The Durango Telegraph publishes every Thursday, come hell, high water, tacky singletrack or mon-
CAST: Kirbie Bennett, Lainie Maxson, Maddy Gleason, Priscilla Wiggins, Jesse Anderson, Rob
the cover A murder of crows alights on a dead tree overlooking Durango. As an aside, we hope this is the only type of murder we ever see./ Photo by Missy Votel
telegraph@durangotelegraph.com
Ear to the ground:
“My favorite word of the year: camelflage.”
– Merriam-Webster, you listening?
Finding the G spot
Move over PBR – there is a new-old trendy beer on the scene. In case you don’t have an internet connection, “splitting the G” – an online trend where drinkers attempt to gulp their Guinness down to where the line between the stout and the foam hits the middle of the branded “G” on the glass – is all the rage. Everyone from the Jonas Brothers and actor Jason Momoa to prowrestler John Cena is doing it, according to a recent story in the New York Times
But it’s not just a viral challenge that’s fueling the resurgence, according to the Times. In recent years, Irish culture has become hip thanks to people like actor Irish actor Paul Mescal and author Sally Rooney. In addition, the stout beer has been shedding its image as a “meal in a glass.” At just 4.2% ABV and 125 calories per 12oz., it’s on par with Bud Light and lighter than Modelo Especial, making it a darling of the lowcarb crowd. (As an aside, breast-feeding mothers for years have been told to drink Guinness to boost milk production. The medical community advises against this, but you do you.)
“The numbers are completely bananas,” Oran McGonagle, owner of the Dubliner, a Boston pub, told the Times. In 2023, his pub sold the most Guinness in the city, which admittedly skews heavily Irish. This year, the Dubliner’s Guinness volume is up 63% to meet rocketing demand. “Irish culture is having a big resurgence,” McGonagle said. “We’re at the peak of where we’ve ever been.” Although Guinness sales are obviously strongest in cities with large Irish populations, it’s a popular pick in Durango, too. El Rancho Tavern has Guinness on nitrogen tap and in the can, said co-owner Chris Lile. He said sales of the stout are right up there with Coors Light and the bar’s other “heavy hitters.” (Incidentally, Guinness is also a key ingredient in another bar standby and one of our personal favorites, the Irish car bomb.)
“Guinness is having a great year,” he said. “We can’t be without it.”
ster powder days. We are wholly in-
According to the Times, the trend of “splitting the G” started in London around 2017, then spread to Ireland and eventually across the pond. Whether or not the new trend has the staying power of say, U2 or James Joyce, remains to be seen. But with its 265-year history, the big G is likely not going anywhere.
LaVidaLocal
Peace
on Earth
Here we are, with everything around us drenched in sparkly red and green, and everything around us decorated in lights and holiday wreaths. And soon, we’ll switch out one calendar for another. Heart in one year, foot in the other. What I’m saying is, our time on Earth is precious, and this season can be overwhelming with its frenzied madness of materialism. For us dreamers, we are easily underwhelmed by capitalism’s greeting-card message of synthetic sincerity. Since our time on Earth is precious, we should always find ways to creatively resist those for-profit forces that seek to dull our imaginations. This can include inventing our own anti-holiday traditions that invert the usual holiday norms. My own anti-holiday tradition involves watching the 2006 film, “Children of Men.” It’s a dystopian thriller about a pregnant refugee fleeing a xenophobic, authoritarian government that sees her child as a threat. In other words, it’s a Christmas movie.
I originally saw the movie in December 2006 at a theater, where there was a glittering abundance of family friendly holiday movies to choose from. But the poster for “Children of Men” signaled something ominous. The darkness pulled, and I followed.
child are at risk. The people protecting her know that the government won’t allow a Black refugee to be the first person in decades to bear a child. Theo becomes the person Kee relies on to find sanctuary. In doing so, Theo loses everyone he loves. Or to put it another way, Theo must bear witness to his loved ones sacrificing themselves in order to protect the child.
The viewer feels every heartbreak throughout the movie. That’s partly due to the camera’s insistence on extended one-shots. The filmmakers used handheld cameras. so you are walking with Theo and Kee. And sometimes the camera turns away to look at the surrounding environment. You see soldiers corraling the elderly into cages and body bags laid out on the sidewalk. The camera forces you to witness the wider landscape of suffering.
Set in 2027, the film depicts a world collapsing from pandemics, climate catastrophes and nearly 20 years of human infertility. The United Kingdom is one of the few remaining nations in power and operates as a fascist police state. In the film, the streets are filled with refugees imprisoned in cages, and the government distributes suicide kits and anti-depressants to citizens. The few technological upgrades available are enough to keep people distracted from the daily violence around them.
Theo, our reluctant protagonist, was once a passionate activist; now he’s an indifferent bureaucrat. But Theo’s estranged wife, Julian, is still a committed activist. She works with a clandestine resistance group and reaches out to Theo for help. Julian needs Theo to help her smuggle a refugee woman named Kee out of the country to reach the Azores. When Theo learns more about Kee, he discovers she’s pregnant. She reveals her pregnant stomach in a barn, surrounded by cattle: a direct reference to the Nativity scene
With the government’s extremist stance against immigrants, Kee and her
Thumbin’It
The Good Samaritan Remediation of Abandoned Hardrock Mines Act finally passed this week, meaning do-gooders can help clean up Colorado’s mining mess without fear of being sued.
Colorado thumbing its nose at rampant consumerism, giving nearly $55 million to the nonprofit causes of their choice during Colorado Gives Day on Tuesday.
OK, so it hasn’t snowed in a while, but the skiing’s still pretty good. And if you’re really on it, you can get home in time to sneak in a bike ride for the rare two-sport day.
