, provided a somewhat contradictory picture of how this goal should be achieved.

Wilderness was defined in the Act as “an area where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain… an area retaining its primeval character and influence, without permanent improvements or human habitation, which…in general appears to have been affected priTrail & Timberline

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Indian Peaks Wilderness. Photo by Dan Orcutt

Eagles Nest Wilderness. Photo by Alex Clymer

Mt. Evans Lookouts. Photo by Fred Larke

marily by the forces of nature, with the imprint of man’s work substantially unnoticeable, has outstanding opportunities for solitude or a primitive and unconfined type of recreation, has at least five thousand acres of land or is of sufficient size as to make practicable its preservation and use in an unimpaired condition.” Wilderness was to be maintained in order to offset areas “where man and his own works dominate the landscape.”

The Act specifies that commercial enterprise, temporary or permanent roads, motor vehicles, motorized equipment or motorboats, aircraft or other mechanical transport may not exist in wilderness areas. However, it also allows for “non-conforming wilderness areas” and provides provisions for mechanical transport, mineral prospecting, use of range and water, and commercial enterprise associated with wilderness recreation.

In addition, the Act expressly states that it shall not interfere with the Multiple-Use Sustained Yield Act of 1960, which calls for the management of public lands to allow for “Multiple Use” (defined as “the management of all the various renewable surface 20

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resources of the national forests so that they are utilized in the combination that will best meet the needs of the American people”) and “Sustained Yield” (defined as “the achievement and maintenance in perpetuity of a high-level annual or regular periodic output of the various renewable resources of the national forest without impairment to the productivity of the land”). Although the Multiple-Use Sustained Yield Act was created to ensure that timber harvesting did not supersede the needs of recreation, range, watershed, and wildlife and fish, it still allowed for commercial extraction of renewable resources.

This ambiguity of legislative intent left many unanswered questions. What constitutes appropriate wilderness recreation?

How many rafts? How many hikers and guides? How many tents? If airstrips already exist in wilderness, can they be used?

How extensive should timber harvesting or mineral prospecting be or how quickly phased out? What about when broader human influence, like the introduction of nonnative species, the changing of the climate, or the pollution of air and water create

alterations within wilderness areas? What about when gray wolves are reintroduced to the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness and need to be tracked and collared via helicopter? What about when chemicals need to be used to protect native trout in the Carson Iceberg Wilderness?

How about when climbing temperatures dry up water in the Kofa Wilderness Area and water tanks need to be brought in for wildlife survival? If we rely on wilderness rangers to erase sign of wilderness travelers, isn’t that still leaving an “imprint of man’s work”? If bikes are regarded as mechanized, are not cell phones and MP3 players also mechanized? What if the use and enjoyment of one generation cannot leave land unimpaired for the use and enjoyment of future generations? What takes precedence—anthropocentrism or bio-centrism?

How much decision-making power should be left in the hands of land management agencies, and how much should be determined for them?

Legal and scientific journals, newspaper and magazine opinion sections, and internet message boards are littered with suggestions on how the Wilderness Act can and should be interpreted and implemented. Debates arise over coffee, in town halls, and at hardware stores. As questions and disputes arise, they are ruled on by courts across the country. The resulting decisions have narrowed and more defined the Wilderness Act, leading to clearer implementation guidelines but also a deeper dislike for the Act in those that are opposed to preservation.

The wide expanse of The Great Sand Dunes bordering the Sangre De Cristo Wilderness. Photo by Frank Burzynski

Present Day

Today, the National Wilderness Preservation System (NWPS) is comprised of 759 wilderness areas totaling almost 110 million acres in 44 states, accounting for nearly 5% of the landmass of the U.S. (3% of the continental U.S. and 16% of Alaska). In the 50 years that have passed since the signing of the Wilderness Act, every Congress has considered bills that would expand the NWPS. In the eyes of Aldo Leopold, John Muir, Mardy Murie, and all of the other countless conservationists who worked tirelessly for its creation, a resounding success.

And in the eyes of the generations still to come, a valuable resource they can always turn to even while urban centers and the human population grow exponentially.

The question now is how to continue to advance the lofty goals in the Wilderness Act while making sure the needs of all are met. One of the interesting effects of the Wilderness Act is how it has impacted the discussion around public land use. Due to its increasingly controversial nature, the Act has contributed to a widening chasm between the two ends of the land management pendulum: extraction and preservation. Die-hard preservationists have said that they would rather see all the timber in the land burn rather than be converted into commercial products. Ultra extractionists argue that man is part of the natural system and therefore should be unfettered in his interaction with the land around him,

whether that leads to the desecration of all public land or not. Such polarity has given rise to distrust and suspicion on all sides. When motorized recreationists pursue their outdoor hobby, they are vilified and painted as lazy saboteurs who damage public lands, though as a group they have committed thousands of hours and large sums of money to land stewardship. When President Obama convened the White House Rural Council, which has invested millions of dollars in rural initiatives such as assisting homeowners in mortgage refinancing and accelerating job and new-sector growth, it was portrayed as a misuse of executive power that would force people off their land if they weren’t making money for the Administration’s green agenda. Land management agencies, tasked with managing a vast resource with an increasingly shrinking budget, are constantly under legal siege from all manner of interest groups and generally considered inept, though their collective staff carry a profound level of expertise. Public lands have now become the center stage of our nation’s political unrest.

Last April, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and a private citizen engaged in an armed standoff over the question of whether landowners should pay taxes for utilizing federal resources for grazing and watering their stock.

In the question of wilderness designation, these dynamics contribute to a mounting tension that makes legislators leery of endorsing more wilderness legislation. The arguments for and against wilderness are numerous and as personal as they are widespread. Supporters cite the need for sustenance for the soul, bio-centric management actions, functioning natural systems, and solitary experiences that help to ground and enliven. Detractors see millions of dollars left unclaimed, preferential treatment of quiet use recreation, federal overreach at a local level, and a relentless advance that will only cease once all public land is designated wilderness. Each side views the other as a threat with intent to harm. How can such a visceral experience be argued? What is habitat protection for parents looking to clothe and feed their families? What is one more timber sale to those who see a world without water plunged into a war zone in their mind’s eye? And how can we value that which we do not know, such as the future price of carbon sequestration, water purification, oxygen generation, or solitude in a world beyond 8 billion? Most of all, what

is an acceptable quality of life now or 100 years from now?

The Next 50 Years

The answers to these questions are not readily accessible. What is clear is that we are a people dependent on both extraction and preservation. The air we breathe, the paper on which we document our lives, our shared outdoor experiences, all rely on this duality. Our need for these resources is bipartisan. So our advocacy for how to utilize them must also be bipartisan. No more should we berate each other for making different choices of how to spend time on our public lands, or for making value judgments on how best to care for ourselves or our families. Rather, it is necessary that we respect our differences and utilize them to build successful systems that create the strongest and most life-sustaining network of public lands possible. Companies mired in cycles of blame and distrust, and where short-term profitability and long-term fiscal sustainability are managed disparately, implode. If we continue on a path that pushes preservation and extraction farther and farther apart, the same fate awaits us.

Even though it would be impossible for all people to agree on individual values (sitting in silence atop an unnamed peak or driving a vehicle into the vast unknown), we all interact with land designation through national commerce. Through a strictly anthropocentric, business point of view, public land preservation is necessary because it acts as a savings account. If we desire to be fiscally responsible, we must keep a portion of our most valuable resources unspent.

Extraction is necessary because it provides income and allows us access to the products we require on a daily basis. Lumber and mining are among the top 11 industries that create our nearly $17 trillion gross domestic product. So the question is budget: How much to save and how much to spend? Financial planners recommend saving between 10 and 30 percent of income.

Translated into wilderness designation, this gives us a goal figure of public land to place into protection that still allows for necessary industrial use.

