MAN TIME IN MOAB | HIKE SILVERTON | SURVIVING THE PAIN CAGE JULY 2017
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EV
AT ION
OUTDOOR
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ROAD TRIPS
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GO OUTSIDE & PLAY
TRAVELS, TIPS AND TALES FROM THE HIGHWAY
LEARNING TO LOVE THE
MINIVAN FOURTEENER SCRAMBLES
DRIVE GREEN: THE BEST E-CARS AND HYBRIDS FOR YOUR ACTIVE LIFE
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E L E VAT I O N O U T D O O R S / J U LY 2 017
ATION N I T S E O’S D D A R O COL
P O H S G N I B M I CL
CONTENTS JULY 2017
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S ES OE HO S H K S C K O ROC R
ROLLIN' DOWN THE HIGHWAY: THE LIVE OUTSIDE AND PLAY TEAM HEADS UP TENNESSEE PASS AFTER FOUR DAYS AT THE GOPRO MOUNTAIN GAMES IN VAIL. FOLLOW ALONG AS ROXY, BEN AND HENRY HIT THE FESTIVAL CIRCUIT THIS SUMMER ON INSTAGRAM (@ LIVEOUTSIDEANDPLAY), FACEBOOK (LIVEOUTSIDEANDPLAY) AND ELEVATIONOUTDOORS.COM (SEE PAGES 9 AND 20 FOR DETAILS).
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S ES PE OP RO G R N I G B N MBI LIIM CL C
photo by Liam Doran
N E N!! E E E W T W E T BE NB G IIN NG HIIN
Y TH R YT E R V E E V D E ND
A AN
DEPARTMENTS
7 EDITOR’S LETTER Let's talk climate change.
80401 , GOLDEN C.2O71.9382 E V A N O T G IN 303 1313 WASH
8 QUICK HITS
Van life (with a baby), how to explore Yellowstone, Ragged Running and more...
13 FLASHPOINT
These electric and hybrid cars will make your road trip easier on Mother Earth.
17 HOT SPOT
The hiker's guide to Silverton, Colorado
WE VE GOT THE LATEST MODELS FROM
18 THE TRAIL
Download the free ViewRanger app and scramble up Torreys Peak via Kelso Ridge.
21 NUMEROLOGY
FEATURES
25 ENTER THE PAIN CAGE Being too sick is no reason to weasel out of racing the 12 Hours of Mesa Verde.
28 I LOVE MY MINVAN
It's time to stop fretting over the dork factor and embrace the swagger wagon.
30 THE BEER ROAD TRIP
The smartest way to map out your big summer getaway? Follow the breweries.
31 MOAB BRODOWN
Screw Vegas: Canyoneering in the desert is the best place for bonding.
39 THE 2017 SUMMER PEAK GEAR AWARDS
It's time to hand out hardware for the best gear we put to the test in the wild.
Weird and wonderful roadside attractions
23 STRAIGHT TALK
El Cap pioneer Sibylle Hechtel on fear
43 HEAR THIS
Learn why you must see Blues Traveller at Red Rocks on the Fourth of July, again.
44 THE ROAD
A road trip will change your life—so what happens when you settle back down?
46 ELWAYVILLE TRY AND BUY YOURS AT GBS
OUR DEMO PROGRAM HAS 50+ MOUNTAIN BIKES AVAILABLE TO RIDE goldenbikeshop.com | 303.278.6545
4
E L E VAT I O N O U T D O O R S / J U LY 2 017
Peter Kray says the only bad road trip is the one you don't take.
Want more? Catch up on past issues, your favorite bloggers and daily online content at ElevationOutdoors.com ON TH E C OV ER: TH E LIVE OUTSID E A N D PLAY TEA M EN JOYS SOM E DOW N TIM E. PH OTO BY: LIA M D OR A N / LIA MD ORA NPH OTOGR A PH Y.C OM
Family Memories, Colorado Style
CONTRIBUTORS
ElevationOutdoors.com EDITORIAL
07. 17
WHAT BIG ROAD TRIP DO YOU HAVE PLANNED FOR THE COMING YEAR?
ED ITOR -IN -CH IEF
DOUG SCHNITZSPAHN
doug@elevationoutdoors.com
4 seasons of fun 700 miles of trails 4,000 camp sites
MAN AG IN G ED ITOR
CAMERON MARTINDELL
cameron@elevationoutdoors.com SEN IOR ED ITOR
CHRIS KASSAR
chris@elevationoutdoors.com
CON TRIBUTIN G ED ITORS
AARON BIBLE, ADAM CHASE, ROB COPPOLILLO, LIAM DORAN, JAMES DZIEZYNSKI, HUDSON LINDENBERGER, SONYA LOONEY, JAYME MOYE, TRACY ROSS, CHRIS VAN LEUVEN ED ITOR -AT-LARG E
PETER KRAY
C ON TRIBUTIN G WRITERS
KELLY BASTONE, EUGENE BUCHANAN, JEDD FERRIS, MICHAEL FRANK, KIM FULLER, WILL HARLAN, BRENDAN LEONARD, RYAN STUART, RACHEL WALKER, ZACH WHITE, MELANIE WONG Paonia State Park
ART + PRODUCTION A RT D IREC TOR
MEGAN JORDAN
megan@elevationoutdoors.com
Find adventure in every season! Hiking • Biking • Fishing • Camping Boating • Paddle Sports • Rafting Wildlife Watching • Education Programs Steamboat Lake
Pearl Lake Walden
Elkhead Reservoir
State Forest
Craig Hayden Steamboat Springs
40
Fort Collins
Lory
Loveland
Estes Park
125
14
Stagecoach
Oak Creek 131
134
85
40
Rifle Gap
Rifle
Avon Vail
Sylvan Lake
Collbran
Fruita
330
Vega
Grand Junction
Leadville
Aspen 82
James M. RobbColorado River
65
Delta
Paonia133 Hotchkiss
Paonia
Crawford
Olathe
Montrose
Chatfield
Gunnison
92
50
Cherry Creek
285
Roxborough
Spinney Mountain
Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area(AHRA)
Castle Rock
86
Limon
Mueller
Kit Carson
Pueblo
285
50
Lamar
25
La Junta
John Martin Reservoir
Cortez
550
Mancos
160
Alamosa
Walsenburg
150
La Veta
Springfield
Pagosa Springs
Durango
12
172 151
Navajo
C IRC U LATION MA N AG ER
HANNAH COOPER
hcooper@elevationoutdoors.com
350
Lathrop
160
Monte Vista
Mancos
melissa@elevationoutdoors.com
287
Lake Pueblo
Lone Mesa
Dolores
MELISSA GESSLER
Canon City 50
Ridgway
491
BU SIN ESS MAN AG ER
Colorado Springs 67
Cheyenne Mountain
9
CONOR SEDMAK
conor@elevationoutdoors.com
24
Cripple Creek Salida
Burlington
70
AC C OU N T EXECUTIVE
40
Ouray
Dove Creek
Castlewood Canyon
Eleven Mile Reservoir
550
Ridgway
385
85
Fairplay
Buena Vista
Crawford
Sweitzer Lake
24
martha@elevationoutdoors.com
36
BreckenridgeStaunton
SEN IOR AC C OU N T EXECUTIVE
MARTHA EVANS
Barr Lake
70
Frisco
Glenwood Springs
elizabeth@elevationoutdoors.com
34
Denver
Golden
blake@elevationoutdoors.com
ELIZABETH O’CONNELL Wray
287 93
PRESID EN T
BLAKE DEMASO PU BLISH ER
6
Brighton
Eldorado Canyon
ADVERTISING + BUSINESS
138
Fort Brush Morgan
76
St. Vrain
Kremmling
Golden Gate Canyon
Rifle Falls Harvey Gap
Great S Parks A tate cr Colorad oss o!
Jackson Lake
34
36
13
Meeker
Highline Lake
Greeley
Boyd Lake
G RA PH IC D ESIG N ER
paigelee@elevationoutdoors.com
Sterling
14
LAUREN WORTH
lauren@elevationoutdoors.com
PAIGELEE CHANCELLOR
North Sterling 14
Yampa River
SEN IOR D ESIG N ER
160
Trinidad
285
Trinidad Lake
DIGITAL MEDIA ON LIN E D IR EC TOR
CRAIG SNODGRASS
craig@elevationoutdoors.com
D IG ITAL MA N AG ER
State parks are great destinations for weekday getaways, group picnics and nature programs.
TYRA SUTAK
tyra@elevationoutdoors.com
E L EVATION OU T D O OR S M AGAZ I N E
2510 47th Street Unit 202 Boulder, Colorado 80301 (303) 449-1560 PU B L I SH ED BY
©2017 Summit Publishing, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
cpw.state.co.us 6
E L E VAT I O N O U T D O O R S / J U LY 2 017
SUMMIT
PUBLISHING
DOUG SCHNITZSPAHN
We have nothing planned yet—which I like, because it means the road is wide open when we get the call.
ELIZABETH O'CONNELL
I'm trucking it down to Pagosa Springs this September for Folkwest's Four Corners Folk Festival.
CAMERON MARTINDELL
With a new baby and a three-year-old, we're off to witness the total solar eclipse in Wyoming in August.
LAUREN WORTH
Heading south on Highway 12 toward Hatteras Island this summer. Can’t wait to have the ocean on my left and the sound on my right.
MICHAEL FRANK
Secret island-hopping hideout, Downeast Maine: Kayaking, paddle-up fried clam shacks, end-ofday beers chilled in the Atlantic
RACHEL WALKER
I’m schlepping the kids up to Wyoming. They’ll spend a week at the Teton Science School and I’ll be the mom version of the remote worker who turns every coffee shop into her personal office.
BRENDAN LEONARD
Taking my mom and dad around the Southwest, hopefully with a backpacking trip in the Grand Canyon in the middle of it (fingers crossed we get a permit!).
TRACY ROSS
I'm taking my 14-yearold to Mammoth in two weeks, my 15-yearold to San Fran and my five-year-old up the Pacific Coast (after dropping off bigger sibs and the hubby at the Rogue River put-in).