Growing up in the shadow of 9/11 and the socalled War on Terror, it was hard to imagine a better future in 2006. With unflinching realism, “Children of Men” presented a world that seemed on the horizon. And every year when I return to this movie, it feels like looking into a black mirror reflecting the present. But the film also has powerful, fleeting moments of stubborn hope.
So, dear dreamer, I have brought you all this way to talk about one scene in particular, which keeps my heart. It’s near the end. Refugees and rebels are rising against the state. The city has turned into a war zone, and Kee and her newborn have been kidnapped. Theo locates them on the top floor of an apartment building filled with refugees. Bombs are bursting outside, and soldiers are readying to execute the civilians inside. But then, as Kee walks through this destruction, people begin hearing the sounds of a newborn crying. The refugees sing in their languages, offering blessings to this child. Here, the refugees become angels. When rebels and soldiers hear the child, they’re paralyzed in awe. One soldier calls for a ceasefire, to let Kee and her baby exit the building. The soldiers lay their weapons down, some kneel and give the sign of the cross. Here is peace on Earth. Here is ceasefire now.
For a moment, the cries from Kee’s baby drown out the bombs and guns. The peace lasts long enough for Theo, Kee and her baby to leave. Eventually, a missile is fired, and the war continues mindlessly. In our present day, I often think about that scene and its fugitive flash of hope. In our own terminal phase, it’s reassuring to believe peace is possible in a world of war.
Add black plastic cooking utensils and formaldehyde off-gassing from clothes to the list of things that can kill you. Guess it’s time to throw away the spatulas and stay at home, naked. Which is what a lot of us probably do anyway.
A car theft ring linked to the Sinaloa Cartel was just busted in Denver – 190 vehicles were stolen from DIA and sold in Mexico in exchange for drugs. Thieves targeted high-end trucks and not old crappy Subarus, which makes us feel a little safer.
A guy named Luigi Mangione has been caught in connection with brazenly gunning down the United Healthcare CEO. Mangione, an Ivy League grad, allegedly used a 3-D printed gun. And no, this is not an episode of “The Sopranos.”
SignoftheDownfall:
– Kirbie Bennett Teslacles
As soon as Trump won, it became obvious that we’d see a renaissance in truck nuts (if you’re not familiar with “truck nuts,” they’re large, plastic testicles that cis white males hang under their trucks for gender-affirming care). But still, it was shocking to see “truck wire nuts” dropping nationwide instead of the classic anatomical version because earth-conscious drivers don’t usually dangle this low. Charlie Wil first uploaded the 3Dprintable designs to Thingiverse back in August, but most people are still surprised because everyone assumed we’d already reached peak-douche in the e-truck community via the Cybertruck.
SoapBox D-Tooned/
We can resist
After Jan. 20, abrupt changes are likely to Social Security payments, Medicare and Medicaid protections, and personal freedoms and rights. Financial hardship will follow any proposed tariff, causing food scarcity and rising gas prices. After Inauguration Day, many Americans will shake off electoral numbness, noticing a pattern.
Connect the dots between major American financial events in recent history – they were all orchestrated to transfer massive wealth from workers to the very rich; shifts clearly visible on timeline charts showing wealth disparity in America. These include the Savings and Loan scandal of the early 1990s; the housing bubble and resulting recession of 2008; and the 2017 tax cuts giving a free pass to corporations, investors and lords of finance – the ones who strategize from the decks of their yachts how to empty more pockets.
The most recent plan (Senate Bill 4912) would trade some $100B of Fort Knox gold to pay for cryptocurrency, the financier’s absolutely worthless equivalent of monopoly money. It’s a devastating trade for folks who work for a living,
but rejoice – the rich would benefit immensely, yet another robbery in broad daylight inspired by obscene greed.
Television has effectively conditioned us to be passive spectators. But as the devastation from eviscerated government programs wakes us up, we can own our power. Join us, your Durango neighbors, this Sat. Dec. 14, at 3 p.m. at the Durango Public Library to plan how to defend against the next round of gutting our nation’s wealth.
– Kirby MacLaurin,
Durango
A deluge of fees
A recent story in the Durango Herald discussed stormwater infrastructure. In that article, our director of public works, Bob Lowry, stated that over the last 10 years, $2.8 million has been spent on storm drainage, but he says the City should be spending $2.5 million per year. (Yikes, that’s a huge increase).
The drinking water infrastructure needs to be completely dug up in town, too. Another article revealed large holes in those pipes. Cha-ching, a fix increase for us once again.
I get it, town dwellers don’t want
by Rob Pudim
flooded streets in their neighborhood when new grates could keep to-go coffee cups and other debris from clogging up storm drainage outlets, and who wants contaminated drinking water out of our taps? What I don’t get is why residents in town are expected to hold the bag. Tourists use the same pipes and pay a large
fee above the cost of their stay. Some, not all, of that fee could help us out.
Powers that be: consider the folks living here who have house or rental expenses going sky high and manage the money better, please, so we don’t have to move.
– Sally Florence, Durango
Eyes in the sky
Observations of a San Juan Mountain fire lookout
by Rick Freimuth
The writers Edward Abbey, Gary Snyder and Norman McLean all staffed high-elevation fire lookouts in the West – their experiences rich fuel for their work. But Jack Kerouac’s reaction makes me smile.
After he searched for smokes from Desolation Peak Lookout in Washington during one summer in the 1950s, Kerouac complained that his brain was “in rags.” He added, “I thought I’d die of boredom or jump off the mountain.”
I couldn’t disagree more. My wife, Linda, and I have worked for the last seven years at Benchmark Lookout, north of Dolores in the San Juan National Forest, and we love being there.
We’re on the job from mid-May until mid-September and mostly alone – except for the abundant wildlife, rare visitors and firefighters who get to see our side of the combined effort to thwart wildfires. The fire crews look forward to examining this huge swath of the West that’s their firefighting turf.