If we can agree to advocate and allow for both preservation and extraction, place a warranted amount of trust in our intelligent and hard-working agency staff, and accept each other’s wants and desires as valid, the next 50 years of the Wilderness Act will be as successful as the first. △ Trail & Timberline

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Pathfinder

By Edward Nunez

◉

◉

Flat Tops Wilderness: Lost Lakes, East China Wall, and Devil's Causeway

Walking the rim of the East Chinese Wall on the Chinese Wall Trail on day three. In the distance is the Devils Causeway. Photo by Edward Nunez

Flat Tops Wilderness: Round-Trip Distance:

19.5 miles

Round-Trip Time:

3 days

Elevation:

10, 280 to 11, 928 ft

Type of Hike:

Highly scenic; on-trail, easy off trail with an optional narrow and exposed crossing

Trailhead:

Stillwater Reservoir, 17miles west of Yampa

W

e all have our favorite, even classic, Colorado alpine experiences. Mine are the views from Frigid Air Pass of Maroon Peak with the lush, green Fravert Basin fanning out below, the peaceful morning reflection of Dream Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park, and the view of the formidable and jagged Gore Range from Peak C. And then there is the Flat Top Wilderness. It is definitely not a typical “alpine” experience. But this four-day backpack is as firmly etched in my psyche as any Colorado alpine experience I’ve had.

The Flat Tops Wilderness flies under the radar in Colorado. Although CMC members may know about it, to the general out22

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door enthusiast it is largely unknown. Ask a fellow co-worker about the Flat Tops and you will likely get a blank stare.

Located in the Routt and White River National Forests, the Flat Tops Wilderness is unique. Rather than jagged peaks and sharp spires, as the name indicates, the region is characterized by mesas. The landscape looks historic; looking at it, I often found my mind drifting into the thought that I was in the old country of the pioneers.

The Flat Tops Wilderness is considered to be the birthplace of the United States wilderness system. In 1920 it became the first property designated as off-limits to development on the recommendation of Arthur Carhart, Forest Service official, conservationist, and writer, who surveyed the Trappers Lake area for the U.S. Forest Service. It was designated as the Flat Tops Wilderness Area in 1975. The Flat Tops Wilderness has over 150 miles of trails, over 100 trout-laden lakes and ponds, and about 100 miles of fishable streams. It is the second largest wilderness area in Colorado.

My Flat Tops Wilderness hike was a three-day, 19.5-mile backpacking trip through a wonderful landscape of grand

mesas and lush green valleys. This trip includes the challenge of an adrenalin-filled, exposed and narrow crossing, the Devil’s Causeway. But if you are not fond of heights, an alternative trail bypasses the causeway, adding about two miles to the trip.

Day One: To Round Lake

My trip began with two other friends, Dave and Beth. Our plan was to spend the first two days and nights together, part ways on the morning of day three to do different loops, and meet back at the car the morning of the fourth day.

The hike began with a moderate uphill climb (1,300 feet in 1.6 miles) to the pass at 11,600’. Up to this point, the scenery was all about the grand and startling views of giant mesas. Staring at this landscape, it was hard to believe I was in Colorado.

When we reached the top of the pass the view changed dramatically. Beneath me was a lush green valley, the East Williams drainage, dotted with several lakes. But on my left rose an impressive dark, vertical rock wall that curved to the north and formed the west wall of the valley. This was the Devils Causeway, a narrow band of vertical mesa described in my guidebook

Evening reflections on Deep Lake, the second night campsite.

Photo by Edward Nunez

Morning of day three after camping at the pass just below Devils Causeway.

Photo by Edward Nunez

In the valley of the East Chinese Wall from the Williams Fork Valley. Photo by Edward Nunez

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as a “3-foot-wide, 1,500-foot-high gangplank.” This would be my route to cross on day three to complete the loop! A feeling of dread and excitement swept over me.

After a good break at the pass, our gang of three strapped on our packs and descended down into a pleasant valley filled with spruce and fir trees. Our destination for the day was Round Lake, which is at the intersection of the Lost Lakes Trail and is little more than five miles from the trailhead, where we made camp. I gave the lake a try with my fly rod but had no luck.

Day Two: The Lost Lakes

Day two was an easy hike four or five miles further down the valley into the Lost Lakes area, where there are many options to camp at lakes and creeks. After seeing these lakes and terrain, I recommend not camping at Round Lake. The lakes further down the Lost Lakes Trail are more scenic and inviting. West Lost Lake has many good campsites, including a very large one with many tent sites on the hill on the west side of the lake.

Our group camped at Deep Lake, which involved a short quarter-mile scramble from the Lost Lakes Trail. Deep Lake is a scenic spot located up against the East Chinese Wall. Both Dave and I tried our fly rods. There were fish in the lake, but we had no luck. Dave and Beth decided to hike back along the trail and fish the larger East Lost Lake. Hours later, Dave returned from East Long Lake with a sixteen-inch trout, the largest he had ever caught in the backcountry—and Dave has fished a lot of places.

That night we discussed our plan for day three. Dave and Beth would hike the Lost Lake Trail that loops around and returns to Round Lake and would camp at Causeway Lake just below the climb up to the pass at the causeway. I would climb west out of the valley, hike along the rim of the East Chinese Wall, cross Devil’s Causeway, and camp somewhere along the first two miles from the trailhead. We would meet at 10 a.m. on day four back at the car.

Day Three: A Walk Along the East Chinese Wall and Crossing Devil’s Causeway I was excited for this day. I had read about this trip in my go-to guidebook, 100 Classic Hikes in Colorado, by Scott S. Warren. This guidebook has been a bible for me and has absolutely taken me to the best hikes and backpacks in Colorado.

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I woke in the dark for an alpine start.

Almost all of my alpine starts have been done to err on the side of to safety: Longs Peak, Capitol Peak, Rainier, Kilimanjaro, and others. But this start was due to excitement, to experience the sunrise, to hike up the trail in the dark, and to hear the soft crunch of my boots on the trail.

I began climbing out of the valley on the Chinese Wall Trail. It was a windless morning and the sky to the east was dark blue and violet with orange at the horizon; this is what makes an alpine start special. After gaining the top of the mesa, the trail becomes spotty, turns east, and arrives at the rim of the East Chinese Wall.

The mesa is a half-mile wide and drops off steeply on both sides. The western wall of this mesa is officially named on topo maps as the Chinese Wall and can be prominently seen from Trappers Lake, a popular destination by car in the Flat Tops Wilderness. It is more vertical and taller than the East Chinese Wall.

Standing on the East Chinese Wall, there is much to see. To the south is a half-mile of flat mesa with Trappers Lake in the distance. To the east and directly below is the Lost Lakes area and Deep Lake. To the southwest there are many broad and flat mesas stretching out as far as the eye can see.

Walking along the top of the East Chinese Wall for the next four or five miles was the highlight of the trip. The mesa top was mostly lumpy grass and tundra and the trail was nonexistent in most places. I had the freedom to choose my own route.

For the most part I stayed close to the rim, to be able to see down into the valley. Occasionally, I hiked out to a small outcropping, dropped my pack, and took in the view. I also hiked over to the western rim to look down on Trappers Lake. Like a good book that you know is special from the first page, I didn’t want to rush this day.

In his 100 Classic Hikes in Colorado, Scott Warren writes, “there is something special about hiking across this treeless terrain; it constantly seems as if you are looking down upon the rest of the world.”

In the early afternoon, after a good day of carefree hiking, the view of the lush green valley ends abruptly as it smacks up against it is southern border, the Devil’s Causeway.

A few days earlier, we had meet backpackers who were not crossing the causeway and relayed that the Flat Tops ranger said that he personally would not cross the

causeway with even a daypack. And here I was after a long day, with a heavily laden backpack, including an extra 10 pounds from my camera, tripod, and fishing gear. I hiked over to the neck of the crossing and rested in a pile of rocks. It had clouded up and was much darker than an hour before, and a stiff wind blew. I hadn’t seen anyone all day. I looked over to the crossing and there, off to the right side, propped up by rocks, was a small, three-foot high wooden cross. Aided by my sweat-soaked shirt, a chill went right up my spine.

I saddled up my pack and looked out over the causeway. The causeway was about three hundred yards long but I could see that some sections were a very comfortable twenty yards wide and had a dirt trail down the spine. I had no idea if the crux was right before me or on the far side. The initial section was maybe six feet wide.

The rock was solid but lumpy and parts of it stuck up. My main concern with the weight of my backpack was to avoid tripping. I then reached a wider dirt stretch that continued to get wider. The initial section had been the crux. Then I was across.

Back at the saddle, I had a decision to make. The weather was cloudy but not threatening. Here I was with a grand view, and a great day behind me. I decided to try and make it even better by camping at the saddle and photographing that evening and the next morning. I hiked down to Little Causeway Lake and brought up water for camp. That night, the weather cooperated. It was a clear and windless evening.