WE THE PEOPLE by DOUG SCHNITZSPAHN
T
he U.S. shocked no one when Donald WORTH FIGHTING FOR Trump pulled out of the Paris Climate THE SIERRA CLUB’S Accord this spring. It was simply another MILITARY OUTDOORS PROGRAM GETS move in the President and Congress’s gleeful, VETERANS AND THEIR planned game of gutting environmental and FAMILIES OUTDOORS—AN EXPERIENCE THAT IS NOT conservation regulations. The laundry list BOUNDED BY POLITICS OR of protections those currently making the THE DIFFICULTIES OF WHAT rules have removed is long and disturbing. So THEY HAVE FACED. rejecting Paris (which, truth be told, had little photo courtesy Garrett Combs / Sierra Club Military Outdoors bite to it but at least agreed that the nations of the world needed to face the problem of how we are choking our planet) was to be expected. On one level, this is what astronomer Carl Sagan called “willful ignorance.” Businesses that benefit from lax regulations support slashing them. As legendary snowboarder and Protect Our Winters (POW) founder Jeremy Jones wrote in a letter published on ElevationOudoors.com this spring: “Republican leaders want to kill these efforts because they’ve put ExxonMobil, Peabody Energy and other fossil fuel companies before your best interests. That’s called crony capitalism, and it’s a complete affront to free market principles.” On the surface, the argument is that these regulations hurt business and take away jobs. That’s a line that may resonate with some supporters, and it may have some validity, but the truth is that this wave of industry friendly attacks is based in simple partisan politics on the personal level. They hate them because liberals like them. That political bitterness does no good for the country, and worse for a planet in increasing danger. On the other hand, many liberals (me included) do little to advance their causes by failing to listen to those with differing political views or by standing only by their own solutions. It does not have to be this way. Extreme partisan politics are the biggest danger to forward progress on climate change and other environmental issues right now. Love of the outdoors and the environment does not have to be broken down on partisan lines. Look at programs like The Sierra Club's Military Outdoors, which brings often conservative veterans out in the wild to benefit from and protect it. These are not typical treehuggers, but they are men and women who care about the planet beyond politics. At the summer Outdoor Retailer show, Keen will be introducing a film called “Common Ground” that attempts to see environmental and conservation issues from a wide range of political perspectives. We need more programs and solutions like these that value the outdoors above politics. The only solutions won't be enforced, but agreed upon. Want proof? Look at cities across the U.S.A., from Denver to New York to Pittsburgh, that promised to abide by the Paris Accord when Trump tore it up. Look at carmakers continuing to build eco-vehicles. Look at outdoor brands like Patagonia, Keen, Columbia and Fjallraven continuing to fight for the planet and build sustainable products. We can move forward despite those trying to play a political game that lines their pockets. J U LY 2 017 / E L E VAT I O N O U T D O O R S . C O M
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QUICK HITS
07.17
VAN LIFE, BABY Procreation didn't end the active outdoor life for these three couples. Read how they have made their adventure lives a family affair. THE BARCZAS Lauren Barcza still remembers the reactions from her family when they heard that she and her husband, Alex, were taking their four-month-old infant on a camping trip in their 1984 Coleman pop-up camper. “There was a lot of shock and some doubt,” she says, laughing. “Some people thought we were poor parents for taking our kid out to the desert to sleep in the cold.” But camping, traveling and biking was a huge part of the Eagle,
Colorado, couple’s relationship before baby. “We wanted to continue doing what we love and to share it with our child,” says Lauren. Sure enough, two-year-old Oliver fit into the couple’s scheme. He loves playing in the dirt and riding his Strider during camping trips, which typically range from long weekenders to three-week, multistate adventures. The family eventually graduated to a 1997 Road Trek camper van, which they’ve taken as far afield as California. Lauren says that Oliver has hit some milestones during their road trips, including his first words and first step. She attributes it to the stimulation and intense family time he receives during these trips. “It might take a couple of weekends to figure out how it will work best, but it’s good for the family, the child and the couple,” she says. “Just go out and try it.” THE VONESHES Finding the right adventure vehicle is especially important when your rig
TECHNOLOGY
needs to accommodate a baby’s needs. Avon, Colorado, residents Amelia and Jimmy Vonesh chose an eight-foot pop-up camper—but with a one-yearold boy and three-year-old girl, they needed to make sure that their truck and camper were toddler-friendly. So Jimmy built hidden storage compartments, a homemade ponykeg shower, a power generator for 2 a.m feedings, and a tailgate diaper changing station. One week after their Marley, was born, they put the camper to the test on a six-week-long road trip from Colorado to Canada. “As a family bonding experience, it was huge because we literally spent every minute of every day together for the entire first six weeks,” says Amelia Vonesh. THE KREHBIELS Red Cliff, Colorado, mother Ashleigh Krehbiel admits camping with a baby isn’t always easy. But she and her husband, Nathan, say it’s worth it. The two started taking their now one-year-old son, Carson, on trips in
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E L E VAT I O N O U T D O O R S / J U LY 2 017
HAVE KIDS, WILL TRAVEL #VANLIFE IS FAMILY TIME: ALEX BARCZA DOGS IT WITH TWO-YEAR-OLD OLIVER (LEFT). NATHAN AND CARSON KREHBIEL TAKE IN THE VIEW IN SEDONA (TOP RIGHT). LAURA BARCZA INTRODUCES OLIVER TO CAMP FOOD (BOTTOM RIGHT). photos courtesy Laura Barzca (left), Ashleigh Krehbiel (top right), Laura Barzca (bottom right)
their 1989 Astro Tiger camper when he was just six weeks old. Excursions included a month-long trip with stops in Jackson Hole, Yellowstone and Glacier National Park. Ashleigh had a lengthy postpartum recovery, preventing her from out-the-gate backpacking and epic bike rides. But out on the road, the family hiked and biked and even switched off watching Carson to kayak some off-the-beaten-path rivers. According to Ashleigh, the trip was a mental relief and kept them both from feeling trapped at home. “We knew it wasn’t always going to be fun and easy, but we saw maternity leave as a chance for a good trip,” she says. —Melanie Wong
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Photo: Noah Wetzel
NEW in 2017
GLUTEN FREE ORGANIC WAFFLE FLAVORS AND ORGANIC STRAWBERRY ENERGY CHEWS
Gear Journal - JULY 2017
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The days are long and the adventures longer now that we are out West. The adult playground that is the entire state of Colorado never ceases to exceed our expectations: We’ve been hiking, biking, backpacking and enjoying the afternoon rain showers. (What better way to replace regular showers?) Now, check out some of the gear that keeps us moving and grooving in the Wild West.
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J U LY 2 017 / E L E VAT I O N O U T D O O R S . C O M
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RUN YOURSELF RAGGED
GRIND IT OUT RUNNERS ATTACK THE TRAILS AROUND CRESTED BUTTE AT MICHELE YATES' RAGGED CAMP.
Looking for a summer escape that will feed the burn? Camp out and run mountain trails for a weekend this August.
photo by Kim Fuller
FULL STEAM YELLOWSTONE SITS ATOP A MASSIVE VOLCANIC CALDERA—THAT MAY BE READY TO BLOW.
FOUR-TIME ULTRA-RUNNING CHAMPION
Michele Yates is a runner with many talents. In addition to setting numerous course records and wins in trail and ultra races, she’s a twotime Olympic Trials qualifier in the marathon, and has completed over 20 marathons, with nine wins. Want inside info on how she does it? She’s bringing up to 10 runners to the Gunnison National Forest near Crested Butte for a three-night event August 3-6, 2017 that will give them a taste of her running life. It's all a part of Ragged Running, Yates’ holistic training company, which offers personalized training that encompasses running and recovery, and hosts camps. During the three-day event, “campers will gain essential knowledge in hills, speed, nutrition, mobility and strength,” according to Yates. Good nutrition is a key element to Yates’ ultra-running philosophy, so a big part of the focus here is that campers learn about the best foods to eat while training for their big event. And don’t worry too much about roughing it: The experience includes tents, sleeping cots, sleeping bags, pillows, portable toilets and camp showers. Strong, injury-free ultra-running requires proper technique. The running portion of the camp includes instruction on how to achieve the best techniques for uphill and downhill running, drills for strength, and power and dynamic lead ups for speed and leg turnover that improve your stride. Mobility sessions put an emphasis on flexibility and recovery. “No matter what level of athlete you are, I want to send you home with greater expertise to accomplish your goals,” says Yates. “The whole idea of the camp is to take a few days to build a better you, surrounded by a pristine atmosphere and creating friendships that will last a lifetime.” Permitting fees, supplies, food, equipment and medical requirements are all included in the $750 camp cost. Learn more and sign up at raggedrunning.com/the-camp. —Kim Fuller
photo by Cameron Martindell
YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK It may be packed with gawkers and traffic, but plan right and you can dig deep into the wonders of the world’s oldest national park. EAT Perched on the shores of Yellowstone Lake, the dining room of the Lake Yellowstone Hotel (yellowstonenationalparklodges. com) offers a spectacular view. The large windows make it easy to to gaze out across the 132-square-mile lake while you enjoy your meal. Bring the kids dining even if the white table cloths and formal setting give you pause: The friendly waitstaff provide crayons for little ones to sketch wildlife. Grownups dig into the bison tenderloin, served with mushrooms and under a sage and rosemary demiglace with garlic mashed potatoes. Dinner reservations are required, walk-in for breakfast or lunch. SLEEP The best way to experience Yellowstone is to camp. Choose from twelve campgrounds with over 2,000 sites (they fill fast at height of the season in July and August, so find breathing room on either side). Five campgrounds take reservations; the rest are first-come, first-serve. Or, for more solitude—and maybe even an encounter with a wolf—hike the park’s
1,000-plus miles of trails, and camp in a backcountry site (be sure to be bear aware) with a permit accessed from the Backcountry Office. Stage at the homey Buffalo Bill Village Resort (blairhotels.com) in Cody or the magnificent Lake Yellowstone Hotel (yellowstonenationalparklodges. com) in the park before and after your camping trip.
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PLAY The Just Ahead app and guide (justahead.com) to Yellowstone (among other parks) is like having a personal tour guide in the car. The geo-savvy app dishes out locationspecific information as you drive to and through the park. It uses your smartphone’s GPS to trigger audio narratives tied to a given location. You get info on natural history, park resources, upcoming views, optional routes and more. What it won’t tell you though, is the exact location where you’ll get stuck when herds of bison cross the park road. No matter what, don’t try to rescue any baby bison, like a Canadian man and his son did last year. Once traffic clears, move on to our favorite stops, like The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, 24 miles long and 1,200 feet deep; Steamboat Geyser, where a short boardwalk wanders amongst the hot pools and steam vents; Firehole Canyon Drive, a two-mile scenic loop near Madison and, of course, Old Faithful with its geyser spouting nearly 200 feet into the air. —Cameron Martindell
CODY, WY
ASPEN, CO
J U LY 2 017 / E L E VAT I O N O U T D O O R S . C O M
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FRIDAY, AUG. 4TH DOORS AT 7:00PM
WARREN STATION
WARREN STATION EVENTS:
CENTER FOR THE ARTS
NEW BELGIUM: FAT TIRE HANGOUT
21st annual
keystone, CO
AUGUST 5-6, 2017 RIVER RUN VILLAGE AT KEYSTONE, COLORADO / 1PM-5PM
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LIVE MUSIC FEATURING:
PETER ROWAN BAND, BROTHERS COMATOSE, WOOD & WIRE, THE RAILSPITTERS AND MORE!
40 BREWERIES!
SAMPLE OVER
BUY YOUR TICKETS IN ADVANCE OR FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT KEYSTONEFESTIVALS.COM MAKE A WEEKEND OUT OF IT PLAN YOUR GETAWAY AT: WWW.KEYSTONERESORT.COM OR HEAD TO SUMMITCOVE.COM OR KEYTOTHEROCKIES.COM FOR MORE LODGING!
PLEASE LEAVE YOUR PETS AT HOME, THEY GET ALL HOPPED UP OVER THE BEER!
FLASHPOINT
Green Rides
0 7.17
THESE FIVE NEW HYBRIDS OFFER ECO FRIENDLY PERFORMANCE
HYUNDAI IONIQ BLUE HYBRID | $23,000 With up to 58 miles per gallon combined city/highway, the newest option from Hyundai rivals Toyota’s Prius. It gets slightly better fuel economy and is more spacious inside than the base Prius (though its 50 cubic square feet with the rear seats folded is not as roomy as the biggest Prius V, below). Still, it’s a smooth driver that, importantly for some buyers, looks conventional rather, um, as “distinctive” as the current base Prius.
TOYOTA PRIUS V TWO | $27,560 Nearly 70 cubic feet of cargo room with the rear seats folded down rivals or tops the capacity of a lot of crossovers—and the biggest Prius also happens to be the best looking in the Prius lineup. The handling is also greatly improved with this new gen, and, even at this size, you’re still getting 41 miles per gallon combined. Need AWD? Get the RAV4 Hybrid or Nissan Rogue, instead.
FUTURE CARS ARE PRESENT Hybrid and electric cars are the new norm. Here’s what you need to know if you are looking to shrink your carbon footprint by investing in a car with a positive environmental impact. by MICHAEL FRANK
L
et’s get something straight: From this moment forward, hybrids and pure electric cars are nothing special, nothing futuristic. A Tesla is just another car on the highway. So is a Prius. But that’s just the beginning. Carmakers have invested billions in hybrids and electrics, and every major manufacturer sells them both here and overseas. Carmakers can’t afford to riff too many variations on what they offer here vs. what they offer there—imagine selling entirely different skis or backpacks in other regions of the world. It’s too expensive. The current United States government may be in the process of dis-incentivizing wind and solar
power, but every other market is recharging by BOLT FOR IT already moving toward cleaner fuels. using apps like THE PROBLEM WITH MANY ELECTRIC CARS It might not dawn on politicians here ChargePoint HAS BEEN THAT YOU for some time yet, but the carmakers and PlugShare, CANNOT GO FAR already know that you either chase which locate the ENOUGH ON A CHARGE TO REALLY RELY ON Tesla or get left in the dust. So nearest juice. THEM FOR OUTDOOR whether you’re GM or Toyota, Ford, Plan ADVENTURE: THE NEW BMW, Mercedes or Volkswagen, accordingly and BOLT GOES 238 MILES ON ONE CHARGE. you’re going to spend your billions you can travel photo courtesy Chevrolet for the broadest swath of customers with a very possible rather than get caught up in small carbon American partisan politics. footprint. Of So you ask, what’s all of this got course, that very much depends on to do with my upcoming road trip? the source of energy production One word: Bolt. that’s feeding electricity to your As in, the Chevy Bolt, the first Bolt (elecricity from coal is still electric vehicle (EV) not made by dirty), but as a general rule, the Tesla with legit range to rival a gasfarther from a “tailpipe” you get, the powered car. It’ll go 238 miles on lower the a car's carbon emissions, one charge, and nope, we don’t say according to a 2015 study by the that theoretically: We tested one over Union of Concerned Scientists. The five days and got that kind of range key takeaway: Pretty much no matter (or better) driving on the Interstate, where you live, plugging in is cleaner climbing steep passes and rolling to than filling up. And about two-thirds hiking and mountain bike trailheads. of Americans live in regions where While 238 miles isn’t the 600 miles powering an EV on the regional you get out of the leanest, meanest electricity grid produces lower global hybrids like, say, the warming emissions Prius V (see sidebar), IT MIGHT NOT DAWN ON than a car that gets 50 it’s still decent POLITICIANS HERE FOR MPG on gasoline. enough to plot your SOME TIME YET, BUT route from Boulder, ny car that CARMAKERS ALREADY plugs in is a Colorado, to Boulder, KNOW THEY EITHER good thing, Utah, recharging CHASE TESLA OR GET but we’re fixating on everywhere from the Bolt because this drugstore parking LEFT IN THE DUST. is the road trip issue of lots to museums EO—and although the range of pure and campgrounds for a single stint EV’s like the Nissan Leaf and BMW behind the wheel. And get this: i3 have increased for 2017, those cars You can increasingly find ultra-fast
A
TOYOTA RAV4 HYBRID | $29,030 The taller-riding RAV4 has nearly dead-on metrics for interior space as the Prius V with its rear seats folded or upright, but has a taller roof, which means you could comfortably sleep in that hatch area. AWD isn’t switchable, meaning the rear wheels engage when you need either additional traction or propulsion, but it’s functional, meaning it kicks in when you’re climbing up a loose fire road or churning out of your driveway in snow. While 33 MPG combined fuel economy isn’t mind-blowing most all-wheel-drive SUVs this roomy are muddling along at 25 or lower combined MPG.