We start our trip in southern Colorado, leaving the town of Dolores and driving 30 miles on rough gravel up to the tower at 9,264 feet. We haul our own food for 10-day stretches, with four days off. Linda brings wool to spin, we both choose lots of books, and I spend the days scanning the land and the sky above.
We think we’re suited for the job, never finding the isolation a problem. Because once we climb our timber tower at season’s start, we become eyes in the sky for the vast Four Corners area, looking for what we don’t want out there – smoke indicating wildfire.
I usually spot smoke out of the corner of my eye, or when doing dishes or even while reading a book. Vigilance gets built in during a workday that usually lasts as long as there’s daylight.
Everything stops while I plot the location of the smoke on the 80-year-old Osborne Fire Finder and on maps. Then I radio in my find to the Durango Interagency Fire Dispatch. This is my 15 minutes of calculated frenzy in an otherwise quiet existence. Dispatch uses the information I supply to send engine crews, helitack crews or aircraft to the fire.
Some days I spot two smokes, once five, more often none – though after a rain, mist rising out of canyons can mimic smokes and try to fool you. We call them waterdogs. What’s always entertaining is the weather itself.
Out of thin air, clouds seem to materialize right
above Benchmark Lookout, and with our 360-degree view, thunderstorms here are dramatic and loud. Once, a lightning bolt hit so close that the hair on our arms stood straight up.
We’re often asked why we staff a fire lookout. Our reasons aren’t easy to convey. Most of the time, our quick reply is “we like being alone” or “we enjoy being in a remote spot.” That’s too simple and doesn’t reflect how we and many other fire lookouts feel about their jobs.
For one thing, we know we’re still necessary, not yet outmoded by satellites and aircraft. Our job isn’t just fire detection. We provide critical weather and fire behavior observations to the fire crews on the line.
Looking out, our view encompasses Mesa Verde National Park, Canyons of the Ancients, Bears Ears National Monument, Shiprock, the San Juan range and much more – a four-state area where Arizona, Colorado, Utah and New Mexico meet.
Our view is ever-changing as the sun makes its arc and the weather makes its moves. And time seems to slow down when manmade distractions disappear. Our tower has been visited by horned lizards, elk, mountain lions and a mama bear with two cubs.
Hummingbirds fly thick through masses of wildflowers beneath us, and we see flickers, swallows and turkey vultures. Sandhill cranes, white pelicans and the odd osprey also fly past. Quiet surrounds us as we have this magnificent view to ourselves.
Winter is deepening now as I write this. We’re already dreaming of next year’s fire season atop our 42foot tower.
Rick Freimuth is a contributor to Writers on the Range, writersontherange.org, an independent nonprofit dedicated to spurring lively conversation about the West. He is a former wildland firefighter and carpenter, now retired. He lives in Paonia.■
Firefighters plot out their day from the deck of the Benchmark Lookout, north of Dolores. Seasonal fire spotters, Rick and Linda Freimuth, are in the back./Photo by Rick Freimuth
Help for the hardrock
At long last, Congress passes ‘Good Samaritan’ cleanup bill
by Caitlyn Kim
Congress has passed a bill that could make it easier for nonprofits or state and local governments to clean up abandoned mines.
The U.S. House on Tuesday approved the Good Samaritan Remediation of Abandoned Hardrock Mines Act. The bill passed the Senate in July and now goes to President Joe Biden’s desk.
The bill sets up a pilot program under the Environmental Protection Agency to allow “good Samaritans” to clean up and improve water quality around abandoned hard rock mine sites without being subject to liability for pre-existing pollution.
“With today’s passage, we’ve now cleared one of the final hurdles preventing these groups from helping to protect the land, water, fish and wildlife our communities rely on,” Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., who introduced the bill with Sen. Jim Risch, R-Idaho. “This
victory belongs to every single person who rolled up their sleeves to fix this longstanding injustice, and I’d like to thank those who have carried the baton to get us to this point.”
Some of the Colorado lawmakers who carried the baton in the past include Mark Udall, Cory Gardner, John Salazar and Scott Tipton.
Rep. Celeste Maloy, R-Utah, who introduced the House companion legislation with Rep. Mary Peltola, DAlaska, said the bill had “robust bipartisan support” and is the “right step forward."
“This bill is critical to removing the obstacles that are preventing cleanup and remediation of important land and water resources,” she said during the debate.
Colorado Sens. John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet are original co-sponsors of the Senate bill, while Colorado Reps. Brittany Pettersen, Joe Neguse, Lauren Boebert, Jason Crow and Yadira Caraveo co-sponsored the House version.
Hickenlooper said the bill is important for all Mountain West states, because current liability rules make cleanup work too risky.
“If a good Samaritan comes along and wants to try to fix (an old mine leaking pollution) … they can’t do it, because the moment they touch anything, they own it. In other words, they can be sued,” Hickenlooper said. “This is all about trying to let people clean up the mess that people made a century ago without being liable for it.”
Bennet said he was thrilled the bill made it through Congress, finally. “It’s 15 years of work by a lot of people, so it will be good to get it done,” he noted. Bennet has co-sponsored past versions of the bill.
During the House floor debate of the bill, Rep. Diana
DeGette, D-Colo., said the bill represents a critical step forward, noting liability concerns have prevented cleanup efforts in the state.
Pettersen called the passage of the bill a win for Colorado. “Thousands of abandoned hardrock mines in Colorado and across the country pollute our waters, harm our environment and threaten our communities. This commonsense solution will cut red tape and allow state, local governments and nonprofits to help clean up these mines and ensure cleaner water and safer communities for years to come.”