As I went to sleep, the lights of Steamboat Springs flickered in the distance.

The next morning I woke up early to skies that were cloudy and stormy but clear to the east. Not what a backpacker wants to see, but for a photographer it could be ideal. Storm light always has the potential to produce dramatic photographs. As the sun rose, bright patches of sunlight struck the East Chinese Wall and the clouds behind them. It was a dramatic and impressive display that lasted twenty minutes.

It was a great morning. From my camp at the pass, I could easily see the entire backpacking route in a large counterclockwise loop: the valley below, the East Chinese Wall, and a few hundred feet above me, Devil’s Causeway, now a much more familiar and friendly opponent. With a great trip now almost behind me, I broke camp and made the short hike down the trail to meet Dave and Beth. △

Spectacular morning storm light on the East Chinese Wall, after camping at the pass on the third night. Photo by Edward Nunez

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Reflections on Wilderness: An Interview with John Fielder

By Josh Kuhn

Hallet Peak, Lake Hiayaha, Rocky mountain National park.

Photo by John Fielder

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Black Ridge Canyons Wilderness.

Photo by John Fielder

Tarns, Rocky Mountain National Park.

Photo by John Fielder

During the summer between my sophomore and junior year of high school, I had the opportunity to travel out west for the first time. On this trip I explored a variety of National Forests (including several different wilderness areas), National Parks, mountains, and rivers throughout the western U.S. On the first night of this seven-week adventure, I witnessed the most amazing sunset while camping at Colorado’s Great Sand Dunes National Monument (now National Park). That night the sky looked as though it was on fire, with shades of orange that truly blew away my impressionable teenaged mind. Remarkably, I was fortunate enough to capture this special moment with my point-and-shoot camera (this was well before the digital age), and to my luck it actually came out well. For the past 17 years, I have displayed this image on various walls, bulletin boards, and refrigerators. For me this image symbolizes so many different things: memories of a wonderful summer exploring ridgelines, valleys, peaks, and rivers with a group of new friends; inspiration to continue challenging myself both physically and mentally; and the grandeur that is the western United States.

This trip served as my impetus for choosing to move out west and attend the University of Colorado. To this day, I have continued living in locations with a close proximity to wild places and have developed both a deep passion for exploring these places and an even deeper passion for ensuring they continue to remain pristine and wild for generations to come.

This past year, I have been able to work toward this passion as the CMC’s Conservation Fellow. Through this position I have been afforded the opportunity to work with land managers, diverse organizations, and dedicated volunteers in learning firsthand the challenges of managing our public lands. I was also fortunate enough to work with a Colorado legend, John Fielder, in planning a celebration to honor the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act. As part of this process, John shared with me his insights into photography, wilderness, and conservation. I hope you enjoy our interview, and, more importantly, I hope you get outside and enjoy our state’s extraordinary wild places.

Do you remember your first experience

in Colorado’s wilderness? When and where was it, do you have any particular memories from that initial experience, and did you take any pictures?

In the summer of 1967, I was a cityslicker 17-year-old kid from Charlotte, North Carolina, with a summer job on a cattle ranch in the Wet Mountain Valley with views from the kitchen window of the Crestones in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. My college summers were spent prospecting for non-ferrous metals for CF&I Steel Corporation in, among other places around the West, the Culebra Range of the Sangres. My first serious backpacking forays into the Sangres happened after I moved to Colorado in 1972 prior to their designation as wilderness in 1993. I had just purchased my first SLR film camera, a Canon F-1, and I wanted to see if I was the next Ansel Adams!

Have you noticed any changes in Colorado’s wilderness areas over the years?

Perhaps less wildlife and more people?

A warming climate has changed the character of our forests in wilderness, es-

pecially those with lodgepole pine and spruce trees. Though I have seen the effects of spruce bud worm on coniferous forests for 40 years, its extent was relatively minor. Since the drought year of 2002, millions of acres of pine forests have died by infestation of pine bark beetle in Colorado, and a new epidemic caused by the spruce beetle has killed old growth forests, especially in the South San Juan and Weminuche Wildernesses.

I see significantly more people exploring the first seven miles, from trailhead to perhaps that lower alpine lake in wilderness, now than 40 years ago; and there are so many more people climbing the Fourteeners! Ironically, I do not see that many more people today doing the more remote, multi-day trips into wilderness. The exception to this are the multi-day trips along the Colorado Trail and, to a lesser degree, along the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail.

Mountain goats have multiplied in this time and probably at the expense of big horn sheep populations. I see them in so many mountain ranges today. Elk and deer seem to be doing well, probably because of Trail & Timberline

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Indian Peaks Wilderness. Photo by John Fielder

the economic incentives of hunting revenues to keep them ubiquitous. And how about all of those moose? Twelve moose introduced into North Park in 1978 have turned into over 2,000 living in so many Colorado mountain valleys.

What led you to become a conservationist? Was there a particular cause or event that grabbed your attention?

I became a visible environmentalist in 1992 when Senator Tim Wirth was working on his 1993 Colorado Wilderness Bill.

Tim invited me to photograph 750,000 acres of prospective wilderness so he could show his fellow members of Congress more than just map boundaries of what would be protected. We published a book called Our Wilderness Future that was given to all of Congress. In 1993 the bill was passed into law, and, among others, my beloved Sangre de Cristo Mountains were protected.

That fall, Tim asked me to speak to 500 people at the University of Denver Law School and show slides of what had been preserved, as well as sell and sign books.

This was the first time in my career that I “preached the gospel according to Mother Nature!” I was very nervous but soon discovered that people had come to see the images as much as listen to me, which 28

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Sunset, Holy Cross Wilderness. Photo by John Fielder

made my fear of getting up in front of so many people and incipient public speaking career much easier.

How do you determine your photography schedule? I’d imagine there are specific locations that you plan on being during certain times of the year, right?

And do you have a favorite location to photograph?

Though I photograph wilderness in all seasons, summer is most productive for me. I have explored and photographed all of Colorado’s wilderness areas but still love returning to both new and favorite drainages. For 40 years my favorite place to be is, and always will be, an alpine cirque with multiple levels of tarns. Wildflowers, creek cascades, and mountain reflections are my most iconic images. These days I also make time to explore wilderness in other parts of the U.S., including Alaska. In the summer of 2013, I spent 18 days llama-packing 140 miles along trails of Wyoming’s Wind River mountains, the Bridger and Popo Agie Wildernesses. This summer I will explore Idaho’s Sawtooth Wilderness and Montana’s and Wyoming’s AbsarokaBeartooth Wilderness.

What does the Wilderness Act mean to you, and what do you think the western

portion of the U.S. would be like without it?

For me, our wildest places are our best places. Wilderness is an unequalled stabilizing force that is always there and that connects us with our beginnings. The personal sense of security derived from things permanent, like wilderness and God, is more important now than ever before as the world becomes more crowded and chaotic. And yet, wilderness is not a static landscape frozen in time but a living, dynamic environment full of the fury and calm of nature. To explore vast wildernesses, we must abandon worldly schedules and immerse ourselves in the flows and patterns of nature—rise with the sun, sleep with the darkness, huddle from the storm.

You have been generous enough to provide a free exhibit that has been traveling throughout the state celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Wilderness Act. What motivated you to do this? Also, what comes to mind when you think of the next 50 years for wilderness?

A burgeoning population and warming climate makes the urgency of protecting our remaining wilderness greater than ever. The salvation of humanity lies in the preservation of Earth’s natural systems.

Longs Peak, Wild Basin, Rocky Mountain National Park. Photo by John Fielder

We can only survive in the long term by living in concert, not conflict, with them. If we allow our ecological goose to be cooked (quite literally), we cook our economic goose. And the reverse is true. Only societies with healthy, happy, and prosperous people protect nature.

Here is my advice for people who want to be happier, healthier, and more prosperous: Attach yourself to things spiritual, or permanent, such as Earth itself. Resist infatuation with shallow, ever-changing things like technology and television that promote conformism. You will become more secure with yourself and those around you. A relationship with nature breeds humility and quells the ego. With that you will better appreciate your fellow humans, reduce conflict, and chaos will succumb to order.

You’ve been a photographer for over 40 years. What are the challenges and benefits with today’s digital format compared to film? Also, do you prefer one format over another?