NISSAN ROGUE HYBRID AWD | $27,590 With 8.2 inches of ground clearance this is the only affordable hybrid SUV with legit off-roading chops, besting the ground clearance of the RAV4 by a few inches. Nope, we still wouldn’t take a Rogue out with your pals who have snorkels on their Jeeps, but you’ll get to trailheads at the end of nasty fire roads without worry. While its 61 cubic feet of cargo (rear seats flipped down) is shy of the RAV4’s roominess, the Nissan is still spacious, and handling is notably more “carlike” than most hybrids, too. Plus, it gets the same combined 33MPG as the RAV4.
SUBARU IMPREZA | $18,895 This isn’t a hybrid, but with up to 37 MPG on the highway, AWD standard, 55 cubic feet of cargo room, and a bargain sticker price the Impreza is an obvious roadtrip crowd pleaser. If you need ground clearance you’ll have to ante $21,695 for a CrossTrek version. —M.F.
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are can’t achieve long-range travel. Also, the Bolt is larger inside than either of those choices—with 56.6 cubic feet of capacity behind the two front seats we fit two mountain bikes and two overnight-capacity backpacks inside it. That’s important when it comes to efficiency, because adding cargo boxes and loading bikes (or kayaks) on racks might make your rig look cool, but it adds wind resistance. If your goal is driving farther on a charge, you’re looking to cheat the wind, not fight against it. It’s also worth mentioning that the Chevy Bolt is quick—tap the Sport Mode button and this unassuming compact will smoke a lot of sports cars off the line. More importantly, that means you won’t feel handicapped driving this frontwheel-drive car up 10,000-foot mountain passes, and it truly corners very confidently, with all its battery weight essentially in the car’s frame, which it feels reasonably planted and stable on the road. Sure, that $37,000 sticker price might sound scary, and it would be pretty expensive relative to fuel-cost savings—except that, at least if you buy the car in 2017, you’ll qualify for a $7,500 federal tax credit and a $5,000 state tax credit in Colorado (a credit that, by the way, may be
recalled by the state legislature, which would end that rebate after 2017). Other states offer incentives, too, even more conservative states such as Utah, where tax credits are tiered (35 percent of the purchase price) and there are added perks like HOV lane use and free parking as well as waived registration fees. (Head to pluginamerica.org to get more details about individual state/community incentives.) The bottom line? Both pure electric and plug-in/conventional hybrids are here to stay. Carmakers will be producing more and more of these green vehicles because we’re finally entering an era where you don't have to make lifestyle sacrifices to notice big changes, both personal and societal, if you purchase of a sustainable vehicle. All of this is a very good thing if you care about the environment. Environmentally minded consumers are still a very small minority of Americans—but there's hope: The more that hybrids and EVs become the default, the more they become the Starbucks of driving, and the more “American” they’ll become. And in the long term, the future depends on how we all consider the impacts of our road trips, no matter whether we live in the red, blue or purple USA.
POSITIVE CHARGE DESPITE PARTISAN ARGUMENTS OVER CLIMATE, ELECTRIC VEHICLES ARE BECOMING THE NORM. photo courtesy Chevrolet
Eco-izing Your Road Trip
SIMPLE TIPS TO GO EASY ON THE ENVIRONMENT—AND SAVE YOU CASH. Run the A/C moderately rather than cracking the windows (because crappy aerodynamics wastes more gas than A/C).
max pressure listing there in case you’re towing or are loaded down with heavy gear and peeps.
Leave a standard transmission car in gear when descending long mountain passes. It gives you the option of using the throttle if you need to (vs. putting the car in neutral) and it doesn’t burn fuel because straight-up compression forces the engine to turn over, rather than using fuel to keep the engine at idle.
Carry some Tire Slime and a 12-volt inflator. This is key if you’re going to hell and back on fire roads. You might not be on safe enough ground to jack up the car. But you could pull the tire core, insert the slime (works like mountain bike sealant), and then re-inflate with the compressor. Unless the puncture is a severe slice, this hack will probably hold at least until you get to safer jacking turf. Also: If you don’t have a full-size spare tire, get one. Don’t know? Check your trunk. —M.F.
Inflate your tires to the proper PSI listed on the driver’s side door, not what it says on the tire sidewall. You’ll also find a
Perched above Whale Lake, celebrating the hike in with friends, Routt National Forest, CO – Devon Balet
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07. 17
HIKE SILVERTON Want to get way out in the high country this summer? Head to the San Juan Range near Silverton and follow these three hikes to explore the biggest concentration of high peaks in the country. by CHRIS KASSAR
S
outwestern Colorado’s jagged San Juan Mountains lay claim to 14 of Colorado's 53 peaks above 14,000 feet and 314 of the state's 637 Thirteeners (peaks between 13,000 and 13,999 feet). Tucked in the midst of all this grandeur at 9,318 feet, the well preserved mining town of Silverton is the type of place where you could still get in a bar fight with a prospector. It’s also a prime basecamp from which you can access a wonderland of trails that climb deep into the San Juans in a hurry. Start with these three sureto-please hikes, then branch out:
HIGHLAND MARY LAKES BEST FOR: A day hike to alpine lakes LENGTH: Five miles round-trip, 1,500 feet of elevation gain IN A NUTSHELL: Waltz through fields of postcard-perfect wildflowers on your way to a series of alpine lakes. While it’s one of the most idyllic day hikes in the region, relatively few people find their way here. DO IT: Start from the Cunningham Gulch Trailhead at 10,750 feet and head south along the Highland Mary Lakes Trail (No. 606)
Cunningham Creek. You’ll scale rock steps to climb the increasingly steep trail, which funnels through a narrow rocky band cut into the cliff. Cross to the east side of the creek and traverse a slope strewn with boulders to reach the signed Weimnuche Wilderness Boundary. Cross the creek again and the trail levels out to follow sparkling Cunningham Creek as it cuts through a huge slope dappled with rocky outcroppings. After you climb halfway up the slope, you’ll lose the path for a bit and have to navigate across a boulder field and a marshy area. From here, rejoin a distinct trail that climbs briefly before it reaches the first lake. The second lake is just above the first. Keep climbing south through a picturesque glacial basin to reach the third, and largest lake. Take some time to soak it all in (and maybe cast a few tenkara flies) and head back down the way you came.
ENGINEER MOUNTAIN BEST FOR: Big views from an easy-to-attain peak LENGTH: 11 miles round-trip, 1,990 feet of elevation gain IN A NUTSHELL: Hiking enthusiasts of all levels will love this moderately challenging trail that clambers to the top of Engineer Mountain, the distinct and captivating 12,968-foot peak that dominates the surrounding skyline. DO IT: From the Pass Creek Trailhead, pick up the gentle dirt path heading north. The first meadow you hit is a treat in itself, filled with the towering psychedalia of monument plant, loveroot, orange sneezeweed, Coulter’s daisy and corn lily. Soon, the trail levels out and skirts the north shore of a small pond. Beyond it, for the next half-mile, meander from forest to meadow and back again. Continue west through a thick stand of waist high blooms to reach the junction of Engineer Mountain Trail (No. 508) and Pass Creek Trail (No. 500). Stay on the Engineer Mountain Trail and head directly west
toward the maroon crags FULL STEAM AHEAD of Engineer Mountain. AT 12,968 FEET, THE At 5.5 miles, you’ll reach SUMMIT OF ENGINEER PEAK MAY NOT RANK AS a giant rock slab that ONE OF COLORADO'S marks the beginning of HIGHEST—BUT WITH 1,500 FEET OF PROMINENCE, IT'S the climb. Take care on DISTINCT LANDMARK the progressively steeper, AABOVE THE TOWN OF rockier trail to the top, SILVERTON AND THE and practice caution while WEMINUCHE WILDERNESS. photo by Chris Kassar scrambling along the narrow, exposed summit ridge—it holds some of the San Juans’ notoriously loose and chossy scree.
CRATER LAKE BEST FOR: A classic San Juan backpacking overnighter LENGTH: 11 miles round-trip, 1,300 feet of elevation gain IN A NUTSHELL: The trip to 11,640-foot-high Crater Lake delivers huge rewards with minimal effort. It’s a steady climb through expansive meadows to the serene lake surrounded by the West Needle Mountains. DO IT: Start at the parking area at 10,800 feet near Andrews Lake. Follow the Crater Lake trail as it skirts the lake and then ascends a series of switchbacks to the Weminuche Wilderness boundary. From here, romp through alpine meadows with views of thirteeners Snowdon, Grand Turk, Sultan and Twilight Peaks. Less than half a mile from the lake, the trail descends into bogland. Climb a small hill to the tree-lined bowl cradling Crater Lake. Get here by sunset to photograph 13,075-foot-high North Twilight Peak, reflected in the lake’s waters. Set up camp, and spend the next few days exploring. An easy 0.4-mile hike leads to the 11,770foot saddle southwest of the lake. Head west for a class 3 scramble along a narrow, exposed ridge to the summit of North Twilight Peak. J U LY 2 017 / E L E VAT I O N O U T D O O R S . C O M
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POWERED BY
THE TRAIL
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GET THE FREE APP
AND FOLLOW THIS ROUTE ON IPHONE, APPLE WATCH, IPAD AND ANDROID DEVICES.
KELSO RIDGE
Download the free ViewRanger app and the following coordinates to climb this crowd-free route to the top of two popular Colorado Fourteeners.
VIEWRANGER.COM
GET TRIP INFO
SEE MORE ROUTE DETAILS, GPS DATA & PRINT MAPS. viewranger.com/eleout
by CHRIS KASSAR
C
limbing 14,270-foot Grays and 14,276-foot Torreys peaks in the summer often requires navigating around more hikers than natural obstacles. Avoid the traffic and take the peaceful Kelso Ridge as an alternate route to the top. If you are comfortable with off-trail navigation (the ViewRanger GPS app on your phone or Apple Watch will help), short sections of exposure, and class 3 to low 4 scrambling, you’ll enjoy this 7.3-mile adventure with roughly 3,500 feet of climbing—and tag two of Colorado’s 54 peaks over 14,000 feet.
1. STEVENS GULCH TRAILHEAD
Plan for an early start (3 a.m. to beat afternoon thunderstorms) and take I-70 to Exit 221 toward Bakersville. If you have a low-clearance vehicle, park in the dirt area just to the south of the Interstate (this will add six hiking miles round-trip to your adventure). Otherwise, drive three miles to the trailhead. Take the well-defined Grays Peak Trail south and then west, working your way up the valley.
2. CARRY ON
After less than a mile, pass a turnoff heading north to Kelso Mountain. Stay on the main trail.
3. LEAVE THE CROWDS BEHIND
At 1.75 miles, watch for a junction with a less noticeable, but still welltrodden climbers’ trail. 18
4. BACK IN THE SADDLE
As you gain altitude, look for an abandoned mine shack built on the uphill slope. Pass it to reach the 12,400-foot saddle between 13,164foot Kelso Mountain and Torreys Peak. Torreys’ summit is only a mile away, but the exposed route ahead will take longer than you think.
5. THE FUN BEGINS
Turn left and head west to reach a rocky bulge where you can see the ridge laid out in front of you for the first time. Stay right. Around 12,700 feet, keep to the left, ascend to a notch and then drop a few feet to tackle the first class 3 section.
13,700-foot point, walk along the ridge and follow the path as it curves right around a smaller point offering views back down the route.
9. ROCKY ROAD
Stay left of the crest to reach a bump of rock—your most challenging terrain to this point. At first, stay left to clear the bottom of this steep obstacle. Near 14,000 feet, with Dead Dog Couloir looming below to your left, it’s best to change directions and climb steeply to the right over a group of large, smooth, angled rocks that lead to the bump’s apex.
