Adventure Pro Summer 2021

Leave No Trace

MINDFUL CAMPING IN COLORADO

Family Traditions

PLAN A MULTIGENERATIONAL BACKPACKING TRIP

Taking Flight

PARAGLIDING FOR AN IMPORTANT CAUSE

Plus:

CHAMA, NEW MEXICO SOUTHWEST STATE PARKS THE IMPACTS OF WILDFIRE

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Chasing your buds down singletrack r i b b o n s , t o s s i n g p o s t- r i d e g a i n e r s i n t o chilly mountain lakes and sleeping under the stars waiting to do it all again—we live for days like these, and w e buil t t he ne w R ap t or/ R a v en s er ie s to suppor t them. With an updated wing-shaped harness for stabilit y and comfor t , plus premium features like a tool roll organizer and an included 2 . 5 - l i t e r r e s e r v o i r, t h e R a p t o r / R a v e n series delivers ever y thing you need, for big rides and good times.

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CONTENTS

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44

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28

22

ABOUT THE COVER Lead photographer Terrance Siemon poses in front of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison in Colorado. shutter assist by Kara Janke photo by Terrance Siemon

D E PA R T M E N T S

04 OPENING SHOT 06 BEHIND THE LENS

Photography Elements

08 OUTDOOR VITALS Wildfire

32 KILLER WEEKEND Chama, New Mexico

34 HOW TO

Family Backpacking

38 HIDDEN GEMS State Parks

40 GEAR BIN

Trail Running

42 BASECAMP CUISINE Wild Eats

44 WILD VOICES Erica Nelson

46 VISTAS

38 F E AT U R E S

10 MOTHER OF THE

COLORADO TRAIL

Gudy Gaskill's lifelong dedication by morgan sjorgren

14 MILLION DOLLAR HIGHWAY A stunning Colorado drive with epic views by brenda bergeen

18 FEVER PITCH

Hiking 13,000-foot peaks around Silverton, Colorado by suzanne lourie

22 DISPERSED DILEMMA Colorado Camping 101 by morgan tilton

26 SILVER STALLION

BICYCLE & COFFEE

Bringing bikes to the Navajo Nation by tiona eversole

28 ON THE WINGS

OF A BUTTERFLY

Paragliding from Mexico to Canada by tiona eversole

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ED ITO R ' S N OTE

FOR THE ADVENTURER IN ALL OF US

E-motion

EDITORIAL

Tiona Eversole editor Terrance Siemon photographer & videographer Laurie Kain photographer & videographer Hunter Harrell copy editor CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Brenda Bergreen Suzanna Lourie Holly Priestley Mike Remke

Morgan Sjogren Morgan Tilton Matt Yeoman

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

Brenda Bergreen Marc Bergreen Ryan Duclos Roger Hogan Renee Hutchens Benjamin Jordan

Suzanna Lourie Lyndsay Nicole Eric Phillips Gabe Priestley Holly Priestley Mike Remke

ADVE RTISING

Jamie Opalenik director of multimedia sales Amy Baird Colleen Donley Tana Creek Joe Nelson Kelly Bulkley Shell Simonson Cole Davis Matt Yeoman Garett Dickinson PRODUCTION

Ryan Brown production manager DESIGN

Tad Smith manager of creative services Gary Markstein designer Bridget Williams lead designer INTE R AC TIVE

Jace Reynolds web designer Matt Graff web development MANAG E R

Douglas Bennett chief executive officer Carrie Cass director of finance /ADVENTUREPROMAG @ADVENTUREPROMAG ADVENTURE PRO MAGAZINE @ADVENTUREPROMAGAZINE ADVENTURE PRO MAGAZINE

© 2021 All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher. Published in the United States by Ballantine Communications, Inc. 1275 Main Ave., Durango, CO 81301.

Ballantine Communications uses reasonable effort to include accurate and up-to-date information for its special publications. Details are subject to change, so please check ahead. The publisher accepts no responsibility for any consequences arising from the use of this guide. We welcome suggestions from readers. Please write to the editor at the address above.

FORWARD PROGRESS REQUIRES PASSION, DRIVE AND EDUCATION Riding, running or hiking through a burn area always stirs a melting pot of emotions. Sure, wildfire is devastating, but I’m always taken aback by the speed at which nature rebounds. The 416 Fire of 2018 left a 55,000-acre burn scar in the San Juan Mountains. The Hermosa Creek trail (pictured) was a part of that area. Yet, new growth has already begun to sprout among the charred remains of aspens and pines, providing a glimpse into the resiliency of the natural world. All it takes is a little time and determination to thrive in a disaster-stricken space.

Like wildfire, many of the issues we are witnessing in today’s world stem from one underlying dilemma: negligence. We watch with fear and frustration as the tribulations unfold in front of our eyes, asking ourselves, What can we do?

The voices within this issue take this question and apply it to their respective causes, tying their passions to a greater goal. Morgan Tilton sheds

light on the ever-increasing camping activity in Colorado on page 22, and shares key insights on how outdoor recreationists can protect and maintain these pristine spaces. On page 26, Silver Stallion Bicycle & Coffee strives to bring bikes to the Navajo Nation, an area where bike programs were historically slim to none. Benjamin Jordan ties his love of paragliding to awareness around the endangered monarch butterfly on page 28. And on page 44, we learn about Erica Nelson’s mission to increase diversity, equity and inclusion in the fly fishing industry.

I hope that this issue inspires you to take action on a topic that you are passionate about — whether it is environmental, social or political. Let the call for change ignite your pursuit to make a difference in the world.

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The Long Road WORDS BY BENJAMIN JORDAN PHOTO BY LY N D S AY N I C O L E

I can make excuses until I'm blue in the face as to why I walked 200 kilometers with an aircraft on my back. Not being able to launch within the National Parks, Monuments or the giant Navajo Nation all feel legit. Yet the truth is that, even if I were legally, or physically able to kite a paraglider up and leave the earth for a while, there's no way I could have gotten myself back on course. You see, the strong west wind has been my archnemesis since Day One of this expedition and that 200 kilometers I needed to go was directly west.

Even if I had the right, even if I had the skill, I was essentially just sucking it up and walking upstream so that I may slowly be blown down it again from a point further west.

Read more about Jordan's paragliding expedition from Mexico to Canada on page 28.

O PEN I N G S H OT

BEHIND THE LENS

Photography Cheat Sheet The three elements of exposing a photograph WORDS AND PHOTOS BY TERRANCE SIEMON

NIGHT CLIMBING camera: Sony a7sii focal length: 16mm iso: 1600 exposure: 20sec. aperture: f/4

The art of photography may seem complicated to those who are just getting into the hobby. Simply put, a photograph is created by controlling light that is exposed to a light sensitive surface. So what makes a great photo stand out from the rest?

Here is a quick rundown of the three primary tools used to capture images with a camera.

1. Aperture (or f/stop): The opening inside your lens. The diameter of the opening dictates how much light is let into your image sensor.

DUNES camera: Sony A7iii focal length: 200mm iso: 640 exposure: 1/640 aperture: f/4

2. Shutter Speed: The speed at which the shutter opens and closes, thus controlling how long the image sensor is exposed to light.

3. ISO: Light sensitivity of the image sensor, which results in brightening or darkening the image. It is important to note that a higher ISO may result in a lot of grain, or noise, in the image. For the highest quality images, shoot with a base ISO of 100 or 200.

For a downloadable, printable cheat sheet, visit us online at www.adventurepro.us/ photography-cheat-sheet.

FALLS camera: Sony A7iii focal length: 28mm iso: 50 exposure: 2 Sec. aperture: f/22

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Shoes | Gear | Advice

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O U T D O O R V I TA L S

A surface fire burns in ponderosa pine forests in Turkey Springs near Pagosa Springs.

These fires are an integral part of ponderosa pine ecology and are stunning to witness.

Shaped by Flames How fire has molded our forests WORDS & PHOTOS BY MIKE REMKE

FLAMES There was the distinct sound of crackling, as if the largest imaginable campfire was creeping through the forest. I felt the warmth of flames on any area of exposed skin as a strong radiant heat.

Fire season. The most direct way to experience fire in a forest is to work wildland fire and put in the hours — hiking in the forests, cutting lines, dragging a drip torch ahead of a wildfire to consume fuel before the flames get closer. The second way to experience a wildfire is to live in a community surrounded by forests long enough to experience this natural phenomenon. It can be terrifying to experience flames rip across a beloved landscape toward homes and places we know and value — though fire is a natural part of the forests we live and adventure in.

FLAMMABILITY As melting snow seeps into soils and is carried away by rivers, the green leaves of plants become a vibrant, decorative sign of spring. All these organic materials, during most years, are filled with water as plants thrive and carry through their way of life, producing carbon from the sun.

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desiccated and highly flammable. The same flammability can be said for the evergreen conifers that drape the mountains, from the ponderosa pine to the spruce-fir. As you go up the mountain, it takes more and more of a drought to dry out the fuels enough for them to be flammable, meaning fire happens more frequently at lower elevations, and less frequently at higher elevations.

It’s this innate flammability that makes these forests not merely adapted to fire, but to some extent, dependent on fire. In the ponderosa pine, the adult trees have thick bark that helps them survive fires that burn frequently, every 5 to 30 years, killing the slowest growing trees, creating small openings and maintaining the overstory trees. In higher elevations, single trees may burn from time to time, but fires only carry through considerable swaths of forest every 300 years or longer. These fires only happen during the worst of droughts, and tend to kill whole forests while prompting the growth of the next generation of forests.

For much of Colorado, the last several years have been precisely that — extreme drought.

Consequently, the forests have been ignitable,

dry enough to burn in a nearly explosive nature.

While it can be dramatic to experience the change brought about by these flammable forests, it’s evident that fire has always shaped these forests.

LEGACIES OF FIRE Going for a hike at lower elevations, ponderosa pine forest may at first seem like walking in an unburned forest with abundant, large old trees. Truth be told, the majestic trees in these forests have survived many, if not dozens, of fires in their life.

A careful examination of the base of ponderosas would likely reveal obvious signs of fire — blackened bark and hollowed out scars, or “cat faces.” The uphill sides of trees tend to smolder during low intensity fire from bits of ash and charcoal rolling downslope and resting up against the base of the trees. The result is a portion of the trunk that burns until it hollows out a portion of the tree. In most cases, these events hardly impact the health of the tree, and the tree simply heals around its wound and continues to grow. Other evidence of fire in these forests include meadows of various sizes.

Moving into higher elevation forests, the signs of fire may be less obvious. Pay careful attention to the dense trees, and you may spot an old burnt and twisted tree that was struck by lightning and burnt without spreading fire to the surrounding trees; but zooming out and looking at bigger landscapes reveals more obvious patterns of fire. In the San Juan Mountains, naturally gladed areas — like those on Molas Pass — are often the result of a fire.

Other obvious signs of fire are represented by the vibrant and delightful quaking leaves of aspens. Aspens sprout quickly following a disturbance such as wildfire, and thus often become the dominant overstory tree after significant fires. The mid elevation valleys along the Dolores River, the Hermosa Cliffs and the high elevations of Lime Creek and Molas Pass down to the Animas River represent landscapes where fire blazed through conifers, bringing aspens to life. These aspen forests are slowly shifting back to conifer dominated forests over time.