For more from Colorado Public Radio, go to: www.cpr.org. ■
Abandoned mining sites like this can be found all over Colorado. Now, “good Samaritans” can help clean them up without fear of getting sued. Hours: Mon.-Fri., 11-6; Sat., 11-5 www.jimmysmusic.supply 1239 Main Ave. • 970-764-4577
by Maddy Gleason
TFighting fast fashion
Kira Gullion is on a mission to empower consumers, reduce waste
here is enough clothing on the planet to clothe the next six generations of humans. Globally, we consume 80 billion pieces of clothing each year. The fast fashion industry is partially to blame, but it’s a vicious cycle. Budget friendly shopping may require some ethical sacrifice, but many people don’t have a choice. The system is broken, and it’s a long history of corporate greed that Kira Gullion is working to address.
The 24-year-old owner of Lizard Head Trading Co. in downtown Durango is working to provide a solution for global overconsumption within the fashion industry and to create a space for sustainable fashion that is accessible to everybody. Lizard Head is one of many secondhand shops in Durango, but it’s the newest – and it offers same-day payouts using the buy, sell, trade model. The buy counter is always welcoming new consignors.
Growing up in Bayfield, Gullion learned the art of thrifting as a child, and she eventually started the town’s very first thrift store, Bee Thrifty.
“I grew up on yard-sale clothing – we had boxes in our basement, and once every summer, every winter, my sister and I got to do a little shopping out of the bins,” said Gullion.
Growing up with secondhand clothes influenced Gullion’s adult thriftiness, but she remembers a defining moment in middle school. She scored a pair of shoes at the La Plata County Humane Society Thrift Store and ended up selling them on Ebay for $100. Thus started her love for recirculating and sharing clothes.
“I got through college by selling things on Poshmark and decided this is what I enjoy doing,” said Gullion.
Gullion wanted to be a child psychologist in an elementary school but felt dis-
couraged by low pay and complaints from teachers of being stretched too thin.
In 2022, a year before her expected graduation from Colorado Mesa University in Grand Junction, she decided to take a leap. She moved back to Bayfield and
made a deal with her dad. He had recently bought a property on Mill Street in Bayfield. Gullion ended up renting it from him for $1,000 a month and turned it into Bee Thrifty, Bayfield’s first and only thrift store, which Gullion
still owns.
She opened Lizard Head Trading Co., at 965 Main Ave., next door to the Durango Diner, in September 2023, when she was 22. She said she is happy to be in the location – however, the process of finding and securing a space was discouraging, with plenty of hoops to jump through before signing an official lease. When she started looking for a home for Lizard Head in 2022, she looked at more than 20 spaces. “I got so close each time,” said Gullion. “I always had a model, a plan, I had taken out a loan, and each time the owners went with someone else. I hate to pull this card, but it’s true. Being a woman, they’d pick a more secure tenant.”
Eventually, after being skipped over once in favor of a chain store, the Beef Jerky Experience, which closed in 2023, Gullion scored the spot.
“A lot of people didn’t have faith I would make it in this space,” said Gullion. “I am really grateful to be here.”
Gullion, who recently moved to Durango with her husband and two dogs, hopes Lizard Head, in conjunction with other consignment and secondhand stores of Durango, provides a system for people to recycle.
“The trends are what’s killing us,” she said. “We provide instant value – 30% cash or 50% trade credit – so you can circulate your closet without spending more money. You keep what’s already in the cycle, within the cycle.”
She also said it can be a quick source of cash or clothes for folks on tight budgets. “We pride ourselves on having affordable clothing that’s accessible. You don’t have to wait for your items to sell to get a check. You get cash up front. And that can get people out of situations – where else could you have gotten that cash?”
Aside from the consigned pieces, Gullion travels bimonthly to source clothes for the store from warehouses in Denver,
Kira Gullion, owner of Lizard Head Trading, at 965 Main Ave., inside the store with her pup Pepper. Gullion, who first opened Bee Thrifty in Bayfield in 2022, opened Lizard Head in 2023 when she was just 22./ Photo by Maddy Gleason
Phoenix or Los Angeles. The managers of these warehouses tell her the floor-to-ceiling bales of clothing are sometimes sent to developing nations but more often are routed directly to the nearest dump.
This is what Gullion hopes to avoid.
“When you shop sustainably, it creates a cycle that rejects the linear model of fast fashion,” said Gullion. “It’s common to throw away clothes if they rip, but sustainable fashion turns flaws into a positive thing – creating something unique.”
Respecting the history of the pieces is important, too. “People come in and tell us stories about the clothes, the history, their intentions,” said Gullion.
The community aspect brings her great joy – it’s rewarding to see people come back, and it’s fun to dress people up and help them feel confident on a solo shopping trip, she said. She also likes the aspect of meeting visitors from out of town as well.
“We love our space – we get tourists that we wouldn't get if we weren’t on Main,” she said. “To hear the different perspectives is incredible, and people can learn about us just by being downtown.”
Gullion says November was slow, but she’s excited for more foot traffic this winter and to bring to life the ideas she’s been planning. For example, the store
hired an in-house seamstress to upcycle pieces, rather than just repairing them.
She envisions the space as somewhere anyone can come and hang out. “We recently bought a set of cute green couches,” said Gullion. “Please, loiter! (within reason, of course).”
The next steps for Lizard Head include expansion – Fort Collins or Flagstaff would be ideal – to continue to spread awareness and accessibility of recyclable fashion.
She is also exploring profit sharing with her employees to give them more investment in the business. Lizard Head’s staff is priceless to Gullion – interviews are taken seriously, and she strives to create a safe working space.
Adalyn Campbell, 19, was hired in October 2023, just a few weeks after the store opened. Campbell appreciates the atmosphere Gullion has created for the staff.