10. THE CRUX
Follow the ridge and regain the spine near 12,900 feet. From this perch, a point of chunky white rock ahead draws your attention. When you reach it, bear right to a dirt gully that will deliver you to the base of a wall. Scale this obstacle via an obvious class 3 line. At the top, hike toward the white rock’s pinnacle.
From the top of this pitch, scramble to the spiny knife-edge. Take care: It isn’t long (about 15 feet), but the fin is unavoidable, completely exposed and offers no margin for error. After a two-move down climb (which looks way worse than it actually is), reach the notch at the top of Dead Dog Couloir. Skirt the right side of a white rock tower and turn left to climb the final broad shoulder to the summit.
7. RIDING THE CREST
11. TORREYS PEAK
6. MOVIN’ ON UP
Continue along the crest, drop slightly to the right and ascend another prominent point to reach 13,350 feet. Scramble up along the left side of the ridge.
8. VIEWS FOR DAYS Reach the top of a conspicuous,
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You’ve made it! After a rest, descend the standard trail south toward the Grays-Torreys saddle.
12. DECISION POINT
If you’re wiped, head back to the trailhead here. If not, continue on.
13. GRAYS PEAK
Follow the trail to the top of Grays. Enjoy the fast descent on the standard trail back to your vehicle. THE SOUL TRAIN THE SCRAMBLE UP KELSO RIDGE IS MORE FUN THAN TORREYS' STANDARD ROUTE. photo by Chris Kassar
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NUMEROLOGY
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ROADSIDE ATTRACTIONS The best part of your road trip? The weird and wonderful stops you make along the way. by CAMERON MARTINDELL
S
ummertime, a fully loaded vehicle and mountain towns with hiking, biking, climbing, paddling and après all add up to make the formula for the great American road trip. But what about all the Americana along the way? Roadside attractions are an essential part of any journey. Here, we follow the numbers to fun, kitchy, soothing and unique destinations—all within striking distance of Colorado’s Front Range.
SEVEN Soaking pools (plus one glorious mud pit) at the Ojo Caliente Mineral Springs Resort and Spa in Ojo Caliente, New Mexico. ojocaliente.ojospa.com
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THE WARM WATERS AND CHILL VIBE OF OJO CALIENTE CURE THE ILLS OF LONG DRIVES. photo courtesy Ojo Caliente
186 FEET, 7 INCHES Length, in feet, of the ziplines riders can hire to soar over the Colorado River near Glenwood Springs. Take the No Name exit off I-70. zippingcolorado.com
The record for tossing a solid piece of bison poop at the World Championship Buffalo Chip Throw, held every summer during Fur Trade Days in Chadron, Nebraska. furtradedays.com
THREE HUNDRED AND THIRTY Number of fossilized tracks of three different species of dinosaurs (as well as some from ancient crocodiles) at the Dinosaur Ridge quarry in Morrison, Colorado. dinoridge.org
Inches that the ice cream in the shakes tower above the lip of their cups at Stan’s Burger Shack in Hanksville, Utah. Choose from 36 flavors of these overfilled treats. stansburgershak.com
2
REST FOR THE WEARY
3.5 MILLION
Number, in gallons, of water pumping out of the ground per day from The Big Spring hot springs in Thermopolis, Wyoming. Soak in the public or private hot springs near the Wyoming Dinosaur Center. travelwyoming.com
Years it took to collect the 13 massive Ponderosa Pine perimeter logs that frame the Kiva Koffeehouse perched in a redrock canyon oxbow on Utah route 12 near Escalante. kivakoffeehouse.com
ONE
Height in feet of the Royal Gorge Bridge above the Arkansas River near Canon City, Colorado, where you’ll also find rides and concerts. royalgorgebridge.com
ONE HUNDRED
The number of baby alligators purchased in 1987 to dispose of the dead fish and sloppy remains of filleted fish created in the process of farming Colorado Tilapia. The little rascals did so well that the place is now the Colorado Gators Reptile Park, located near Alamosa, Colorado. coloradogators.com
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Number of electric car charging stations located in Colorado. Most of them lie between Denver and Ft. Collins but there are also stations in Colorado Springs, Steamboat Springs, Breckenridge, Frisco, Vail, Glenwood Springs, Carbondale, Aspen, Telluride, Ouray, Durango and Trinidad. chargeaheadcolorado.com
Number of years the Tiny Town Railroad has been Number of people it took to build Bishop Castle near Rye, Colorado. Jim Bishop has spent 60 operating just west of Denver. years singlehandedly stacking the stone walls in the castle that towers 160 feet and includes tinytownrailroad.com bridges as well as a grand ballroom. Entrance is free. bishopcastle.org J U LY 2 017 / E L E VAT I O N O U T D O O R S . C O M
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STRAIGHT TALK
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SIBYLLE HECHTEL A mountaineering legend relives her adventurous childhood, Yosemite climbing and the moments that stay with you. by CHRIS VAN LEUVEN
S
ibylle Hechtel’s first climb was on the crumbling limestone walls of southern Germany with her father, at age three. Her dad, rocket scientist and prolific climber Richard Hechtel, made the first ascent of the 4,500-meter Peuterey ridge on Mont Blanc in 1953. It was the longest and most difficult route in the Alps at the time and a climb he would later free solo. She was eager to follow in his footsteps. The Hechtels moved to southern California when Sibylle was eight. During college, she spent summers in the park, climbing anything and everything. In 1973, she made two significant first ascents: the first all-women’s big-wall climb up 1,100-foot Washington Column, with Anne Marie Rizzi, and the first all-women’s ascent of 3,000-foot El Capitan, with the late Beverly Johnson. Hechtel completed her education in the mid80s, earning a Ph.D in Biology. But after working for a few years as a science writer, she burned out and quit. Soon after, she began expeditioning in the world’s great ranges, including the Himalayas, where she attempted Mount Everest in 1988. Her one son, Tristan, came along in 1990, and four years later, she did her final Himalayan expedition, to 8,027-meter Shishapangma in Tibet. Today, somewhere in her 60s (we think: she won’t reveal her age), she still takes frequent climbing trips to
Colorado's Eldorado Canyon; Indian Creek, Utah; Squamish, British Columbia; limestone walls in Spain and Italy; and even El Capitan. She talked to us about her life while pulling weeds at her home in Boulder, Colorado.
?
TELL US ABOUT YOUR ADVENTUROUS UPBRINGING.
I’ve always been mentally solid because my father had me climbing all this weird stuff at a young age. That’s probably my saving grace in terms of not being afraid. I was in an avalanche when I was seven. After getting buried, we had to do a river crossing and one of the women in our group broke her leg. Those were the kind of trips my father took me on. I think he took my family and friends places that he probably shouldn’t have.
?
YOU’D LIVE FOR MONTHS EACH SUMMER IN YOSEMITE. HOW DID YOU SUSTAIN YOURSELF?
I had 10 bucks a month for food and I scrounged leftovers every breakfast and dinner at the park cafeteria. Even today, my immediate urge is to grab food off someone’s plate at a restaurant before it gets taken away.
?
WHAT DID YOU THINK OF YOUR FIRST BIG WALLS?
I liked them from the beginning. I loved the views and the scenery and the quiet. I didn’t mind sleeping on ledges. I started sleeping on them when I was a teenager.
?
WHY DID YOU LEAVE SCIENCE?
I got my Ph.D at UC Irvine, then took a job as a postdoc in Ann Arbor, Michigan. I didn’t realize how much work was needed in academics—more than 70 to 80 hours a week. After four years, I decided I could do something better with my life. I like science. I think the research is interesting. I don’t like working seven days a week.
SHISHAPANGMA TAUGHT ME FEAR. I LEARNED HUMILITY. I LEARNED THAT I WASN'T INVINCIBLE.
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WHAT HAPPENED ON PIONEERING WOMAN SHISHAPANGMA? IN 1973, SIBYLLE HECHTEL
We were too early and the AND PARTNER BEVERLY BECAME THE weather was too unstable, JOHNSON FIRST FEMALE TEAM TO so we didn’t summit. One CLIMB YOSEMITE'S EL CAPITAN, SCALING THE night our tent pole broke TRIPLE DIRECT ROUTE. under 80-90 mph winds HECHTEL RETURNED IN and falling snow. It took 2014 TO CLIMB THE NOSE. me years to get over photos courtesy Steve Curtis (top), by Chris Van Leuven (bottom) that night spent pushing against the tent walls to keep from suffocating. The next day, I slipped during the descent and began cartwheeling down the face before stopping on a small pile of snow. If I had cartwheeled any father, I’d be be dead. That was the end of Himalayan expeditions, Canadian mountaineering, and mixed and ice climbing, because I had a three-year-old at home. Shishapangma taught me fear. I learned humility. I learned that I wasn't invincible.
?
AFTER BECOMING AWARE OF YOUR OWN MORTALITY, WERE YOU SCARED WHEN YOU WENT BACK ON EL CAP IN 2014?
I didn't feel scared on El Cap. It was great to be back to one of my favorite places. I felt at home. J U LY 2 017 / E L E VAT I O N O U T D O O R S . C O M
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ENDURANCE
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THE PAIN CAGE
WHEN A MOUNTAIN BIKE RACER ON HIS DEATHBED PROMISES TO TAKE ON THE 12 HOURS OF MESA VERDE WITH HIS GIRLFRIEND, IT TAKES ALL HE CAN MUSTER TO MAKE (OR MISS) THE CUTOFF. by ZACH WHITE
I
’D BEEN ASLEEP FOR 15 HOURS STRAIGHT, only rising to crawl to the bathroom before clocking in another solid effort on what felt like my deathbed. I was enveloped by a bouquet of tingly smells from various creams and ointments—relying on them was the only way I could quell my aches and pains and move without cringing back into a big ball of spasming pain. The vapors wafted off my back and hand, but whatever evil lurked inside my nasal passages revolted, all but shutting down my ability to breathe without coughing up what was surely chunks of lung. Even with a clean bill of health, racing the 12 Hours of Mesa Verde would’ve been a challenge for a 200-pound rider who rarely pedals for more than a couple of hours a day. Sure, I have decades of mountain bike racing experience, but any event
lasting more than a few minutes at a time would feel like an ultra-marathon to me. SPIN ZONE Regardless, I was in the midst of a debilitating reaction to mold, of all things, as SPONSORED BY OSPREY, THE 12 HOURS OF MESA well as suffering from injuries to my back and hand, and it would be a stretch for VERDE TAKES PLACE ON Dr. Bornstein to give me the OK to chamois up three days from this horrible point THE TRAILS OF PHIL'S in my couch’s history of otherwise unabashed comfort. WORLD IN CORTEZ, I should have just said no. Not only was the race just a few days away, but it was COLORADO. BUILT BY AND FOR BIKERS, THE PLACE also a seven-hour drive to the venue. Held every May in Cortez, Colorado, the 12 IS A FUN COMPLEX OF 28 Hours of Mesa Verde stages at the Montezuma County Fairgrounds and puts solo MILES OF SINGLETRACK racers and teams of two, three and four through continuous loops on 16 miles of the THAT OFFERS SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE. GIVE trails at neaby Phil’s World just on the other side of the highway. Fun, yes, but not THANKS TO THE LOCAL, when you can barely get off the couch. NONPROFIT KOKOPELLI BIKE CLUB (AND MAYBE Emma, my girlfriend and usual partner-in-crime for these sorts of deep-end LEAVE THEM A DONATION) jumps, signed up as the other half of my co-ed duo team. Usually, we make for a FOR BUILDING AND pretty evenly matched team—which was all the more reason to seriously think MAINTAINING THESE OUTSTANDING TRAILS. about tapping out. She’d raced Mesa Verde last year and ended up on the podium in the co-ed duo class, so the idea of attempting to bang out miserable death march photos by Zach White laps just to say I tried turned even darker with the thought of dragging her abilities into my abyss of aches and ailments. “Let’s just go. If you’re up for a lap or two, great. If not, Mesa Verde is more about the vibe in the pits than the race, so you can hang out and I’ll just do a few laps for fun,” she said. “I’ll even drive.”