The legacy of fire is a powerful visualization to the role fire always has and will always play in these landscapes. Evidence shows that fires up to 125,000 aces in size have occurred several times in the last 1,200 years on Missionary Ridge — and with each fire there are post-fire debris flow events that bring soils and sediments racing to the Animas River below. When we are trained to look for the fingerprint of fire, we appreciate that we must learn to live with fire.

LIFE WITH FIRE People have occupied the greater southern Colorado and northern New

Mexico landscapes for thousands of years.

These lands are the ancestral lands of Nuchu (Ute), Apache, Pueblos, Hopi, Zuni, Jemez and Diné (Navajo) peoples, all who also lived with fire. Traditional knowledge and compelling scientific evidence demonstrate that peoples living in these geographies burned forests differently based on proximity to their communities.

Close to their homes, they maintained a fire-free space where fire was only a tool for ceremonies and cooking. Adjacent to homes, they burned to maintain fields and agriculture. Further away from homes, in the forests and woodlands, fire was used to keep fuels lower and promote the establishment of native medicinal plants, the result of this use of fire was an area surrounding a community that was more resilient to drought, climate extremes and fires.

In the modern world, encroachment of Western civilization into forested landscapes has resulted in a steep learning curve with fire. Homes built with flammable materials quickly burn from airborne embers and ash when a fire edges close to towns.

Furthermore, humans are unintentionally starting more, and larger, fires. These fires tend to burn in the hottest, driest parts of the year near human infrastructure, resulting in costly fire suppression and structure protection efforts.

These problems are compounded by a long history of reactionary policies; after over a million acres of forest burned in a single fire in 1910, the United States Forest Service deemed it necessary that all fires be put out by 10 a.m. the day after they were reported. The result has been over a century of not letting fires shape landscapes, which

means we now have an over dense forest that is ready to burn hotter than ever before.

The wisdom of the people who have lived here for centuries presents obvious solutions for how Western civilization can begin to adapt to living here in these fire prone forests; the answer is fire. We need to bring fire back to our forests in ways that allow us to live in the forest safely. This means using prescribed fire and letting unplanned fires burn when conditions are favorable.

FLAMING BEAUTY The idea that fire is a destructive component of ecosystems is smoke and mirrors. In reality, virtually every aspect of the forests we hike through and experience has a story rooted in flames. These forests are resilient and intimately linked to the complex behavior and dynamics of fire. Ask those who lived here before you, and they will tell you: fire is integral to living in the Southwest.

MIKE REMKE is a professor of biology at Fort Lewis College and a research associate with Mountain Studies Institute where his studies focus on the intersection between forest ecology and human dimensions of ecosystems.

When Remke is not busy being a nerd, he is often out and about with his camera, bike or splitboard enjoying the rich scenery of the San Juans.

The burned-out scar on this ponderosa pine tree is the artifact of past fires. This cat face can be seen just off the Sailing Hawks trail near Durango, Colorado and is evidence to how widespread fires were.

TIPS FOR HOMES IN THE PATH OF A WILDFIRE

Living in an area with high fire danger requires additional awareness of one’s surroundings; it is important to know what to do should a wildfire occur.

• Be prepared with fire evacuation routes.

• Remove fuels from around the outside of homes, such as vines and shrubs.

Next time you are meandering through the forests, look for the patterns of how aspen are distributed and imagine a fire burning through conifers where the aspen stand today. These trees mark legacies of disturbance. Pictured here, aspen stands decorate slopes where fire once burned on the way to Ruby Lake.

• Be ready to mobilize with key belongings. Being aware of this simple reality and having a plan for when fire arrives can help keep our communities and forests resilient to fire.

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Gud y Gaskil l

Gudy Gaskill, affectionately known as the “Mother of the Colorado Trail.” photo courtesy of Steven Gaskill

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Mother of the Colorado Trail Gudy Gaskill left a lasting legacy of stewardship along the Colorado Trail

BY MORGAN SJOGREN

A

fter handing each of them horseback riders pay homage to Gudy, whose legacy ice-cold IPA’s, I stuck around continues along the high altitude route (13,271 feet at and in exchange asked the its high point) through the Rocky Mountains. seemingly requisite questions one raises The dream of the Colorado Trail was born in the to backpackers out on the trail: Where ‘70s, with a plan to originally complete the pathway in are you from? How long have you been 1978. Still incomplete in 1984, the route was deemed hiking? Is this your first thru-hike? “the trail to nowhere.” For over a decade, with grit and However, one man’s motives for determination, it was Gudy (eventual President of the hiking along the Colorado Trail caught Colorado Mountain Club) who rallied a crew of pure me off-guard. Steven Gaskill was hiking volunteers to complete the route from Denver to a portion of the trail Durango in 1987. to honor his late For the next three decades of her mother, Gudy Gaskill. life, Gudy remained utterly devoted As he sipped his beer, to the Colorado Trail. Her efforts he explained that she were recognized with awards from helped dream up the former President Ronald Reagan and idea to create the former President George H.W. Bush.

Colorado Trail in 1974.

Though Gudy’s commitment to the Gudy was not just his mountains peaked with the Colorado mother, but the “Mother of the Trail, her devotion to the outdoors Colorado Trail.” spanned her lifetime — heading up a The name Gudy sounded familiar youth ski program, working as a because of Gudy’s Rest — a bench ranger at Rocky Mountain National sitting atop the Colorado Trail’s final Park and serving as President of the vista before descending four miles Colorado Mountain Club (the first to its terminus at Junction Creek in woman to do so).

Durango. Gudy's portrait can also be Steven recalled his mother’s spotted along the trail between boundless energy during her peak Molas and Bolam Pass, where years blazing the trail from 1980 she is commemorated with a to 2000. bronze plaque.

“My mom ran somewhere around Gudy passed away in 2016 at the 15 to 20 one-week trail crews each “This may be poor age of 88, and while many day and summer,” Steven said. “She would form, but do you plan all the food for them with my thru-hikers may recognize Gudy’s Rest on the home stretch of trail, have an extra beer?” dad and coordinate all of the many may not be familiar with the volunteers that were signing up visionary “force of nature” that to do it.” blazed the trail for their experience. The location of Steven said during the trail crews, she would wake Gudy’s Rest was said to be one of her favorite spots, up early to make breakfast and coffee for the crew which speaks volumes considering the amount of before they awoke. He said his mom would clean up lifelong effort and human-power she poured into before going to oversee the trail crews and labor into every stretch of the Colorado Trail. the late afternoon, then she would start dinner for the Today, thousands of hikers, mountain bikers and camp, and lead songs and talks around the campfire.

The sun sparkled across Celebration Lake, as thruhikers and mountain bikers convened to refill water and camp to cap off an idyllic summer day on the Colorado Trail. The lake, sitting atop 11,200-foot Bolam Pass, signals the home stretch (50 more miles) for thru-hikers on the 567-mile trail linking Denver to Durango. After completing a sweaty trail run myself, I looked at the hiking trio and smiled — of course, I had beer to share.

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Gudy with a volunteer trail crew in 1986.photo courtesy of Steven Gaskill

“And I don’t know how she did it all, because I think she probably stayed up until 10 or 11 p.m. every night and then got up the next morning at four o’clock!”

Adding to her busy inclinations, Steven noted that his mother also took the time to paint the mountain scenery and give the artwork as gifts to the volunteers. This fun familial atmosphere created by Gudy inspired volunteers to return year after year.

“They would even recruit friends to come,” Steven said. “You know, it was a great vacation that they felt like they were doing something.”

Gudy’s love for the mountains and ability to rally volunteers to maintain the Colorado Trail lives on through the Colorado Trail Foundation today.

Last year, COVID-19 canceled all of the organization’s trail crews; but the Colorado Trail Foundation is confident they can get the trail’s annual maintenance back on track this summer.

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Executive director of the nonprofit organization Bill Manning said, “The Adopter work program is routine maintenance: cutting trees, and preventing erosion. About 500 trees fall over and block the trail each year. We are very hopeful for the Adopter program this year. They want to clear (the debris off the trail) so everyone can have fun on it this summer. We are hoping we will be able to do it all this summer.”

To learn more about the Colorado Trail and to volunteer with a trail crew this summer, visit www.coloradotrail.org/volunteer.

MORGAN SJOGREN runs wild with words around the Colorado Plateau. In 2018, she published "Outlandish," a collection of stories and recipes written while living on the road and in the wild out of her Jeep (affectionately named Sunny).

You can read more of Sjogren's books and stories at www.therunningbum.com.

COLORADO TRAIL STATS • 1974: Considered the birth year of the CT • 567 Miles from Denver to Durango • 90,000 Vertical Feet hiked over the duration of the trail • The CT traverses through 6 Wilderness Areas, 8 Mountain Ranges & 5 Major River Systems

ents of Segmven Gaskill n io t c n Ste esy of at the ju hikers er. photo court T C s e iv R om ge welc h Platte kill Brid ross the Sout s a G y d c The Gu , spanning a 1 and 2

• The average elevation is 10,300 feet — with the highest elevation at 13,271 feet in the San Juan Mountains and its lowest elevation at 5,500 feet near the Waterton Canyon trailhead by Denver

A plaq comm ue on Segm emora e tes Gu nt 25 betwe dy Gas kill. phoen Molas Pas to by Tiona E s and Bolam versole Pass

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Driving the Million Dollar Highway Adventure without getting your shoes dirty (but you’ll probably want to)

BY BRENDA BERGREEN

T

here’s something about a road trip and the endless possibility. You can sit and think while staring out the windows daydreaming, as long as you’re not the driver. There’s nowhere to go and nowhere to be because the act of traveling is what you’re there for. And then there’s the Million Dollar Highway, a stretch of road so beautiful that your daydreams ›› look bland.

Aerial shot of curves on the Million Dollar Highway between Ouray and Silverton. photo by Marc Bergreen

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When we weren't hugging the side of the mountain, we were climbing hairpin switchbacks that seemed nearly tight enough to be able to high-five the car passing by in the other lane.

While my family’s favorite adventures involve getting lost in the wilderness and escaping from daily life, sometimes the schedule gets in the way. There’s simply not enough time to do everything we want to do and see everything we want to see. My husband and I tried out backcountry skiing and trail running as a way to be able to move faster in the mountains and see more of the beauty that nature has to offer. Even so, it’s a tall order to hike all the trails and climb all the mountains.

Colorado has an impressive network of scenic highways that give car-bound or tight-scheduled adventurers impressive access to rugged views with minimal effort. If you’re looking for ways to adventure without getting your shoes dirty, this is it. Of course, even being in a car won’t save you from vertigo from the steep cliffs of the Million Dollar Highway. Highway 550 runs from New Mexico to southern Colorado and the section from Durango to Ouray has the million-dollar views, or it cost a million dollars to build, or was a location where miners found millions of dollars of gold.

We started from Ouray, a little town nestled in the San Juan Mountains known for ice climbing and hot springs. After camping at Angel Creek Campground and before heading south towards Durango, we drove up towards Mount Sneffels.

We didn’t have a purpose, destination or plans to climb any mountains; we just love cool roads. Camp Bird Road is stunning as it winds up toward Mount Sneffels and Camp Bird Mine, named after the birds that tried to steal the miners’ food. Little did we know we would meet those birds later on our trip.

