Elevation Outdoors March 2015

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GO OUTSIDE & PLAY

Dream

Big

THE 2015 ADVENTURE PLANNER

Canoeing with Thoreau PLAYING ON PISMO BEACH

TRAINING FOR

Everest

SEE POLAR BEARS, SAVE THE PLANET

THE HEIGHTS OF MACHU PICCHU

Hike

GRAND GULCH

BLOWBACK ON UTAH’S LAND GRAB RUN RIVERS WITH YOUR FAVORITE BANDS

BEST OF BUCKET LISTS

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CONTENTS

MARCH 2015 CAN YOU SAVE ME? THE BEST CHANCE FOR THE POLAR BEAR’S CONTINUED SURVIVAL MAY BE IN YOUR HANDS? SEE PAGE 14.

JAYME MOYE

, GOLDEN GTON AVE E.COM IN H S A W T 1313 82 | BENTGA (303) 271 93

features 22 TRAINING FOR EVEREST

!

R A E G 4 1 0 2 N O SAVE UP TO 40%

Jim Davidson runs down exactly how he's preparing for the big one.

and across the globe. Plus, polar explorer Eric Larsen runs down his impressive reverse bucket list.

25 THE BIG 2015 ADVENTURE PLANNER

29 THE HIGH SCHOOL OF MACHU PICCHU

It's time to tick big experiences off of your bucket list. Whether you just want to dabble or go all in, we offer up Jump! Roll! Climb! Run! Float! and Roam! adventures in Colorado

Clay Abney takes teenage boys on a lifechanging trek on Peru's Inca Trail.

9 EDITOR’S LETTER

21 STRAIGHT TALK

Backlash on Utah's public land grab.

10 QUICK HITS

Champion mountain runner Joseph Gray speaks up on African Americans and doping in the sport.

Running the world, Colorado mushers, fun at Pismo Beach and more.

35 HEAR THIS

R departments E T N IARANCE W LE C

!

W O N N O G N I GO

ATION N I T S E D S ’

P O H S Y R T CKCOUN

O COLORAD

BA 0 YEARS R OVER 2 FO

| JONES PASS SEAN M. & ALAN S.| GREG FLOYD PHOTO

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31 TRAVEL GEAR The best stuff for time on the road.

Ride rivers with your favorite bands.

14 FLASHPOINT Commerical conservation tourism may be the best way to save the planet's critcally endangered wildlife.

36 THE ROAD

17 HOT SPOT

38 ELWAYVILLE

Want to ski uphill? We tell you where and how—from local resorts to 14ers.

Travel tips and Tolkien's measurement.

19 THE TRAIL

ON THE COVER HAT TRICK: TIM DAILEY SHIMMIES UP REVELATION (5.11), DEVILS HEAD, COLORADO. By Zach Mahone / zachmahone.com

Download GPS details for this tenmile trip down Grand Gulch that takes in ancient ruins and deep canyons.

Senior editor Cameron Martindell gets back to bushcraft in Maine.

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CONTRIBUTORS

LIGHTEN

What's the biggest trip you have crossed off your bucket list?

UP

ElevationOutdoors.com

E D I TO R I A L EDITOR-IN-CHIEF DOUG SCHNITZSPAHN doug@elevationoutdoors.com SENIOR EDITORS CHRIS KASSAR chris@elevationoutdoors.com CAMERON MARTINDELL cameron@elevationoutdoors.com CONTRIBUTING EDITORS ADAM CHASE, ROB COPPOLILLO, LIAM DORAN, JAMES DZIEZYNSKI, SONYA LOONEY, JAYME MOYE, CHRIS VAN LEUVEN EDITOR-AT-LARGE PETER KRAY CONTRIBUTING WRITERS CLAY ABNEY, JIM DAVIDSON, JEDD FERRIS, KIM FULLER, HUDSON LINDENBERGER

ART + PRODUCTION ART DIRECTOR MEGAN JORDAN megan@elevationoutdoors.com SENIOR DESIGNER LAUREN WALKER lauren@elevationoutdoors.com

A DV E RT I S I N G + B U S I N E S S PRESIDENT BLAKE DEMASO blake@elevationoutdoors.com ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER ELIZABETH O’CONNELL elizabeth@elevationoutdoors.com SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE MARTHA EVANS martha@elevationoutdoors.com ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE CARSON HOGGE carson@elevationoutdoors.com BUSINESS MANAGER MELISSA GESSLER melissa@elevationoutdoors.com CIRCULATION MANAGER AVERY SHOOK avery@elevationoutdoors.com PROMOTIONS JAKE HOWE

D I G I TA L M E D I A ONLINE DIRECTOR CRAIG SNODGRASS craig@elevationoutdoors.com DIGITAL MANAGER CAMERON MARTINDELL cameron@elevationoutdoors.com ©2015 Summit Publishing, LLC. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written permission of the publisher.

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Making a first ever descent down a slot in the Grand Canyon with the crew from "Last of the Great Unknown." We named it Dump Truck for the 200-foot free rappel at the end.

Klaus Fengler

DOUG SCHNITZSPAHN

CAMERON MARTINDELL Packrafting the Kongakut river from the Brooks Mountains to the Arctic Ocean in Alaska. We covered 85 miles in 15 days and celebrated the 4th of July on the shores of the Beaufort Sea.

ELIZABETH O’CONNELL I’m just starting on the bucket list items—heading to Machu Picchu to hike the Inca Trail with my dad this summer.

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CHRIS KASSAR Last year, we turned around at 18,000 feet on Denali, but it was still the trip of a lifetime.

Heading back this year to see if we can get to the top.

CARSON HOGGE Biking the TransAmerica.

Virginia to Oregon.

JIM DAVIDSON I had long dreamed of climbing to the top of an icy 8,000 meter peak in the Himalayas, and I was fortunate to summit Cho Oyu (26,906 feet). Next up: Everest.

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JAYME MOYE I got to visit a couple of the national parks in Alaska last summer.

The raw wildness of that state is beyond anything I had imagined.

PETER KRAY Greenland. Dog sledging and skiing.

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Plan Your Adventure: www.OurayColorado.com/iceandsteam MARCH 2015 • ElevationOutdoors.com

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NOTES

The Great Land Swindle

DOUG SCHNITZSPAHN

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

CASH CROP? PLACES LIKE UTAH’S CEDAR MESA WOULD BE MANAGED BY STATE AGENCIES REQUIRED TO TURN A QUICK PROFIT OF THE LAND.

hings are changing quickly in the world of public lands conservation.

Last month, a passionate group of hunters and anglers rallied outside the Colorado Capitol. This was not some type of get-rid-of-public land libertarian protest. The fairly conservative group was not protesting against crazy liberal treehuggers or for the government to get out of its life. These protestors actually want the federal government to stay involved in Colorado, continuing to manage our public lands, and they were angry that Colorado legislators are floating bills that would move control of federal land over the state, and even some bills that would sell off public lands forever.

Sound crazy? Well consider this: One of our neighboring states has already done it. Utah House Bill 148 took effect on December 31, 2014, and calls for the federal government to transfer 31.2 million acres of public lands, not including designated wilderness areas, national monuments or national parks, to the state. The bill has no teeth—it does not call for the use of force or closures in order for Utah to wrest control of these lands, but it is very disturbing to those of us who love our wild places. Once the state gets hold of these resources, it will manage them for only one purpose—making cash. It has no choice.

Now, efficient government management and making the best use of taxpayer dollars are certainly very worthy causes, ones that conservatives and conservationists actually agree upon. The problem is state control is not the best way to efficiently look after and make money off these lands. And it is not the best way to maximize an even more important asset, value. Utah also passed House Bill 142 which called for a study and economic analysis that would tell the state just how much it would cost to manage these 31.2 million acres currently managed by the Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service. The resultant 784-page report is not promising for those who think the state is a more efficient operation than the feds. While it would be conceivably possible to foot the bill, it all relies on one big, worrisome variable, the price of oil. And that is the root of the problem.

Keeping up with the price tag of management would require drilling more wells and opening up these lands to industry, while closing them off to recreation.

Lands might indeed need to be sold into private hands to pay the bills. It's ironic that lawmakers who support these measures claim that federal land managers and conservation laws are locking the land away from the public. State control, and more profit-driven uses, would actually do just that, putting up fences and gates to keep out hunters, bikers and hikers while the big machines haul in cash.

The real point is that these lands are not simply places to turn a short-term profit for a select few. Their value is far greater both on an economic level (think of how many companies and workers come West for these wild places) and on a deeper, even spiritual level (think of why you go to these places). When state lawmakers can prove that they see these greater values in public lands, rather than introducing bills that on the outside sound populist, but in reality are swindles meant to sell our lands to a very few, then perhaps we can find a way to not just manage them at the state level, but treasure them.

WILDYX

MARCH 2015 • ElevationOutdoors.com

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SHORTS

QUICK HITS

RESCUE MISSION: THE ALL VOLUNTEER RESCUE TEAM WILL COME AND HAUL YOUR BUTT OUT OF TROUBLE, BUT THE NEW FACILITY MEANS THEY CAN BETTER EDUCATE YOU TO STAY OUT OF DANGER, TOO.

TECHNOLOGY

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GEAR WE

Life Support

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BOOKS THE GOD OF SKIING Longtime EO editor-at-large and Elwayville columnist Peter Kray has penned the best compulsive reading you will pick up this year. This book is a novel on the outside, the story of a reckless ski-racing legend gone missing, but, in reality, it’s a romp into the depth of ski culture—touching on everything from Bill Briggs and the Tetons, to philosophizing French Canadians, to dogs, to the mystical beauty of the turn itself. $14; bit.ly/1zTxK00

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COURTESY OF MOUNTAIN RESCUE ASPEN

MOUNTAIN RESCUE ASPEN’S NEW FACILITY WILL HELP GROW ITS EFFORTS TO BE THERE IN HURRY FOR PEOPLE IN DANGER. Things just got easier for people who get out of their element. Last fall, Mountain Rescue Aspen opened a brand new, 14,000-square-foot facility outside of town on Highway 82—a big move for an organization that has been around for 50 years, aiding adventures gone awry in Pitkin County since 1965 (though organized rescue has actually been recorded in the area back to the 1950s).

President and rescue team leader, Jeff Edelson, said that the new facility will allow for more efficient equipment storage, mission safety, effective field communication and all-important public education.

During all the years prior, the old headquarters was on Main Street in Aspen—in a cramped 2,000 square feet space.

“It’s increased our operational readiness,” explained Edelson. “And has also allowed us to be safer because we can maintain and keep track of our equipment.”

The new building has a training and testing tower, large training room, command communication center, locker room and sleeping area for volunteers. A lobby museum is currently in the process of completion, which is designed to capture the immense history of Mountain Rescue Aspen.

The projections for a new facility began in 2011, after the organization was given a significant donation from Lynda Cameron. In November of 1977, Lynda and her family were in a plane crash in the Aspen backcountry. The private plane crash killed Lynda’s father, C.B. Cameron, for whom the new

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rescue center is named.