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e made the long trip down to Cortez, with only 15-minutes to spare before race registration closed. Then we drove our van to the designated camping area, marvelling at the seemingly limitless types of different mobile housing people had set up: With over 800 racers signed up for the 2017 event, the makeshift city in the fairgrounds’ free parking lot has an impressively organized feel to it. Some introverted types opted to park away from the nucleus, but most of us clustered together in the name of a fun evening together the night before the race. Emma spent a little bit of the evening visiting friends she hadn’t seen since J U LY 2 017 / E L E VAT I O N O U T D O O R S . C O M
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last year’s race, while I tried—and failed—to stay awake long enough to say goodnight to her. Partially because of my ailments, but mostly because I’m not a runner in any way, shape or form, Emma would line up for the start of our race. It entailed a Le Mans-style run to a rodeo arena filled with bikes, immediately followed by a massive bottleneck at the culvert used to connect the venue to the trails across the highway. I felt selfishly pleased to miss such a rowdy start. I watched the mayhem, then strolled back over to the van to get kitted up for my inevitable lap of tortuous failure. Race volunteers kept track of a swarm of amped up racers in the start/finish area, and refereed who was correctly handing off their race pin to the next relay team member, and who was a solo racer tallying up another lap. It was impressive to watch. Emma came in with a respectable time on her first 18-mile lap. But I hadn’t even thrown a leg over a bike in almost a week, and suddenly there I was trying to find a race pace with a handful of other racers flanking me. Somehow, Emma’s and my first lap times were within seconds of each other. I felt better than miserable, which was 500-percent better than how I’d felt just a couple of days beforehand, but it was only a matter of time before my body would call BS on my mind. Though the initial plan was to grab the camera and try to shoot as much of the race as possible while Emma was out on her laps, it seemed best to just lie down. Heading out on my second lap, and finally submitting to the faster racer paces around me, I settled into a sustainable spin. At first, I flushed with embarrassment at my Sunday-stroll pace. But, short
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At first, I flushed with embarrassment at my Sundaystroll pace. But I soon woke up to the fact that short of a relatively small percentage of serious racers, there was an abundance of riders in tutus and tiaras.
RACE FACE THE 12 HOURS OF MESA VERDE DRAWS A COMMUNITY OF BIKERS WHO RIDE HARD BUT DON'T TAKE THEMSELVES TOO SERIOUSLY. photo by Zach White
LAT
45.470416° N
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of a relatively small percentage of serious racers, I woke up to the fact that there was an abundance of riders out on course in tutus and tiaras. I was in excellent company to simply settle into a pace low in BPMs. It was refreshing to just be out on the bike, riding the fun and flowy trails of Phil’s World. As a longtime racer, however, it was still crushing to watch riders I’d dropped on the short descents disappear from sight on any and every little climb. One detail Emma and I didn’t consider was the lack of communication we’d have between us during the 12-hour race. As much of a team as we were, we’d only see each other in the brief passing of our little bright orange painted clothesline pin at the start/finish. On the third lap, she gave me a big kiss and pedaled off, and I limped back to the van with every intention of sleeping as much as possible. Sleep, however, would have to hold off for a few glorious moments, as Emma had cooked up some bacon she left at the van along with a tub of embrocation cream for my seizing back. She also left a note telling me how her lap went along with a few encouraging words for me. Though not by design at all, our lap times were playing out in a way that’d have Emma finish her fourth lap just past the 6 p.m. cutoff time for racers to do a final lap. That meant my third lap would be my last. Honestly, my third lap was my final lap, regardless of what any math or clocks were equating to. I’d told Emma I was finished before we were officially done, and I curled up like a dying centipede for about an hour before hobbling over to the finish line to watch her come in from her fourth lap.
A
few dozen other racers waited alongside me in staging as the official race clock ticked down the final minutes. It would be counterintuitive for a race where the rider with the fastest time wins, but here getting in one more lap factors in the distance part of the race equation. The excitement for some teams who’d snuck in just under the wire was palpable, as was the disappointment of those teammates who’d missed the mark by minutes, if not just seconds. Then, there was me. In those last few minutes before the cutoff time, standing there in flip flops, I felt awful that I would let Emma down after she put in such a solid effort that day—she logged 72-miles so far out of our 126 total miles. She would have to cowgirl up and knock out another 18-miles on her own. Once the official race clock hit 6 p.m., a huge wave of relief rushed across my otherwise lifeless body. I knew that we could both call it a day. Mostly thanks to Emma’s pace, we ended up in the top third of our class, which we hadn’t expected by any means. Our official result was nothing to write home about, but at the end of the day, racing is about personal efforts and goals—if not about the social aspect of great events like 12 Hours of Mesa Verde. We set our goals low. We simply wanted to show up and hang out at the event, and that made our otherwise personally subpar efforts seem totally worthwhile in the end. And, the bonus of such a dismal performance on my behalf is that it should be relatively easy to improve upon this year’s performance, next year. I’ll start tapering now.
110.955863° W
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CONFESSIONS
0 7.17
THE SWAGGER WAGON HOW I LEARNED TO LOVE THE MINIVAN.
S
OON AFTER MY HUSBAND AND I PURCHASED
a minivan last fall, the reaction from most of our friends was a sympathetic grimace followed by, “I’m sorry.” Those who pitied us tended to drive rugged, three-rows-of-seats SUVs which, they intimated, conferred a level of cool we lacked. Meanwhile, our Toyota Sienna (yes, that one, the Swagger Wagon) epitomized our surrender to suburbia, domesticity and utter conformation. We had now joined the boring status quo. Drive a minivan and you might as well wear Costco mom jeans, quote “American Housewife,” have sex only once a year and sport a bumper sticker that reads, “My child is a kindergarten honor student.” If I hadn’t been having so much fun loading up our minivan with gear and hitting the road, I might have been offended. But while our critics snickered behind their hands at school drop off, I’d seen the light. My epiphany was simple, yet profound: The only apology warranted when it comes to minivans is a mea culpa for not being a believer in the first place. Within days of our purchase, I understood that not only is a minivan a sensible choice for families, it’s equally appropriate for any dirtbag in need of a solid set of wheels and lacking a trust fund that could buy a steezy Sprinter van. Yes, I know, it’s bigger and has more street cred than your average minivan. But good luck finding a used Sprinter for less than $20,000; used minivans, on the other hand, are as prevalent as man buns in a vape shop and often cost less than five grand. If you’re still with me, here’s why the lowly minivan ranks higher than the posh Sprinter. 28
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by RACHEL WALKER
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o begin, consider the space. If you haven’t been inside a minivan, get thee to MINIVAN MADNESS a soccer field on a Saturday morning and ask the friendliest looking mom BOULDER-BASED CLIMBER for a quick tour. Most people can stand (in a small crouch, good for working AND FILMMAKER CEDAR LIVES OUT OF out the quads) inside, and with the seats folded down, you’ve got a bigger footprint WRIGHT HIS MINIVAN QUITE than your average car camping tent. COMFORTABLY WHILE TRAVELING THE COUNTRY About those seats. The engineers at minivan central understand that most IN SEARCH OF NEW of us want ease and convenience when it comes to moving around our vehicle’s ADVENTURES (LEFT). furniture. Unlike other people movers (looking at you, Honda Pilot) with OUTDOOR AND ACTION SPORT INDUSTRY VET “removable” rows of seats which I’ve heard require brute strength to actually JONNY ATENCIO AND HIS remove, the back row seats of the minivan easily disengage for storage into the FAMILY ENJOY A HOME bed of the van. It’s amazing. Flip the handle, and bye-bye seats. AWAY FROM HOME WHEN THEY ROAD TRIP IN LULU, With them gone, you have almost as much space as the back of a pick-up A 1997 VW EUROVAN THAT truck. But unlike a truck whose bed is exposed to the open air, the cavernous HAS WEATHERED TRIPS space of the minivan is already enclosed. No need to shell out big bucks for ACROSS THE WEST (RIGHT). an unwieldy and extremely heavy truck topper (I know of which I speak; for photos by Taylor Keating (left), Jonny Atencio (right) three years I drove an F-150 with a topper, and aside from endowing me with a modicum of sex appeal among the ski bum set and landing me a spot on NPR’s show Car Talk, that damn topper served mostly to beat me up any time I needed to remove it). Now let’s talk about what’s important in an adventure-mobile: cargo space for toys, the ability to provide shelter in poor weather and reliability. Whether you’re a climber, surfer, mountain biker, mountaineer or jackof-all-sports, the van can house your gear, provide shelter for sleep, and even let you cook inside in inclement weather. Sure, it takes some organization, and a few strategic investments in gear won’t hurt. I bought a dozen pack-it organizers from Eagle Creek, to keep headlamps sorted from stove fuel. We also procured a Yakima roof box so we could lock away our skis and extra bags, but that was definitely an add-on, not a necessity. A bike rack is forthcoming (for now, bikes ride in the car even when my family of four is all there because the minivan’s awesome spaciousness allows for it). And, last winter, when we were hitting the road to ski every weekend, we paid big bucks for a Yeti cooler, which kept food cold and fresh for days, virtually ensuring we’d save money by eating in. If there’s a flaw to the minivan, it’s the limited clearance, more on par with a Honda Civic than a Landcruiser. You won’t rumble over rugged Forest Service roads, but you will drive safely in a blizzard, over high mountain peaks, on unplowed roads. The key is to invest in good snow tires and to drive with caution. In the eight months since we purchased our minivan, short clearance has never sidelined me—and I’ve been all over Colorado’s mountains in the winter with a full ride.
P I C K YO U R
PEAK Drive a minivan and you might as well wear Costco mom jeans, quote “American Housewife,” have sex only once a year and sport a bumper sticker that reads, “My child is a kindergarten honor student.”
From Sunshine Peak to Mt. Elbert and no matter your experience, National Geographic Maps is your guide. Light, waterproof, and tear-resistant, these maps don’t quit—just like you.
H
onestly, that’s my only gripe. Since becoming the pilot of a swagger wagon, I’ve fallen in love with the minivan’s elegant design: five doors (two of which slide open) and a place for everything. Cup holders galore, shelves and pockets with unrivaled utility. There are two gloveboxes. And, because I am a mom with kids who play soccer, I love the ability to transport more than my family. The first month we got the minivan, my pal and I took our children—four between the two of us—to Glenwood Springs. Over Thanksgiving, we squeezed in another family of four for the scenic, hourlong drive to my parents’ house in Larkspur. I’ve schlepped a gaggle of kids to practices, the local ski hill, and the bike park. Not only is it convenient, it’s one small effort at reducing the number of cars on the road. And yet, I’m not naïve. I know a minivan lacks the sex appeal of a big SUV. But the stigma associated with my Sienna or the Kia Sedona or the Honda Odyssey is unfair. Whether you’ve got kids or not, if you’re reading this you likely live an active lifestyle. You cherish your days on the road, heading to a trailhead or the desert or your favorite river rapids. And given your penchant for adrenaline and the outdoors, your ample gear closet, your need for convenience and, occasionally, vehicular shelter, I urge you to give the minivan a shot—it could very well change your life. BOULDER, COLORADO-BASED FREELANCE WRITER RACHEL WALKER IS LOOKING TO LOG HUNDREDS OF MILES THIS SUMMER WITH HER BOYS, BIKES, AND BOOTS IN THE FAMILY SWAGGER WAGON. NEED A RIDE? JUST ASK.
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LIBATIONS
07.17
ONE FOR THE ROAD PLAN YOUR SUMMER ROAD TRIP AROUND THESE CRAFT BEER TOWNS WITH OUR ULTIMATE GUIDE TO THE HOTTEST BREWING DESTINATIONS IN THE WEST. by TYRA SUTAK
I
F YOU LOVE CRAFT BEERS as much as you love the great outdoors, then it’s time to plan the ultimate road trip to where the beer flows like perfect singletrack—and there’s plenty of bike trails to work off those IPA calories. The following itinerary links sudsy mountain town destinations around the West with the epic hiking and biking trails surrounding them.
FORT COLLINS COLORADO
Home to two of the top 50 craft breweries in the country (New Belgium Brewing Co. and Odell Brewing Co.), this charming college town boasts a chill vibe, an exploding beer scene and endless outdoor adventure opportunities in the surrounding foothills. Those craft beer powerhouses New Belgium (newbelgium.com) and Odell (odellbrewing.com) are the cornerstone of the city’s beer scene; visits to them are absolute musts. But be sure to check out the city’s up-andcomers, like Equinox Brewing (equinoxbrewing. com), a downtown brewery with an outdoor beer garden and 18 taps, and Horse & Dragon Brewing Company (horseanddragonbrewing. com), a community joint serving fresh, delicious suds like the Passionfruit IPA. Tour the city’s massive craft beer scene responsibly by booking a spot on the Fort Collins Brew Cruise tour hosted by Beer and Bike Tours (beerandbiketours. com)—voted Best Bike Guide Service in our 2017 Best of the Rockies readers’ poll. 30
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JACKSON WYOMING
Jackson calls Yellowstone National Park and Grand Teton National Park the backyard, and it’s home to a handful of craft breweries worth logging road miles for. Head to Snake River Brewing (snakeriverbrewing.com), Wyoming’s first brewpub, for their budget-friendly $9 lunch menu, best accompanied by a pint of their awardwinning Snake River Pale Ale. Follow lunch with a bit of singletrack on Snow King Mountain in town. Then down pad Thai at the funky Thai Me Up Restaurant in downtown Jackson. The joint used to be the premier home of Melvin Brewing Company (melvinbrewing.com), but the owners just opened a shiny new production facility and taproom located about an hour down the road in Alpine, Wyoming.