From there, we continued the sunrise drive along Red Mountain Pass. As hard as we looked, we didn’t see any guardrails. Instead, the thin road built into the side of a mountain, hovering delicately over the Uncompahgre Gorge, was our precarious passage to Silverton. I appreciated the low speed limit both for survival and the opportunity to appreciate the views of the sheer cliffs and rugged peaks.

When we weren’t hugging the side of the mountain, we were climbing hairpin switchbacks that seemed nearly tight enough to be able to high-five the car passing by in the other lane. Our

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A cool sunset campground near Molas Pass. photo by Marc Bergreen

Aerial shot above Camp Bird road near Ouray. photo by Marc Bergreen

Stars above camp near Silverton. photo by Marc Bergreen

Sunset on the peaks near Molas Pass. photo by Marc Bergreen

next stop was the Ice Lakes Basin trailhead, just west of Silverton. I’d say a big hike was the main purpose for our early morning start, but we just like the sunrise. We’re also fans of breaking up a big drive by moving our bodies.

The plan was to hike to Island Lake, a destination we chose despite knowing it would be popular and heavily trafficked. Regardless, things are popular for a reason; so we couldn’t resist the desire to see the lake in person. After hiking 3,000 feet of vertical elevation over 7 miles in order to see Island Lake, we made a note of all the other equally beautiful lakes for future trips. This is a place worth returning to.

After a long day of hiking, we camped near Molas Pass and enjoyed a stunning sunset over the mountains. The stars lit up the sky and we slept peacefully in our campsite. In the morning, we drove the rest of the way to Durango. Officially deciding to make it a loop, we drove up the San Juan Skyway toward Telluride stopping at Trout Lake to soak our feet.

That night, we backtracked a short distance in order to camp in some beautiful National Forest land off Lizard Head Pass only to quickly learn we weren’t the only ones with that idea. Snagging one of the last remaining campsites, we fought off giant birds for our dinner as they swooped in to steal from our portable grill. The next morning we drove past Telluride to

Ridgway, and made notes of future places to explore. We would later return to explore the Last Dollar Road, a scenic bypass from Telluride to Ridgway that cuts through big aspen groves, perfect for fall leaf peeping.

Stunning roads that snake through the Colorado mountains provide access to epic views. Instead of feeling like I got to see it all, I was simply inspired to find more time to see even more. We drove past countless trailheads, aspen groves and adorable mining towns. Not to mention all of the mountains we now dream of climbing. The more I am outside, the more I get to explore — and the more I want to see and do and experience.

Give me a highway or a byway or any method of traveling from one place to another, and eventually it will steal my heart. It will teach me that it’s not just about this place or that, but every destination in between and the journey along the way.

Stay tuned for more information on exploring Last Dollar Road, coming Fall 2021.

BRENDA BERGREEN is a storyteller and photographer living in Evergreen, Colorado, with her family. When she’s not writing or taking photos, you might find her exploring beautiful roads and trails.

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Fever Pitch Summiting the 13,000-foot peaks surrounding Silverton during last summer’s COVID-19 lockdown unravels an emotional and insightful journey WORDS & PHOTOS BY SUZANNA LOURIE

TRIALS & TRIUMPHS The slope’s shale façade clung to the earth below through gravity alone. Each step I took sent the whole thing rumbling into disequilibrium. Once the angle grew too steep, it was only a matter of time.

Traction was futile and I felt the earth give way as my left foot sent a microwave-sized hunk of quartzite thundering down the valley floor. Brace for impact. I thrust my trekking poles into one hand and clawed at the crumbling hillside to arrest my fall, sliding about 20 feet before making contact with a thorn-like root that brought me to a halt.

I cursed, loudly. Sitting in a precarious position I grumbled about my minor puncture wound in my hand, pissed off that this mountain dare try to thwart me.

I glanced up, taking in the terrain. I forgot my hand immediately. You have got to be kidding me. I was off route — again. Instantly, self-pity replaced pain and I began to cry there on the rocks. It wasn’t a big deal — I’d tried to be smart by contouring and accidentally gained about 600 feet of unnecessary elevation.

Though I don’t like to admit it, history would suggest I am not, say, a “natural” when it comes to route finding. I’ve learned this the hard way, multiple times. Despite knowing how to navigate with terrain and map and compass. Here I was — wrong again.

I’d driven three hours to better access these 13,000-foot peaks only 6 miles as the crow flies from my home in Silverton, Colorado. Running on an hour of sleep, the ridge linkup of Peaks One, Two, Three and White Dome (northwest of the betterknown Trinity Traverse and Vestal Basin) proved harder than anticipated. The route demanded scary, Class 5 moves and a knife edge traverse on rotten snow without gear.

Get me out of here. Like a toddler knocked down on the playground, I sat in the rubble throwing a tantrum about the inhumanity of how many miles I still had to cover before reaching freedom. I can’t do it. I won’t. I’m tired. My feet hurt.

Of course, after about five minutes I knew I was in the wilderness — not kindergarten. No one was coming to pluck me out and deliver me to work at 7 a.m. the next morning. I picked myself up, went down, up, down again, took a bath in the river and trudged slowly back to the car.

It’s one of my favorite memories, actually.

Wanting to be anywhere else in the world usually means some sort of growth is happening; for me anyway. In the moment, I’d rather be anywhere else on earth than that godforsaken land. After a few days in the world of clocks, I’m plotting my return.

That’s how it goes — trials and triumphs. A selfserving cycle that serves no real purpose other than somehow making life feel a little more alive. When experienced directly, it’s enough to always come back and try again.

HONESTY Over the course of five months, I skinned, scrambled and sometimes suffered my way to the

A champagne toast on Macomber Peak, the 94th summit of the author’s Thirteeners Project.

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The author on tn the summit of South Lookout Peak.

top of ninety-four peaks higher than 13,000 feet. I learned valuable lessons along the way, pushed myself to achieve things I never thought possible and gained a newfound appreciation for the incredible adventure in my own backyard. All of those things are true except one: I didn’t actually succeed. Only in writing this article did I discover my failure — I climbed 94 of 98 peaks — unknowingly missing four by about a quarter mile each due to my lack of thoroughness in counting dots on a map.

If the goal was to feel success, I achieved it — each summit I stood on slowly boosted my confidence.

AN IDEA Over a year ago, the COVID-19 pandemic descended upon the Southwest and the rest of the world. Like so many others, I found myself out of a job, unable to visit friends and overwhelmed by uncertainty.

The timing couldn’t have been worse. I had left my comfort zone and community in Durango six months earlier to take a chance on love. That meant moving to the mining-turned-ski hamlet of Silverton — approximately 48 miles north, 2,796 feet higher and roughly one twenty-eighth the size of Durango — to start a new life with my partner in the heart of the San Juan Mountains.

At the time, it was a dream come true.

However, along with the onset of the COVID pandemic and the “Stay at Home” order, my dream had been unraveling for months; and without work as a distraction, I was forced to face the reality of a failing relationship.

Everything seemed to be spinning out of control; so I did what I always do when nothing makes sense: I turned to the mountains.

They delivered.

After two months in lockdown, my existential anxiety and restlessness reached a fever pitch. By mid-May, I came up with a solution — to climb, hike or ski all of the thirteeners (peaks above

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Wildflowers on Red Mountain Pass.

13,000 feet) within a 10-mile radius of my house before the end of the year. I figured if I couldn’t find relief from my emotional prison through the usual coping strategies (work, spontaneous cross-country road trips, drinking wine with friends, etc.), I might as well channel that energy closer to home. I desperately needed to believe I had direction, even if just up the side of a hill.

TECHNICALITIES The journey began on May 19, 2020. I downloaded a file of waypoints called “CO Thirteeners” and started hiking. Well, technically, skinning — since my first thirteener, Bonita Peak (13,286 feet) was still caked in snow at the time.

At first I didn’t tell anyone about my plan. I kept it close for several weeks, silently evaluating the thirteeners on my list saying I was “going for a run” (a believable fib when you live in a town where 12,000-foot peaks outnumber year-round residents three to one). After a few cruiser summits, I gained confidence that I stood a reasonable chance of success, and took to social media to announce my plan.

It was a perfect road map to success — a

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unique list of peaks that no one else cared about (the epicenter was my actual house, for starters) which I knew I could finish by the end of the year. At the time, it didn’t seem like a big deal that I hadn’t counted every single waypoint within that 10-mile circle I drew on the map. There were a lot (at least 70); I knew that much because of how many times I lost count trying to tally a total. It didn’t matter if the total was 69 or 96 — I was committed.

There would be plenty of time for counting dots on the map later. Now, it was time to hike.

HIGH POINTS A little context: "peak bagging" is the widely acknowledged terminology for the hobby of ticking off summits usually based around some measure of topographical prominence. For instance, Colorado’s fourteeners — a list of 54 (or 58, depending who you ask) peaks higher than 14,000 feet — draw thousands of peak baggers from across the globe each year to their summits (often with a hand-drawn sign, for proof) on a quest for the bragging rights that come with ticking off the whole list.

The thing about peak-bagging is there are a lot of rules. Most people take the 54 or 58 number

as the officially recognized total count of 14ers in the state and call it good. If you start digging, however, the total number of peaks higher than 14,000 feet in the Rocky Mountain State reveals itself to be between 59-74. Um, what?

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, there are 59 points in Colorado measured above 14,000 feet. One of these points, “Sunlight Spire,” gets bumped off the official list due to years of being thought to measure five feet below 14,000 (inconvenient, really).

Then there’s the prominence rule. Somewhere between when people started climbing mountains and today, the decision was made to only “count” peaks with at least 300-feet of topographic prominence. This means a mountain must rise at least 300 feet above the saddle connecting it to the next highest point.

In fairness to our brazen forefathers taking on the impossible task of measuring mountains, they needed to narrow it down somehow.

If you think counting fourteeners is tricky, please do not attempt to tally the thirteeners.

It’s a mind-bending black hole of mathematical equations, “hand-over-hand” measurement units and a whole lot of people trying to make claims and official lists to fill the information void.

LOW POINTS It was July by the time I realized my mistake.

My project was going swimmingly. I’d even gone back to work and still managed to tick about 40 summits on top of a 40-hour work week. The dent was big enough that I sensed the time had come to figure out exactly how many peaks I had left. Turns out, you shouldn’t trust everything you get from the Internet. The most widely accepted figure when it comes to how many thirteeners in Colorado is 637. I’d assumed my canonical folder of waypoints represented this number since it was commonly referenced on the sites I used for route beta.

This was not the case.

By the time I realized my list also included unranked thirteeners (bumps on ridgelines, essentially), I’d already done at least 10 of these unrecognized blips — peaks discarded by the mainstream peak-bagging community. Well... I can’t quit now, I thought. Summer was halfway over and my goal just grew from 79 to 94 total peaks to truly succeed at what I’d started.

SUCCESS I saved an easy one for last. On October 14, 2020, I hiked a long, but straightforward trail up the 13,222-foot Macomber Peak on the northeast edge of town. It was only fitting to have views of Silverton on the final 10-mile radius thirteener. I brought Oso, my dog, for his The V3/ Ulysses S. Grant Peak ridge traverse in late summer snow conditions.