The pilot and five other passenger survived for two nights in the backcountry in winter conditions.

The Mountain Rescue Aspen team was involved in their rescue, a mission for which the family has paid their utmost gratitude.

Edleson said their 50-person team is capable of going anywhere in the mountains, providing advanced life support and executing an effective rescue. The organization is an accredited FEMA Type 1 rescue team (the most advanced level), with doctors, paramedics, EMTs and skilled mountaineers who provide on-site support and effective rescues.

“We are an all-hazard team,” he said. “So essentially anything that happens in the mountains, in the backcountry, we have the ability to go out and provide that rescue and bring somebody back.”

What the new facility provides is not only increased space, Edleson shared, but also the ability to educate the public about personal preparation for adventures, and how to not get into life-threatening situations in the first place.

Mountain Rescue has an expectation for all individuals who choose to adventure up mountains and into the backcountry: people should be prepared for the unexpected, and have some extra water, food and layers, and be able to spend a night out in the elements.

“Mountain Rescue is an all-volunteer rescue team, providing backcountry rescue and mountain safety education,” Edleson said. “The one piece we were really lacking with the old facility was the education piece. We are now in the process of developing more public outreach, because we really want to start preventing our mountain rescue calls, instead of just being able to respond to them.” mountainrescueaspen.org —Kim Fuller

SHORTS

QUICK HITS

Pismo Beach, California

GO GET SOME SAND IN BETWEEN YOUR TOES AT THIS OCEANFRONT PLAYGROUND. EAT The saying goes: “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.” Well, in this case, when by the sea, eat seafood. For the most authentic, fun and a bit messy seafood experience just short of being out there on the boat yourself to catch the goods, pop into the Cracked Crab (crackedcrab.com). With butcher paper as the table covering and a sassy (albeit fun) hostess, you know you’re in for a good time. Ordering the house specialty of your choice of edible sea critters means they’ll get dumped from a steaming bucket right onto your table. Weapons of choice include nut crackers, mallets and your own hands. Take them up on the offer to don you with one of their bibs. You’re going to need it.

SLEEP Home base needs to be where you can hear the crash of the surf as you lay down to sleep. For this the Cottage Inn by the Sea (pacificahotels. com/cottageinn) lives up to its name situated atop the sea side cliffs. Granted, not every room faces

Enter to win a two-night stay in Old Colorado City along with travel allowance, dining gift certificates, the ocean, but every room can hear it. The English find Bill Bookout at the Pismo Beach Surf Shop to local attractions, and(pismobeachsurfshop.com) a Cottage style architecturepasses is a welcome change for a sea cave kayaking gift basket with from the other styles of buildings and loaded the beach is surprises. tour. Caves come and go depending on the tide easy to access where an easy walk takes you into and Bill knows all the ins and outs. Motorheads The deadline to enter is May 21, 2015. downtown or stroll beyond until the sun sets. The can rent dune buggies for hours on end and blaze included breakfast provides more options than most up, over and across the dunes at Sun Buggy Fun and is served in a quaint dining room where it’s Rentals (sunbuggy.com) just down they way in easy to welcome the day. Fuel up because there’s Oceano. High flyers and winos can combine their lots to do. Read on. interests at the Zip and Sip zip line course flying over the Margarita Vineyard (margarita-adventures.

PLAY com). Finish the day with some fun and satirical This is where choices are going to challenge you. live theater at the Great American Melodrama & Naturally, there’s plenty of lounging by the beach Vaudeville (americanmelodrama.com). Whew. or up on the cliffs by the pool and hot tub looking —Cameron Martindell out over the ocean. The more adventurous need to

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SHORTS

QUICK HITS

DOUG SCHNITZSPAHN

MOAB RETIREMENT: NOW ISN'T THIS BETTER THAN WORKING IN SILICON VALLEY?

From Hi-Tech to Hardcore

WHO NEEDS A JOB IN SILCON VALLEY WHEN YOU CAN RUN YOUR OWN ADVENTURE TOUR COMPANY AND PLAY FOR WORK? Editor’s Note: This story was the winning entry in a contest at Creative Conferences (michelletheall.com/

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creativeconferences). The prize was publication here in Elevation Outdoors, with the hope that we can help launch the careers of aspiring writers.

May in Moab can bring all kinds of weather, so Dave Harris was not entirely surprised to be shoveling 10 inches of snow off the top of his van on the first morning of his bike tour. In years past, he would have been a guest enjoying a double espresso inside. This year was different. Harris left his career behind to buy the tour company, so figuring out how to salvage the trip was now his problem.

After 30 years working in Silicon Valley at companies like Texas Instruments and Adobe Systems, Harris walked away from the high-tech world to take over Timberline Adventures. He runs the Colorado-based adventure travel company with his wife Kisa. In spite of taking an 84 percent pay cut to do it, he couldn’t be happier.

Dave and his wife Kisa have long been avid cyclists and hikers. Riding, hiking, and exploring together has always been a cornerstone of their relationship. They even did California’s famed “Death Ride” together—130 miles in one day with a vertical gain of 16,000 feet. Weary of the software scene, the couple jumped at the opportunity to reinvent themselves as tour operators.

The change has been liberating.

“Once the euphoria of their early success fades, a lot of tech companies have the tendency to get stuck," Dave says. "My last few years in Silicon Valley were mostly an execution game instead of a learning game. With Timberline, I am challenged

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every day and constantly trying new things. And I’m exploring sublimely beautiful places on a bike or hiking trail.”

While leaving established careers and buying a travel company involved risk, it was not a decision that the couple made blind. Having been customers of Timberline Adventures for 22 years, they knew the company well. When the founders retired in 2011, Dave and Kisa were eager to take over a solid operation they respected. This was no fly-by-night software startup. Timberline Adventures had been guiding active vacations for 30 years.

These days Dave and Kisa spend their time guiding trips to places like Oregon’s Rogue River Wilderness, Canada’s Kootenay region, Glacier, Yosemite and Death Valley. That’s the fun part.

Juggling the innumerable logistical details involved in running over 60 bike tours and hiking trips a year is significantly more demanding. Especially when it snows in May. Fortunately, the roads are still warm from the preceding week of sunshine and the snow melts quickly. With a minor route change, the Moab tour proceeds. The contingent from New Zealand is actually thrilled that their Rocky Mountain experience includes riding in the snow and their enthusiasm sets the tone for the rest of the trip.

Dave takes a turn riding with the group as they reach Island in the Sky. The road follows the rim of the mesa with stunning views of the surrounding canyons. He grins wide as the river below. timbertours.com —Ruth Baretto

SHORTS

Sole of Travel

INTERNATIONAL RUNNERS JOIN FORCES TO CREATE A BRAND NEW WAY TO TROT THE GLOBE.

NATHANIEL WILDER

Last year, a new company called Run the World announced a first-of-its-kind travel offering: multiday trips in some of the world’s most desirable adventure destinations—places like New Zealand and Iceland—that use running as the primary way to experience the landscape. The underlying concept is not new. Bike tour operators have long been combining human-powered transport with culture, food, and wine. And runners often travel to attend training camps with companies like Active at Altitude in the Rocky Mountains, or choose exotic destinations for triathlons and marathons. But this is the first time a global operator has combined trail running with a luxury vacation.

“I actually thought I invented running vacations, back in 2011 when I first came up with the idea,” says Greg Jensen, founder of Mayan Running Adventure in Guatemala. “Nobody else was doing it—at least not as an all-inclusive, full-time operation as I envisioned it.”

Maybe not, but others were thinking about it: Pablo Rodriguez in Spain, Malcolm Law in New Zealand, Igor Tavella in Italy, Simon Mtuy in Tanzania, and Inga Fanney in Iceland. Thanks to Google searches and social media, these local runners— each hoping to get the concept of running vacations off the ground in their respective countries— connected. Rodriguez spearheaded an even bigger idea: How about we combine forces into one brand

QUICK HITS to leverage our marketing efforts? The unanimous response was "hell yes!" Run the World was born.

Jensen, who moved from Utah to the Lake Atitlan region of Guatemala with his wife and four young children in 2011 to start Mayan Running Adventure, is thrilled with his new business, and the synergy that comes from owning a global brand with like-minded visionaries. While each country’s trip offerings are unique, each of the co-founders of Run the World share a love of running, and a commitment to providing an authentic experience of place. Participants on the Guatemala trip spend six days running about 50 miles on the remote trails surrounding Lake Atitlan, a jewel in the Guatemalan Highlands surrounded by 10,000-foot peaks, where traditional Mayan culture lives on.

“The running, the food, the accommodations, the experience—everything is incredible,” says Jensen. “Our clients are people who want to do something adventurous in a new place, and love to run.” runtheworldadventures.com —Jayme Moye

RUN EUROPE'S ROOFTOP A partnership between Arizona-based Alpinehikers and part-time Chamonix resident Doug Mayer, Run the Alps specializes in the world’s most iconic running trails including the Bernese Oberland, Mount Blanc, and the Matterhorn. runthealps.com —J.M.

SLED HEADS: THIS IS THE NINTH IDITAROD FOR LACHLAN CLARKE.

Meet Colorado's Mushers

A lot of people in this state have a mind of winter but Lachlan Clarke of Buena Vista is the only Colorado-based musher entered to race the Iditarod this month. He and his wife Linda have been training dogs for 12 years and this will be his ninth Iditarod. Team Clarke started their fall training during the first week of October with 16-dog teams pulling their ATV in the Arkansas Valley. They moved the team up to Seeley Lake, Mont. in December to continue training on snow. Mileage is increased to work the dogs up to be ready for the 1,100 mile race in Alaska that starts March 7 at Willow and ends in Nome (iditarod.com). Temperatures during the race can range from 40˚F to -50˚F and the Clarkes hope to finish in 10 days. The race record was set in 2002 by Martin Buser with a time of eight days, 22 hours, 46 minutes and two seconds. teamclarkecolorado.com —C.M.

GUILLEM CASANOVA

TEAM CLARKE TAKES ON ALASKA'S TOUGHEST RACE.

WHO NEEDS RICK STEVES? JUST LACE UP YOUR RUNNING SHOES AND YOU CAN STEP INTO EXPERIENCES BETTER THAN ANY GUIDEBOOK RECOMMENDATIONS.

MARCH 2015 • ElevationOutdoors.com

13

ISSUES

FLASHPOINT

Hear Me Roar

PLAY TO WIN: TUNDRA BUGGY TOURS GET TOURISTS UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL WITH THE WORLD’S LARGEST LAND CARNIVORE, BUT DO THEY ALSO CREATE MEANINGFUL CHANGE AT HOME?