ALBUQUERQUE NEW MEXICO
New Mexico’s big city burst onto the craft beer scene in 2016, when a handful of Albuquerque’s breweries and brewpubs represented at the Great American Beer Festival. Plus, ABQ’s nearby Sandia Peak Ski Area offers 30 miles of downhill mountain biking. After a day of charging, head to the city center and explore the 14 different breweries. Start at Marble Brewery (marblebrewery.com). It has three locations and offers free brewery tours with samples every Saturday at 2 p.m. at the downtown location. For beer and bites, check out Boxing Bear Brewing Co. (boxingbearbrewing.com), the 2016 GABF Small Brewpub of the Year. Pair a refreshing
Ambear Ale with one of the grilled paninis from the brewpub’s sandwich menu, and fuel up for more riding.
MISSOULA MONTANA
THE BREWERY HIT LIST ENJOY THE AIR ON ODELL'S PATIO, ROCK TO TUNES AT BIG SKY, FIND ENCHANTMENT AT BOXING BEAR, AND TOUR MELVIN'S NEW DIGS (CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT). photos courtesy Odell Brewing Company, Loren Moulton/Big Sky Brewing, John Campi/Boxing Bear Brewing Company, Zach MonteOrijin/Melvin Brewing Company
Missoula is a laidback mountain town surrounded by some of the best fly fishing waters in the country. It’s also home to a fast-growing craft beer scene that includes one of the nation’s most iconic mountain town beers: Big Sky Brewing Company’s Moose Drool (bigskybrew.com), which craft connoisseurs have guzzled since 1995. Ignite the tastebuds with a pint before heading to Draught Works (draughtworksbrewery.com), housed in a former recycling center. Choose from a tap list including 16 beers and sip one on the patio, with killer views of Hellgate Canyon. And no trip to Missoula would be complete without indulging in a traditional German-style beer, like the Maibock, Dopplebock or Pilsener at Bayern Brewing, Inc (bayernbrewery.com), the oldest operating microbrewery in Montana. ELEVATION OUTDOORS DIGITAL EDITOR AND FREELANCE WRITER, TYRA SUTAK SPENDS MOST DAYS ON THE ROAD IN SEARCH OF THE PERFECT POST-HIKE CRAFT BREW.
THE BRODOWN
0 7.17
MAN TIME LEAVE VEGAS TO THE MORONS. WHEN THESE DUDES DECIDED TO CONVENE FOR SOME MASCULINE BONDING, THEY HUNG OUT OVER THE ABYSS IN MOAB. by EUGENE BUCHANAN
T
HE STORMS BARELY MISS US. My
group of friends and I watch the rain fall through the sky in grey streaks between us and Porcupine Rim. Another burst blows by. Were we mountain biking here as usual here in Moab, we’d fear mud, a douching and perhaps a case of squeaky brakes. But we’ve left the bikes behind, and we’re sitting atop cliff-lined Parriott Mesa, on a island in the sky the size of a couple of football fields. Three rappels, a via ferrata traverse and an hour of scrambling down a steep hillside separate us from the safety of our car. Now, it's about to get ugly in a hurry. “Let’s get going, boys,” says Tristan. “It’s moving in pretty quick.” A way better climber than me, with marquee ascents from Yosemite to Fisher Towers, Tristan’s a buddy from my Telluride days who has topped out in storms before. He knows better than us all that a peak in a lightning squall is a bad place to be. So we quit gawking at Castle Valley, 1,400 feet as the pebble falls below us, shush our couch-potato talk of base jumping and squirrel suiting, and hustle to the edge of the football field, to a ledge marking our exit. One by one, we clip in our harnesses and rappel off, barely beating the storm. There’s something about dangling over a void—the type you’d see in a Road Runner cartoon—connected only to a rope, a couple of anchors and belay device that makes you realize how good you have it in life. The precarious umbilical cord makes you appreciate all the other important ties to your existence, from friends to family. The first rappel takes us down through a series of ledges. The second one sandwiches us into a pock-holed slot, protected from the impending storm. A short traverse, with a fixed-rope to help us swing across an exposed span, leads us to the third rappel, which whisks us down an exposed crack. From the bottom, we clip into the bolted cable of a via ferrata traverse, re-clipping around each anchor, and finally reach terra firma on the far side. “I’m feeling better now,” says Drake, another friend and former climbing guide now living in Moab. He’s finally breathing easier about lugging us luddites up here. As far as getting together with the guys, hooking up for a desert climb-hike here was far more rewarding idea than meeting in, say, Las Vegas. It let us bond and blaspheme with each other while traipsing around slickrock slots instead of wasting time on those at the gambling halls. And it renewed friendships that time and life obligations had long diluted.
something to get up DEEP DESERT HANGOUT something. From there, MOAB IS FAMOUS FOR ITS GNARLY BIKE TRAILS, BUT we trusted our shoes’ THE BEST WAY TO REALLY friction to smear our SEE THE PLACE IS TO LEAVE way up another series THE BIKES AT HOME AND RAP INTO THE CANYONS. of twisty canyons and photo by Eugene Buchanan sloping slickrock to the summit. We ate lunch up top and stared east to Parriott, our next day’s quest, before pinpointing our alternative route down. The key: locating a freestanding sandstone spire, which marked another slot canyon leading to the final rappel. Guarding the rappel’s two bolts was a narrow puddle that required stemming over with hands and feet pressed against opposite walls. Once across, we clipped in and rappelled down the final drop, dangling like spiders over the 60-foot overhang.
There’s something about dangling over a void— the type you’d see in a Road Runner cartoon— connected only to a rope, a couple of anchors and a belay device that makes you realize how good you have it in life.
T
he trip started the day before, when my buddies and I headed to Arches National Park to scale its highest point, 5,653-foot Elephant Buttress. First stop: Moab’s Love Muffin for BLT’s. From the parking area near Owl Rock, we had to find a way through the maze of Entrada sandstone fins comprising Bull Winkle rock. A couple of slot grovels and scrambles later, we tied into our first bolted anchor and rappelled off an 85-foot-high cliff into another tight ravine. It marked the first time I’ve ever rappelled down
P
ariott upped the ante a hair, without being overly hairball, the next day. A guidebook calls it a premiere “adventure hiking route for experienced hikers, climbers and canyoneers,” making it perfect for our multi-abilitied posse. It didn't mention the storm that almost hit us. Stashing our harnesses back in our packs after the final traverse, we retrace our uptrail across the desert-red scree field, thankful the sprinkle didn’t turn into a downpour loosening rocks from above. When we finally make it back to the car, we pull out leftover burritomakings and Budweisers from camp the night before. There, we high-five all around before splitting our separate ways. We’re no longer connected to our ropes, but our ties to each other are as strong as ever. J U LY 2 017 / E L E VAT I O N O U T D O O R S . C O M
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SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION 2017
DESTINATION ADVENTURE FOR MORE INFORMATION GO TO | ELEVATIONOUTDOORS.COM
Boulder adventure lodge
ALAMOSA
T
T
A-LODGE.COM | (303) 444-0882
ALAMOSA.ORG | (800) BLU-SKYS (258-7597)
he Boulder Adventure Lodge is where outdoor junkies go to rest their heads after exploring Boulder’s natural beauty and vibrant outdoor scene. Located on the banks of Fourmile Canyon Creek, and tucked inside the walls of Boulder Canyon, this serene spot is just two miles from the city’s downtown and it boasts nightly rates that begin at $50. Plan your visit around the free Under the Stars Film Series (August 3 and September 6) for a night of adventure films.
he city of Alamosa claims one of the country’s most unusual and stunning national parks right in its backyard. Before heading into the Great Sand Dunes National Park, stop by Kristi Mountain Sports (kristimountainsports.com) and rent a sandboard or a sandsled ($18 per day) for an unparalleled adventure in the park. At the end of the day, brush off the sand and head to downtown Alamosa for a cold beer at one of the town’s two craft breweries.
F
or a family-friendly adventure, head to Snow Mountain Ranch in Granby. This wholesome getaway offers endless fun, including a summer tubing hill, horseback riding, canoeing, campfires, electric bike rentals and an adventure zone with climbing, bouldering and zip lining. Book a night in one of many lodging options on site such as $99 per night yurts, and don’t forget to bring the pup! Snow Mountain Ranch is so pet-friendly, it has a dog park on site.
GO OUTSIDE AND PLAY!
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WOMEN’S ADVENTURE CAMP Women years 18 and older who want to find their place in the outdoors should sign up for this four-day camp that includes everything from mountain biking to archery at Camp Chief Ouray (campchiefouray.org).
STAYING ONSITE Guests at Snow Mountain Ranch can enjoy complimentary day passes for activities at the ranch. Not a guest? No problem. Non-guest day passes cost just $20 for adults, $10 for children.
SNOWMOUNTAINRANCH.ORG (970) 887-2152 YMCARockies
SnowMtnRanch
SnowMountainRanch
From the summits of our mountains to the wave trains on our rivers, Colorado is the place to be in the summer, which is why we’ve put together the ultimate guide to the Centennial State’s best places to explore this season. We have you covered here with can’t-miss eateries and breweries, heart-pounding adventures and the best places to rest up at the end of the day. So check out these epic adventure destinations and start planning your sumer adventure trip today.
R
ed rock canyons rise up to meet Colorado’s signature blue sky along the historic Rim Rock Drive inside Colorado National Monument. View the breathtaking scenery by way of two wheels on a 23-mile bike tour that’s a definite must for cyclists visiting Grand Junction this summer. Just be sure to check out the safety rules for cycling inside of the monument and don’t forget $5 for the entry fee. All done? Cap off your ride with a refreshing glass of local wine at one of the area’s 20 plus wineries.
GO OUTSIDE AND PLAY!
GRAND JUNCTION
FARMERS’ MARKET Head to hip, downtown Grand Junction every Thursday night from 5:30-8:30 p.m. for some fresh eats.
TOUR OF THE MOON GRAND CYCLING CLASSIC On September 30, the Tour of the Moon Classic returns to the beautiful pavement of Colorado National Monument. Whether you ride just 41 miles, or opt for the 62mile course, register today for this uniquely Colorado cycling event. tourofthemoon.com
VISITGRANDJUNCTION.COM (970) 244-1480 VisitGrandJunction
VisitGJ
VisitGrandJunction
P
owderhorn Resort is celebrating its 50th anniversary season with a schedule that’s jam-packed with everything cycling! Get the adrenaline flowing at the resort’s downhill mountain bike park or take advantage of one of Powderhorn’s bike clinics. Passes to hit the trails begin at $12 (for a single ride), with day passes running $25 and season passes just $139. And be sure to take advantage of the resort’s free camping when you visit.
GO OUTSIDE AND PLAY!
POWDERHORN MOUNTAIN RESORT
SUNDAY SCRAMBLES Powderhorn’s popular downhill mountain biking race series is back and open to riders of different skill levels. The first out of four races will take place at the resort on July 30, 2017.
GEARS AND BEERS On August 26, Gears & Beers returns to Powderhorn. The cycling-and-suds bash will include live music, beer vendors, bike vendors and more. Be sure to pencil it into your schedule.
POWDERHORN.COM (970) 268-5168 EX. 2046 SkiPowderhorn
SkiPowderhorn
SkiPowderhorn
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SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION
THE
COLORADO BEVERAGE GUIDE
ELEVATIONOUTDOORS.COM
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E L E VAT I O N O U T D O O R S / J U LY 2 017
Colorado is craft beverage central. We have embraced the fine art of making beer, wine, cider, whiskey and other spirits so much so that it has become part of the culture here. Come along as we explore new products and big stories from the state’s best craft makers.