The days of carrying 65 pounds of large-format camera gear up and down mountains are thankfully over. Smaller and lighter digital cameras make extensive travel so much easier, and they make better

Sunrise, Turret and Pigeon Peaks, Weminuche Wilderness.

Photo by John Fielder

photographs. The dynamic range of color film is 6 stops of contrast that often rendered some parts of the photograph either black or completely washed out. Digital sensors in both SLRs and point & shoot cameras provide a dynamic range as great as 13 stops, allowing one to manifest much more detail in shadows and highlights simultaneously within the same purview.

We can make nature look more real, and that is a good thing when you want to attract advocates!

Do you ever try and communicate anything through your photographs?

It is one thing to view photographs of nature in a book or on a wall, entirely another to be in nature. There is no substitute for tasting, smelling, feeling, hearing, as well as seeing nature. The sensuousness of the natural world is the best recruiter of advocates to protect and preserve the miracle of 4 billion years of the evolution of life on Earth. I hope that my photographs get people outdoors.

Other than some rangers and possibly a few guides, you probably spend more time in Colorado’s wilderness areas than anyone else. Are there any stories about your experiences with the natural environment that you’d like to share?

I told this story to Trail & Timberline a few years ago (T&T Issue 1007). Cresting a ridge at 13,000 feet in the Needle Mountains of the Weminuche Wilderness, I spied a billy goat 50 yards away, lying in the soft tundra and snoozing. I approached him slowly but deliberately.

Trying to show no fear, I stopped 5 feet away from him. He did not move nor even look up at me. I dropped to my knees and crawled next to him. I lay prone and parallel to his body with my head propped on my hand. I was only 2 feet away, yet he continued to ignore me. I began to talk to him. For the next 30 minutes I enjoyed the most remarkable wildlife encounter of my life. I spoke to him all the while, making statements and asking him questions. I asked him about living throughout the year above the trees in one of the most beautiful places on Earth. I told him about my life as a nature photographer and my appreciation for his place and all things wild and natural. The entire while he slumbered by my side, this 250-pound miracle of a creature, not once looking at me, not once answering a question (a good thing, otherwise this would have been only a dream).

I can only assume that my voice soothed him and that my presence and proximity was acceptable. △ Trail & Timberline

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Outside the Park Boundary: How Local Communities are Conserving Private Lands through Partnerships with Land Trusts

By Bryan Martin, External Relations Officer, Land Trust Alliance Great Sand Dunes Wilderness.

Photo by Dan Orcutt

All across America, people are working together to conserve fields, farms, forests, parks, and trails close to home. They bring energy, creativity, and local knowledge of their community. They believe that America’s special places should be protected—unchanged into the future—and they seized upon an extraordinary idea. They formed land trusts.

L

and trusts harness three fundamental American values—private initiative, community cooperation, and a deep connection to the land. They are as diverse as the people and communities they serve, but share a common mission: to protect the places that people value most. America’s 1,700 land trusts have now conserved 50 million acres, boast over 12,000 staff, and have garnered over five million sup-

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porters. Land trusts conserve more than two million acres every year.

This is important because every day we lose 5,000 acres to development. Orchards, farms, meadows, climbing areas, and vast natural areas are being converted to shopping malls, office parks, condos, and roads.

The United States population is projected to grow by 100 million and the amount of land covered by development will triple

by the year 2050. More than eight percent of our population will live in metropolitan areas where open space will be increasingly precious.

In light of this development pressure, Americans yearn for clean water and food that is safe, fresh, and local. We want time in nature to improve our fitness and prevent illness. We want our children to thrive in school and grow up in a safe and nurtur-

Looking towards the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Photo by Dan Orcutt

A confidence in this trend and the popularity of local land conservation through land trusts—and other local stewardship organizations—has enabled many state and federal policy victories in recent years.

Since 2000, the Trust for Public Land has participated in over 300 winning local ballot measures to create new public funds for parks and land conservation—an 81 percent success rate—creating $35 billion in voter-approved funding for parks and open space. More recently, the Land Trust Alliance succeeded in leading a broad national coalition in the congressional approval of over $1.3 billion within the Farm Bill for the purchase of conservation easements on farm land. On the horizon, with leadership again coming from the Land Trust Alliance, Congress is poised to pass a permanent extension of the conservation easement tax incentive—a tax incentive to landowners who donate conservation easements on their land.

How Land Trusts Work

A field trip with the Roaring Fork Conservancy.

Photo courtesy of Land Trust Alliance

ing community. And we want to live in a place with a robust and sustainable economy with lots of job prospects. Land trusts are increasingly finding local solutions to these complex national problems, community by community. By conserving land, land trusts protect clean drinking water and the farms that provide healthy food.

They provide access to nearby parks and trails to enrich lives and reduce health care costs. And they generate jobs by revitalizing communities, making it attractive for businesses to relocate, start up, and hire—

to say nothing of the protected working forests and ranches that generate rural jobs as well as the revenues from outdoor recreation and tourism stemming from visiting protected lands.

While congressionally designated “Wilderness” continues to slow and opposition mounts to federal designations of protected land, private land conservation has accelerated and many people believe that, going forward, land conservation will increasingly depend on land trusts and voluntary partnerships with private landowners.

You may be asking “What is a conservation easement?” Land trusts primarily protect land in two ways—by purchasing the land outright or by receiving a donation of the development rights to the land.

The latter is known as a conservation easement and as land prices continue to climb, conservation easements have become the most important tool for land trusts when protecting land in a local community.

A conservation easement is a written agreement between a landowner and the “holder” (often times the land trust) of the conservation easement under which a landowner voluntarily restricts certain uses of the property to protect its natural, productive, or cultural features. The holder of the conservation easement must be a governmental entity or a qualified conservation organization. With a conservation easement, the landowner retains legal title to the property and determines the types of land uses to continue and those to restrict.

As part of the arrangement, the landowner grants the holder of the conservation easement the right to periodically assess the condition of the property to ensure that it is maintained according to the terms of the legal agreement.

Many rights come with owning property, including the right to manage resources, change use, subdivide, or develop. With a conservation easement, a landowner limits one or more of these rights. For example, Trail & Timberline

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a landowner donating a conservation easement could choose to limit the right to develop a property, but keep the rights to build a house, raise cattle, and grow crops.

The landowner may continue his or her current use of the property, provided the resources the conservation easement is intended to protect are sustained. Because every landowner and every property is unique, a conservation easement agreement can be designed to meet specific, individual, and community needs.

At Work in the West

In the West and in Colorado in particular, there is increasing synergy between public land (local, state, and federal) and protected private land. And the results have created immense benefits for wildlife, endangered species, recreationists, and local economies. Perhaps the most prominent example of where a land trust worked with state and federal land managers to protect land, water, and bolster a local economy was when The Nature Conservancy purchased the Baca Ranch and set in motion the deal that created the Great Sand Dunes National Park as we know it today. In September 2004—four years after negotiations began—the $35 million deal was completed, making it the largest single transaction to date for The Nature Conservancy in Colorado. Great Sand Dunes National Monument nearly quadrupled in size and was upgraded to a national park; the Rio Grande National Forest claimed the alpine portion of Baca Ranch, including 14,165-foot Kit Carson Peak; and 54,000 acres of grassland and wetland habitat became the Baca National Wildlife Refuge. And even more land has been protected since then. Last year, the 170,000-acre Sangre de Cristo Conservation Area was created after landowner Louis Bacon placed conservation easements on his Trinchera and Blanca ranches with Colorado Open Lands (a statewide land trust based in Lakewood), extending protection nearly all the way to New Mexico (including portions of Blanca Peak, Mt. Lindsey, and Trinchera Peak).

The creation of the national park, and subsequent follow-up protections, has been a boon for the local economy in the San Luis Valley. But this is not an anomaly. All across the West, our popular national parks, monuments, wilderness areas, and other public lands have provided a competitive advantage for western state 32

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economies. A recent study by Headwaters Economics has documented that western states have outperformed the rest of the United States economy in key measures of growth—employment, population, and personal income, in part because of the proximity of these states to public land.

Entrepreneurs and talented workers are choosing to work where they can enjoy outdoor recreation and natural landscapes.