GREENHOUSE GASES HAVE ONE OF THE PLANET’S MOST CHARISMATIC MEGAFAUNA IN SERIOUS DANGER. THE MORE PEOPLE WHO SEE THIS SAD FACT IN PERSON, THE MORE PEOPLE CARE. BUT CAN “CONSERVATION TRAVEL” SAVE THE POLAR BEAR? story and photography by JAYME MOYE n the Manitoba tundra, a polar bear awakens from an early afternoon snooze in a patch of willows, stands, and begins to amble toward me. Were I not sitting inside a Tundra Buggy—a custom all-terrain vehicle designed to navigate subarctic terrain, and protect tourists from these carnivores—I’d be terrified. But inside the bombproof Buggy, which is elevated on six-foot tall wheels, I’m safe to observe the 1,000-pound bear in its natural habitat, take photos, and chat about its behavior with my fellow passengers—much like the wildlife safaris of Africa.

What’s different from your standard wildlife safari is that I’m sitting beside one of the foremost polar bear researchers on the planet, Steven C. Amstrup, PhD, the chief scientist at Polar Bears International. The trip is a first-of-its-kind offering from Canadian outfitter Frontiers North Adventures, where ordinary tourists spend four days in the field hanging out with wildlife biologists and scientists like Amstrup, viewing polar bears, and learning about conservation efforts. If “wildlife safari” and “ecotourism” had a lovechild, this trip would be it.

THE SHRINKING WINDOW By day, we follow old military paths worn into the tundra, tracking the normally elusive Ursus maritimus at the time of year when their movement is most predictable—early November. At this time, the bears gather along the shores of Hudson Bay, eagerly awaiting the winter sea ice formation so they can hunt seals after a long summer fast. At nightfall, back at the lodge, tourists and scientists mingle over drinks, dine together, and watch worldrenowned polar bear experts present slideshows.

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During one such presentation, I learn that since the early 1980s, the Hudson Bay polar bear population is down 22 percent. The culprit?

Greenhouse gas emissions, which are causing the Arctic to warm, and the ice on Hudson Bay to form later (and melt sooner). This is shrinking the window when the polar bears can hunt seals—their main food source—out on the ice.

The World Wildlife Fund confirms that travel can lead to conservation action.

It’s a lot to absorb, both the exhilaration of seeing the bears in their native habitat—moms and cubs, curious young adults approaching the Tundra Buggy, males sparring—and the agitation in learning the details of their impending demise.

Amstrup predicts that unless we take action to stop climate change, we will lose two-thirds of all polar bears by the middle of the century, and the rest by the end of the century.

The strong emotions I experience during my visit are exactly what conservation organizations like Polar Bears International are banking on.

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“Coming up here and seeing a polar bear, looking into its eyes, it can change people, change how they care about the environment,” says Amstrup.

There’s even a buzzword for the type of tourism that’s going down in the subarctic tundra: Conservation Travel. And Manitoba, Canada is not the only place where it’s catching on.

CONSERVATION TRAVEL In 2013, Colorado-based Natural Habitat Adventures launched an expedition to Mongolia called “In Search of the Snow Leopard.” The trip—a partnership with World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the world’s leading conservation organization—brought 12 tourists together with scientists focused on tracking the snow leopard for conservation research. “The trip sold out in minutes. Literally,” says Ted Martens, VP of marketing and sustainability at Natural Habitat.

Snow Leopard searchers spent the trip out in the field tracking the endangered cat; in remote places few of us have heard of, like the Yamaat Valley near the Russian border, and the Jargalant Hairhan mountains in Khar Us Nuur National Park in central western Mongolia. Despite the team’s concentrated effort, the stealthy snow leopard was not to be found. But the tourists were so inspired, that upon returning home they reconnected and spearheaded a fundraising drive. They raised $24,000 to purchase new data collection equipment for the researchers back in Mongolia.

“That is the culmination of what we’re trying to accomplish with conservation tourism,” says Martens. “Get people out into the field, and inspire them enough that they take action back home.”

ISSUES

SEE FOR YOURSELF Get out on these conservation tourism trips.

Tundra Buggy VIP Tour, Canada Frontiers North Adventures, November 4-9 Track polar bears in the subartic tundra alongside the world's foremost polar bear researchers and climate change scientists. frontiersnorth.com

In Search of the Desert Rhino, Namibia Natural Habitat Adventures, September 29-October 8 / October 17-16 Learn firsthand about rhino conservation in one of Africa's largest expanses of pure wilderness. frontiersnorth.com

Turtles & Rainforest, Costa Rica Adventure Life, Eight days; every month Join Biologists to study giant leather back turtles at the Pacuare Nature Reserve, and indulge in a rainforest adventure retreat. adventure-life.com

Saving Tigers in India (India) Big Five Tours & Expeditions, 12 days Explore natural wonders, track tigers and sloth bears, and learn now to be a naturalist on this family adventure. bigfive.com —J.M.

The WWF confirms that travel can lead to conservation action. From their donor pool, the people who travel end up giving seven times more over their post-trip lifetime than those who do not.

Natural Habitat Adventures has since made their prototype “In Search of” format a regular trip, with the next happening in Namibia in the fall (see sidebar), in search of the desert rhino. Likewise, Frontiers North Adventures has scheduled another “VIP Tour” for November 2015 (see sidebar).

Still, can conservation travel actually save the polar bear from being melted off the face of the planet? The bears, unlike the snow leopard in Mongolia, aren’t in danger of being shot for poaching or retribution killing. The nearby town of Churchill—the polar bear capital of the world— even has a Polar Bear Alert program that relocates (instead of shooting) bears that get too close to town. Of the 20 of us aboard the Tundra Buggy, a quarter are scientists and researchers already invested in the bear’s survival. That leaves 15 people to potentially change the beasts’ fate. And the problem seems more nuanced than making a donation to Polar Bears International post-trip.

ACTION AT HOME Polar bear experts like Amstrup agree that polar bear conservation is complex. We chat about it over hot cider on the Tundra Buggy, while watching two young bears wrestle. “It kind of turns classic wildlife conservation on its head,” he says. “Polar bear conservation can’t be done in the Arctic, it’s not a matter of putting up a fence

FLASHPOINT or designating a preserve; it’s about stopping the rising temperatures that are destroying their habitat.

The only way we can do that is to stop the rise in greenhouse gases, and that happens back home.”

It’s a daunting truth, but Amstrup is hopeful.

“We haven’t yet crossed an irreversible tipping point with climate change,” he says.

Nor are we powerless to act. He says that simple things we do around the house can make a difference. “If everyone in America turned down their thermostat down by one degree, it would save an amount of energy equal to all the energy used by the state of Iowa in one year.”

I look out the window and watch the bears.

They’ve quit their wrestling session and one has lain down in the willows to rest. The other catches a whiff of lunch being served on the Tundra Buggy and walks over to investigate. It sniffs the front tire, then walks over toward my window and stops.

Rearing back on its hind legs, the bear plants its frying-pan sized paws on the Buggy just below my window and peers up at us.

Amtrup chuckles at the bear’s curiosity. “What we’re really doing is inspiring people to go home and work more toward a sustainable world,” he says. “We can save polar bears.” Looking down through the window at the polar bear as it stretches up even closer toward me, I realize how badly I want Amstrup to be right.

Elevation Outdoors contributing editor Jayme Moye's work has been featured in The Best Women’s Travel Writing, Volume 10.

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UPHILL SKIING IS THE BEST WAY TO ENJOY COLORADO SNOW COME SPRING, SO HERE WE GIVE YOU THE BEST PLACES TO HEAD UP AND OUT WHETHER YOU ARE AT YOUR FAVORITE RESORT OR GUNNING FOR THE TOP OF THE STATE.

by HILARY OLIVER

DRESSING FOR SUCCESS You don’t need a full Lycra randonnée skin suit to get into uphill skiing at a resort, but you’ll want to leave your bulky resort parka at home.

HILARY OLIVER

START WITH A WICKING BASE LAYER: Synthetic or wool base layers will “WE DON’T NEED NO STINKING LIFTS.” BRENDAN LEONARD POWERS HIS OWN MOTOR UP LOVELAND.

t’s 8:20 a.m. on a Monday, and a line is forming at Loveland’s Lift 1, skiers and snowboarders are psyched for first tracks in Sunday night’s dusting. But a handful of intrepid skiers who set their alarms a bit earlier will be shushing down the slopes just as lifts open, having skinned up green runs to the top of Lift 2 before it started running.

Are you jealous yet? Don't be. Read on.

Colorado ski areas are getting wise to the growing popularity of skiing uphill, some offering free uphill passes and others offering majorly discounted rates for uphill access to their groomed and—generally—avy-free terrain. A morning lap at your local hill isn’t the only way to get into uphilling, though. Here, we present Colorado’s best ways to earn your turns this spring.

FALL IN LOVE WITH UPHILL AT LOVELAND Just an hour away from downtown Denver, a quick lap up to Loveland Ski Area’s Ptarmigan Roost might be the best reason to show up late for work. Check in at the season pass office for an uphill access card, free and good for the whole season. Two access routes are open to uphillers, even during lift hours, as long as the warning lights for the winch cat or snow safety activities aren’t flashing at the bottom of the hill. The icing on top? Dogs under voice command are allowed at Loveland Basin before and after open hours. skiloveland.com/themountain/uphillaccess.aspx

GO HUMAN-POWERED AT ARAPAHOE BASIN Just a few minutes past Loveland, Arapahoe Basin also offers free uphill access passes and a similar policy to Loveland. And those few extra minutes of driving put you 8 miles—up and over Loveland Pass—from the sight, sound and stress of I-70.

A-Basin posts its decision whether or not uphill

access will be allowed for the day on its website by 6 a.m. each morning. arapahoebasin.com/abasin/snow-conditions/ terrain.aspx#uphill-access

TASTE THE BACKCOUNTRY AT BUTLER GULCH If you’re ready to leave the groomers behind, but cautious about high-angle lines, head to Butler Gulch. Turn off Highway 40 onto Henderson Mine Road at the first switchback toward Berthoud Pass, and ski from the large lot at Jones Pass Road. A three-mile tour gaining a tad over 1,000 vertical feet serves up delicious bowl skiing, if avalanche conditions are moderate to low. fs.usda.gov/recarea/arp/recreation/ recarea/?recid=28504&actid=63

GO BANANA BOWLS For mellow lines—but also the potential for accessing steeper, more serious descents—head up from Rocky Mountain National Park’s Bear Lake Trailhead. The East Face of Flattop Mountain, also known as the Banana Bowls, offers low-angle, open slopes. The views of Tyndall Glacier and Corral Couloir will have you lusting for more. As laid back as the Banana Bowls may seem, though, conditions can vary and solid avy knowledge is a must. nps.gov/romo/planyourvisit/bear-lake-snowconditions.htm

SKI A 14ER Quandary Peak (14,265 feet) is one of Colorado's most accessible 14ers for skiing. In early spring, it’s often possible to ski the entire popular east face and east ridge for a 2,000-foot, mile-and-a-half descent. Not a bad reward for the lung-torching ascent that starts at Quandary Peak Trailhead’s 11,100-foot elevation and gains 3,200 feet. Refresh your skills and check in with the Colorado Avalanche

wick sweat away from your body and help keep you from feeling chilled.