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ew brewers typify the success of Colorado craft breers better than UPSLOPE BREWING COMPANY. It’s gained a well-earned reputation as the perfect partner to bring along on outdoor adventures. Since the brewery’s founding a little more than eight years ago (the same year as Elevation Outdoors), getting outside and enjoying their backyard has been ingrained in the company culture. Hence their motto—Après Everything, the beer that is the perfect cap to any adventure. With a long list of killer brews in cans, it’s tough to narrow your choice down to just one to toss in the cooler before you head out, so let us help you decide. Upslope’s newest addition to its year-round lineup is their Citra Pale Ale, a balanced but juicy go-to pale ale with tropical fruit aromas that grabs your attention the moment you crack a can. Aromatic, flavorful and very drinkable, it’s the ideal beer to unwind with after a day on the trail, in the yard or everywhere in between. Creativity has also become a staple of Colorado brewers. Known as one of the state's, and the nation’s, most innovative breweries, the CROOKED STAVE ARTISAN BEER PROJECT has consistently pushed the known boundaries of beer with off-the-wall creations. Offering up flavors that are unfiltered, and naturally wild, their wild-yeast beers are one-of-a-kind. They have also been quite hard to find: It required a trip to the tasting room in Denver to get the chance to sip one. There’s good news this summer for all Centennial State sippers, however; Crooked Stave just released its first canned beers! Now you can grab St. Bretta, a citrus Saison, HopSavant, a Brettanomyces IPA and Colorado WildSage, a beautiful Brett Saison, and bring them along on
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your next outing. If you are looking for more madness make sure you head to the tasting room located at 3350 Brighton Blvd in Denver where 22 taps are always pouring liquid gold. Of course, a great brewery can be about more than drinking. Boulder’s FATE BREWING COMPANY not only produces award-winning beer, but they also have some of the best grub of any brewery in the state. It makes sense since from the day they opened their doors they have sought to bring people together with the promise of combining a good meal and unforgettable beer, to create real connections. FATE is making a big splash in the scene—in fact so much so that they are expanding into neighboring Lafayette with the summer opening of a new restaurant at 400 W. South Boulder Road. It will feature 30 tap lines—just like the Boulder brewpub— pouring a vast array of FATE’s tasty beers as well as guest drafts from the world’s best brewers that you can sip on their expansive patios. If you can’t make it to the taproom be on the lookout for Uror, a Gose-style sour German wheat ale that is the ideal cure for the hot summer sun and also available in six-packs of cans across the state. Colorado’s repuatation as beer central is well deserved. There’s a long tradition here. So why not make sure that your cooler is stocked only with the finest beers available from a Colorado legend, GREAT DIVIDE BREWING CO. Since its founding over twenty years ago the brewery has been creating a bold, balanced range of beers that go down well in hot weather, and luckily they are now available in cans across the state. Here’s what to toss in the ice. The Colette Farmhouse Ale is full flavored saison that’s perfect for cooling you down after a day spent hiking the trails crisscrossing our fine state. Samurai Rice Ale is a unfiltered ale that is both refreshing
The Spirit Of Adventure 144 West 1st Salida, CO 719 207 4315 www.woodsdistillery.com
IT’S BEVERAGE SEASON: Sip a bit of summercraft goodness at Wood's (opposite). The wood at Wood’s. Oh, and the cocktails. A cold FATE tops off a day in Boulder. Did we mention Wood’s? Toast an adventure with an Upslope. (clockwise from top right) photo by Jake Holschuh J U LY 2 017 / E L E VAT I O N O U T D O O R S . C O M
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NOW IN CANS
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and easy sipping, perfect for readjusting your Zen around the campfire with your best friends. If you like a bit more spice, then make sure you grab a few Titan IPA’s for a full flavored ale that will rejuvenate you after a day pounding the singletrack. New this summer Roadie Grapefruit Radler, brewed with natural grapefruit puree is refreshing and slightly tart with just a touch of bitterness. Lastly for the second year in a row, the signature Denver Pale Ale—one of the finest American pale ales on the market anywhere—will be sporting custom artwork from a local Colorado artist—you can feel refined while sipping one by the creek. Moving on to distilleries, what do you get when two slightly off-center brothers decide to start making their own hooch in one of the funkiest towns in Colorado? Pure magic in a bottle that’s best served with a smile, and some good friends nearby to help you enjoy it. At least that’s what PT and Lee Wood, the founders of WOOD’S HIGH MOUNTAIN DISTILLERY located in the heart of
TASTE THE SUMMER: Colorado Cider Company’s West Slope orchards (top left). Hit FATE’s new Lafayette restaurant in Lafayette (bottom left). Get Crooked (bottom). CRAFT BEER. CHEF-INSPIRED EATS.
Big Adventures? Big Appetite. Visit Boulder’s Foodie, Family and Beer Geek Paradise
Second Location Opening in Lafayette, CO Summer 2017
1600 38th Street Boulder, CO (One Block West of Foothills on Arapahoe) fatebrewingcompany.com
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downtown Salida want. When they began distilling their small-batch handcrafted spirits five-years ago they had one goal in mind: to bottle their passion for outdoor adventure for all to share. It’s safe to say they have succeeded. When they open the garage door right next to the counter in their tasting room you are surrounded by the outdoors. Toss an update to Wood’s already impressive list of homemade cocktails into the mix, and you have the recipe for a perfect afternoon. This summer, the brothers are adding in a build-yourown gin and tonic menu to really help you decompress after a big ride or a paddle trip. If you can’t make it up to the tasting room this summer—or if you want to bring a bit of that feeling home with you—be on the lookout for Blue Yonder Gin, Wood’s newest offering, which will be hitting the market this summer. It’s a full flavored floral masterpiece that’s tinted blue due to the addition of fresh flowers during the distilling process. If whiskey is more to your liking, Wood’s also will be putting out a limited release of their Alpine Rye, which has been aged two-years and has a slightly smoky flavor that balances nicely with
the sweetness of its barley malts. Don’t forget cider. The fermented apple beverage keeps getting more popular and Denver’s COLORADO CIDER COMPANY is leading the charge when it comes to crafting creative apple-based offerings. This year, the cidery is offering some of its best in cans for the first time. Look for 12-ounce four packs of Glider Cider®, Dry, Grasshop-ah and Cherry. This will make them just as easy to haul along on outdoor adventures as many canned craft beers, and it makes for a more eco-conscious product, always a big hit in environmentally forward Colorado. For a lower ABV option available in cans, pick up a 12-ounce six pack of Radl’ah Session Cider. There will still be bottles, including Pearsnickety®, Ol’ Stumpy® and Pome Mel. Get excited about the end of summer, too. The crafters here once again have a unique orchard cider planned for the fall harvest.
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ADVENTURE BEERS: Great Divide Brewing Co. has been in this game for more than two decades (top and left). Meanwhile, Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project is breaking new ground (top left).
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THE MOST ROAD-TRIP WORTHY REGIONS BROUGHT TO YOU BY EMILY REEVES, SIERRA TRADING POST
I N T HE R OC KY M O U N TA I N S
TO MAKE A LONG ROAD TRIP WORTH the drive, choose a whole region to explore rather than one specific location. By making an entire region your target during a road trip, you leave room for unexpected adventures, multiple stops and a more flexible travel plan. If a road trip is in your future plans, you can’t go wrong with heading to one (or all) of these four regions in the Rocky Mountains.
NORT H WE ST M O N TA N A Flying to Glacier National Park Airport in Kalispell, Montana, can get pretty pricey, so most people who take the trip to Glacier make it in their cars. Driving to Northwest Montana is a big feat: The border-hugging location requires a multi-day drive for most travelers. Still, thousands of people flock to the area every year. It’s simply worth the trip. The main attraction is the stunning Glacier National Park with 1,583 square miles of glacier-carved terrain, 700 miles of hiking trails, and a rich diversity of wildlife. However, there’s so much more to love about the region. Consider the lively little town of Whitefish (and beautiful Whitefish Lake) and the clear blue water of Flathead Lake. Anglers will relish days on the Flathead River, which is perfect for rafting, as well. With so much to offer, there’s no doubt that Northwest Montana is one of the most road-trip worthy regions in the Rocky Mountains.
NORT H WE ST W YO M I N G Northwest Wyoming claims two national parks, Yellowstone and Grand Teton. Serene and scenic, Grand Teton includes the jagged peaks of the Teton Range, alpine lakes and streams, the Snake River and over 200 miles of trails to explore. Just a few miles from the southern boundary lies the world-renowned Jackson Hole Ski Resort, and the lovely town of Jackson. Head north to Yellowstone, the world’s first national park. You can make the most of your road trip by driving through Grand Teton National Park to reach the south entrance to Yellowstone National park via highway US-191 (closed in winter). It’s a scenic drive that will bring you into the massive Yellowstone Caldera (a.k.a. Yellowstone Supervolcano), which hosts hot spots, geysers and mud pots. Take the time to explore waterfalls, the Yellowstone River and the beautiful Hayden Valley as you drive through the park. And of course, if you make it all the way to Yellowstone, you better not forget to get your eyes on the famous Old Faithful geyser.
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COLOR A D O’ S W ESTER N SLOP E Of the four regions highlighted here, this may be the most accessible thanks to its proximity to the densely populated Front Range of Colorado. You’ll find thousands of acres of national forest in this region, as well as Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. What else makes it road-trip worthy? Amazing mountain towns like Telluride, Ouray and Crested Butte, to name a few. Head to Telluride to enjoy endless views of the surrounding rugged peaks, experience one of the town’s famed festivals or climb the thrilling via ferrata, a series of metal cables and ladders on a sheer cliff. Nicknamed the “Switzerland of America,” Ouray draws climbers and hikers from around the world. Known as “the last great Colorado ski town,” Crested Butte is worth checking out in any season. Plus, don’t miss tucked-away gems like the little town of Paonia, where you can enjoy a day (or seven) of wine tasting, visiting local orchards and lounging by the river.
SOU TH ER N U TA H Like to mountain bike? Hike? Boat? Explore? Head to Southern Utah. This breathtaking region boasts a whopping five national parks—Capitol Reef, Bryce Canyon, Arches, Canyonlands and Zion. Plus, the newly created Bears Ears National Monument, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and beautiful Lake Powell add even more reasons to visit. You could spend months driving around the area and still miss something. If you’re into mountain biking, then Moab should be your first stop. Hiking? Head to Arches National Park. If you’re looking to spend some time on the water, check out Lake Powell. Canyonlands National Park offers stunning views and mazes of slot canyons, and you’ll find adventurous backcountry hiking and camping in the canyons of the Escalante River.
WINNING
07.17
THE 2017 SUMMER PEAK GEAR AWARDS
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Looking for the goods that can survive a summer of hard use and maybe even elevate your life outside? Meet the gear EO loves to love to death. CONTRIBUTORS: KELLY BASTONE, AARON BIBLE, KIM FULLER, WILL HARLAN, CAMERON MARTINDELL, DOUG SCHNITZSPAHN, RYAN STUART, TYRA SUTAK, CHRIS VAN LEUVEN Twice each year we hand out these coveted Peak Gear Awards to the very best products we put to the test in the field. To determine the winners, we ask our top contributors—who, we are proud to admit, spend far more time camping, hiking, backpacking, biking, climbing and paddling than they do “working”—for the best gear they used over the past year. What gear can’t you live without? What gear changed your outdoor life?
1. Columbia OutDry EX ECO WHY IT WON: Columbia has created a truly “green” rain shell. Every detail and material that went into construction of this jacket—from recycled zipper pulls to a non-PFC membrane to a white color that saves 13 gallons of water required for dyes—is as sustainable as possible. None of that matters unless it performs—and the OutDry does, shucking precip as well or better than any rain shell. If you don’t like the white color, wait until next season, when Columbia will release an alsoPFC-free black version made via a process that introduces color while the material is being formed. WHERE WE TOOK IT: Hut-to-hut trips in foul weather in the Alps and backpacking adventures along the Front Range. $199 | columbia.com
2. Patagonia 850 Down Sleeping Bag (19°F) WHY IT WON: This 850-fill traceable down snuggler is based on the bag Yvon Chouinard designed for his climbing and surfing adventures 45 years ago. But current fabric and design technologies have made it ideal for future visionaries—the down and a smaller cut in the foot box make for comfy nights of sleep and the Pertex outer sheds condensation. Plus, it’s designed so you can sleep while tied into an anchor on a big wall. WHERE WE TOOK IT: Camping trips in Bears Ears National Monument and backpacking and spring ski mountaineering in Rocky Mountain National Park. $399 | patagonia.com
3. Five Ten Quantum WHY IT WON: The Quantum is the most comfortable, high-performance climbing shoe we’ve ever worn for crack climbing all the way up to dime-edge face routes. This is important, because most climbing shoes can’t do double duty—they have a dead spot in the toe or a shape specific only to certain terrain.
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WHERE WE TOOK IT: It is our go-to shoe from the South Platte to Eldo to Boulder Canyon. They perform equally well on all types of hard climbing— slabs, cracks, steeps, pockets and delicate faces. $185 | fiveten.com
4. Goal Zero Yeti 1400 Lithium WHY IT WON: This is a serious upgrade for Goal Zero: Power on the go will no longer break your back thanks to this new lightweight Lithium cell technology. The 45-pound, 9.6-ounce generator comes with four 2.4A USB ports, three 12v options, and two pure-sine wave 1500W/3000W surge AC Outlets. Charge it via two inputs for Goal Zero panels (we used the Nomad 100), A/C wall power or the clip-in input to use third-party panels. We powered a 120V~:0.72A portable refrigerator for a week—no ice, no soggy food.