“Kira always prioritizes my mental health and other life circumstances, encouraging us to take time for ourselves,” said Campbell. “She always makes sure there are multiple people on staff, to help us feel safer and to have company. She’s always on call.”
The current staff is mostly female, and so are the majority of employment applicants, but Gullion would love some diversity of gender on staff to help source,
price and style men’s items.
“We’d love to have more male staff, but it’s hard, because not as many find
themselves in the industry,” Gullion said. “If someone is good for the store, and they’re qualified, we’ll take them.” ■
Lizard Head employee Sophie Ragsdale at the consignment counter. Lizard Head gives consignors the option to cash out for 30% of the sale value or get 50% in store credit./ Photo by Maddy Gleason
EndoftheLine
Postcards from the edge
Despite no belongings or home, Stew Scheppegrell was a shining example of humanity
by Priscilla Wiggins
(Editor’s note: The following is a tribute to Stewart “Stew” Scheppegrell. A longtime res ident of the area, he died in the wilderness north of Lemon Reservoir, where he spent most of his summers, in August. His body was found Aug. 24 by a horse back rider. He was 79.)
An artist friend once told me, “It’s not the path you take but the paths you cross.” Sometimes a benevolent crossing would leave me speechless with gratitude. This was especially true of one of my most memorable teachers, Stewart Scheppegrell.
In 1977, I decided to spend the rest of my life camping out, creating paintings of my surroundings and selling them to support myself. Every summer, my goal was “backpacking more often than not.” Vallecito Campground became my base where I’d begin hikes on the Vallecito Trail and frequently continue over Colum bine Pass to visit mountain goats in The Needles. Over the years, I climbed Windom nine times, mostly alone. Also, for three summers, I hiked every trail (500 miles) in the Pagosa District – from the Piedra River to the New Mexico border – as a volunteer, doing an inventory of trail signs. In 1997, Lyme disease stopped me in my tracks, and it seemed my backpacking days were over. I contented myself with car camping and day hikes.
back, I was intrigued. The way he described him caught my attention: “This
tops. The creek was raging. I spent the morning packing my gear for a day hike
boots, gloves and a wool hat. We waved to each other. I realized he was going to start across on the logs, so I stood and watched to see if he could make it and thus, if I could do the same.
phone or any possessions other than his backpack. He spends all his time in the wilderness.” I felt akin to this man and wanted to meet him.
So, when I heard about an unusual man a friend in Vallecito picked up hitchhiking from the trailhead to town and
In October 2007 while car camping at Vallecito, there was a huge downpour and the first snowfall on the mountain-
creek was so swollen, making that impossible. I kept walking to where some logs were stretched across the raging torrent. They were covered with ice. Not having seen anyone all morning, I was surprised to see a guy with a small backpack on the other side. He was wearing shorts, hiking
He tucked his trekking poles into his pack and got down on all fours. While I watched, he crawled very carefully along the logs to where I was standing and stood up. I remember being impressed that he would do this while a woman watched –get down on all fours and crawl. Seemingly uninhibited, moving with confidence and efficiency, he made the task look easy. His first words to me were, “My tent got covered with 3 feet of snow last night, so I’m going to lower altitude.”
I had so many questions for him: I knew this was the guy my friend had spoken of. I recall asking him what sort of water filter he carried because I needed a new one. He replied, “I never filter water. I drink right from the streams. Wild animals don’t get sick, and I don’t live in houses, so I don’t get sick either.” His energy astonished me. He seemed like a wild animal himself: alert, fully present, filled with life-force. “I’ve been camping out year-round for 35 years, and I’ve never gotten sick. I’d better get going now if I want to make it to Durango and back before dark. Nice meeting
And he was gone, down the trail. The memory of his serene yet charged presence often visited my mind in coming weeks and months. Not knowing his name, I began to think of him as Mr. Taylor Creek.
The following summer, I stopped in Durango for supplies. I parked on Main Ave-
nue, and just as I was turning off my engine, I glanced at the sidewalk and saw him with his pack on, coming out of a store. I leapt from the truck and hollered “HEY!” He seemed to recognize me and smiled. We began what turned into an hour-long conversation there, on the sidewalk. He described how he fit everything for a two-week sojourn into this little pack and the type of tent, sleeping pad, trekking poles, rain gear, boots, socks and shirts he used.
I also learned that his spry 85-year-old mother is living in Florida, and whenever he comes out from the wilderness, he sends her a letter on a beautiful notecard. Things he’s seen which he wants to tell her about: herds of elk, a bear, rain, lightning and hailstorms. He showed me the notecards he’d just bought. I told him I paint landscapes from which I have notecards printed. I opened my truck and asked him to choose a few to send his mother. He did and said he would leave them for safekeeping with friends who run Backcountry Experience, Ben and his sister, Becky, where he’s also keeping an extra piece of plastic he uses for a ground cloth.
Later, when I went over to the store to buy a few things he recommended, Becky told me, “Yeah, he’d bought this plastic drop cloth and only needed half of it. He was going to throw away the other half, but I said he could leave it with me for when the first piece wore out.” It dawned on me that this piece of plastic and those notecards were the only things he owned that he was not currently carrying in his backpack. And sure enough, sometime in the future when our paths crossed again, I asked what he did with his extra stuff. He replied, “I don’t HAVE extra stuff!”
He needed to continue his shopping that day, so we
hugged goodbye. Then our paths crossed again that day, and I drove him back to his motel where he planned to empty his pack, buy two weeks’ worth of food at Nature’s Oasis and return for the night. He chooses this particular motel because 1) they have lattice-work around the bathtub where he can wash and hang his clothes, and 2) they allow him to check in early in the morning so he can spend all day doing errands.