ADD A BREATHABLE SOFT SHELL JACKET AND PANTS: You’ll want to feel a little bit cold when you start because soon you’ll be warm and sweaty from exertion. In a breathable shell layer you won’t overheat.

PACK SOME INSULATION: Don't forget to pack along an insulating jacket to slide into while you’re ripping your skins off at the top of the mountain (and for the descent). It only takes a windy minute to go from warm and sweaty to chilled.

STASH A HARD SHELL JUST IN CASE: A waterproof shell stashed in the bottom of your pack will keep you dry if a storm rolls in. It never hurts to be prepared.

DON'T FORGET THE GLOVES: Thinner soft-shell gloves will keep you from overheating on the way up, but pack a dry pair of alpine style gloves for the descent.

—H.O.

Information Center before heading out. fs.usda.gov/recarea/whiteriver/recreation/ohv/ recarea/?recid=40645&actid=91

GET YOUR RACE FACE ON It’s one thing to ski uphill—it’s another thing to try to be fast. If you’re feeling the need for speed, Aspen’s 2015 America’s Uphill race on March 14 is the perfect way to test your mettle. The race is divided into four categories with options for everything from running shoes and snowshoes to cross country skis to telemark. The course climbs 3,267 feet to finish at the Sundeck Restaurant, and the first 275 participants to pick up their goody bags snag t-shirts. utemountaineer.com/event-calendar/americasuphill • MARCH 2015 • ElevationOutdoors.com

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TALKS CONVERSATIONS INSPIRED BY ADVENTURE Elevation Outdoors has partnered with BeyondTalks to create a live event series that tells the stories of people who have blended their passion for adventure into their professions.

BeyondTalks episodes highlight the stories of adventurers like Tommy Caldwell, Timmy O’Neill, Cedar Wright, Majka Burhardt, Chris Davenport, and Eric Larsen and beyond.

Next on BeyondTalks: Thursday, March 12th | 7pm | Sanitas Brewing 3550 Frontier Ave., Suite A, Boulder, CO 80301 In this BeyondTalks episode, we will be interviewing adventurer and filmmaker Ryan Van Duzer.

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GPS ADVENTURE

THE TRAIL

Deep Discoveries

DOWNLOAD THE FREE VIEWRANGER APP AND GPS COORDINATES AND EXPLORE THE CANYONS AND CLIFF DWELLINGS OF UTAH’S CEDAR MESA AND GRAND GULCH.

by CHRIS KASSAR ander the miles of canyons and ledges lining southern Utah’s Cedar Mesa and you will take a step back in time. Here you can explore countless ruins, rock art panels and granaries left behind by the ancestral Peublans who inhabited these cliffs and canyons 800 to 2,000 years ago.

You can make this trip in a long day hike, but we recommend spending at least one night along this magical 10-mile route that brings you from Bullet Canyon to Grand Gulch. Be sure to bring a good map, be comfortable navigating through canyons and be ready for a wide range of temperatures.

You must obtain day use permits at the trailhead and overnight permits at the Kane Gulch Ranger Station (blm. gov/ut/st/en/fo/monticello/recreation/ permits.html). One last note: This place is fragile, as are these ancient ruins.

Remain on trails, respect ruins and leave artifacts where you find them.

Bullet Canyon Trailhead From the parking lot, head west on a wellmarked trail that quickly drops down a steep sandstone falls to reach the floor of Bullet Canyon.

Shortly after dropping in, look up and notice a masonry tower ruin perched on the canyon rim. Once you’ve reached the bottom of Bullet, follow the gully downstream. Numerous ruins are scattered throughout the right side of the canyon.

Perfect Kiva After 4.5 miles, Perfect Kiva sits nestled in a large alcove to the right, high above the canyon floor. Climb up to explore, and you’ll find an intact restored kiva, or special structure built for religious ceremonies, with a wood ladder leading down into the earth. Enter respectfully. The alcove houses panels of rock art and many other artifacts including old corn cobs, pottery shards and a grindstone.

Jailhouse Ruin The incredible Jailhouse Ruin, easily identifiable due to the three large white circles painted on the walls above the ruins, rests perched on the cliffs .25 miles from Perfect Kiva. Walk along the ledge that holds Perfect Kiva, and you’ll find a trail that climbs up to Jail House, named for the ruin’s prominent window covered with bars. To fully access the upper level of the ruin, get on your belly and crawl through a small opening in a rock ledge.

Campsites abound in a stand of cottonwoods across the wash from Jailhouse Ruin. Fill up at the

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nearby Jailhouse Spring.

Grand Gulch Trail Junction Head down canyon for another two miles to reach Grand Gulch and Bullet Spring, a water source with a few established campsites nearby.

From this junction, turn right to head up Grand Gulch. Keep an eye out for ruins along the left ledge, including Wall Ruin, which includes intact structures and a variety of petroglyphs.

Sheik’s Canyon About a mile later, reach the intersection with Sheik’s Canyon. Head right and enjoy your journey through another narrow chasm enclosed by high, steep sandstone walls dappled with cliffs and ruins.

Green Mask Ruin Shortly after turning up Shiek, look for an obvious alcove on the left which houses Green Mask Ruins, which consists of multiple structures, some of which are perched on an inaccessible bench. The pictographs in this area are unique and plentiful. Further up canyon—you’ll notice a few granaries and only about .25 miles from the Trailhead, be sure to explore the well-preserved Yellow House Ruins on the left.

7.

Sheik’s Canyon Trailhead

From Yellow House Ruins, follow the dry wash up canyon for .25 miles. If you haven’t parked a car here, it’s an easy road walk back to the Bullet Canyon Trailhead. • MARCH 2015 • ElevationOutdoors.com

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Q&A

Joseph Gray

STRAIGHT TALK

THE CHAMPION MOUNTAIN RUNNER HAS A LOT TO SAY ABOUT RACE, DOPING AND THE PURE JOY OF BEING IN THE MOUNTAINS.

by DOUG SCHNITZSPAHN held his head high. Never once did he lash back with hatred.

What are your personal strengths as a mountain runner?

I think my strength resides within my mentality. I have had to face opposition in various ways as a youngster which have lead me to be mentally tough and focused. I love racing and I love battling with other athletes. The idea of competing really excites me and gives me something to look forward to when its time to train and race.

UPPING THE GAME: JOSEPH GRAY MOVED TO COLORADO TO TRAIN TO WIN INTERNATIONAL SKYRUNNING CHAMPIONSHIPS.

oseph Gray has one impressive mountain running resume. The Washington native, who recently moved to Colorado Springs, took his fifth USA Mountain Runner of the Year title in 2014 and became the first athlete to win the USA Mountain Running National Championships consecutively in 2013 and 2014. Last year, he also became the first athlete to win the North American, Central American and Caribbean (NACAC) Championships in both Cross Country and Mountain Running. And in a sport that is not very diverse, he has made big inroads for aspiring African-American mountain runners—he’s the first African American to win the USA Mountain Running national title and the first to make the US World Mountain Running championships team. But his goals are not just to represent Black Americans.

He has his sights trained on representing the U.S. by becoming a top international skyrunner and hopes living and training in his new Colorado home will help put him atop that podium.

How did the mountains and trail running first call to you?

I've always been adventurous and curious. I used to explore forests and trails with friends and sometimes alone just wandering and looking at plants, bugs and trying to find where trails ended.

So I got lost quite a bit at a young age. After college, I was told by stud mountain runner Simon G. that I should try mountain racing. I had done some mountain/trail type training all throughout high school, and even college, so when I found out there was an actual pro level to this genre of racing I jumped on the chance.

The outdoor industry keeps talking about how it can become more diverse, but nothing really

COURTESY IAN CORLESS

seems to change. Even this magazine. We stated that we want to be more diverse, but then we left you off our athlete poll. Why do you think that is?

I think diversity calls for a change, and, as you know, it’s hard for people to change their way of thought. Change is especially difficult for those who work in the sports marketing industry and in the media.

What do you do to inspire more AfricanAmerican kids to get out and enjoy the mountains? What about African-American adults?

I try to let kids know that distance running is not a "white" sport. Anyone can enjoy it, and any person regardless of their skin color can excel at it. Lots of kids in inner cities that I've come across view running as a "white" sport. It’s important to show them from my past experiences that sport in general can enhance your life if you are dedicated and provide experiences that otherwise would be almost impossible. The best way I know personally to inspire other Black Americans is to encourage them to try something new. I was encouraged by someone (a white man, who, to this day, is like family and one of my best friends) who happened to be my first distance coach, to try long distance running. Also, I'd like to start a program to help fund African Americans, both adults and children, to get them into trail/road running and maybe to get them race experiences.

Who have been your heroes, mentors, role models on this path?

Jesse Owens has been a huge inspiration for me.

He was a class act and despite all the hatred and negativity surrounding him, he still competed and

You moved to Colorado recently. Are there any other mountain sports you have engaged in now that you live here?

I'm pretty afraid of the idea of skiing to be honest.

However, I'm a lover of mountain biking as a sport and do that frequently in the summer so I've been thinking about getting a fat bike and doing some snow mountain biking.

How do you see mountain running growing as a sport?

The more the sport grows, the better our national teams will perform at the international level. I also see a need for better testing in our sport. There are many ultra- and trail runners who have never been tested, yet win events regularly. This has to change. I'm sure at one point cycling was fairly clean, but the organization did not take a stand against doping or focus on the idea of clean sport soon enough, which then allowed guys like Lance Armstrong to come along.

Do you think it's possible for your sport and others to be dope-free?

I think there are ways to deter doping and lower the rate of dopers in the sport. It would be impossible to make a sport 100-percent clean. Where there is money, there will be cheaters in almost every aspect of life. I have had many great ideas about doping but they all boil down to the same problem: My plans won't work unless there is more funding in the Anti-Doping organizations globally. There are ways I believe we can contribute to these funds as athletes but it will take a revolution.

What achievements are you most proud of?

What's still on your list?

I'm most proud of the fact that I accomplished my goals of making National Teams and representing my country at World Championships and other international events while also accomplishing my goal of winning multiple USA National Championships. •

MARCH 2015 • ElevationOutdoors.com

21

TRAIN FOR

EVEREST

SUMMIT SELFIE: DAVIDSON CAPTURES HIS MUG AT 18,000 FEET ON PICO DE ORIZABA IN MEXICO IN JANUARY.

JIM DAVIDSON

THE HIGHEST SUMMIT IN THE WORLD HAS BECOME A SCENE, BUT THAT DOESN’T MEAN PEOPLE WILL STOP CLIMBING IT. WHEN FORT COLLINS CLIMBER JIM DAVIDSON GOT THE CALL TO CLIMB EVEREST, HE SAID YES RIGHT AWAY. THEN, HE REALIZED HE WOULD HAVE TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO PREPARE FOR THE TRIP OF A LIFETIME.

by JIM DAVIDSON

H

ustling down Horsetooth Mountain just outside of Fort Collins, I catch up to an descending hiker. I toss a quick hand wave toward him as I pass by. Just another day in the local hills, right?