56th peak of the season, along with a granola bar and a mini bottle of champagne for the summit.

In less than two hours, we reached the top. I took summit selfies, drank celebratory bubbles and allowed myself to feel proud — something I hadn’t really done when the pressure of more mountains lingered. Today, I gave myself permission to feel good — happy, accomplished — like a total badass. Ninety-four peaks between May 19 and Oct. 14 wasn’t bad, especially since I’d been back at work full-time since June. I worked hard to get there — often tagging summits on the way home from work in Ouray, rarely making it to the car before dark.

I’d put in the effort and now, I could reap the rewards. It felt good.

Gazing over the picturesque mining town, I sensed a well of emotion behind the smile I put on for the camera — for myself. With the joy, there was deep sadness. In the triumph, a pervasive sense of failure. Town reminded me of what I go to the mountains to avoid — tricky nuances in the “real world” of clocks, toilets and complications.

Climbers who “fail” because they recognize when potential risks outweigh potential rewards are generally praised, not condemned.

This unspoken pact, however, ends at treeline.

The real world below is not so forgiving. You don’t get credit for “failing” at a job or relationship or not making a deadline. No one tells you it’s the “right thing” when you bail early on a promise because you perceive it to be a risky endeavor. Put simply, it’s not that simple on the ground.

FAILURE Anyone who climbs mountains knows and accepts (to varying degrees) some level of failure. It’s part of the game, and you can’t enter the arena without signing the waiver.

SUZANNA LOURIE is a former journalist turned wilderness guide whose love of the San Juan Mountains inspired her to pick up a pen and paper after a six year hiatus. You can usually find her above the treeline on some remote peak between Durango and Ouray running (downhill) with her pup, Oso.

SECOND CHANCES As of April 2021, I’ve reached 95 of 98 peaks. I no longer live in Silverton, and call Ouray home.

I fell madly in love with the San Juan Mountains while working on my Thirteeners Project.

The honest version of this story is that I did fail. But this has allowed me to realize something: 95 of 98 means I get three more rounds — three more chances to enter that wild mountain arena I don’t always push into without external motivators. There’s no end to this story because it’s not over yet. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.

H OW TO

Dispersed Dilemma: Colorado Camping 101

As throngs of unschooled campers stampede over treasured natural resources, an increasing number of national forests are transitioning to designated camping B Y M O R G A N T I LT O N A starry night sky while camping in the Gunnison National Forest near the edge of the West Elk Wilderness. photo by Eric Phillips

Are these new outdoor lovers here to stay? Nearly half of all North American campers either picked up or restarted camping during the pandemic...

“I think we can make it up there,” said my partner Eric, who’s behind the wheel of his ’96 Ford F-150. His sister Carrie and I look at each other with raised eyebrows. He pushes in the clutch and shifts into reverse. We’re all shoulder to shoulder on the bench seat. A wide, deep untracked layer of snow coats the bumpy, off-camber road we’re about to plow into. It’s the only barricade blocking us from a gorgeous and unoccupied dispersed camp spot beneath a ring of towering Douglas fir.

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W

e’d already driven to the end of Spring Creek Road, which parallels its namesake river in Gunnison National Forest, 30-plus miles from our doorstep in Crested Butte, Colorado, and back. After nearly two hours of roaming around, this was the only unclaimed place we could find. Plan B was to drive up the adjacent Taylor Canyon, which we wagered was chock-full of weekenders, too. Plan C was to head back to the house. Eric shifted into gear and we powered through the snow.

AN EXPLOSION OF CAMPING It was early May 2020 when we camped in Spring Creek. The weekend’s high-volume visitation foreshadowed what would be a record year of adventure travel in Gunnison Valley.

“Visitation completely exploded with flocking RVs, compounds and tents,” said David Ochs, the executive director of the Crested Butte Mountain Bike Association (CBMBA), a mountain bike club and nonprofit organization.

“The summer backcountry traffic was already growing at a massive unsustainable rate, and with COVID changing the way people live and work, it all compounded.”

The organization was founded in 1983, and maintains more than 450 miles of singletrack in the area. Ochs volunteered with CBMBA for 15 years before being nominated to his role as the nonprofit’s first-ever executive director. He first noticed the growth of out-of-town backcountry traffic and subsequent impacts circa 2013, and started to consider how the valley could manage that impending traffic.

CBMBA’s mission to build trails goes hand-inhand with preservation and educational outreach. The team had the tools, trailers and boots on the ground to address those burgeoning backcountry issues, Ochs thought. So he launched the Crested Butte Conservation Corps (CBCC), CBMBA’s professional trail and stewardship crew program, in 2016.

To tackle projects and secure funding, the crew works alongside federal land managers, the towns of Crested Butte and Mount Crested Butte, the Crested Butte Land Trust and private landowners. landowners. Last summer, the CBCC decommissioned 105 illicit fire rings and blocked off 31 illegal routes. They also cleaned 342 campsites and collected 910 pounds of trash.

“The trash we’ve found is disgusting and hilarious,” said Ochs. “We’ve found truck toppers, boats, trailers. At least two — sometimes three or four — toilets each year. People bring their own homemade toilet and leave it behind.

Grills, sofas, cell phones.”

In 2019, the CBCC pulled on scuba gear and cleaned Lake Irwin for the first time. They pulled out 116 pounds of trash including cans, fishing line and rods, as well as signs, snowmobile parts, plastic cups, goggles, a jack and a decomposing fiberglass boat. More trash was recovered from the water last summer.

Near Crested Butte, several valleys and mountain passes including Washington Gulch Road and Paradise Divide were brutalized by hordes of traffic. Immeasurable vehicle tracks and tents trampled delicate countryside and fields of wildflowers. “Kebler Pass was a disgusting example of this behavior: people cut down trees to make flatter, bigger spots and RV camp compounds,” said Ochs.

Another issue is the human and dog waste, which has elevated the levels of E. coli (Escherichia coli) bacteria in the Slate River watershed, according to studies completed by the Coal Creek Watershed Coalition (CCWC).

“Last year, there were lots of newbies who were not familiar with the proper backcountry etiquette and protocol,”

Ochs said. “But also, when we see cars literally parked behind ‘no camping’ signs, it’s like, what were you thinking? It was unbelievable to witness ignorance.

And in our backyard, where there’s very little enforcement, it’s really easy to go too far, and people went too far.”

The 2020 trampling of precious ecosystems around Crested Butte is reflective of the challenges faced by public lands across the Centennial State and nationwide. Trout Lake, south of Telluride in the San Juan National Forest, was overrun by camps and cars.

Photographer Michael Underwood, who is based in the San Juan Mountains, documented shocking crowds that crushed wildflowers, staked tents on fragile earth and left off-road tire tracks below 14,035-foot Handies Peak.

Similar trends were noted near Clear Lake, outside of Silverton. On the Front Range, the Arapaho-Roosevelt National Forests’ Maxwell Falls, five miles southwest of Evergreen, has a trailhead parking lot for 40 cars: 900 were reported last spring.

Colorado’s 42 state parks experienced record-high visitation from residents and out-of-state tourists with more than 18.3 million visitors, up 23% compared to the year prior. Across the country, the Dolly Sods Wilderness in West Virginia’s Monongahela National Forest likewise experienced record-breaking visitation and new-to-the-outdoors folks with

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RULES FOR DISPERSED CAMPING If you do disperse camp in national forest, here are the basic parameters and consequences if those rules go unfollowed: • For starters, each national forest has its own Motor Vehicle Use Maps (MVUMs), which designate how far you can drive off each established road and what type of vehicle is permitted. Creating a new road is prohibited. The citations for neglecting those regulations can be up to $5,000, six months imprisoned or both.

• Dispersed campsites need to be placed at least 100 feet away from water, roads and established trails. To follow Leave No Trace guidelines, set up camp on previously disturbed, durable and flat ground. Zones to avoid include undisturbed meadows, wildflower populations and wildlife habitats. Dispersed camping on pristine surfaces, like in fragile meadows or riparian vegetation, can be cause for a $300 ticket.

• Don’t leave behind any personal property or trash including food scraps. For human waste, check with the ranger office to see if a wag bag is required or if there are nearby public restrooms. Bring a trowel and be prepared to dig a hole (six inches deep) at least 200 feet away from water. After use, refill the hole with loose dirt. As you set up camp, determine where going to the bathroom is off limits. Be prepared with extra trash bags to pack out your waste including toilet paper and pet poop.

Ditching unsanitary waste, including toilet paper, warrants a $300 ticket.

• Campfire rings, which are a shallow pit surrounded by rocks, should be reused and need to be at least 100 feet from water and trails. Building an inappropriate fire ring can land a $250 fee. Check for fire restrictions and be prepared to cook meals with a portable stove.

• Disturbing or excavating any prehistoric, historic or archeological resource or artifact is prohibited.

Cutting or damaging trees, including carving, is also illegal. A violation could lead to a penalty of $500, six months imprisonment or both.

• Don’t feed wildlife.

An illicit campsite up the Slate Valley and near the base of Paradise Divide on July 3, 2020. photo courtesy of CBMBA

• Respect your camp neighbors and wildlife including maintaining the quiet atmosphere (read: no blasting music).

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An established campsite at Elk Creek Campground, 16 miles west of Gunnison, in Curecanti National Recreation Area offers bird’s-eye views of Blue Mesa Reservoir. photo by Eric Phillips

zero Leave No Trace education. In North Carolina, a bald mountain called Max Patch, in Pisgah National Forest, was a mob scene with more than 200 people camping at any given time.

As land managers and conservationists plan ahead, the pivotal question is: Are these new outdoor lovers here to stay? Nearly half of all North American campers either picked up or restarted camping during the pandemic, and 18% will continue to in the future, according to the Kampgrounds of America's annual 2020 North American Camping Report.

They’ve certainly invested in the outdoor equipment, too.

In 2020, the fastest growing outdoor category in the sport specialty e-commerce channel was camping, which grew by more than 50%, reports The NPD Group. By July, RV sales were up nearly 11% over the same month the year prior, reports the RV Industry Association. Rather than trade in units, there was a large slice of first-time RV owners — as high as 80% of customers, up from 25%— according to Wells Fargo analysts in an interview with CNBC. The bookings for Outdoorsy, an RV, camper van and travel trailer rental company, spiked more than 4,500% during the pandemic from March to July.

“This evolution in recreation technology and the ability of motor vehicles and the associated camping equipment has helped people get to places that land managers weren’t expecting them to, and they will continue moving forward,” said Matt McCombs, Gunnison District Ranger for the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests. Not to mention, Colorado’s population is estimated to attract 3 million new residents by 2050.

NEW DESIGNATED CAMPING WILL HELP MANAGE CROWDS The Gunnison Ranger District, led by McCombs, started coordinating a roll-out of designated campsites to replace the dispersed camping several years ago. Dispersed camping is when you set up camp on public lands without human-made boundaries or amenities found at designated campgrounds or campsites. It’s free of cost and non-reservable. But when the backcountry gets crowded, as it did in 2020, campers are incentivized to create more sites without following Leave No Trace principles, according to McCombs.

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wildlife habitat, which all hold a lot of value,” said McCombs. “That new footprint attracts other users in the future, and eventually you find that those sites become an aggregate in the drainage.”