We went to Nature’s Oasis (when it was near BCX), and he told me all the things he ate to keep healthy. Turns out he used to work in a health food store and a backpacking store, so he knew all the details about what to buy. He was vegan and never cooked; he carried no stove. Instead, he soaked dried hummus mix and adds olive oil, buys granola, raisins and nuts; and crushed blue corn chips, which he eats with a spoon. This was all supplemented with bee pollen, enzymes, probiotics and powdered greens, which he mixed with water. He also buys herbs to add to the hummus. For a special treat, he was going to get an avocado, but they weren’t ripe, so he settled on a jar of pickles. A jar of pickles! This struck me as a succinct metaphor for his life: friends I backpack with come out of the wilderness and treat themselves to a banquet of steak, salad, cake and ice cream. All Stew needs is a jar of pickles. Why? Because his priority is to be in the wilderness, and the joy he takes in his spartan lifestyle keeps him there.
Stew became the gold standard I measured all my needs against. A month later, it was raining, cold and miserable. I was huddled in my truck camper, trying to keep warm with my little propane heater. I thought of Stew: out there in his tiny nylon tent with no stove, no hot tea, no steaming soup, invigorated by the cold and
snow. He told me when it got too cold, he’d take a bus to Arizona and continue his wilderness lifestyle in the Superstition Mountains. Then in more recent years, he’d rent a motel room in Durango and take day hikes.
Following his advice, I bought everything he recommended. I took many more glorious backpacking trips after thinking those days were over, thanks to his example. When we met 17 years ago, he was 62 and I was 66.
We corresponded for years via his friends at BCX. Our paths crossed often, though we never planned anything. “I don’t make arrangements,” he’d say. He continued to inspire and teach me. His goodness as a human being was evident. Like me, he didn’t need the stimulation of new places but was deeply content just living in nature. Before a day in town, he’d always bathe (by a smoky fire to keep mosquitoes away) in order to give his best to folks he’d encounter. To take care of his body, heart and mind, he’d do yoga, meditate and practice Ida Rolfe exercises. These contributed to his peace of mind and heart, which he delighted in sharing with all who crossed paths with him.
Whenever I’d try to describe him to someone who’d judge his lifestyle as “selfish,” I’d think of how his uplifting presence would radiate outward and help everyone who saw him. Always smiling and calm, I never heard him complain or speak negatively about anything or anyone. He’d told the bank to give all his savings, on his death, to the Food Bank in Durango. To me, he seemed impeccable – a shining example of the highest our species could become.
Happy trails to you, dear Stew.
Anyone reading this who’s also a Stew fan can email Priscilla at: wiggins.priscilla@gmail.com ■
Thursday12
Parade of Gingerbread Homes, 11 a.m.-7 p.m., Animas Chocolate & Coffee Co., 920 Main Ave.
Matt Rupnow plays, 6-9 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave.
Adam Swanson plays, 6-9 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.
Yes, No, Maybe plays, 6-9 p.m., The Tangled Horn, 275 E. 8th Ave.
“Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol” presented by Merely Players, 7 p.m., Merely Underground, 789 Tech Center Dr.
Sand Sheff in Concert, 7 p.m., Sunflower Theatre, 8 E Main St., Cortez
Magic Beans night two with guests Squeaky Feet, 7 p.m. doors, Animas City Theatre, 128 E. College Dr.
Second Weekend Series featuring touring and local artists/bands, 8-10 p.m., The iNDIGO Room, 1315 Main Ave., #207
Live music, 8 p.m., Sky Ute Casino, Ignacio
Sunday15
The Bizarre Bazaar, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., Studio & Gallery, 1027 Main Ave. More info. at: www.anddurango.com
Irish Jam Session, 12:30-3 p.m., Durango Beer & Ice Co., 3000 Main Ave.
AskRachel Forbidden dance, coffee talk and guilt gifting
Interesting fact: Etiquette for professional coffee meetings is to meet for 30-60 minutes. Weirdly enough, no one seems to do professional tea parties anymore.
Dear Rachel,
I’m getting married this spring, and my bride-to-be has just broached the idea of a wedding dance. I kind of assumed we’d do a slow dance with some pretty twirls to a romantic song. But she’s been watching TikTok and wants to do some “Dancing with the Stars” shtick. Lifts and acrobatics and all that. Sounds like pre-marital stress-testing to me. Should I or stick to my slow dance?
– Corey Ography
Dear Fred Astaire,
“Dance me to the end of love,” said Leonard Cohen – but in your case, I think not dancing is the end of love. You have to go all out, enlist a dance instructor and take lessons every week for three months. Which is expensive. But, it’s going to get even more expensive, because you will need to bribe the dance teacher: Have them coach you right into the slow dance you wanted all along. You win points, and you don’t have any dance fails to go viral. – Takes two to tango, Rachel
“Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol” presented by Merely Players, 2 p.m., Merely Underground, 789 Tech Center Dr.
Board Game Sundays, 2 p.m., Lola’s Place, 725 E. 2nd Ave.
Rosie Carter Community Memorial Gathering, 2-4 p.m., Mancos Opera House, 136 Grand Ave., Mancos
Weekly Peace Vigil & Rally for Gaza & Palestine, every Sunday, 4 p.m., Buckley Park.
Alpine Bank Full Moon Howler, 6-9 p.m., Durango Nordic Center, 49786 U.S. 550
Blue Moon Ramblers play, 6-9 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.
Ben Gibson plays, 6-9 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave.
Monday16
Free Strength and Balance Yoga for cancer survivors, 9:30-10:20 a.m., Smiley Building, 1309 E. 3rd Ave. Register www.cancersupportswco.org/calendar
Happy Hour Yoga, 5:30 p.m., Ska Brewing, 225 Girard St.
Leah Orlikowski plays, 5:30-10 p.m., Diamond Belle
Dear Rachel,
When you are invited to someone’s house for coffee, how long should you expect to stay? Do you expect any food or just coffee? Do these rules change if you’re invited for tea? Thanks.