At the bottom of the dirt road, I turn around and start back up. I brush away the sweat clinging to the tip of my nose and check my watch. This second lap to the summit needs to be faster than the first.

I cinch the 40-pound pack tighter against my back, and focus on keeping my pace.

Recognizing me from just a few moments before, the hiker looks confused as I puff my way back uphill toward him.

“Doing another lap up?” he asks “Yup." “Are you training for something?"

“Yup. Everest.”

He arches his eyebrows, smiles wide and says, “Ahh!” Indeed, just another day here in Colorado.

A climber for 33 years, I have drifted into and out of peak condition as my life vacillated between work, family and climbing. I have whipped myself back into expedition shape many times. But now, at

22

age 52 with a bad knee and an expanded waistline, the challenges are bigger. And, since I’m attempting to reach Mount Everest’s deadly 29,035-foot summit, the stakes are far higher.

Previous trips above 20,000 feet have shown me how long expeditions wear high-altitude climbers down. Extreme exertion, low oxygen levels and poor appetite combine to strip 15 to 25 pounds of muscle off already lean frames. Summit day on Everest will amount to very little sleep, 18 hours of climbing, and abundant ways to get myself killed.

When people find out that I am going to climb Everest this spring, they often ask “So, how do you train for that?” Well, here you go. Here’s how I have been training for Everest for the past year.

FUNCTION AND FOUNDATION Mountaineering at extremely high altitudes requires strength and aerobic endurance. I have successfully built up these capacities before, but I knew that my previous experience would just be the starting place. I needed to create the strongest base possible, and then to build from there up to my highest fitness level ever.

For the first time, I began working with a

Elevation Outdoors • PRINTED ON 100% RECYCLED PAPER

professional trainer. Since I was already in decent shape, I thought that I’d be pushing around heavy steel plates in no time. Wrong. After a careful assessment of my movement, flexibility and injury limitations, a skilled trainer from Fort Collins' Raintree Athletic Club advised a three-month period of foundational and functional training. Under his direction, I found myself pulling on giant rubber bands and lifting 10-pound medicine balls. I initially thought: This guy doesn’t get it. I’m climbing to 29,000 feet! But, Kelly did get it. He knew that to move on to a higher level of fitness, I needed to resolve physical dysfunctions that might limit my movement, efficiency or strength improvements.

While no trainer can magically turn back the clock on thirty years of athletic wear and tear, over 12 weeks my numerous tweaks and injuries faded.

My core strength increased and I was moving better, with less effort. With improved eating habits, my weight began a slow, steady decrease. The functional foundation efforts were working.

TAKING IT TO THE MOUNTAINS Increased strength is great, but a gym sure isn’t

JIM DAVIDSON

ROPED IN: PRACTICING GLACIER TRAVEL WITH FRIENDS IN MEXICO.

like the mountains. Climbing demands that you deal with equipment, nutrition, hydration and ever changing conditions. No two-hour gym session can simulate an all-day climb. On big mountains, I will often ascend for three to six hours before the sun comes up. So, I started taking my improved fitness to the mountains. My weekly training shifted to: • Outdoor aerobic sessions (example: uphill pack carries with some interval work) • Endurance days of hiking and climbing for six to 12 hours • Continued strength and function work back in the gym.

As I progressed, the mountaineering days got longer and the summits higher. Colorado’s many mountains provide endless possibilities, and our 54 peaks higher than 14,000 feet provide lungstrengthening altitude training as well. During a 30-day stretch of gorgeous fall weather, I summited 10 high peaks.

At this point, hiking a fourteener no longer made me tired or sore. I was in good mountain climbing shape. Now, I had to get into Everest shape.

PHYSICAL TRAINING FOR MOUNT EVEREST Like many climbers, I used to take the day off before a peak climb to save my energy, and I usually take a rest day afterwards to recover. That’s not possible on an expedition. On a big mountain in the Himalayas, we typically climb for three or four days in a row before we can rest.

For Everest, I needed to teach my body to move day after day, even though it might already be tired.

I began scheduling gym days right before mountain

days. That wore me down for a while, but I got used to it. Then I added uphill hikes with 40-pound packs on the days after big hikes. By “stacking” my training in these three-day clusters, I was getting closer to Everest conditions. After a few months, I no longer tired easily on mountain days and my recovery times decreased. Excess body weight continued to come off, and stay off.

In one stretch, I worked out eight days in a row.

While that might sound macho, it is unwise. Training without any rest or recovery days eventually leads to injury. The drive to workout must be balanced with the discipline to rest. A good coach or trainer can keep you in check. If you do not have that, then your body will warn you with tweaky injuries that force you to throttle back. Listen to your body. It needs time to adapt to higher workloads.

MENTAL TRAINING FOR MOUNT EVEREST When winter settles over the Rocky Mountains and the days shorten, you wind up starting climbs in the dark. Temperatures drop and the winds increase, so the clothing requirements and pack weights increase. This is good stuff.

One bitterly cold day my friends Rodney and Andy joined me for a rare snowy ascent of Mount Fairchild in Rocky Mountain National Park.

Screaming winds above treeline and the threat of frostnip turned us around at 12,300 feet, but we completed 14 miles in the high country. Any long mountain day that tests your limits and wears you out is good mental training for Everest.

Besides physical challenges, climbing to high altitude creates the possibility of debilitating altitude

sickness. Climbers at elevation can develop mild or acute mountain sickness, or potentially deadly forms of pulmonary edema and cerebral edema. It is difficult to train for high altitude without actually going up high and acclimatizing gradually. This slow acclimatization process requires repeated trips up and down the mountain’s lower slopes. This can be quite unpleasant. You must be willing to suffer and endure. That’s why mental fitness is so important.

My final weeks of preparation are designed to push my physical training to extreme levels, and to get me mentally ready for Everest. I start doing “super stacks,” where I climb winter 14ers for four days in a row. During shorter workouts, I add in some "deprivation days" with intentionally insufficient food and/or water. This builds fortitude and grit in case things go wrong up high.

Over the past year, I have tried to train hard and to become as resilient as I can. I have great respect for Mount Everest, for my fellow climbers, and for the resident Sherpa people that support the expeditions. Whatever happens high in the thin Himalayan air, I know that the mountain will send me home with more than I bring to it.

Colorado-based speaker and author Jim Davidson recently completed climbs of high peaks in Mexico (Orizaba at 18,490 feet) and Tanzania (Kilimanjaro at 19,341 feet). Trip reports and photos can be seen at speakingofadventure.com/everest-resilience/trainingfor-everest-2015/. Follow Davidson’s climb of Everest this April and May on his blog (speakingofadventure. com/blog/), on his Facebook page (facebook.com/ ResiliencewithJimDavidson) and via his Twitter feed (twitter.com/climberjim).

MARCH 2015 • ElevationOutdoors.com

23

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BIG THINKING: KIT AND ROB DESLAURIERS ON THE SUMMIT RIDGE OF MOUNT EVEREST BEFORE THEIR SUCCESSFUL SKI DESCENT FROM THE SUMMIT.

THE 2015

JIMMY CHIN

ADVENTURE PLANNER HOW CAN YOU MAKE THAT BIG TRIP HAPPEN THIS YEAR? WE HAVE CREATED THIS ADVENTURE GUIDE WITH RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ACTIVITIES AND OUTFITTERS WHO WILL GET YOU PLAYING IN THE WILD CLOSE TO HOME AND FAR ABROAD.

by DOUG SCHNITZSPAHN

JUMP

GOT AN URGE TO FLY. IT’S NOT JUST A DREAM. SKYDIVING, WING SUIT FLYING AND BASE JUMPING CAN BE EASIER THAN YOU THINK.

Ramp Up Always wanted to jump out of a perfectly good airplane, but too chicken to give it a try? The folks at Mile-Hi Skydiving in Longmont (mile-hi-skydiving. com) make it pretty easy to take to the air. The tandem experience costs $199 and gets you strapped to someone who knows what they are doing for your first jump at 12,500 feet. From there, you can move on to become a licensed skydiver throughout the Accelerated Freefall Program and even move on to wing suits and mid-air yoga if you choose.

Take It Higher Rather leap off a cliff than out of an airplane? Moab BASE Adventures (moabbaseadventures.com), which is the only company with a permit for cliff jumping in Moab, offers up a First Cliff Course that will send you out off the red rock with a view of the Colorado River. It requires a skydiving B license, 50 base jumps not solely from the Perrine, a year in the sport, and a reference if your FJC was not with Moab Base Adventures.

Go Big Want to truly experience the joy of human flight?

Learning to pilot a wing suit is a very achievable experience. The only prerequisite at most schools is 200 prior sky dives. We are not saying this is not a dangerous pastime, however, but it’s not out of

reach if you so dare. The website Wingsuitfly.com can help you learn more.

ROLL

WHAT BETTER WAY TO SEE THE WORLD THAN FROM THE SADDLE? JOIN A BIKE TOUR!

Ramp Up There are numerous road and mouton bike tours you can take in Colorado, but if you are going to go with an outfitter, there may be none better than the tour from Telluride to Moab. From the San Juans to the Red Rock desert, it takes in 35-50 miles a day and big climbs, including 3,000 feet up John Brown Canyon. Oh, the descents rock, too. Western Spirit (westernspiritcom) provides first-class support and guides.

MARCH 2015 • ElevationOutdoors.com

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MATT TRAPPE

COURTESY RUN THE ROCKIES

MARIO RICHARD

ADVENTURE TRIPTYCH: PACE YOURSELF AT LEADVILLE, RIDE THE ROCKIES, LEAP INTO MOAB.

Take It Higher Why not take on the whole state? Ride the Rockies (ridetherockies.com) is the best way to take in all of Colorado. This year, the annual ride covers 465–473 (depending on if you take a gravel road option over Kebler Pass) stunning miles from Grand Junction to Westcliffe in seven days. Oh and you will rack up 40,537 vertical feet (41,875 with the dirty option).

This year’s ride is all filled up but dream for next year or, better yet, sign up for Pedal the Plains (pedaltheplains.com) in September to roll over Colorado’s big open country on a three-day, 174-mile tour.

Go Big Want to push yourself alongside one of the greatest bike racers to ever live? Sign up for the Mighty Dolomiti tour with the legendary Andy Hampsten, the only American to ever win the Giro d’Italia, and his Cinghiale tours (cinghiale.com). The trip runs from August 9 through September 7, 2015, and it covers 400 miles with 40,000-plus feet of elevation gain in Italy’s Dolomites. Be up for the challenge.

you know our contributing editor and AMGA/ IFMGA guide Rob Coppolillo. So why not get out on the peaks with him? His guiding company Vetta Mountain Guides (vettamountainguides), which he founded along with fellow guide Mike Arnold, will get you out rock climbing, mountaineering and ski mountaineering everywhere from our backyard here in Colorado to the Alps.