Increasingly, chambers of commerce and economic development associations in every western state are using the region’s national parks, monuments, wilderness areas, and other public lands as a tool to lure companies to relocate. High-wage services industries also are using the West’s national parks, monuments, wilderness areas, and other public lands as a tool to recruit and retain innovative, high-performing talent.

Land trusts are working across the country on public access projects, consolidating wilderness areas, and providing buffers to existing public resources. In February, the Wilderness Land Trust, based in Carbondale, Colorado, purchased the Painter Mine on the banks of the Salmon River in Idaho with plans to restore the property over two years and then transfer it to become part of the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness.

The Access Fund, which is earning its national accreditation from the Land Trust Accreditation Commission, has been working on opening legal access to Gold Butte, a pinnacle of Entrada sandstone just outside of Aspen, Colorado, which was once a popular spot with local climbers in the 1970s but was closed to public access in 1983 by the private landowners. The Access Fund has been working with local climbers and Pitkin County Open Space and Trails to acquire the property, advise on risk management, and develop a climbing management plan for the area. It was recently announced that the county has successfully completed the purchase, and Gold Butte is now open to the climbing public.

Evergreen-based Mountain Area Land Trust has protected over 20,000 acres in the mountains from Boulder County to Park County, buffering many of the forests, parks, and open space areas that dot the high country just west of the Denver metro area. These projects have contributed greatly to the scenic views and natural experiences enjoyed in many of these easily accessed parks and trails.

Land trusts and public agencies need

each other. Each agency may have different goals in mind but they all greatly value their partnerships with land trusts. Land trusts have the ability to work quickly to acquire a piece of land, whereas a federal or state agency has to wait for the appropriation to be budgeted. Also, land trusts are smaller and more nimble organizations than the larger federal and state institutions so they can take advantage of opportunities faster. A great example of this was when the Jackson Hole Land Trust purchased a tiny parcel of land in the middle of Grand Teton National Park that could have been easily developed into a hotel.

The park was very grateful for the quick action the land trust took to purchase the property and hold it until the park could get the funds appropriated to take it off of the land trust’s hands.

Another way land trusts and agencies partner is through lobbying. The agencies can’t lobby Congress, but land trusts can.

And land trusts have become increasingly skilled at impressing upon Congress the need to appropriate funding for the purchase of specific tracts of land. Whether it is flexibility, education, or community support, what land trusts bring to partnerships with land management agencies is highly valued in their shared goal of land conservation.

What’s Ahead

The land trust movement in the United States has never been stronger, and from that success comes new responsibilities.

Land trusts share a destiny with the communities in which they work and land trusts are working hard to understand and respond to the needs and aspirations of those communities. If you hold 20% of a state, like land trusts do in Maine, it’s no longer feasible to assume that issues like transportation, poverty, food security, or how people heat their homes is not your concern. Moreover, the United States of America that is emerging right now is very different from the United States of the 1980s, when the majority of land trusts were formed. How will land trusts choose to relate with their changing communities?

Will land trusts innovate over the next 25 years, as they have during the past 25 years?

Connecting communities to nature through recreation is one way land trusts are finding common ground with communities. Land trusts’ recreational properties are improving peoples’ health and

well-being. They are helping communities own significant land resources for parks, playgrounds, and urban farms. All of this helps communities to be more resilient.

And it helps land trusts to become more resilient, innovative, and successful. What land trusts are calling “community conservation� is already building a stronger constituency for conservation far beyond the usual suspects.

Today, our communities need to be more closely connected to the land and our practices of conservation need to be more closely aligned to the needs of people. By focusing conservation on sustaining livelihoods, on increasing public health, on strengthening food systems, and on how we educate our children, conservation becomes culture and culture becomes more rooted in the land.

The outcomes of this work are more resilient, healthier communities more closely connected to the land, and a conservation movement that transcends its privileged roots to be in service to more Americans.

Land trusts are increasingly finding themselves, and pushing themselves to be, the conduits of these connections. â–ł

Colorado Parks and Wildlife provides hunting and fishing access through its Habitat Protection Program and grants funding to land trusts. Photo courtesy of Land Trust Alliance

The Baca Ranch purchase created the Great Sand Dunes National Park as we know it today. Photo by Dan Orcutt

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Gannett Peak: Like Mt. Rainier, Only Better Different

By John Martersteck, HAMS Co-Director Navigating the summit ridge, shortly after sunrise. Photo by John Martersteck

For years the High Altitude Mountaineering School (HAMS) of the Colorado Mountain Club has headed up to the Cascade Range during the week of July 4th to climb one of the standard routes on Mt. Rainier, usually Emmons Glacier, as a HAMS graduation test piece. Although only a “Fourteener,” Mt. Rainier is a massively glaciated volcano in the Pacific Northwest that much more closely resembles a big mountain in Alaska than do our local Fourteeners here in Colorado. In recent years, we have also added an option of tackling the more technical Kautz Glacier route on Mt. Rainier. We feel that if our students can competently, confidently, and safely climb almost 10,000’ from the trailhead to the summit of a heavily glaciated and crevassed peak such as Mt. Rainier, they will be ready to take the next step and attempt bigger and higher mountains in Alaska and the ranges of South America.

The Denver HAMS group typically chooses the week of July 4th to climb Mt. Rainier, not only to take advantage of the Independence Day holiday and thereby save a day of vacation, but primarily because the weather tends to be clear and stable, which has been a key factor in the long string of summit successes that our HAMS groups have enjoyed over the past years. Apparently, that strategy has become increasingly popular, and unfortunately this year our streak ended—not because we were unable to reach the summit, but because our camping and climbing permit application was rejected! To 34

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quote from the National Park Service (NPS) website, “Requests received in March, April and May could take up to six weeks to process because of the large number of applications. During this initial two week period (March 15-31) the Park will receive around 1,400 or more reservation requests.” Apparently this year the NPS could not accommodate our relatively large group of climbers during the week leading up to the July 4th holiday.

With “Plan A” no longer an option, we had a few “Plan B” alternatives: 1) re-apply for a Rainier climbing permit later in the summer; 2) climb a different peak (or two)

in the Cascades, such as Mts. Baker, Hood, Adams, or Shuksan; or 3) climb a different peak somewhere else. Several HAMS students opted to join a 4th of July trip in the Cascades, led by senior HAMS Instructor Dave Covill, to climb Mts. Baker and Shuksan, while another group of six students decided to try something completely different and backpack into the beautiful Wind River Range in Wyoming to tackle the state high point, Gannett Peak. Although this high Thirteener—at 13,804’ it is 34’ higher than its more famous neighbor, the Grand Teton!—is not as glaciated or as crevassed as similar mountains in

Gerry takes a break on Arrow Pass.

Photo by John Martersteck Entering the Wind River Range.

Photo by John Martersteck

At the trailhead—only 25 miles to high camp!

Josh K., Chris, Carter, Tim, Josh G., Gerry, and John. Photo by John Martersteck

Heading down from Arrow Pass.

Photo by John Martersteck

the Cascade Range, it nevertheless features several serious glaciers that adorn its slopes and guard the summit. In addition, its renowned remoteness makes it a special wilderness experience that relatively few climbers experience.

Having settled on a new objective, the next major decision for the Gannett team was which approach to take: from the west (via Pinedale) or the east (via Dubois). The approach from the east on the Glacier Trail requires a very long, strenuous hike to high camp—about 25 miles!—with over 5,000’ of cumulative elevation gain each way; furthermore, there are many stream crossings

and route-finding challenges. However, this route offers a relatively short summit day of about seven or eight hours and a very scenic approach and destination through the heart of the Wind River Range.

On the other hand, the approach from the west on the Pole Creek Trail to Titcomb Basin offers a shorter approach— about 20 miles each way—and a bit less elevation gain. However, it requires a significantly longer summit day, thanks to the necessity of first climbing Bonney Pass and then descending over 1,000’ to converge with the eastern approach on the Gooseneck Glacier. Some climbers judge

the western approach to be even more scenic than the one from the east (though Charlie and Diane Winger, who wrote the Highpointer's guidebook, happen to disagree with that opinion).

Given that most of us would be carrying about 50 pounds on our backs, the shorter approach from the west was tempting; however, the prospect of a shorter summit day that would increase the chance for a successful summit bid convinced the team to choose the longer approach on the Glacier Trail.

As in the Colorado Rocky Mountains, the Wind River Range experienced a Trail & Timberline

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Group photo on the summit.