– Unwelcome Houseguests
Dear Grande Pains,
Coffee is explicitly no food, come for an hour, get the hell outta here. You have a very small window of time that could not be mistaken for late breakfast or early lunch. Really, you’re safe from about 10:3010:45. Unless it’s 10:45 p.m., and you get invited for coffee, I’m pretty sure you’re not having any coffee at all, and you’ll definitely have tea to spill.
– Two sugars, Rachel
Dear Rachel,
I think it’s ridiculous that adults are expected to get Christmas presents for other adults. Not romantic partners, but friends, siblings and in-laws. I’m not saying never, but it shouldn’t be obligatory. I can’t get out of the cycle with my sister and her husband. They go all-out for Christmas and birthdays, too. And I feel obligated to play ball, lest I hurt feelings. How do I end this tradition without ending the relationship?
– The Grinch
Saloon, 699 Main Ave.
Joel Racheff plays, 6-9 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave.
Comedy Open Mic, 7 p.m., The Starlight Lounge, 937 Main Ave.
Swing & Brewskies dance lessons, 7-9:30 p.m., Durango Beer and Ice Co., 3000 Main Ave.
Tuesday17
Jason Thies plays, 6:00 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.
Sean O’Brien plays, 6-9 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave.
“Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol” presented by Merely Players, Dec. 7 p.m., Merely Underground, 789 Tech Center Dr.
Open Mic Night, 7 p.m., Starlight, 937 Main Ave.
Wednesday18
Free Restorative Yoga for cancer survivors, 9:3010:45 a.m., Smiley Building, 1309 E. 3rd Ave. Register www.cancersupportswco.org/calendar/
Dear Green Meanie, Oh ho ho. Just like your namesake leaned into Christmas in order to ruin it, you have to lean into gift-giving in order to wreck it. Two words for you: Experiential. Presents. Figure out what kind of bonding is so extremely loving, so intolerably connective, that they’ll beg you to stop. Like, an escape room with no solution? Or! Oh! Three-person dance choreography lessons for you all to perform at the family holiday dinner.
– Takes three to tango, Rachel
Four Corners Carolers perform, 5-8 p.m., Durango Hot Springs, 6475 CR203
Donny Johnson plays, 5:30-9 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.
Terry Rickard plays, 6-9 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave.
Word Honey Poetry Workshop, 6-7:30 p.m., Durango Public Library, 1900 E. 3rd Ave.
Bar D Wranglers Christmas Jubilee, doors 7 p.m., Community Concert Hall at FLC
Open Mic with Leigh Mikell, 7 p.m., EsoTerra Ciderworks, 558 Main Ave.
“The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane” presented by Merely Players, 7 p.m., Merely Underground, 789 Tech Center Dr.
Karaoke Roulette, 8 p.m., Starlight Lounge, 937 Main Ave.
Ongoing
Holiday Family Drive, thru Dec. 13, TBK Bank, 259 W. 9th St.
SJMA Christmas Trees for Conservation Lot, thru Dec. 21, 12-6 p.m., D&SNG parking lot Dec. 12, 2024 n 13 telegraph
FreeWillAstrology
by Rob Brezsny
ARIES (March 21-April 19): If you were walking down the street and spied a coin lying on the sidewalk, would you bend down to pick it up? If you’re like most people, you wouldn’t. It’s too much trouble to exert yourself for an object of such little value. But I advise you to adopt a different attitude in coming weeks. Just for now, that stray coin might be something like an Umayyad gold dinar minted in the year 723 and worth over $7 million. Please also apply this counsel metaphorically. Be alert for things of unexpected worth that would require you to expand your expectations or stretch your capacities.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Taurus writer Randall Jarrell compared poets to people who regularly stand in a meadow during a thunderstorm. If they are struck by the lightning of inspiration five or six times in the course of their careers, they are good poets. If they are hit a dozen times, they are great poets. A similar principle applies in many fields. To be excellent at what you do, you must regularly go to where the energy is most electric. You’ve also got to keep working diligently on your skills so that when inspiration comes, you have a highly developed ability to capture it. I’m bringing this up now, because I suspect the coming weeks will bring you a slew of lightning bolts.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): My upcoming novels epitomize the literary genre known as magical realism. In many ways, the stories exhibit reverence for the details of our gritty destinies in the material world. But they are also replete with wondrous events like talking animals, helpful spirits and healing dreams. The characters are both practical and dreamy, earthy and wildly imaginative, well-grounded and alert for miracles. I invite you to be like those characters in coming months. You are primed to be both robustly pragmatic and primed for fairy-tale-style adventures.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): In December 1903, the Wright Brothers flew a motorized vehicle through the sky for the first time in human history. It was a very modest achievement. On the first try, Orville Wright was in the air for just 12 seconds and traveled 120 feet. On the fourth attempt, Wilbur was aloft for 59 seconds and went 852 feet. I believe you’re at a comparable stage in the evolution of your own innovation. Don’t minimize your incipient accomplishment. Keep the faith. It may take a while, but your
efforts will ultimately lead to a meaningful advancement. (PS: Nine months later, the Wrights flew their vehicle for over five minutes and traveled 2.75 miles.)
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): During the rest of 2024, life’s generosity will stream your way more than usual. You will be on the receiving end of extra magnanimity from people, too. Even the spiritual realms might have extra goodies to bestow on you. How should you respond? My suggestion is to share the inflowing wealth with cheerful creativity. Boost your own generosity and magnanimity. Assume that the more you give, the more you will get and have. (PS: Do you know that Emily Dickinson poem with the line “Why floods be served to us – in bowls”? I suggest you obtain some big bowls.)