Go Big Well, we featured a story on how to train for Everest in this issue so we may as well tell you how you can make that dream come true. First, yes, we know there has been a ton of controversy over climbing the highest spot on Earth. And it may not be for everyone (or you may find another 8,000-meter peak more to your ethic). But if you do have your sites set on Chomolungma, go with guides who respect the mountain. Peter Whittaker co-owner of RMI Expeditions (rmiguides.com) is the nephew of the first American to summit the mighty highpoint and hires guides we certainly trust like Dave Hahn, who has summited more than any other American.

CLIMB

RUN

Ramp Up

Ramp Up

NO OUTDOOR SPORT HAS A LONGER HISTORY AND DISHES OUT MORE OF A THRILL.

Always had the itch to stick to a rock wall?

The folks at the Colorado Mountain School (coloradomountainschool.com) are here to get you climbing in the gym, out on the crags, up frozen waterfalls or even way out on high peaks. They are here to get you climbing in the gym, out on the crags, up frozen waterfalls or even way out on high peaks.

Take It Higher If you regularly read Elevation Outdoors and the Master of None blog on ElevationOutdoors.com,

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FLIGHT OR FIGHT? NO WAY. JUST RUN LONG DISTANCES BECAUSE IT FEELS GOOD.

There are few better, or tougher, places to trail run that the stunning San Juan mountains in the southwest corner of Colorado. After all this is where the Hardrock 100 tests the hardcore elite.

But you can start with supported, guided trips led

by Highline Running Adventures (highlinerunning. com), who offer trips that include week-long climbs and dips between Telluride and Ouray.

Take It Higher The big tick on every serious adventure runner's bucket list leaves you with one big belt buckle. The

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Leadville Trail 100 (leadvilleraceseries.com) is the stuff of legend and while it is a race for the elite, many runners enter simply as a personal challenge.

Perhaps the best way for newbies (and even vets) to approach the race is by joining the LT 100 Training Camp from June 16–29. It will get you acclimatized and ready for the big day.

Go Big The run that could truly change your path? The Ultra Caballo Blanco (ultracb.com), started by the legendary Micha True and plunging 50 miles in Mexico's Copper Canyon where you run with the Raramuri who have lived here for centuries. You can certainly do it. Hey, Will Harlan, editor of our sister publication Blue Ridge Outdoors has won it.

FLOAT

GET ROLLING ON A RIVER, WHETHER YOU ARE SITTING IN A RAFT OR STANDING UP.

Ramp Up Stand-up paddle boarding is becoming more popular than kayaking on Colorado Rivers. You will understand why when you navigate fast water.

And the folks at Aspen Kayak and SUP Academy (aspenkayakacademy.com) can teach you how to handle either watercraft. They also put on instructor clinics so that you can teach how to walk on water.

Take It Higher One river trip stands out above all others in the Rockies. The Middle Fork of the Salmon takes in everything from class III-IV rapids to long soaks in primitive hot springs as it plunges 3,000 feet over 100 miles in the wilderness of the Gem State. If you have already made that journey, or just want something a little different, head through the heart of Idaho's desert on a trip down the raucous Jarbidge-Bruneau Canyons. Wilderness River Outfitters (wildernessriver.com) runs both trips.

THE ULTIMATE REVERSE BUCKET LIST Polar explorer Eric Larsen shares his greatest adventures.

2004 JOHN BEARGREASE SLEDDOG MARATHON This is a 400-mile sleddog race along Lake Superior. If you are a dog musher (which Larsen has been doing since 1994) this is an iconic event—it’s the longest continuous race in the lower 48. Larsen raced the B-team dogs of the musher he worked for (who, with the A-team did the shorter, 120-mile race).

THE ARCTIC CRAWL: ERIC LARSEN DOING WHATEVER IT TAKES TO REACH THE NORTH POLE IN 2014.

Go Big Few rivers go bigger than Africa's mighty Zambezi, which can run as high as 300,000 cfs and mellows out at around 20,000 cfs. The fun ride starts at the base of Victoria Falls and then rips through class V water in deep gorges. Hold on. Stay safe with the guides at OARS (oars.com).

ROAM

BIG, LONG TREKS BRING YOU FAR OUT INTO THE WORLD. TAKE YOUR TIME AND TAKE IT ALL IN.

Ramp Up You really don't have to head too far from home here in Colorado if you want to experience a long walk in the high mountains. Rocky Mountain National Park is a backpacking paradise, with everything from easy strolls in for the family to long, exposed ridge traverses. The Wildland Trekking Company (wildlandtrekking.com) will get you started.

Take It Higher When we say trek, you think Himalaya, right? The truth is you don't have to go that far. Peru's Cordillera Blanca, high in the Andes, is closer and easier to manage. The four-day Santa Cruz trek puts you in the midst of this range that consists of one of the biggest concentrations of high peaks on the planet, including 22,205-foot Huascarán, the highest mountain in Peru If you are not comfortable finding a guide when you get there, we recommend that you sign up for a trip here with Pyramid Expeditions, based in Huaraz. If you want to simply head out on the famed Inca Trail and visit the ruins of Machu Picchu, turn to our story about that adventure (with three high school boys) on page 29.

Go Big India's Chadar Trek can only be done in the winter. That's because it follows the frozen Zanskar River upstream to reach isolated villages. As you navigate the sometimes treacherous ice you sleep in caves and meet local merchants who have been making this trip for generations.

Go with Himalayan Outfitter (himalayanoutfitter.com). •

YOUR WINTER SPORTS OUTFITTER PROVIDING EXCELLENT SKI AND BIKE SERVICE TO THE FRONT RANGE SINCE 1996.

2006 SUMMER EXPEDITION TO THE NORTH POLE Nobody has pulled this off before. After three years of planning and a failed attempt in 2005, Larsen and partner Lonnie Dupre made it happen. It took 62 days to travel from Cape Discovery, Ellesmere Island, to the top of the world, with a month-long stint during which rescue wasn't an option because they were out of reach of helicopters and the ice made landing a plane impossible. The pair were picked up at the pole by a Russian Icebreaker with high end paying clients so the trip back was pretty cushy.

2008 EXPEDITION TO THE SOUTH POLE Larsen managed to reach the antipode of his 2006 trip when he was working as a guide for Antarctic Logistics and Expeditions (ALE) taking clients over 600 miles along the Messner Route starting on the Filchner Ice Shelf. “It was an intense but enjoyable experience,” he says. “It was challanging but very rewarding and this trip reinstalled an interest in guiding after an eight-year hiatus. I realized then that guiding can be just as educational as adventure.”

2010 SAVE THE POLES EXPEDITION Larsen became the first person to reach both poles and climb Everest in a 365-day span (actually 330 days). To accomplish this feat, he spent nearly six months in a tent in some of the coldest places on earth. These were each fully human powered expeditions. He departed once more from Ellesmere Island and made it to the North Pole in 51 days. He then started from Hercules Inlet on Antarctica’s Ronne Ice Shelf to reach the South Pole in 48 days. Finally, it took him 45 days to climb Everest via the South Col route in the tricky fall post-monsoon season.

2012 RIDING A BIKE TO THE SOUTH POLE While this bike trip did not make it to the pole itself, Larsen says it reinforced the importance of trying for him. “Of having an idea, setting a goal and being undaunted while working towards achieving that goal instead of being defeated by doubt,” he says.

2014 LAST NORTH UNSUPPORTED NORTH POLE EXPEDITION The 2014 Last North Unsupported North Pole Expedition is important because it's most likely the last ever land-to-pole unsupported human powered trip, due to climate change breaking up Arctic ice.

It took Eric 53 days of skiing, snowshoeing and sometimes swimming to make it.

—Cameron Martindell

GREENMOUNTAINSPORTS.COM 303-987-8758 12364 WEST ALAMEDA PKWY LAKEWOOD, CO 80228 HOURS: M-F 10-6 | SAT 10-5 CLOSED SUNDAY

MARCH 2015 • ElevationOutdoors.com

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CHOOSE YOUR NEXT ADVENTURE!

2015 ADVENTURE VACATION GUIDE

Elevation Outdoors readers are always asking us for new ways to get their adventure on. You want to know the best places and booking options for prime lodging , sav v y-minded tour packages, happening adventure hubs. W ith that need in mind, our Adventure Vacation Guide is here to ser ve as your resource for those exciting Colorado travel plans for 2015.

Check out ElevationOutdoors.com for more ideas on planning your next adventure.

DVORAK EXPEDITIONS

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BACK IN TIME: THE POET PABLO NERUDA WROTE OF THIS PLACE “MOTHER OF STONE, CONDORS' SPERM AND SPRAY. HIGH REEF OF THE HUMAN DAWN.”

CLAY ABNEY

Reaching the Heights of Machu Picchu ONE BACKPACKER DECIDED THAT THE PERFECT HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION GIFT FOR HIS NEPHEWS WAS A HIKE TO THE LOST CITY OF THE INCAS. HERE’S HOW YOU CAN DO THE SAME.

by CLAY ABNEY ince we have no children of our own, my wife and I made a commitment years ago to give our nephews memorable, life-enhancing high school graduation gifts. It all seemed like something far, far away. Then that day came, and we had to make a decision that we hoped could help steer them forward into adult life.

After much contemplation, we decided on a trip to Machu Picchu, the ever-popular lost city of the Incas. The trip had long been on my short list of must see places. I’ve been backpacking for more than 30 years and, much to my dismay, I realized I had yet to share this passion with my three nephews. My motto is “go hard or go home,” so it made sense their very first backpacking experience would be a trek high into the Andes.

The trip posed several challenges, chief among them finding the boys suitable gear. I had given them plenty of outdoor apparel over the years, but their gear closets were still in need of a serious makeover. But, after months of logistical planning, gear research and acquisition, my nephews now had some of the best stuff on the market. We were ready for the trail.

After a four-hour long packing “seminar” and last minute preparations, we were off on our Peruvian adventure. A day later, we arrived in the former Incan capital of Cusco. We spent several days acclimating to the altitude in preparation for our four days en route to the ancient citadel.

What follows is out day-to-day plan on the trek.

It's a good path to tread if you, too, want to take someone who has never experienced a backpacking tip on the trek of a lifetime.

DAY 1 Our guide picked us up at our hostel at 5:30 a.m. for a 90-minute bus ride to Ollantaytambo where we had breakfast and then proceeded to the trailhead to begin our trek. After some last minute packing, we were on our way down the trail.

The number of people on the trail at any given time is monitored via a series of controls that each hiker, guide and porter must pass through before continuing. You are required to provide your passport at each of these control points along with your ‘ticket’ (our guide held on to these throughout the trek).