The valley’s new designated campsites are backed by the National Forest Foundation and Gunnison County Stewardship Fund, and the CBCC is contracted for labor.

In 2021, the inaugural portion of designated camping near Crested Butte will officially open: the Slate River Road will have 43 campsites and Washington Gulch Road will have 48. Moving forward, all overnighters in those drainages — be it in a van, RV, trailer or tent — can happen only in certified locations, indicated by a post with a camping symbol, site number and a metal fire ring.

“We have to go to a reservation system and maintain an inventory of all the campsites,” said Ochs. "That's the only way we can manage these drainages.”

Two vehicles are allowed per camp and the property can’t go unattended for more than 24 hours. All or some of the designated sites may have an associated fee — to support infrastructure costs like toilet installments — and a reservation system, but an official plan was not determined at print.

This summer, Ochs and the CBCC aim to install the remaining designated campsites in the other drainages including Brush Creek, Kebler Pass, Gothic and Cement Creek roads. In step with Crested Butte, other locations have implemented designated camping in an effort to stave off camper conflicts, environmental impacts and dangerous practices.

Catalyzed by illegal campfires and recreational shooting, as well as issues with trash and human waste, the Colorado’s South Platte Ranger District, of the Pike and San Isabel National Forests and the Cimarron and Comanche National Grasslands, installed designated camping sites that debuted in May 2021.

In the last five or so years, Hartman Rocks Recreation Area on the periphery of Gunnison also transitioned to 50 designated sites, due to an influx of camper-constructed fire rings. The high-use areas of Moab, Utah, and Sedona, Arizona, added designated camping, too.

Congestion at trailheads has become more prominent in the valleys around Crested Butte. photo courtesy of CBMBA

CAMPERS: PLAN AHEAD Before hitting the road, campers should prepare a list of several overnight options to avoid being pigeonholed into illegal or impactful camping. Among those choices, consider designated campsites managed by the United States Forest Service (USFS), Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and National Park Service (NPS), as well as campgrounds. Gunnison County alone is home to 1.6 million acres of public lands, so the options are abundant.

“If a visitor wants to be confident that they will have a place to stay in a place they desire, start with a reservable site at a public or private campground,” said McCombs. “Also, have more than one camping opportunity identified in a geographic area. As opposed to saying, ‘I’ll camp in Cement Creek,’ instead say, ‘I’ll camp in the Gunnison Field Office district, and I’ll consider Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park or staying in private RV parks or in a county or city run campground.”

LEAVE CAMPING SPOTS BETTER THAN YOU FOUND THEM On that Saturday in May, we were able to steer the truck through the snow and set up our tents where previous tents had been. It was a heavenly spot protected by forest above the main roadway. The next day, we spent thirty minutes picking up trash that had been left by the previous groups — including broken glass, cans, plastic and wrappers. Eric grew up attending Boy Scouts of America and I was a camper at the Telluride Academy, where we each learned outdoor etiquette and sustainability practices as kids. I recognize our privilege to receive outdoor education at such a young age and don’t take that ingrained knowledge for granted.

Today, many organizations — including the CBCC, Grand Mesa Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests and GunnisonCrested Butte Tourism Association — promote Leave No Trace guidelines alongside their

camping information online, which a portion of campers have access to. To support and educate visitors, the CBCC plans to provide more trailhead support this year.

It can be discouraging to witness the blatant impacts of some outdoor travelers, but the preservation and enjoyment of the wilderness is absolutely worth working together and striving for solutions. I often think about the persistence and resilience of our local organizations like the CBCC. As Ochs said: “The crew’s strong resolve to care for their backyard stems from wanting to see it survive into the future the way we’ve known it to be for years and years.”

MORGAN TILTON is an award-winning adventure journalist specializing in outdoor industry news and adventure travel. She grew up on Colorado’s Western Slope, where she first explored the mountains by way of foot in her backyard of Telluride, a movement that continues to inspire her curiosity and joy. Crested Butte is home.

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THE NEXT GENERATION Silver Stallion Bicycle & Coffee in Gallup, New Mexico, brings bikes, community and mentorship to the Navajo Nation

BY TIONA EVERSOLE

"w

hat should I order?”

For someone who is a fan of coffee shops but not too keen on coffee, I was delighted when Scott Nydam, founder and executive director of Silver Stallion Bicycle & Coffee, recommended that I try the Silver Stallion spicy chai when I can finally visit their brick and mortar location in the small New Mexico town of Gallup.

The coffee shop side of Silver Stallion is currently closed due to COVID-19 restrictions with hopes of reopening this summer; but this has not stopped Nydam and his team from maintaining the momentum they have gained in other aspects of the business.

A SHOCKING REALITY Nydam came to the Navajo Nation from Denver, Colorado, with a sociology degree and a background as a former professional cyclist and coach for a Bicycle Manufacturing Company (BMC) team.

Nydam, who currently lives in Gallup with his family, described his first experience around biking in the Gallup area: “I was here with our two boys and (my wife) Jennifer looking around the landscape and being, more or less, incredibly surprised at the absence of the bike industry around here.”

For a territory that is bigger than 10 U.S. states and the same size as West Virginia, one would think a bike shop would have to exist somewhere; but that wasn’t the case on the Navajo Nation.

“You would assume there'd be a bike shop — and I did, until I found out there's not,” Nydam said.

MENTORSHIP & PARTNERSHIP In the summer of 2019, Nydam and the Diné Composite National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA) team coach, Vincent Salabye, traveled to Durango, Colorado, to attend Durango DEVO’s Secret Sauce seminar: a program developed to share information and knowledge around mountain bike coaching.

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Durango DEVO coach Rob Nichols offers instruction during a coaching clinic in Nazlini, Arizona, earlier this year. photo by Renee Hutchens

Nydam and Salabye met with DEVO co-founder and coach, Sarah Tescher, who was able to assist Nydam with identifying the next steps for growing Silver Stallion and running a successful program.

Tescher and fellow DEVO coach, Rob Nichols, then made a trip to Nazlini, Arizona, where they assisted with a bike repair workshop before heading to Gallup to discuss next steps with Nydam. Tescher and Nichols later returned to Nazlini for a two-day coach training, with prospective coaches receiving First Aid training, as well as valuable skills and tools to better equip them to work with kids.

“We want to make sure that (the coaches) understand how they can properly run a safe practice, and give them an understanding of how to break things down to their very basic functionality so that they can then convey those thoughts to the kids,” Nichols said.

DEVO’s mentorship has been beneficial to the increase of mountain bike coaches within the Navajo Nation.

“We have expanded out to about six to seven coaches,” Salabye said.

“They've got their level one NICA coach certification. And we're hoping that within a couple of years or even this coming year, that they would be able to assist in growing this team.”

Silver Stallion is built on the concept of community: a group of like-minded individuals working together to improve the quality of life for Indigenous communities through their shared passion for mountain biking.

Silver Stallion continues to make leaps and bounds when it comes to the increase of mountain biking and available coaching opportunities on the Navajo Nation; all that is needed is time and patience to allow for the sport to flourish in a place where mountain biking opportunities were once minimal or non-existent.

“It's going to take some time to raise up that generation so those kids will see Navajo mountain bike coaches like us, teaching and mentoring — and I just want to be a part of that,” said Renee Hutchens, a coach and professional bike mechanic for Silver Stallion.

Hutchens also assists with the free bike repair events and bike education clinics that Silver Stallion offers.

MORE KIDS ON BIKES Trying to nail down the primary focus of what Silver Stallion does is nearly impossible, simply because they do so much. But at the heart of this nonprofit are the children.

Salabye recalls losing his relationship with mountain biking at a young age due to a broken down bike. With no means to repair his bike, he drifted away from the sport. It wasn’t until he was an adult that he rekindled his love for mountain biking. Now, at the age of 41, Salabye uses his coaching to help young riders maintain the relationship they have with the sport, providing them with the knowledge and skills necessary to stick with mountain biking.

“One thing that (Nydam) and I talk about is creating ridership — building a knowledge base around what mountain biking is, what it can do for you, what it can do for the community,” Salabye said.

“The best thing to do is get some kids on bikes. And from that, let's find out where these champions in the community can rise.”

This summer, Nydam hopes to put on more summer camps for kids and provide additional travel opportunities to areas such as Durango, Sedona and Flagstaff, with a primary focus on the NICA mountain bike race program.

“We're fostering the NICA programming,” Nydam said. “That's an endgame to some of this; it's at least a place in a competitive league where kids can apply themselves.”

ROLLING ACROSS THE REZ A small repair goes a long way in a place that doesn’t have immediate access to bike mechanics or a bike shop. Nydam’s awareness of this issue resulted in Silver Stallions’s mobile bike repair program.

This free service has provided over 400 bike repairs to towns on the reservation.

“There's a lot of intimidation around working on your bike,” Hutchens said. “That's the number one thing I get asked a lot as a mountain bike coach is, ‘How do I even maintain my bike?’ And if

Silver Stallion provides free bike repair and bike education events across the Navajo Nation. photo by Renee Hutchens

there's no shop around, then you're pretty much your own self-sufficient mechanic, especially on the rez. It's really important that we have to train those as an initial step.”

CREATING COMMUNITY Silver Stallion is built on the concept of community: a group of likeminded individuals working together to improve the quality of life for Indigenous communities through their shared passion for mountain biking.

“This is a nonprofit,” Nydam said. “It requires a dynamic, thoughtful, group effort. Nobody technically owns a nonprofit. It's what we make of it.”

Through Silver Stallion’s current programs and offerings, their goal is to provide access to mountain bike programs for kids and adults — whether this is through the racing circuit, group rides or supporting aspiring bike mechanics by way of their Black Apron apprentice program (coming soon).

Nydam said: “It's just a matter of us adults trying to figure out how to put these puzzle pieces together so that this next generation of youth riders can flourish.”

The Silver Stallion mobile bike repair truck. photo by Renee Hutchens

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ON THE WINGS OF A BUTTERFLY Inspired by the migration path of the monarch butterfly, paraglider and filmmaker Benjamin Jordan sets out from Mexico to Canada to bring awareness to this endangered species

BY TIONA EVERSOLE

B

enjamin Jordan recalled the monarch butterfly of his youth. Growing up in eastern Canada, these butterflies known for their vibrant orange and black wings were a common sight: “If you told me to draw a butterfly, I would draw you a Monarch butterfly,” he said. “You see them all over the place.”

In 2000 at the age of 24, Jordan began paragliding, but it wasn’t until a paragliding trip to Mexico in 2015 when Jordan came across the butterfly once more. While attempting to return to the starting point of a 50 kilometer flight, less-thanideal conditions caused Jordan to land in a pasture almost 10,000 feet above the sea. While packing up his glider, Jordan noticed something peculiar. The same butterflies from his youth were there, in Mexico, thousands of miles away from his home in British Columbia, Canada.

“Before I knew it, there's literally millions of butterflies flying everywhere,” Jordan said. "All I can hear is the sound of millions and millions of butterfly wings flapping all around me. I'm totally taken aback — I had never seen anything like this.”

After the encounter, Jordan returned to the place he was staying and shared his magical experience, learning from a few people that the butterflies had migrated from Canada to Mexico. Fascinated by this journey, Jordan began to research the migration path of the monarch butterfly.