Photo by John Martersteck

heavy snow year in the spring of 2014, and our early-season approach featured some conditions different from what climbers later in the season will likely experience.

For starters, the Winds are renowned for horrendous swarms of voracious mosquitoes in July and August. Although we were well-prepared with head nets and plenty of DEET repellant, we were fortunate enough to hike in when the mosquitoes were just getting started, and we only occasionally needed to resort to such means of protection.

Stream crossings were a bit dicier than usual, thanks to the meltwater from the heavy snowpack and quickly warming conditions.

Snowfields obscured some of the trail in the upper approach, and we lost time late on our second day (prior to reaching high camp) because we went off-route when crossing Gannett Creek. We then lost a lot of valuable time and energy postholing about as we tried to relocate the trail. We finally gave up as dusk approached, and we set up our camp a couple of miles and about 800 vertical feet below high camp.

As it turned out, when we finally arrived at high camp the next day, we decided that we needed a rest day anyway prior to our summit attempt.

The weather was nearly ideal with clear, bluebird days during our approach and summit push and with storms building only on the fourth day of the trip after we had summited and set up camp on Dinwoody Creek just below its junction with Honeymoon Creek. We awoke early on summit day to a dizzying array of stars (and no moon), punctuated frequently by me36

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Descending the summit ridge.

Photo by John Martersteck

teors and highlighted by the luminescent river of stars that comprise the Milky Way. As with the weather, snow conditions were near perfect! Although there was evidence of some wet slides on the couloirs after the previous storm, the snowpack had plenty of time to consolidate after a series of sunny days and clear, cool nights. We started our summit bid at 2 am to ensure that we were able to climb on firm snow and to summit prior to potential building of afternoon thunderstorms.

As it turned out, the heavy snowpack and firm snow meant that we never felt the need to rope up. The snow bridge across the bergschrund was sufficient to cross safely, and we found no sign of crevasses elsewhere on the glacier. Step-kicking up the couloirs (we chose the steeper couloir on the right) was superb! And for dessert, the glissades down the softening snowfields in early morning were sheer fun!

As indicated in the title of this article, I am tempted to assert that a climb of Gannett Peak is better than one of Mt. Rainier.

But in fact, they are simply different types of mountains and making a claim that one is better than the other is a matter of one’s own perspective and preferences.

Mt. Rainier is certainly a more technical mountain, much more heavily crevassed, and therefore more dangerous. However, I judge Gannett Peak to be the more difficult summit overall, thanks to the long and difficult approach. What I really appreciated about climbing Gannett Peak compared to Mt. Rainier: » A favorite reason for heading to the mountains is to enjoy the solitude, and one quickly leaves civilization behind upon

entering the Wind River Range! We saw only three other climbers during our summit day (two from Bozeman, only one of whom made the summit, and one climber from Tennessee who is currently hitchhiking around the country hiking and climbing to his heart's content). We had the mountain all to ourselves until we were halfway down. On Mt. Rainier, however, it is difficult to avoid the crowds, and the route finding is pretty much already done for you (just follow the cow path to the summit!) » The beauty of Mt. Rainier derives from the intrinsic splendor of the mountain itself, thanks to the wondrous sculpted rock, ice, and crevasse fields that adorn its flanks, with distant volcanoes visible on the horizon. From the summit of Gannett Peak, by contrast, the striking beauty of the surrounding jagged Rocky Mountain spires deep in the heart of the Wind River Range are almost overwhelming. » Although the glacier travel on Gannett Peak is not as technical as on Mt. Rainier (and indeed we were somewhat disappointed to have hauled our harnesses and ropes for 50 miles and not need them—and we were, therefore, sure glad we opted to bring the light 30m 8mil alpine ropes), the route finding, couloir climbing, and steep, exposed sections that led to an airy summit ridge were reminiscent of Denali. All in all, Gannett Peak offers a fantastic alpine climbing experience!

I am proud of the group of HAMS grads ( Josh Gertzen, Gerry Kim, Carter Coolidge, Chris Vincent, Tim Smith, and Josh Kirk) who accompanied me on this trip, both for the individual effort and for the team effort they demonstrated to make

Our first glimpse of the elusive Gannet Peak.Gannett Glacier, which is prominent in this view, is one serious glacier! Photo by John Martersteck

John takes in the view and a moment to bask in the alpenglow. Photo by John Martersteck

this first-ever HAMS trip to climb Gannett Peak such a success. I must say, I was a bit worried about how the group would fare, given the long and difficult approach.

But everyone gutted it out when the going got tough and helped each other overcome his or her personal difficulties. Each had to reach deep to surpass the challenges of a 50+ mile round-trip carrying a third of his or her body weight on difficult trails through mosquito-infested backcountry with sometimes challenging route finding, not to mention numerous stream crossings and constant elevation change. To be sure, we were lucky to be blessed with near-perfect weather. But we can certainly attribute most of our success to each climber’s focus on achieving the goal, which included their training and preparation, their willingness to suffer a bit, and their pulling together as a team.

Although we didn't need to directly apply all of the advanced skills taught in HAMS with regard to glacier travel, the team was certainly prepared to do so, and that greatly increased our chances for success on summit day. I believe the hours we invested practicing the technical skills during HAMS field trips and the group couloir climb (Savage Couloir) boosted everyone's confidence during the difficult, often exposed climbing that led to the summit of the elusive and majestic Gannett Peak. What a special gift we all experienced at sunrise on top of a difficult peak amid the stunning splendor of the Wind River Range!

An attempt of a heavily glaciated peak in the Cascade Range is quite a different experience from climbing a mountain in

the Winds, and I encourage the students to maintain (and expand!) their technical skills, climbing experience, and level of fitness so that they can join one of the HAMS groups that will climb Mt. Rainier next year. Mt. Rainier is pretty much a required check mark on the résumés of all aspiring high-altitude climbers in this country. Given its awesome beauty and technical challenges, it is a peak that simply should not be missed! And I can state with confidence that completing one of the standard routes on Rainier will, in fact, be less difficult (though perhaps a bit more dangerous given the magnitude and ubiquity of the objective hazards on that massively glaciated mountain) than the climb to the summit of Gannett Peak.

I imagine that most of the HAMS students on the Gannet Peak trip just experienced the most strenuous backpacking trip of their lives by about an order of magnitude, and I am confident that they all learned quite a bit on this trip and are the better mountaineers for the experience. △

Summary of our Gannett Peak trip itinerary Monday, June 30: Leave Denver

at 6:30 am; lunch at the Cowboy Café in Dubois at 2 pm; head out from the trailhead shortly after 4 pm; hike in about 10 miles; climb up to Arrow Pass and descend to campsite at Upper Phillips Lake about 9 pm. (In hindsight, we should have had lunch in Lander or Riverton and gone directly to the trailhead, which would have allowed a start about two hours sooner.)

Tuesday, July 01: Hike in another

13 miles or so past Gannett Creek.

Wednesday, July 02: Finish the

hike up to high camp, another couple of miles. Rest for the remainder of the day to prepare for a start to the summit during early morning the next day. In hindsight, we should have spent a bit of time scouting the start of the route. We left camp and slogged laboriously up through rock fields for over an hour; however, on the descent, we managed to find a snow route all the way back to high camp, which would have saved us perhaps a half an hour on our ascent had we known about it ahead of time.

Thursday, July 03: Leave camp shortly after 2 am. Summit shortly after 6 am. Descend, break camp, and hike 12 miles out to camp near the junction of Honeymoon and Dinwoody Creeks.

Friday, July 04: Break camp about

7:30 am and start up the trail, climbing switchbacks to Honeymoon Lake. Head back up and over Arrow Pass and descend back to the trailhead (total about 13 miles) by about 2 pm. Change into a fresh set of clothes, have a late big lunch back in Dubois—accompanied by numerous beers and soft drinks. The bar was packed with cowboys and cowgirls celebrating the holiday. We just missed the Independence Day parade, but we did get to see the WWII-vintage Sherman tank leave the parade grounds! Drive back to Denver, avoid colliding with antelope on the road, enjoy the 75 mph speed limits, and finish the trip after midnight. △

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So You Want to Name a Mountain…?

By Woody Smith

“In the Wilderness Act of 1964 Congress established the National Wilderness Preservation System composed of federally owned areas to be administered ‘...for the use and enjoyment of the American people in such manner as will leave them unimpaired for future use and enjoyment as wilderness….’