Our first trail meal was a pleasant surprise. I was expecting typical backpacker fare and yet it consisted of 3 delicious courses. We got our first sight of Inca ruins from a scenic vista overlooking what was once a large city that cultivated, harvested and transported food to neighboring villages, cities and outposts within the empire.

DAY 2 Our wake up call came before sunrise. One of the guides greeted us outside our tent offering coca tea. The guides encouraged each of us to drink the tea as they believe that the leaves help eliminate the effects of altitude on the body.

This day was all about covering distance and gaining altitude. After reaching Dead Woman’s Pass at just under 14,000 feet, it was all down hill to reach our camp for the night.

DAY 3 When it came to pure natural beauty, this would prove to be the most scenic day of the trek. We

crossed two passes over 13,000 feet, saw many spectacular Inca ruins and passed through multiple microclimates along the trail (including high altitude rain forest).

At the conclusion of the day’s trek, we were only an hour from the Sun Gate and the highlight of our journey.

DAY 4 This day started with our earliest wake up call yet.

All of the groups were eager to line up promptly at the last control to assure a pre-sunrise arrival at Machu Picchu.

Our precise planning brought us to this archaeological wonder on the winter solstice. It is the one time of the year when a beam of sunlight will illuminate the window of the sacred Torreon Sun Temple. We arrived at the ruins as the sun’s rays slowly creeped over the mountain shadowing the citadel.

It was a breathtaking sight and worth the 28 miles of hiking and the 13,000+ foot mountain peaks and passes we climbed to get here.

The trek was an epic bonding experience for this uncle and his three nephews. We rounded out our three-week trip with a visit to Lake Titicaca and sandboarding on the Nasca dunes. It was an expedition that I think sparked a lifelong love of adventure travel for the boys at a formative time in their lives. I hope they learned that life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.

Clay Abney is the owner of No Boundaries Media, a PR and Marketing firm based in North Carolina that promotes the outdoor lifestyle.

MARCH 2015 • ElevationOutdoors.com

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joey

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TRAVELGEAR

VAPIUM Summit You knew it was coming, right?

This vaporizer is weatherproof, designed to work in the worst of weather conditions. Germ freaks will appreciate the interchangeable mouthpieces, and green aficionados will gush over the eight temperature settings. $149; vapium.com

SPY Fold Few things are worse than breaking your sunglasses because you have them shoved in your bag during travel. That's why pro surfer John Florence worked with Spy to design the multi-hinged Fold frame. This baby packs away safe. $120-$180 (depending on lens type); spyoptic.com

MOUNTAIN HARDWEAR Quasar Lite A shell that you can depend on is mandatory for any trip. You may not need it, but when the skies open up, you are glad you packed it. But you also don't want it to take up too much space. Don't fear: This 2.5-layer waterproof/breathable jacket weighs in at a mere 12 ounces. $240; mountainhardwear.com

TASC PERFORMANCE Wayfare Short One pair of shorts that can handle everything is all you need pack for a big trip. With a mix of cotton, polyester and nylon, the Wayfare can handle everything from fly fishing to margaritas. $68; tascperformance.com

BLUNDSTONE 561 Crazy Horse

ON THE ROAD

The beauty of Blundstones is that they fall somewhere between shit-kicker (hey, they were originally boots for Aussie sheep ranchers) and casual work shoe.

But that doesn't mean they can't dress up for dinner, too.

Plus that beefy sole includes a shockabsorbing compound so that it withstands pounding on trail. $169; us.blundstone.com

GEAR FOR ADVENTURE

by DOUG SCHNITZSPAHN

LULULEMON ABC Pant Yes, ABC stands for AntBall-Crushing. And yes, even the most macho dudes among us can say that these Lululemon’s are the best god damn pants we own. And we can wear them day after day. $128; shoplululemon.com

TRIGGER POINT X Factor Ball Sitting on planes, trains and automobiles can really mess with your anatomy.

Most of us can't trav el with a personal massage therapist, but this easy-to-pack ball will help roll away those kinks. $25; tptherapy.com

YETI Hopper You have to appreciate a cooler that was designed to carry "12 icy cans." And since this is a Yeti, it will keep those cold boys chilled for days. But this is no hard plastic beast of a cooler. We like to think of this soft carrier as a man purse for your beer. $300; yeticoolers.com MARCH 2015 • ElevationOutdoors.com

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MAZZO Slim Everything is about documentation these days, whether you are shooting photos or video or simply trying to stay caught up with work. But it can be tough to manage all that big data on the road. That is exactly why this MFI (“Made for iPhone/iPad/iPod”) certified hard drive will become your new best friend. It gives you 15 hours backup charging and 128 GB backup storage.

Plus, it's easy to move that data between your phone and laptop. $230; mazzomobile.com

TRAVELGEAR

BOSE QC 20 The only problem with these surprisingly comfy noise-cancelling ear buds? You may not be able to hear the flight attendant asking what you want to drink—but you will also drown out that yakking person next to you with sublime sound. $300; bose.com

KINDLE Voyage Carrying around big heavy books in your carry on or in your pack is a drag. But you still want that reading material. Smaller and easier to manage than it's big brother, the Voyage will become your own personal library when you trot the globe. $199; amazon.com

OUTDOOR RESEARCH Harrelson This comfy shirt excels at everything from long flights to hikes in hot clime. It's made of 55 percent hemp and 45 percent organic cotton, making it quite breathable, and it wicks away moisture (and sweat). Best little detail? A secret boarding-card pocket designed to hold a passport. $79; outdoorressearch.com

ANKER Astro E3

SCARPA Zen Pro Mid

Since there is nothing worse than your all-important iPhone dying in the midst of a long drive or flight (or even at the local coffee shop), we take this 10000mAh external battery everywhere. $80; ianker.com

This shoe does it all—hikes easy, climbs with an approach sole, keeps out wet and breathes with a Gore-tex liner. It even looks damn good around town. $199; scarpa.com

SELK’BAG Patagon 5G A wearable sleeping bag may sound silly.

But everyone in that European hut will be jealous when you walk straight form your bunk to breakfast. $199; selkbagusa.com

EAGLE CREEK No Matter What Flatbed Duffel 22 All we really ask of our luggage these days is that it fits legal carry on. This smart bag does just that, and weighs just six pounds, six ounces. $180; eaglecreek.com

MARCH 2015 • ElevationOutdoors.com

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C U LT U R E B I N

HEAR THIS

Adventure Jams

HIT THE ROAD AND GET OUT IN THE WILD FOR THESE MUSICAL HAPPENINGS THAT TAKE PLACE FAR FROM THE MADDENING CROWDS.

HARRISON BUCK

by JEDD FERRIS

DOWN BY THE RIVERSIDE: A TRIP DOWN THE MIDDLE FORK OF THE SALMON WITH THE INFAMOUS STRINGDUSTERS IN TOW MAKES YOU FEEL AS IF YOU WANDERED INTO YOUR VERY OWN MUSIC VIDEO.

rom Red Rocks to the steady barrage of national acts filling clubs around the Front Range, chances are you catch plenty of live music. But if you’re a concert fiend with a flair for travel, consider adding some adventure to your sonic buzz. Check out these experiences that offer more than your average show.

Ramble on the River Spending six days floating down a pristine Rocky Mountain river in an isolated wilderness area sounds mighty fine by itself. Now add nightly intimate shows by a national touring string band and you’ve got Pickin’ on the Middle Fork. The veteran guides of Idaho River Adventures lead these limited excursions, which pairs their popular trip down a 105-mile stretch of the Middle Fork of the Salmon River with a personal concert experience.

This year, three trips will take place in late summer, bringing adventurous music fans by small plane to the put-in at Boundary Creek to start the journey through the untouched Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness Area. By day, you’ll ramble down the river and take breaks for hiking, fly fishing and soaking in hot springs. By night, you’ll eat delicious food and hear top-notch picking. Options are available to take the trip with Fruition (August 14–20), Hot Buttered Rum (August 22–28), or Cabinet (August 30–September 5). It’s an inclusive trip (guides set up camp and cook gourmet meals nightly) that comes with a hefty price tag, but it supports a worthy cause. Proceeds from all three trips will benefit The Conservation Alliance. IdahoRiverAdventures.com

Rock in Paradise Dance to the sounds of your favorite bands with your toes in the sand. For the past few years there have been an increasing number of destination concert events in tropical hot spots. Cloud 9 Adventures hosts some of the best, including Panic En La Playa, a four-night run of Widespread Panic in the Dominican Republic, and One Big Holiday, an indie roots summit in Mexico headlined by My Morning Jacket that also featured Band of Horses, Dawes and the War on Drugs this past January.

This coming December, there’s the electro-jam focused Dominican Holidaze featuring the Disco Biscuits and STS9 and Strings and Sol, a multi-band progressive bluegrass adventure always led by Colorado’s own Yonder Mountain String Band.

In addition to multiple sun-drenched sets, these events usually include some hang time with the musicians. Last year’s Strings and Sol featured golfing with Yonder’s guitarist Adam Aijala and mountain biking with fiddler Jeremy Garrett of The Infamous Stringdusters. Cloud9Adventures.com

Jam with Pete Wernick Colorado bluegrass fans hold Dr. Banjo in high regard. Pete Wernick is best known as the skilled five-string picker for four-decade newgrass legends Hot Rize. When he’s not on the road Wernick hosts four-day Bluegrass Jam Camps in scenic spots across the country, typically in conjunction with acoustic music festivals. The camps give novice musicians a chance to play in a group setting and rub elbows with seasoned pros, including Wernick and guest instructors. It’s a low-pressure

atmosphere with plenty of time to learn tricks of the bluegrass trade. The next camp takes place in late April in North Carolina, during the week leading into the late Doc Watson’s legendary Merlefest.

Learn how to pick and then stay for sets from the Avett Brothers, Del McCoury and Bela Fleck.

DrBanjo.com

Learn from the Masters Full Moon Resort is a crunchy country inn, located off the beaten path in New York’s Catskill Mountains just a short drive from Woodstock.

Every year, the resort’s sprawling 100-acre property hosts a series of Music Masters Camps, instructional retreats with intimate performances that attract an impressive array of music heroes.

Some of the most enticing: Steve Earle’s Camp Copperhead (July 20–24), where you’ll learn lyrical secrets from the country-rock bard; and Roots Rock Revival (August 17–21), which includes jam instruction from Butch Trucks of the Allman Brothers Band and members of the North Mississippi Allstars.

While Full moon has some upscale lodging options, class costs can be curtailed if you’re cool with sleeping in a tent. During free time, hike the Giant Ledge Trail or bring your fly rod and cast for trout in Esopus Creek. Fullmoonresort.com Jedd Ferris is senior editor of Blue Ridge Outdoors and regularly writes about music for a range of publications, including The Washington Post.

MARCH 2015 • ElevationOutdoors.com

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B A C K YA R D A D V E N T U R E

THE ROAD

Return to Bushcraft OPEN WATER: CROSSING GRAND LAKE MATAGAMON TOWARDS HORSE MOUNTAIN.