“They flew all the way to this specific mountain top, no bigger than the size of a schoolyard in Mexico,” explained Jordan. “But if that wasn't crazy enough, they've never been there before.”

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Often forced to scratch close to the hills, taking whatever miniscule lift Jordan can get, it's hard not to be distracted by the ever-changing colors and shapes of the mineral-rich Arizona landscape. photo by Benjamin Jordan S U M M E R

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Not just a great hiker, paraglider and photographer/filmmaker, Lyndsay Nicole is also Jordan’s best friend. photo by Benjamin Jordan

THE MONARCH’S JOURNEY Monarch butterflies are the only known butterfly that makes a two-way migration similar to that of a bird migration. Two groups of monarch butterflies exist: western North American butterflies migrate to California, and eastern North American butterflies migrate to the Sierra Madre Mountains in Mexico — with some flying up to 3,000 miles to arrive at their winter home.

Surprisingly, the monarch butterfly that set out from Mexico will never reach Canada. Rather, the third or fourth generation of the butterfly’s lineage is the one to fly all the way back south, completing the migration path started the previous year.

The monarch butterfly relies on environmental cues to determine when their migration will begin. Scientists speculate that monarch butterflies use a sun compass and a magnetic compass to guide their journey. A genetic code that the monarch butterfly may possess is another theory as to how this butterfly finds its way to a place it has never been before.

Today, the monarch butterfly population is plummeting due to illegal logging and other landscape threats, as well as pesticides and global climate change. Although they are currently not listed on the endangered species list, the Center for Biological Diversity and many other advocate groups are working hard to earn them protection under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. JORDAN’S JOURNEY Jordan’s fascination with the monarch butterfly’s migration path ultimately led him to the idea to recreate their journey while also raising awareness around their livelihood.

“I wanted to know what wisdom this tiny little species held that we as humans couldn't wrap our minds around,” Jordan said.

“And I thought that, maybe, I could figure some part of it out by trying to recreate their journey and having an experience as close as possible to them as one could.”

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Using a paraglider specially colored to resemble a monarch butterfly, Jordan left the Mexico border on April 8, 2020, setting out on a 3,000 kilometer journey north, three times longer than his previous outing.

The Arizona desert immediately proved challenging to Jordan, who was unfamiliar with the climate, weather and lack of water available.

Jordan explained that the first 10% of the journey took about 25% of the total time available for the expedition.

“Cross-country paragliding is a very specific sport,” stated Jordan. “So what you're doing sometimes involves sitting and waiting out an entire week of high wind or clouds or whatever, because you need the right conditions in order to fly far, safely.”

It’s important to note that Jordan’s journey was not all paragliding; it consisted of a lot of hiking as well.

“I kind of realized after about a month of not making it very far, that I was going to have to allow myself to walk at times to be able to supplement,” he said.

This allowed Jordan to select better areas for takeoff that would set him up for longer flight time. And so Jordan walked 60 miles to the Superstition Mountains east of Phoenix.

“Things started going a lot better because I was able to launch from mountains that were easier for me to fly away from and easier to navigate,” Jordan said. “And before we knew it, we were flying right alongside the Grand Canyon in northern Arizona and entering southern Utah.”

Jordan continued across Utah, making up for lost time by flying 28 days in a row. Idaho presented its own unique challenges when Jordan had to make an emergency landing on a mountainside due to lightning.

He also flew into a restricted area that left him with an uneasy feeling.

Montana brought alpine landscapes, fresh water and shade, commodities that were not available to Jordan in the harsh Arizona desert at the beginning of his expedition. In these final moments of his journey, Jordan realized that he had everything he needed — shelter, water, wild blueberries — and that Mother Nature would, in fact, take care of him.

Jordan arrived at the Canadian border on September 4, 2020.

In Arizona, Jordan had made the mistake of not loading up a full 13L of water, trusting his U.S. Forest Service topo map to provide direction to a specific spring. However, the spring was non-existent, with only a sun-bleached skull serving as a reminder of better days. photo by Benjamin Jordan

SAVING THE MONARCH: WHAT YOU CAN DO

After a grueling 10 hours of bushwhacking through the rain, up the face of St Mary's Peak (east of St. Ignatius, Montana), Jordan sat down in exhaustion, and asked himself if he had made the right choice to ascend this behemoth mountain.

Just then, the clouds began to part, the sun burst through and this little fritillary butterfly landed on Jordan. In the end, the answer never came, but possibly only because the question itself had vanished. photo by Benjamin Jordan

“FLY MONARCA” In the process of replicating the monarch butterfly’s migration route, Jordan became the first person to fly by way of paraglider from Mexico to Canada. With production and filming assistance from his girlfriend, Lyndsay Nicole, Jordan was able to document his journey and produce his fifth film, “Fly Monarca.”

The capturing of content in itself was an adventure.

“We weren't sure how this was going to go in terms of my ability to sustain life in a van for over half a year, all the while trying to find him in the wilderness where he lands,” said Nicole, who compared her documenting of the expedition to filming wildlife. “I didn't want to participate in a way that changes or affects the expedition; I just wanted to be there to document it.”

“Fly Monarca” is scheduled to come out this summer.

For more information on the documentary, visit www.flymonarca.com.

“Doing this was so much more than just completing this expedition,” Nicole said.

“What it was all about was bringing awareness around this tiny little creature that is so marvelous and does this amazing journey every year, which is so unbelievable.”

Although not officially registered on the endangered species list, the existence of the monarch butterfly is at risk.

Here are a few ways to help preserve this tiny creature: • Plant native milkweed in your garden: This plant serves as the only source of food for the monarch caterpillar.

• Stop using pesticides: These chemicals are deadly to monarch butterflies.

• Join local National Wildlife Federation (NWF) efforts, or donate.

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KILLER WEEKEND

An aerial shot of downtown Chama. photo by Roger Hogan

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The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad train station. photo by Tiona Eversole

The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad takes off from town. photo courtesy of Chama Valley Chamber of Commerce

CHAMA, NEW MEXICO A small town with a rich past, Chama is a hub for outdoor enthusiasts and history buffs alike in northern New Mexico

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BY TIONA EVERSOLE

he buildings of Chama’s historic downtown glow in the morning sunlight, as the sound of a train whistle echoes across the Chama Valley. Highway 17 separates several businesses on one side from the trainyard of the historic Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad. The Southern Rockies tower above to the north, and the Rio Chama meanders through the valley to the east.

Located only 120 miles north of Santa Fe, Chama was originally inhabited by several Indigenous peoples including the Jicarilla Apache, and was then settled by Spanish colonizers in the late 1500s. In the 1880s, an extension of the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad brought activity to the region.

Today, Chama serves as a fascinating getaway for visitors interested in the Wild West history who want to step back in time. Those looking to enjoy the headwaters of the Rio Chama or explore the hiking trails in the mountains to the north will also enjoy the unique vibe of downtown Chama, making it an excellent basecamp for a weekend getaway.

CUMBRES & TOLTEC SCENIC RAILROAD If you’re going to Chama, then a ride on the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad is top priority.

Originally known as the San Juan extension of the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad, these railroad tracks once ran from Alamosa, Colorado, through Chama and Durango, Colorado, before stopping in Silverton, Colorado. The construction of the railroad between 1880 and 1881 brought a booming economy and prosperity to Chama, until operations ceased in 1960.

In 1971, the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad opened for business and in 2012, the railroad was awarded the National Historic Landmark Designation. The railroad provides a stunning 64-mile ride between Chama and Antonito, Colorado, and is an excellent way to experience Cumbres Pass: elevation 10,015 feet.

Enjoy areas accessible only by train as wildflowers and aspens line the tracks and rugged hillsides on this breathtaking and relaxing ride.

2021 marks the 50th anniversary of the railroad’s co-ownership by the states of Colorado and New Mexico, with summer operations kicking off June 5.

SARGENT WILDLIFE AREA Located north of Chama, the Sargent Wildlife Area spans over 20,000 acres of forest at the base of 12,021-foot Chama Peak, and offers a multitude of outdoor activities including hiking, biking and horseback riding.

The Sargent is great for wildlife viewing as well. Grab a pair of binoculars and wake up early for a chance to see elk, deer, coyote, porcupine and countless birds in this area. Take the Elk Viewing Trail for a chance to see one of the state’s largest elk herds.

Camping is also available from July 1 through Nov. 15 in the Designated Camping Area.

A double rainbow appears over the clocktower in downtown Chama. photo courtesy of Chama Valley Chamber of Commerce

RIO CHAMA Fly fishers and rafters alike will appreciate the beauty of the Rio Chama Wild and Scenic River, a major tributary of the Rio Grande.

Anglers rejoice at the opportunity to hook brown trout in a river that holds the New Mexico record for this fish. Brown trout in this area average 12 to 18 inches, with some exceeding 20 pounds. The Rio Chama offers excellent pocket water, long runs, pools and riffles for a great day of fly fishing.

A 31-mile stretch offers spectacular rafting through sandstone canyons and Class II-III whitewater, providing a thrilling yet fun challenge for boaters. Established as a Federal Wild and Scenic River in 1988, the Rio Chama is a bucket list section for many boaters. Three days are recommended for this raft trip, with water levels dependent on dam released flows.

A permit through recreation.gov is required for private trips to raft the Rio Chama, or a trip can be booked through a local raft company.

EAT LOCAL A trip to any New Mexico town calls for a healthy dose of Mexican food and green chile.

Start the day at Fina’s Diner and an order of huevos rancheros.

For lunch, we recommend heading to Box Car Café and getting the Big Ben’s smothered burger or smothered bean and cheese burrito — or anything on the menu that is smothered with green chile.

When a day of sightseeing or exploring has come to an end, head to Local for pizza. For the spice aficionado, we recommend the Wildfire, a blend of jalapeno, pepperoncini and green chile topped with housemade volcano sauce. On the lighter side, check out the Verde: arugula, basil pesto and mozzarella cheese topped with Parmigiano-Reggiano.

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H OW TO

Family Tradition in the Backcountry Planning a multigenerational backpacking trip B Y H O L LY P R I E S T L E Y

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he five-day backpack around Labor Day is the only family tradition my family has ever been able to create and maintain. One year we did a loop in the Collegiate Peaks Wilderness in Colorado while bagging some 14,000-foot peaks along the way, and another year we did the Bechler River Trail in Yellowstone. We’ve also tackled the Teton Crest Trail, The Beaten Path in Montana’s Beartooth Wilderness and plan to explore the Sawtooths in Idaho next.

As the years go on, we seem to live farther and farther apart from each other; but taking a backpacking trip is a great mini-reunion for the members of the family that load up their packs for it.

The main motivations for traveling as a family are to spend quality time together while creating lifelong memories. I’ve been traveling, road-tripping, hiking and backpacking with my family my entire life — and I don’t take this experience for granted. Trekking into the backcountry with your spouse and kids or parents doesn’t need to be an adventure relegated only to the most-outdoorsy of folks. It can be a cherished memory, and perhaps new tradition, for newcomers and experienced adventurers alike.

The biggest part of multigenerational backpacking trips is in the planning and expectation management.