Though wilderness designations are a modern invention, a fundamental characteristic of elemental wilderness is that features are nameless and the cultural overlay of civilization is absent. No wilderness is today totally free of placenames and cultural artifacts, but a goal of Federal wilderness area administration is to minimize impacts and traces of people.”

United States Board on Geographic Names.

Principles, Policies, and Procedures: Domestic Geographic Names, Chapter 3, Policy IV— Wilderness Names.

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B

ack around the turn of the last century I had the bright idea of naming adjoining peaks for Carl Blaurock and Bill Ervin, the first two people to climb all of Colorado’s known 14,000-foot peaks. They finished the 46 known peaks in 1923, climbing “new” Fourteeners as measurements improved.

The peaks that seemed appropriate were two of Colorado’s highest unnamed twin summits, the 90th and 99th highest in the state. Unnamed 18,832 (proposed Mt. Blaurock) and Unnamed 13,811 (proposed Ervin Peak) are located in the San Juan Mountains about 10 miles west of Lake City, near 14,000-ft. Redcloud and Sunshine Peaks.

But there were two obstacles. First, the two unnamed peaks are in the Redcloud Wilderness Study Area, and the 1964 Wilderness Act prohibits naming, without

good reason, in Wilderness Areas, or areas under study for wilderness designation.

Second, another party had recently proposed a different, smaller, “Mt. Blaurock” in the Sawatch Range.

Despite attempts to join forces with the other party and try to get the big peaks for Blaurock and Ervin, my efforts were rebuffed. However, soon an adjoining Ervin Peak was added to the other proposal. Faced with two proposals for Blaurock and Ervin, the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (USBGN) chose the non-wilderness peaks.

As it stands, Blaurock and Ervin have been relegated to the 186th and 234th, rather than the 90th and 99th highest peaks in the state—an outcome that remains inadequate. Feel free to fix it.

Prior to the Blaurock-Ervin decision,

▲ Refrigerator magnet from the 2003 effort to name wilderness area peaks for Blaurock and Ervin. Courtesy David Hite

100 Years Ago! Toponymics in 1914 1914 was a good year for toponymics—naming the land—in Colorado. In May, CMC founding member Ellsworth Bethel officially proposed names for what are now the Indian Peaks in the northern Front Range to the U.S. Board on Geographic Names. Of 11 names proposed, 6 were accepted.

In July, Harriet Vaille’s plan to have Araphoe elders tour the proposed Rocky Mountain National Park, to find out what they used to call things, came to pass. Named landmarks were thought to help the Park’s chance for approval.

In October, Colorado’s own Geographic Board was formed under the direction of the CMC’s co-founder and first president, James Grafton Rogers. A busy guy, Rogers was named the new board’s chairman, appointed by Governor Ammons himself. Ellsworth Bethel was also named to the board’s executive committee. Harriet Vaille was the board secretary. Rogers took his toponymics seriously. He compiled a cross-referenced file of Colorado place names the old-fashioned way—on thousands of index cards. The microfilm copy at the Denver Public Library fills nearly six rolls. Rogers also named Mts. Cirrus (12,797’), Cumulus (12,725’) and Nimbus (12,706’) in the Never Summer Range.

For the full story of toponymics at Rocky Mountain National Park, read “High Country Names” by CMC members Louisa Ward Arps and Elinor Eppich Kingery (T&T, 1972).

I had also submitted a proposal to name Unnamed 13,870, Colorado’s 75th highest summit, for Mary Cronin, who was the fourth person and first woman to climb all the Fourteeners, finishing in 1934. (Blaurock and Ervin updated their “lists” on the same trip.)

Naming four of Colorado’s Centennial Peaks—the 100 highest—for the first four people to climb all the Fourteeners, seemed like a good goal: Mt. Ellingwood (14,042), named in 1970, honors Albert Ellingwood, third on the list.

A year and a half after the BlaurockErvin decision, I received a letter from the USBGN: Cronin Peak had been approved!

It seemed ironic; I had merely written a proposal for Cronin Peak, while promoting Blaurock and Ervin as much as possible.

I wrote letters, made phone calls, enlisted people in Lake City, and even designed fliers and magnets.

Flush with unexpected success, I proposed names for two other peaks. The first, for Agnes Vaille, adjoined Cronin Peak.

Vaille was on track to finish the Fourteeners when she died on Longs Peak in January 1925. Since Vaille and Cronin had been climbing partners in the early ‘20s, the dual peaks seemed appropriate.

The other was a proposal for Unnamed 13,799 near Kit Carson Mountain, informally known as Obstruction Peak because it’s in the way for climbers on their way to Kit Carson.

With recently named Challenger and Columbia Points in mind, I proposed Galaxy Peak, with John Schuessler, a retired NASA contractor, and co-founder of MUFON (the Mutual UFO Network). Unfortunately, the summit of this mountain is about one-third of a mile inside the Sangre de Cristo Wilderness, which of course spelled doom for the proposal.

I did think Mt. Agnes Vaille had a better chance, but the USBGN voted no. There was already a waterfall near Mt. Princeton and a storm shelter on Longs Peak named for her.

With the future clear, we withdrew Galaxy Peak before it was voted into a black hole.

Thus, my peak naming record is mixed, yet evenly distributed. △ 1 - Approved 1 - Disapproved 1 - Diminished 1 - “Borrowed,” then diminished 1 - Withdrawn

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End of the Trail Rosina Anna Spray ▶ 1935-2014

By Kirstin Jensen

We thought Rosina would be with us forever; she led the pack in her passion for hiking, snowshoeing, skiing, and biking, not to mention walking. She preferred to go by foot rather than drive for errands far and wide, and all this done with great pleasure and enthusiasm.

But that was not to be and Rosina passed away on July 2 after a short illness. She was born in Arlesheim, Switzerland. Rosina lived with her family in multiple communities both before and after earning her RN degree, including working in Zimbabwe when her boys were young. She is survived by her son Selwyn Spray, granddaughter Aryah Spray, brother Wilfried Rauser, and former husband Dr. Selwyn Spray. She is predeceased by her son Ruedi Spray and brother Ruedi Rauser.

Rosina will be remembered for her lifelong love of the mountains and her passion for all things active and outdoors. As an active participant in CMC’s Over the Hill Gang outings, she infused the group’s hikes and snowshoe trips with her cheerful and intrepid nature. She enjoyed biking with groups and awed us all with her numerous Ride The Rockies tours, where she, of course, would “never use the sag wagon”. Rosina was definitely not a “sagger”!

Rosina’s energy and dedication extended far beyond her outdoor activities. She lived a life of selfless service to family and friends. She was a great support to her son and granddaughter.

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Her Swiss heritage was important, and was shared with her family.

She was a board member of the Swiss-American Friendship Society and organized their annual independence day celebration, incorporating all things Swiss into the event. She led their annual Father’s Day hike, providing the food as well as the leadership—her last trip being only a few weeks ago, when she focused on the enjoyment of the participants rather than her unfamiliar decrease of energy.

Other volunteer commitments included making regular deliveries for the Meals on Wheels program and active support of her preferred political candidates.

We will not forget Rosina. She touched our lives and those of others in so many ways. A celebration of life service was held on July 13th. △ ◀ Rosina Spray. Courtesy of Gordon Cook

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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.

Terri at morrow.terri@gmail.com about being added to the wait list.

Best Hikes of Italy September 14–26, 2014 CMC Members: $3,950 Explore three distinctly different areas of Italy as we hike in the Italian Dolomites, trek in the hills above Lake Garda, and experience the trails connecting the Cinque Terre, five beautiful villages on the Italian Riviera. Starting in Milan, Italy, we transfer to Balzano to tour the (Reinhold) Messner Museum, followed by three days of hiking in the towering Dolomites. Next, we transfer to beautiful Riva del Garda on Lake Garda. In addition to two day hikes, there will be opportunities for recreation, including beautiful beaches, boat rides, formal gardens, and more. One evening we will enjoy an Italian cooking class. We will transfer by train to Cinque Terre and stay at a charming 4-star inn. We will hike the trails that connect these villages. On our return to Milan, we will visit Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper. Throughout the trip, we will enjoy the delights of Italian cuisine in charming restaurants and pubs. Hiking level will be B and C level over 6–7 days.