CAMERON MARTINDELL

A TRIP TRACING THE SAME ROUTE THAT THOREAU PADDLED TO REACH MAINE’S MOUNT KATAHDIN RECONNECTS A TRAVELLER TO HIS ROOTS— AND THE LAST OF THE NORTHEAST’S TRANSCENDENTAL WILDS.

by CAMERON MARTINDELL first felt the allure of bushcraft at a Cub Scout camp. We parked on a grassy field surrounded by trees, and then we wandered down a small jeep track. The first things to catch my eye were all these rustic camp structures made of raw logs lashed together: the gate into the camp, the tripods holding a weather rock, the signal tower, tables.

Even more lashed structures suspended pots and kettles over gentle yellow flames dancing in the daylight. I felt transported back in time.

The idea of building everyting you needed, of self sustenance, was an extremely romantic notion and it fascinated me throughout my youth.

I would pore over my scout handbook to learn and relearn the knots and techniques required to build these buscraft gadgets and I would jump at the chance to lash together some useful (or all-toooften superfluous) structure. Oddly enough, all this transpired while my family lived in Germany since my fighter pilot father was stationed there in the U.S. Air Force.

When we moved back to the States we landed in the Seattle area and I was quickly wooed over from the anachronistic arts of bushcraft to the the nylon-clad, fast-and-light backpacking and mountaineering style typical of today's modern adventurer. It wasn’t until years later when I found myself following a route charted by the

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transcendental philosopher and author Henry David Thoreau circumnavigating Mount Katahdin in a canoe that I was reunited with my passion for the art of bushcraft.

The trip was planned to be a celebration of the 150th anniversary of Thoreau’s publication of the travelogue The Maine Woods. The extensive lakes and waterways surrounding Maine’s highest peak (whicch is also famous for being the northern terminus of the 2,180-mile Appalachian Trail) don’t exactly all flow together, and a number of portages would be required to make the trip.

It was here that I began to question the value of traditional bushcraft versus a modern fast-and-light mindset. The kit we were to pack in consisted of cast iron pots and pans, axes, saws, wood boxes, canvas and leather bags. It was heavy. No wonder canoes, mules, horses and waggons were so popular in the days when these tools were the only options. When paddling, this weight is practically inconsequential. Each stroke of the paddle glides gently through the still waters of the lake or downriver with the current.

On the poratages, it was a drag. We used a tamp line—a leather strap braced across the forehead—to carry many of these weighty containers. The roughest and longest of these portages was between Umbazooksus Lake and

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Mud Pond. After lugging, stumbling, climbing and staggering the two miles to Mud Pond, we walked back the way we came for another load.

In all, many of us walked the portage length up to five times. Ten miles of slogging through the mud, six of them with heavy loads and wet, slippery. footing—so much for bushcraft romance. horeau didn’t have it as bad as we did when it came to the portages, however.

He and his travel partner, Edward Hoar, actaully packed very light. They each brought along just a small sack of personal belongings (some hard bread, tea, a pot, an axe and a rifle) and the clothers on their backs. A far cry from the creature comforts we afforded ourselves and hence had to carry.

They also traveled in July when berries and other wild foods abounded, while we traveled in May and June just missing the horrendous black fly season.

And the third member of Thoreau’s trip was the Penobscot Indian Joe Polis, who they hired as a guide and for his canoe. It was quite minimal.

I wouldn’t trade my experience for his, though.

When I read Thoreau’s account, both before and while on the trip, the biggest observation I made was how many more people Thoreau encountered compared to us. In Thoreau’s time, logging was ramping up into a frenzy and saw mills, sproed up

THE ROAD

CAMERON MARTINDELL

PRIMAL URGES: COOKING UP DINNER ALONG THE EAST BRANCH OF THE PENOBSCOT RIVER.

along most of the waterways to catch the trees felled and floated down the rivers. In July, loggers clogged the rivers and logging scouts sorted out the logging strategy, already planning for the next season of tree felling and milling.

Thoreau also encountered earstwhile homesteaders on his trip.

We hardly saw a soul. The woods have emptied out in 150 years. Much of the land we paddled along is private, requiring permission to cross and camp where we did. While we were deep in the wilderness we only encountered one couple with a cabin. Evidence of human presence certainly existed in the dams around which we had to portage, but otherwise, our only company out here were the friends and family of our own Penobscot expedition members.

Ten miles of slogging through mud, six of them with heavy loads and wet, slippery footing—so much for buscraft romance.

After the end of each day, when we arrived at a new camp, the bushcraft projects began. While some of us scouted for two small, dead standing trees (one of hardwood and one of soft wood), the others gathered a few small logs, three inches around and five to six feet long to lash together and create a cooking structure over the fire pit. We started the fire with the soft wood, hanging pots of stew and kettles of water from the lashed structure over the blaze. Forked branches with notches

cut in them served as the hooks and a cast iron fry pan suspended on rocks piled around the small lapping flame held our dinner that sizzled to cooked perfection. We continue to saw and split the hardwood we harvested earlier to build up enough supply for the rest of the evening and to satisfiy our needs the next morning.

Bushcraft became a pleasure of routine. his was heaven for me. While it didn’t include building a signal tower or even a tripod to become a wash basin (though I now wish I had thought of that then), this was the craft that had sparked my childhood interest in full swing. There was a purity to it: Everything we needed for our camp kitchen was simply lying there, waiting for us to come and put it together.

The fruits of our labor paid off. After 325 miles of paddling and portages, including 16 breakfasts and dinners cooked over our bushcraft fire pits, the journey around Katahdin (or Ktaadn as Thoreau prefered to spell it) was complete. Though we followed the same route as Thoreau, we did not have the same journey, despite the eternal similarities: the joy of simply traveling, the experience of learning from members of the Penobscot Nation, the moments of sublime beauty in the raw Maine Woods, the feel of gliding across the water, of battling the wind, the thrill of running rapids and the toil of portages.

Even the differences between our journeys had similarities. We saw moose, but we did not hunt and skin them and tan the hide. We slept under a sheet, but ours was a sheet of waterproofed nylon, part of a tent or tarpaulin, not one of cotton that soaked through so that the rain spattered us. We ate what we brought, but did not feast on fresh moose or wild berries.

Best of all, both groups cooked over an open fire and put to test our skills at the art of bushcraft. I felt akin to the great writer for at least a few moments and I had to wonder if Thoreau was also bummed he didn’t get a chance to lash together some logs.

Cameron Martindell is a senior editor at Elevation Outdoors and digital manager of ElevationOutdoors.com.

You can also follow his adventures at OffYonder.com.

MARCH 2015 • ElevationOutdoors.com

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ELWAYVILLE

FRONT RANGE LIFE

Wandering Mind

JAMES BOND, METRIC MUSIC AND MOLESKINE MEMORIES

by PETER KRAY an espresso or a trailside rest, you don’t need to plug a moleskine in, secure it in your carry-on, or use it to immediately share (i.e., internet blast) the minutiae of every appetizer you order. More than anything, it’s a great way to get in touch with your own observations. If you want, you can put all that down on a computer when you get home.

inter and spring are my favorite times to travel. Usually to cold places, like Snowbird, Utah; Whistler, British Columbia; or Austria or Italy if there is a story to cover or some friendly outdoor equipment company that wants to host a grand tour. But I never go to beaches. I figure I’ve got all summer to be warm.

Along the way I’ve learned to be open to possibilities, not to sweat delays and to embrace the joy of unexpected detours (and don't forget the value of well-stocked bars, whether they be in airports or somewhere along the open road). Here are a few more tips and random musings.

GOOD BOOKS RULE One of the—if not the—best thing about travel is the peace and quiet it provides for delving into the pages of a long book with the kind of focus you can never maintain at home—Lost Horizon and the harrowingly beautiful Blood Meridian are a couple of recently read transcontinental tomes. Right now, I’m waiting for time on a flight to finish Eastern Approaches by Sir Fitzroy Maclean, a Scottish diplomat, soldier, and one of the original recruits for British SAS (the UK’s special forces), who was one of Ian Fleming’s inspirations James Bond. A “ruthless man of action” according to the book sleeve, Maclean was an inveterate traveler who has already introduced me to regal cities such as Samarkand and Isfahan, which I never knew existed but feel as if I now know very well.

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TRAVEL ALONE Syncing schedules to travel—whether it be with family, friends, associates or significant others—can really suck. So if there’s someplace you really want to see, some city where you’re hitting a convention and would like a couple days to explore, or just some long weekend you’ve always wanted to take KEVIN HOWDESHELL/KEVINCREDIBLE.COM (like to Nashville for music, Portland, Oregon for books and beer and epicurean "METRIC" DOESN’T RHYME delights, or Laguna Beach just to lay in the sun), Once you leave the borders of the good old US of then book it.

And go there.

Experience as much of A, you can expect to be assaulted by the metric it as possible, maybe meet some new friends, then system. Your powder days will be measured in revel in the idea of what an independent badass centimeters, your windshield time in kilometers, you are when you get back to work. and you can start translating every grade of Celsius to Fahrenheit to ascertain if you should consider adding an extra baselayer before heading out into the storm. Lauded for its simplicity and scale-ability, the metric system unfortunately has no passion, and gets very little play in poem or song. Even Brit rockers like Led Zeppelin and The Who brag about giving “another inch of my love,” or seeing for “miles and miles,” rather than strutting the stage about getting their millimeter on. And J.R.R. Tolkien, the master of Middle Earth, describes a plume of fog a “mile high” following the destruction of Isengard (rather than a kilometer). Of course, we did derive our US Customary Units from our British cousins. But unlike the Brits we kept it, just because it’s still got so much soul.

PACK A MOLESKINE It’s your trip, and your adventure, so celebrate it by writing about yourself. From countryside reflections to greatest meals, wines, craft beers and hotel views, to a personal narrative of the people you meet and the places you see, nothing records it all better than a little moleskine notebook and a pen.

Always in your back pocket for when you stop for

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CATCH YOUR BREATH I’m not sure when vacations got so competitive, so that everyone had to either summit Everest, drink Charlie Sheen under the table, or swim with dinosaurs to prove that their “off time” didn’t suck.

But frankly, I’m not really comfortable with it. I mean, if your idea of a free week is to be as busy and fit as possible, then go nuts. But if you want to chill, feel free to not give a shit. It’s really your call, and you should never forget that. I’ve had some of the best days just walking out into the open space on a Monday morning or idling at my local coffee house while everyone else bustles away to work.

And if you don’t want to travel at all, then enjoy being a tourist in your own town for a couple days.

Just be sure to take yourself out for some drinks and a nice dinner at least once while you’re doing so. You and your local community deserve it.

Elevation Outdoors editor-at-large Peter Kray is the author of The God of Skiing. More than 10 years in the making, the book has been called “The greatest ski novel ever written.” Buy it at http://bit.ly/1zTxK00

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