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): The term “cognitive dissonance” refers to the agitation we feel while trying to hold conflicting ideas or values in our minds. For example, let’s say you love the music of a particular singer-songwriter, but they have opinions that offend you or they engage in behavior that repels you. Or maybe you share many positions with a certain political candidate, but they also have a few policies you dislike. Cognitive dissonance doesn’t have to be bad or debilitating. In fact, the ability to harbor conflicting ideas with poise is a sign of high intelligence. I suspect this will be one of your superpowers in the coming weeks.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): “Amazing Grace” is a popular hymn recorded by many artists, including Aretha Franklin, Elvis Presley and Willie Nelson. Created in 1773, it tells the story of a person who concludes he has lived an awful life and now wants to repent. The composer, John Newton, was a slave trader who had a religious epiphany during a storm that threatened to sink his ship. God told him to reform his evil ways, and he did. I presume none of you reading this has ever been as horrible a person as Newton. And yet most people are in regular need of conversions that awaken us to higher truths. I predict you will have at least three of these transformative illuminations in coming months. One is available now, if you want it.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): “Thinking outside the box” is an American idiom. It means escaping habitual parameters and traditional formulas so as to imagine fresh perspectives and novel approaches. While it’s an excellent practice, there is a good alternative. We can sometimes accomplish marvels by staying in-
side the box and reshaping it from the inside. Work within the system to transform it – accept some standards but play and experiment with others. For example, in my column, I partially adhere to the customs of the well-established genre, but also take radical liberties. I recommend this approach for you in 2025.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): I don’t recommend burning wood to heat your home. Such fires generate noxious emissions. But, if you had no other way to get warm, I prefer burning ash and beech wood rather than, say, pine and cedar. The former two yield far more heat than the latter, so you need less of them. Let’s apply this principle as we meditate on your quest for new metaphorical fuel. In coming months, you will be wise to search for resources that provide you with the most efficient and potent energy.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): The world’s longest tunnel is more than 35 miles long. It’s the Gotthard Base Tunnel in the Swiss Alps. I’m guessing the metaphorical tunnel you’ve been crawling your way through lately may feel that extensive. But it’s not. And here’s even better news: Your plodding travels will be finished sooner than you imagine. I expect that the light at the end of the tunnel will be visible any day now. Now here’s the best news: Your slow journey through the semi-darkness will ultimately yield rich benefits no later than your birthday.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Would you like to avoid wilting and fading away in January? If so, I recommend in coming weeks, you give your best and brightest gifts and express your wildest and most beautiful truths. In the new year, you will need some downtime to recharge and revitalize. But it will be a pleasantly relaxing interlude – not a wan, withered detour – if in the immediate future you unleash your unique genius in its full splendor.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): My treasured Piscean advisor, Letisha, believes it’s a shame so many of us try to motivate ourselves through abusive self-criticism. Are you guilty of that? I have done it myself on many occasions. Sadly, it rarely works. More often, it demoralizes and deflates. The good news is that you now have extra power and savvy to diminish your reliance on this ineffectual tactic. To launch the transformation, I hope you will engage in a focused campaign of inspiring yourself through selfpraise and self-love.
Deadline for Telegraph classified ads is Tuesday at noon.
Ads are a bargain at 10 cents a character with a $5 minimum.
Even better, ads can now be placed online: durangotelegraph.com Prepayment is required via cash, credit card or check. (Sorry, no refunds or substitutions.)
Ads can be submitted via: n durangotelegraph.com n classifieds@durango telegraph.com n 970-259-0133
Lost/found
My Cat Cid is Missing Long hair, white with black spots, green eyes. Last seen near 18th St. and E. 2nd Ave., by St. Columba. Reward. Call 970-403-6192
Announcements
Cheap, Cheap!
Discounted Early Bird Tickets to 2025 Durango Wine Experience on sale December 1-31. Get your tickets before prices go up @ durangowine.com
ForRent
Professional Offices Downtown near Main Ave, sunlit patio with Buckley Park views. Lease terms negotiable. 970.247.1233
ForSale
Reruns Home Furnishings
Lots of new furniture/cool furnishings for home, office or dorm. Nightstands, coffee tables, kitchenwares, rugs and more. Also looking to consign smaller furniture pieces. 572 E. 6th Ave. Open Mon.-Sat. 385-7336.
Wanted
Cash for Vehicles, Copper, Alum
Etc. at RJ Metal Recycle. Also free appliance and other metal drop off. 970259-3494.
Books Wanted at White Rabbit Donate/trade/sell (970) 259-2213
BodyWork
Massage by Meg Bush LMT, 30, 60 & 90 min., 970-759-0199.
Serving Durango over 30 years. Brad, 970-759-2869. Master Plbg Lic #179917
Need Help With Yard Work? and raking leaves or shoveling snow? Call Chris 970-317-5397. Hourly rate plus a flat rate if I haul debris off to the dump
Lowest Prices on Storage!
Inside/outside storage near Durango and Bayfield. 10-x-20, $130. Outside spots: $65, with discounts available. RJ Mini Storage. 970-259-3494.
CommunityService
SWCO Men’s Cancer Advocacy group
Stay connected and avoid isolation during your cancer journey. Meet-up will provide a space where participants can
HaikuMovieReview
‘Yacht Rock - a Dockumentary’ Lay back and enjoy the breezy story of this smooth music genre –
give and receive support. Open to all cancer warriors and their caregivers. If interested, contact Phil Campbell at Cancer Support Community Southwest Colorado at hope@cancersupportswco.org or call 970-403-3711 .
Don’t take it out on the moose – we warned you.
Due to Christmas and New Year’s falling on our regular press day (Wednesday), the Telegraph will be closing up shop Dec. 26-Jan. 2. But don’t worry, we will be back in action for the Jan. 9, 2025, issue.