Over the years, we’ve learned a few things to make the trips more fun and memorable for everyone that I want to share with anyone considering such a vacation.

Following these tips will help you get the most out of your family backpacking trip in order to create the best memories possible.

Backpacking isn’t just for elite athletes, but rather a great adventure for families to take together.

Setting up camp after our first day on The Beaten Path in 2019. photo courtesy of Holly Priestley

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The family starting out the second day of a 5-day hike along the Teton Crest Trail in 2018, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. photo courtesy of Holly Priestley

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The last campsite of a Teton Crest backpacking trip — camped in a real-life postcard. photo by Gabe Priestley

LET THE SLOWEST PERSON SET THE PACE It’s natural for every hiker to move at a different pace. My younger brother blazes up the trail, while my legs carry me a little slower.

When the group gets spread out, it’s hard to regroup for breaks or even forks in the trail.

Because we were too far from each other during our Bechler River trip, some of us had to backtrack a few miles to take the proper turn. Even if the faster-paced hikers stop periodically to let the slower hikers catch up, the break-rate will never be even. Slower hikers may need a long break for lunch, but are cut short because the other hikers — who have already been on break for ten extra minutes — are ready to go.

If the slowest member of the group leads, the trip will allow for more bonding and memory-making. No one will get lost or miss a turn. Hydration and fueling up will be easier to manage. Everyone in the family will feel a part of the team rather than trying to catch up all the time.

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BE OPEN TO ALTERNATE ROUTES Plan as you may, the weather or the health and safety of the group may still require an alternate plan be made a few days before, or even during a trip.

Some trails won’t allow for alternate routes past a certain distance and that’s ok; but as you’re planning your trip, make sure you know exactly where your final “Choose Your Own Adventure” options are. Especially for the first few trips you take with multigenerational teammates, having the flexibility to hike more or less to outrun unexpected weather or care for an injury is critical.

Along with proper planning, part of being open to taking an alternate route is cultivating a go-with-the-flow attitude while on the trail.

Make sure that everyone knows what to expect on a trail and has the freedom to speak up about any issues that might arise.

DON’T SKIMP ON FOOT HEALTH No one wants to stop the entire group after hiking only five or ten minutes, but if your feet are rubbing wrong or you have a pebble in your shoe, don’t be too proud to stop and fix it before the problem escalates.

My family and I bring along so much moleskin (largely on my behalf) that we joke about how we should have invested in the product.

Foot health is the foundation of your trip.

If your feet are miserable, then you are going to be miserable. It’s hard to enjoy the regal views and rare wildlife if every step brings searing pain.

Don’t wear brand new shoes on a multiday hike. Make sure you have tested your sock/ boot combination on similar terrain before committing to a backpack. Bring sandals, moleskin and bandages, as well as a first aid kit outfitted with plenty of foot repair tools.

CREATE A “SPIRITED” TRADITION Part of our tradition, now that we’re all adults, is that everyone brings along a water bottle filled with a whiskey of their choosing, and we enjoy one each night circled around a campfire recounting our favorite parts of the day. It’s worth the extra weight, no matter how long or short the trip.

THE JOY IN LOWMILEAGE DAYS This one is a newer lesson for my family, but one we’ve taken to whole-heartedly.

While logging miles on miles can be fun and allow you to see so much of the beautiful backcountry, taking it down a notch can provide just as many, if not more, exclusive experiences.

A low-mileage day can allow for extra fishing, book reading, sun-soaking and blister-healing. It lets us really dig into our surroundings by spending more time looking at them rather than focusing on hiking through them.

BACKPACKING ISN’T JUST FOR ELITE ATHLETES, but rather a great adventure for families to take together. We took our first family backpack trip when my younger brother was too young and small for a real backpack — he carried his load in his school book bag. Kids are never too young to enjoy the backcountry with their families, and adults are never too old to feel like kids again.

Give your family more confidence to plan your own trips, and you may just make your own traditions out of it.

We’ll see you on the trail!

The whole family just before hiking down into the Grand Canyon on the Kaibab Trail for a three-night hike in 2000. photo courtesy of Holly Priestley

Sitting around a campfire at the end of a long day in the Collegiate Peaks Wilderness in 2014 is a relaxing reward. photo by Gabe Priestley

HOLLY PRIESTLEY is a writer, podcaster, creator and adventurer who lives in her 1997 Ford van with her dog and travels the western United States.

A quick break along The Beaten Path in 2019. photo by Holly Priestley S U M M E R

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OFF THE BEATEN PATH Explore a state park this summer, and leave the overcrowded national parks for another trip B Y M AT T Y E O M A N

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veryone has a national park on their destination bucket list, and why wouldn't you? National parks offer some of the most pristine, preserved and iconic landscapes in the country.

The history of our national park system began in 1872 when Yellowstone was established as the first national park in what was still the territories of Montana and Wyoming. Since then, the National Park Service has added 400+ national parks that were visited by over 237 million people in 2020.

But if you are looking for true adventure, it helps to get away from the crowds and find a place where you can enjoy the outdoors in a more intimate setting. State parks offer just that — and with over 6,600 state parks throughout the U.S., there is an adventure out there for everyone. Here are a few state parks located in the Southwest to help you start planning your next adventure.

GOOSENECKS STATE PARK: MEXICAN HAT, UT >> The Grand Canyon is visited by an estimated 5.9 million people every year.

Goosenecks state park is just northeast of the Grand Canyon where the San Juan River flows through a canyon with over 1,000 foot walls, exposing layers of rock that tell a story 300 million years old. The park was visited by less than 20,000 people in 2020. That makes it the perfect place for the aspiring photographer to get some epic shots. If you are feeling more adventurous you can head over to the Honaker Trail, which takes you all the way down to the bottom of the canyon, where you can cool off in the San Juan River before hiking the roughly 1,700 feet back to the top.

DEAD HORSE STATE PARK: MOAB, UT Moab is known for its close proximity to Canyonlands and Arches National Parks, which have become almost impossible to enter during peak season. The NPS states on their website: “When you visit Arches in the busy season, you can expect long lines, busy parking, and delays. More than 1.5 million visitors come to Arches National Park each year, and that number is growing. Between March and October, you can expect limited parking at all destinations. Parking at popular trailheads are usually full most of the day.” That is not a problem if you head just southwest of Moab to Dead Horse State Park, where you can get some of the most spectacular views of the Colorado River and vast canyons surrounding the area. If you are looking for more of a thrill, they now rent mountain bikes on location to get out and explore the area.

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Slide Rock State Park offers a nice way to cool down in the heat of summer. photo courtesy of Arizona State Parks and Trails

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SLIDE ROCK STATE PARK: OAK CREEK, AZ Slide Rock State Park, located in Oak Creek Canyon between Flagstaff and Sedona, Arizona, is our top pick for family fun. This site was originally a historic apple farm called the Pendley Homestead, and is one of the last homesteads left standing in the canyon. Even more fascinating than the historic homestead is the 80-foot natural water slides that the Oak Creek has carved into the canyon. This makes Slide Rock State Park the perfect place to escape the Arizona heat! There is plenty of camping in the area and tons of activities to do after a day at the park, including some of the Southwest's best hiking and mountain biking trails. For those more spiritually inclined, there are plenty of vortexes to go looking for in the area as well.

HIDDEN GEMS

Sunrise over Goosenecks State Park. photo by Tiona Eversole

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The area surrounding Mancos State Park offers access to miles of trails, as well as spectacular views of the La Plata Mountains. photo by Terrance Siemon

MANCOS STATE PARK: MANCOS, CO Located just off the San Juan Scenic Byway in Southwest Colorado, Mancos State Park offers year-round opportunities for outdoor enthusiasts of all kinds. The wakeless Jackson Gulch Reservoir provides an oasis for canoeists, kayakers and paddleboarders in the summer. The reservoir is full of perch and trout, offering fantastic fishing. Mancos State Park has plenty of great camping options, making it the perfect home base for exploring the surrounding area and the La Plata mountains. Two yurts are also available as an alternative camping option. The epic peak just north of Mancos State Park is Hesperus Mountain, debatably the tallest mountain in the La Plata range. For the more experienced hiker looking for amazing views, you can hike to the top via a 6-mile trail beginning at the Sharkstooth trailhead that climbs almost 3,000 feet. Make sure you check out Absolute Bakery in Mancos for some delicious treats to reward yourself.

NAVAJO LAKE STATE PARK: NAVAJO DAM, NM Water sports enthusiasts will love spending a weekend at Navajo Lake State Park in northern New Mexico. Navajo Lake is New Mexico’s second largest lake and extends into Colorado and Colorado’s Navajo State Park. It has multiple marinas and boat docks, great camping options and some of the best fishing around, making it a mecca for boaters and anglers alike. Boat rentals are available at the marinas. Whether you are looking for a sailing, motorized, human-powered or wind-powered adventure, Navajo Lake has something for everyone. Guests can even rent a houseboat from the Navajo Marina to really escape the crowds.

MATT YEOMAN is a Durango, Colorado, based adventurer. When he isn't working, he is out on multiday rafting or bikepacking trips, escaping the crowds and exploring new places.

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GEAR BIN

Trail Running Go the distance with our favorite running essentials. From a quick, morning run around the local trails to long days of logging miles in the high country, these are our top picks for staying comfortable during your workout or on race day.

SHOES

V E S T S & PAC K S

ALTRA LONE PEAK 5 (Men’s & Women’s) $130 Lightweight, with a larger toe box

NATHAN VAPORHOWE 2.0 4L RACE VEST (Women’s) $164.99 For ultramarathon racing

HOKA ONE ONE EVO MAFATE 2 (Men’s & Women’s) $170 Cushioned and grippy for long run days SAUCONY PEREGRINE 11 (Men’s & Women’s) $130 Great all-around trail shoe for all kinds of terrain TECNICA MAGMA (Men’s & Women’s) $140 Double duty: for the runner who also enjoys hiking

SOCKS BOMBAS PERFORMANCE ANKLE RUNNING SOCKS (Men’s) $16 Breathable, with a seamless toe DARN TOUGH OVER-THE-CALF ULTRA-LIGHWEIGHT RUNNING SOCKS (Women’s) $33 Light compression and minimalist style

OSPREY DURO 6 (Men’s) & DYNA 6 (Women’s) $110 For long training runs SALOMON ADV SKIN 12 (Men’s & Women’s) $160 Versatile — for short and long runs ULTIMATE DIRECTION ULTRA VEST 5.0 (Men’s) $139.95 For ultramarathon racing

SUNGLASSES GOODR VRG (Men’s & Women’s) Polarized, affordable and stylish

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$

SMITH REVERB (Men’s & Women’s) $159 - $199 The tried and true brand, with Smith’s signature ChromaPop

SWIFTWICK VIBE ZERO (Men’s & Women’s) $14.99 Medium cushion, moisture-wicking and durable

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BASECAMP CUISINE

Edible Plants of the Southwest From desert treks to backpacking in the alpine, keep an eye out for these wild eats

BY TIONA EVERSOLE

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or thousands of years, inhabitants of the Southwest have foraged for plants, herbs, nuts, seeds, berries and more — many of which served as food staples or offered medicinal properties. Nowadays, packing in the food needed for a day trip or a multiday excursion is common practice. While foraging is seen as a hobby these days, knowing which plants are edible in the backcountry could save your life in a pinch — or at the very least, serve as a tasty trail treat. Many different kinds of edible plants exist, but these six are quite common and easy to identify.