The trip includes 12 nights’ accommodation in small elegant hotels in Bolzano, Lake Garda, and Monterosso, Italy. The maximum number of participants is 12, plus leaders Terri Morrow and Linda Ditchkus, for a total of 14. Trip cost covers all ground transportation, guided hiking in the Dolomites, 12 nights’ accommodation, 11 breakfasts and 11 dinners, and lunch on hiking days, along with cultural events—Messner Museum, cooking class, and The Last Supper. International airfare (estimated at $1,000–1,200) is not included. Also, expect to spend a few hundred dollars on trip insurance, souvenirs, bar tabs. Non-members pay an additional 3% administrative fee.The trip is currently full, but please inquire with 42

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Great Smoky Mountains National Park October 18–26, 2014 CMC members: $1,000 Please join us for another epic adventure in the Southern Appalachians! Experience one of the most biodiverse regions in the United States and discover its incredible beauty. If your bucket list includes visiting Great Smoky Mountain National Park, then wait no longer! Your trip leader has lived and hiked in these mountains for over a decade and will take you to some of the coolest places in the park at one of the prettiest times of the year: Mid-October is prime fall foliage season in the Southern Appalachians. The planned itinerary is to spend six or seven days exploring Great Smoky Mountains Park, including touring, a lot of hiking, and an optional bicycle tour around Cades Cove one morning. We will do day hikes throughout the western half of the park (some hikes will be on the Appalachian Trail) and will take the weather into consideration to try to pick a good destination every day. While participants are expected to be in shape to participate in all hikes, the trip is designed to allow individuals to stay at the cabin for a leisure day if needed or desired. If possible, we will spend our last night at Charit Creek Lodge in Big South Fork National Recreation Area near the Kentucky border. Charit Creek is a historic and very rustic hike-in lodge with one-room log cabins that sleep 12, a solarpowered bathhouse, and a historic dining room for dinner and breakfast (included).

Charit Creek Lodge requires full payment up front and does not offer refunds.

Whether we will be able to get a reserva-

tion depends on how soon this trip fills up!

From the lodge, we will do an afternoon loop hike to the impressive twin arches (6 miles, 450 feet). Our base in the Smokies is a cabin in Townsend, Tennessee, just yards from the national park boundary. Townsend touts itself as the quiet side of the Smokies.

As the old timers continue to turn over the reins to the younger generation, Townsend is becoming less “quiet” and more commercial every year. But, as you will see when we visit Gatlinburg one evening, Townsend still is a fabulously quiet place! Our cabin has five bedrooms and three bathrooms, a screened-in porch overlooking the creek, a deck with a hot tub, a wood stove, a full kitchen, washer and dryer, etc. While at the cabin, we will be responsible for preparing ALL our meals—breakfast, sack lunches and dinners—unless we decide to go out to eat. The trip fee includes funds for the group meals. Every participant will be required to actively participate in meal planning, grocery shopping, cooking, and cleaning up. If we can get a reservation for Charit Creek Lodge for our last night, we will say goodbye to our luxurious cabin on day eight and drive about 150 miles to the trailhead for our 1-mile hike to the lodge. Otherwise, we will stay at our cabin one more night and find something fun to do in the Smokies.

The trip starts and ends at the airport in Nashville. Airfare to and from Nashville is not included in the trip cost. Your trip cost includes all ground transportation in Tennessee, all overnight stays, as well as group meals at the cabin and Charit Creek Lodge.

Any meals we choose to eat out are on your own. If interested, contact Chris Dohmen at cattanooga@gmail.com

World Summit Series: Mt. Kosciuszko, Australia and Tasmania, 2015 February 20–March 8, 2015

CMC Members: $2,500 Visit Sydney and Kosciuszko National Park, climb Kosciuszko (one of the Seven Summits), and visit Tasmania with four days of guided walks to alpine and coastal regions on this beautiful island. The maximum number of participants is 10, plus two CMC leaders. Accommodations will be hostels with dorm-style sleeping, and cabins with shared rooms. Travel will be in shared vans. The trip is not technically demanding; participants must be able to hike up to 12 miles round-trip (approximately a hard C hike), and must have appropriate alpine trekking skills (knowledge of how to dress for potentially cold and windy conditions). A pre-trip information meeting and pre-trip hike will be held in November or December. All lodging; park entry fees; incountry transportation, including air travel between Sydney and Tasmania; and an allinclusive cabins, transportation, day hikes and food package in Tasmania are included in the trip fee. Not covered in the trip fee are airfare between US and Australia, Australian visas, most meals, personal gear, and expenses for optional trips in Sydney. Prices for hostels, van rental, and leader fees may vary depending on the number of participants signed up. If interested, contact leaders Bob and Sharon Dawson at marmetsharon@msn.com or robinmtns@yahoo.com.

Grand Canyon Raft and Hike, 2015 April 25–May 7, 2015 CMC members: $4,465 This unique trip to the Grand Canyon offers participants the opportunity to experience this World Heritage Site on a motorized raft for 188 miles through the best of the canyon, departing from the historic Lee’s Ferry and ending with a helicopter ride from Whitmore Wash and a plane flight back to the start. It is especially ideal for those who would like to hike in areas that can be reached only from the river, and those who have always wanted to experience the canyon but who do not wish to make the 7 mile, 4,500’ trek in and out.

The Grand Canyon, designated a World Heritage Site by the United Nations in 1979, is among the Earth’s greatest ongoing geological spectacles. About 65 million years ago in Earth’s shifting, a huge area of

land was lifted a mile and a half above sea level, forming what is now the Colorado Plateau. For the last 6 to 10 million years, the Colorado River has been slowly carving its way down through the center, exposing 2 billion years of geological history. There are also prehistoric traces of human adaptation to a particularly harsh environment.

Our outfitter, Hatch River Expeditions, has been guiding river trips through the canyon for over 75 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-to-point hikes where we may hike from one drainage to the next and the raft will pick us up later in the day. For maximum enjoyment, one may wish to participate in several CMC hikes prior to the trip.

The hikes will vary in difficulty from levels B and C. In general, a couple hiking levels will be available on most days.There is always the option to take the day off and rest in camp or at the river. 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 may follow a social trail or are off trail. Hatch provides all meals, snacks, eating utensils, life jackets, tents, cots, camp kit, camp chairs, and arranges the helicopter and plane rides back to the put-in.The camp kit includes 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 (4/25/15). 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 14, 2014. For cancellation on or before November 14, 2014, there will be a refund of $200 ($500 less the $300 non-refundable fee).

Any refunds for cancellations after November 14, 2014, will be made only if a qualified replacement is accepted. Travel insurance is

recommended. Please contact leaders for availability and/or wait list at 303-8710379 or blakerosemary@cs.com

Scotland’s West Highland Way and Ben Nevis Climb, 2015 May 13–26, 2015 CMC Members: $3,040 Hike Scotland’s West Highland Way for 95 miles beside lochs, waterfalls, and craggy mountains in the Scottish Highlands. This famous route is walked by over 50,000 people each year, making it the most popular long-distance walk in Scotland. The path uses ancient roads, including drovers’ roads, military roads, and old coaching roads. We will walk the traditional route from south to north to the foot of Scotland’s (and the U.K.’s) highest peak, Ben Nevis. The group will attempt a climb to the summit of “the Ben” (4,409 feet), weather permitting. Although hiking will be the trip’s focus, the group will also tour medieval Edinburgh, Stirling (famous for being the home of William Wallace), the Eliean Donan Castle in the Scottish Highlands, and a Scotch distillery. This trip includes 10 days of hiking; only fit participants will be accepted on the trip. The West Highland Way will take nine days of hiking from village to village in the Scottish Highlands, with distances ranging from 7 to 16 miles per day. The final day of hiking, an attempt to climb Ben Nevis, will be 12 miles roundtrip on good trails to the 4,409’ summit (about 4,300’ of gain). This climb is straightforward and typically not difficult, but weather in the Scottish Highlands can change quickly and safe descent routes can become obscured in foggy conditions. Both leaders have experience climbing this peak. The maximum number of participants on this trip is 14, including the two co-leaders. Accommodations will be small hotels and B&Bs along the walk and 3-star hotels in Edinburgh. If interested, contact Linda and David Ditchkus at lvditchkus@hotmail.com.

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