DANDELION This common naturalized plant packs some serious nutritional value compared to other plants on this list.

Dandelion leaves are an excellent source of Vitamin A, Vitamin K, calcium and iron. Both the leaves and yellow flowers make for a good addition to a salad. Dandelion root also serves as a good coffee substitute when baked.

BERRIES Keep your eyes to the ground and alongside alpine trails for wild strawberries and raspberries.

Wild strawberries are best identified for their long runners called stolons, often shooting across the ground in every direction. Small, white flowers with yellow sepals are a good indicator of strawberry plants, with the fruits much smaller than those found in the grocery store.

Depending on climate and summer conditions, raspberries can be harvested for almost two months out of the season. But be careful; berry bushes tend to have thorns. Practice caution when picking a handful of these sweet berries.

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CATTAILS Reminiscent of a corn dog, cattails are prominent in marshy areas and wetlands. Many different parts of the plant may be consumed. The roots can be baked, boiled or grilled, and are best consumed in a similar manner to artichoke leaves. The stalks are also edible and can be eaten as is or cooked. The pollen is also high in protein and works well as a flour substitute.

Prior to harvesting cattails, make sure that the water source surrounding the plant is clean and free of pesticides.

PRICKLY PEAR A staple in many Mexican dishes, prickly pear is used both for its fruits as well as its pads, also called “nopales.” The cactus fruit is sweet and can be eaten right from the plant.

Nopales can either be eaten cooked or raw, and is best harvested first thing in the morning to prevent bitterness.

When handling the cactus pads, make sure to wear thick gloves to prevent getting poked by the spines. Use a knife to scrape off the spines and peel off the skin.

WILD ONION Wild onion grows in abundance, offering many different species of the plant across the Southwest.

These edible plants are found in the same regions of piñon-juniper forests, the subalpine, foothills, woodlands and meadows. When identifying wild onion, look for an underground bulb and the signature onion scent. This is crucial in identifying wild onions, as the absence of the unmistakable scent could result in the discovery of a different plant that is potentially non-edible and toxic. Wild onion can be eaten either raw or cooked, with both the bulb and the stem providing nourishment.

PIÑON PINE The piñon pine is best known for its seeds, which produce a mild and sweet buttery flavor. These seeds contain numerous vitamins, antioxidants and minerals, and are also high in mono-unsaturated fatty acids (good for lowering LDL, or “bad” cholesterol). Enjoy them by themselves, or take them home and use them in a pesto. Piñon seeds have been harvested by many Indigenous tribes in the area for thousands of years.

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WILD VOICES

Erica Nelson Erica Nelson casts her line into the Taylor River near Crested Butte, Colorado. photo by Ryan Duclos

Based in Colorado, this Southwest angler is an outdoor industry pioneer on and off the water for diversity, equity and inclusion B Y M O R G A N T I LT O N

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midafternoon gust from the west pushed the clouds across the sky. Goosebumps rolled across my neck as I stood on a rock inches above the flowing surface of the Taylor River clumsily casting my fly rod. My friend, Erica Nelson, was teaching me how to fly fish in Taylor River State Wildlife Area, 30 miles southeast of where we live in the ancestral Ute Territory of Crested Butte, Colorado.

“Toss it like you mean it! But not too fast,” Nelson reminded me — right before the two flies caught the tippet and my semi-fluid overhead cast whipped through the air, forging a giant ball of knots. “Now you’re fishing!” Nelson laughed. Five years earlier, she had taught herself how to fly fish.

Today, she’s an ambassador for Brown Folks Fishing (BFF), a nationwide organization of anglers led by Black, Indigenous and other people of color.

Founded by filmmaker Tracy Nguyen-Chung, the group’s mission is to expand access to fishing, cultivate community and teach conservation through the sport.

Nelson is also a diversity, equity, inclusion (DEI) consultant and professional river guide. Basically, Nelson is a top-notch teacher full of compassion and humor. As I stood there struggling with my line, Nelson reminded me that 90% of fly fishing is tying and retying knots or getting them unstuck.

A small fraction of the sport is actually spent reeling in a catch — unless you’re Nelson. I looked over as

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she tugged her line. While holding tension on the rod, she seamlessly unclipped her fishing net off her hip belt and clutched it beneath her left arm.

In 60 seconds, a shimmery brown trout idled inside the net: her third catch that day.

Nelson’s outdoor prowess is well-earned. The 36-year-old grew up in Kirtland, New Mexico, 9 miles west of Farmington. Before following her dreams as an outdoor leader, she worked as the room operations manager for Marriott Hotels in Portland, Oregon, for five years. In 2014, she quit the corporate path to become a river guide.

Nelson described her fear of water, and how she immersed herself into the world of rivers to overcome her fears in order to pursue her personal goals.

“I went to guide school, learned how to respect whitewater, how to read it and how to work with it,” said Nelson, who guided Class III-IV rapids on the American River, one of the highest commercially-rafted rivers in the country.

Between guiding, she served as an assistant camp director at Bear Valley Resort summer camps to face her second fear. “I didn’t know how to be around kids and wanted to get better,” she said. To further solidify her career path, Nelson completed a major in psychology and minor in outdoor leadership at Sierra Nevada University.

After finishing her degree, in 2016, Nelson was hired by her number one choice: National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS), a nonprofit global wilderness school that provides survival and recreation skills plus leadership training through hands-on outdoor courses. She joined the team as

a senior marketing representative and admissions officer more to fishing than the catch. You observe the birds eating or based in Lander, Wyoming. There, fly fishing was a the wind pushing the bugs and how that affects fish popular pastime, so she taught herself how to fish behavior. You need to respect the water: how you treat on the Popo Agie River. the wild and where you step,” Nelson said. “You need “I kept getting stuck in trees. I was terrified awareness of the technical way you interact with fish going on the water alone. It was stressful and — what products do you use on your skin, which frustrating. But when I set my mind to doing affects bugs and the water? I’ve seen the fishing something, I at least want to be mediocre at it. I industry and particularly white folks have a tunnel was challenging myself to catch at least vision that this is just about fish, which one fish. I ended up fishing every worries me that they’re not caring for single day,” she said. anything else.”

When a NOLS instructor position Self-centeredness leads to a hoarding Nelson smiles as she enjoys some time out on opened up for a river instructor mentality in the sport’s culture, which the river. photo by Ryan Duclos course, Nelson applied for that, too. inspired Nelson to launch the Awkward Out of 300 applicants, she landed Angler Instagram platform and podcast.

“Hózhó means, balance, harmony and the job. For three years, she juggled Her mission is to hold space for walking in beauty. There’s so much guiding and instruction alongside her uncomfortable conversations and administrative role. storytelling with a focus on elevating more to fishing than the catch. You “I love field instruction and it was a diverse perspectives, social justice and observe the birds eating or the wind milestone, but I was struggling with my equity on the water. pushing the bugs and how that job inside of headquarters,” Nelson As Nelson and I worked on retying our said. “There was toxicity and I lines, which had become tangled again, I affects fish behavior. experienced a lot of discrimination. I asked her how folks can support was dedicated to the mission of the inclusivity. While holding my rod for me, company but seeing the ethics she said, "The perfect place to start with within the organization was hard to deal with, so I had to leave.” inclusivity is yourself: understand who you are and be comfortable in your In 2018, Nelson took a job with Vail Resorts as the learning and identity. Then you can understand where other people come from, too, and development senior specialist, where she offered one-on-one consulting develop compassion. We like to think we aren’t the problem — you should with senior leaders, managers and teams to guide them on effective identify that you are both the problem and the solution.” communication and growth in a classroom setting.

That same year, Nelson also became an ambassador for BFF. “Throughout Follow Nelson on Instagram at @awkwardangler. my experience as an angler, I’d get stared at for not only being the only woman, but the only woman of color, especially at boat ramps. That MORGAN TILTON is an award-winning adventure journalist specializing in outdoor opened my eyes to the fly fishing industry as it is. I noticed all the industry news and adventure travel. She grew up on Colorado’s Western Slope, where she magazines and advertisements had no people of color. Through Brown first explored the mountains by way of foot in her backyard of Telluride, a movement that Folks Fishing, we come together to call out the fly fishing industry for a continues to inspire her curiosity and joy. Crested Butte is home.. lack of representation and hostility on the water, and to be that representation in the space,” Nelson said.

Over the past two years, she helped establish BFF’s Angling for All Pledge, the first-ever industry commitment and curriculum for organizations and individuals to adopt diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. Components of the pledge were inspired by the Outdoor CEO Pledge, which was founded by Teresa Baker to address the same issues in the broader outdoor industry.

By the time the pandemic hit, which caused Nelson to be furloughed, she was ready to launch her own business: REAL Consulting, which she co-founded with Sydney Clark — the former NOLS Diversity and Inclusion Manager — to address the racial equity and inclusion needs of organizations. The duo facilitates intergroup interactions with an end goal of reducing prejudice, working with a wide range of outdoor industry retailers, outfitters, brands and manufacturers, as well as communities and government agencies.

As a Diné (Navajo) woman, Nelson believes in Hózhó, a Navajo philosophy that recognizes a holistic connection between humans, our environments and ecosystems. With that mindfulness, fishing can be a gateway to conservation — as long as diversity exists on the water.

“Hózhó means, balance, harmony and walking in beauty. There’s so much Nelson shares her passion for fly fishing with others interested in the sport. photo by Ryan Duclos S U M M E R

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V I S TA S

False Summits WORDS & PHOTO

BY SUZANNA LOURIE

“Just a little bit further,” you think, willing one heavy footstep at a time to inch tediously closer to your perceived goal.

You can do this. Cresting the ridge, you release an audible exhale. You did it. Before your lungs can finish contracting, relief gives way to a blow of disappointment. Anger.

You realize the hard truth: You haven’t quite made it. Not yet. You’ll have to dig a little bit deeper.

This photo was taken at such a moment, from a false summit below the 13,321-foot Trico Peak, a high point in the San Juan Mountains where three Colorado counties — San Miguel, San Juan and Ouray — merge.

It was 6 p.m. when I left my car at the top of Red Mountain Pass and started skinning towards Trico’s east flanks. The days were long, the distance was short — it seemed reasonable. After two hours of losing the trail and icy boot packing, I was exhausted and out of time.

8:35 p.m. The sun was setting as I sat on a pile of rocks and cried knowing full well I had no choice but to surrender since I wasn’t prepared for a ski descent on icy slopes in the dark. I don’t know how long I sat in my selfpity. All I remember is looking up to see the sky on fire. A dazzling orange and pink light show danced across the western horizon, illuminating snow-filled blows that seemed to glow ethereally blue beneath the blaze.

My ego was no match for that light show.

Tears and anger dissolved like vapor into the crisp air. I snapped this photo to remember why I climb. It reminds me how much there is to learn within failure and that room for growth is as infinite as the San Juan sky.

Beauty and power can’t be confined by our mind’s clever dichotomies. I could come back for the summit, but this moment in time, I knew, could never be repeated.

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A D V E N T U R E P R O . u s

S U M M E R

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