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WHERE WE TOOK IT: Car camping adventures all over Colorado and in the mountains of Wyoming. $1,999 | goalzero.com
5. Inov-8 Roclite 290 WHY IT WON: The Roclite is a no-frills trail runner that can handle serious punishment. Lightweight (10.2 ounces) and super-grippy on technical terrain, it’s also nimble and flexible. It’s got ample cush for longer distances, and it drains and dries quickly after wet-foot creek crossings. WHERE WE TOOK IT: Up and down steep, slick Southern Appalachian singletrack. Boulder Trails. $120 | inov-8.com
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6. Outdoor Research Ascendant Hoody WHY IT WON: This jacket does it all. The Polartec Alpha insulation pulls off the seemingly impossible by breathing well yet also providing warmth when you need it. That means it works as a primary jacket or midlayer for spring skiing, cold weather backpacking, nights around the campfire or even just walking the dog. WHERE WE TOOK IT: It’s the one
jacket we always pack, whether we are headed on spring bike rides on Santa Fe’s Dale Ball trail system, spring skiing in the Indian Peaks, car camping across the West or checking out canyons in Bear’s Ears National Monument. $199 | outdoorresearch.com
7. La Sportiva Nucleo High GTX WHY IT WON: This two pound, two ounce shoe gives all the support of those old, big trekking boots, with the comfort and lightness of a low hiker. And the Gore-Tex membrane actually does its job, shedding the wet and mud on the trail.
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WHERE WE TOOK IT: Backpacking trips in Bear’s Ears National Monument and the Indian Peaks. Trail work projects with Jefferson County in Colorado. Plus, the EO Live Outside and Play road team has been pounding on these shoes all season long, from Virginia to Colorado (full disclosure, La Sportiva is a tour sponsor, but that only means the team has had more time to pound on them). $199 | sportiva.com
8. Boardworks Verve WHY IT WON: An 11-foot SUP with the speed of a much longer board, the Verve is smaller and lighter than most touring SUPS so it’s easier to get to the water and great for smaller paddlers, but it’s still stable and feels as fast as a 12-foot, six-inch SUP. That makes for a very versatile ride.
WHERE WE TOOK IT: Flat water including Boulder Reservoir and Cherry Creek, the ocean and inland lakes in British Columbia. $1,399 | boardworkssurf.com
9. Peak Design Everyday Backpack 20L
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WHY IT WON: The intuitiveness
11. Lululemon Enlite Bra
of this pack is uncanny, with easy top access for a laptop and/or tablets, a quick-access top-load adjustable magna-latch buckle that looks sharp and full-zip side panels with slick organizational pockets. Inside, the unique, origami-style adjustable dividers allow for endless optimization and easy storage.
WHY IT WON: This stable bra is a game-changer for C/D cups, as it maintains chest shape and almost completely eliminates chest movement during high-impact activities like running.
WHERE WE TOOK IT: Everywhere we go, from bike and bus commutes to international travel. Photoshoots around Colorado and the Southeast. $290 | peakdesign.com
WHERE WE TOOK IT: Running in both warm and cold weather, from short 20-minute interval sessions to more casual fun runs, and to trail and road running races. $98 | lululemon.com
10. MSR TrailShot
12. Sage MOD
WHY IT WON: The Hollow Fiber technology here not only filters water but purifies it. Specifically, it removes bacteria, protozoa, and particulates through the 0.2 micron medium, and maintains an incredible flow rate of one liter per minute. It's easy to use, effective and ideal for solo trips or days when you don't want to carry water.
WHY IT WON: If we could fish with just one rod for the rest of our lives, this would be it. It's capable at short/ moderate distances, ego-strokingly accurate—and beautifully finished. We've used more powerful rods, which are nice for long throws or windy conditions, but the MOD excels at the casts you make most of the time.
WHERE WE TOOK IT: Camping, trail running and hiking day trips and long treks in the Indian Peaks here in Colorado and in British Columbia, Canada. $50 | msrgear.com
WHERE WE TOOK IT: Outings across the Rockies: the Yampa, Big Thompson and Roaring Fork rivers in Colorado; the Big Wood River in Idaho; high alpine lakes. $850 | sageflyfish.com
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13. Metolius Ultralight Master Cams WHY THEY WON: As our climbing circuits get longer and more intense— upwards of 20 pitches in a weekend— everything becomes streamlined. This means we cut weight everywhere. Bulk/weight really adds up when climbing 150- to 200-foot pitches of 5.11 and 5.12 trad (especially when you do them again and again). This is where the Metolius UL Master Cams shine. When carrying a set of these, your rack will feel like half the usual weight. That equates to a noticeably more enjoyable climbing experience. WHERE WE TOOK IT: Trad climbs
here in Colorado and in New York's Adirondaks. $60-$65 | metoliusclimbing.com
14. Liv Pique 2 WHY IT WON: It's refreshing to hop on a bike that simply feels like it was made for a woman on the trail—and the price is not too steep. Liv delivers just what a woman wants out of a bike: female geometry. A playful 27.5-inch ride, the Pique 2 features a lower stand-over height than a men’s
model, which makes it easier for women to navigate tough technical sections on both gutty climbs and raucous descents. WHERE WE TOOK IT: Rides all over the Front Range, Utah and New Mexico, including long epics like Buffalo Creek sections of the Colorado Trail, short loops like Santa Fe’s Dale Ball Trails and technical fun like Hall Ranch’s rock garden in Lyons, Colorado. $3,150 | liv-cycling.com
15. Eagle Creek Packit Cubes WHY IT WON: We don't know how we ever managed road trips and camping with toiletries, a journal and pens, scarves, hair ties and extra hat, extra gloves before … without losing it all. Thanks to this simple but brilliant organizing system, we no longer travel with Ziploc bags. And everything has a place, which brings peace and calm to our adventures. WHERE WE TOOK IT: Everywhere from heliskiing in Canada to spring skiing in Telluride to Colorado hut trips to a spring desert car camping getaway. $11-$46; eaglecreek.com
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16. Mystery Ranch Stein 62 WHY IT WON: Plenty of packs have a way to convert a lid into a daypack, but they can often be janky when you use them. The roomy Stein actually uses the pack’s harness system to build a real day pack. Plus, a carbon fiber stay system and foam padding cut the weight down to an impressive four pounds, seven ounces, and smart design like an easy-to-access hydration sleeve in the lid and sidezip access to the center of your pack made it our go-to hauler. WHERE WE TOOK IT: Multi-day and overnight peak-bagging and fly-fishing trips in Rocky Mountain National Park and the Indian Peaks. $299; mysteryranch.com
17. Alchemy Arktos WHY IT WON: With six inches of travel, a responsive dual link suspension and agile 27.5 wheels, this ride did all we asked of it with aplomb. Even better, Denver-based Alchemy offers the option for a customized paint job—though that’ll
cost you $3,799 for the frame and shock. Oh and it’s made here in the U.S.A., a fact that oddly pleases conservatives and liberals alike. WHERE WE TOOK IT: Rides all over Nederland trail system, including Plants and Animals, Mud Lake and Sugar Magnolia; Santa Fe, New Mexico's Dale Ball and La Tierra trail systems; singletrack at Buffalo Creek, Colorado; the Valmont Bike Park in Boulder, Colorado. $2,999 (frame and shock) | alchemy.bike
18. Lander Cascade Powerbank (7800 MAH) WHY IT WON: This portable charger proved an essential when outlets were nowhere to be found. It's durable, provides multiple full charge-ups for your phone, and is small enough to fit in even no-frills trail-running packs. WHERE WE TOOK IT: Every single trip we have been on over the past year—from watching sandhill cranes in Nebraska to climbing in Joshua Tree, California, to touring Colorado breweries. $70 | lander.com
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HEAR THIS
07.17
GIVE ME MORE RUN-AROUND Five reasons why you should see Blues Traveler—again—at Red Rocks on the Fourth of July. by JEDD FERRIS
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n the summer of 1997, a friend and I escaped the stifling Florida humidity with a road trip to the dry air of Colorado. We snaked up through the South—Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky—before entering the Midwest and beating the boredom of the endless stretch of I-70 through Missouri and Kansas with Stephen King audiobooks. After 28 hours, we stepped out of an overly ripe Civic hatchback, exhausted but exhilarated to be in the parking lot of the greatest live music venue in the country. With some fast-fingered luck on Ticketmaster’s phone line (remember those days?), we had secured tickets to see Blues Traveler on the Fourth of July at Red Rocks. At the time, this wasn’t an easy score. Just six months prior, the band had sold out Madison Square Garden on New Year’s Eve and was undoubtedly at the peak of its popularity, getting ready to open stadiums for the Rolling Stones that coming fall. As the founders of the H.O.R.D.E. tour, John Popper’s crew was big with the jam band tribe, but the group was also enjoying the mainstream success of a breakout record “Four,” which contains the Grammy-winning hit single “Run-Around” and to date has sold more than six million copies in the U.S. I’ve never been a die-hard fan, but that night, certainly miffed some purists, Popper’s super-speedy the band blew me away. The venue certainly scales and improvisational tangents have certainly enhanced the experience: Seeing a show challenged the boundaries of the instrument. surrounded by the natural beauty at Red Rocks seemed otherworldly compared to the concrete #2 THEY BRING GREAT GUESTS cookie-cutter concert sheds I was used to. But I’ll Blues Traveler features great opening acts when also give credit to Blues Traveler. The grouped playing Red Rocks on the Fourth. Leftover Salmon weaved nimbly between rock grooves, funk jams wowed the place on the show I caught back in 1997— and melodic pop tunes, while Popper delivered and they’re still a personal favorite. This year, the head-spinning solos on his harmonica. band is going for full-on 1990s roots-rock nostalgia This year the band turns 30, celebrating with with support from fellow H.O.R.D.E. alums Rusted a lengthy tour that runs through the fall. The Root, the Spin Doctors and mainstream no longer pays attention, and from AFTER 28 HOURS, WE STEPPED the Samples, a Bouldergrassroots favorite town to town the group’s OUT OF AN OVERLY RIPE CIVIC bred that emerged in the late crowds are smaller than HATCHBACK, EXHAUSTED 1980s and resurfaced they once were, but Blues BUT EXHILARATED TO BE IN with new material a few Traveler still holds court years ago, sparking the on the Rocks every Fourth. THE PARKING LOT OF THE GREATEST LIVE MUSIC VENUE occasional reunion. If you’ve never been, here are five reasons you IN THE COUNTRY. #3 THEY PLAY should experience this FUN COVERS longstanding tradition in Colorado live music. I’ll never forget hearing Popper burn harp through the infamous fiddle solo in “The Devil Went Down #1 NO ONE PLAYS HARMONICA LIKE to Georgia,” just one of the many great covers in the JOHN POPPER band’s deep repertoire. Lately they’ve been throwing Blues Traveler’s frontman plays the instrument, Radiohead’s “Creep” into set lists, and on the best known for traditional blues vamps and filling Fourth you can count on Popper to deliver a soulful space in folk ballads, with the hyper tenacity of a harmonica rendering of “The Star-Spangled Banner.” lead guitarist in a rock band. While the style has
#4 THE HOOKS BRING YOU BACK
INDEPENDENCE DAY CELEBRATING THEIR 30TH
ANNIVERSARY, THE BOYS Admittedly, Blues FROM NEW JERSEY HAVE Traveler’s latter-day BEEN PLAYING RED ROCKS ON FOURTH OF JULY SINCE output has been less than 1992, WHEN THEY OPENED impactful. I was baffled FOR THE LATE GREAT GREGG by the band’s latest studio ALLMAN. THIS YEAR WILL BE THEIR 23RD SHOW AS album, “Blow Up the HEADLINERS AT THE ROCKS. Moon,” which featured photo by Craig O'Neal / courtesy of appearances by Hanson Blues Traveler and JC Chasez of NSYNC, but the early catalog is stellar. For some of Popper’s best songwriting, check out “Sweet Pain” and “Support Your Local Emperor” from 1991’s “Travelers and Thieves.” That record closes with the epic “Mountain Cry,” a nine-minute, tempo-shifting blues meditation featuring keys and vocal help from Gregg Allman (RIP). You can’t help singing along to “RunAround” and “Hook,” either, both tunes that exemplify Popper’s ability to craft a catchy chorus.
#5 FIREWORKS ON THE ROCKS
Red Rocks offers amazing views of the Front Range fireworks. From the upper seats, you can look beyond the stage and catch bursts of color above Boulder and the city lights of Denver—perfect visuals when the band is on that famed stage and locked in a deep groove. J U LY 2 017 / E L E VAT I O N O U T D O O R S . C O M
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THE ROAD
07. 17
WHEN IT WAS NEW What happens when you settle into a life? Can you rekindle the joy of first being free (and beautifully clueless) on the open road? by BRENDAN LEONARD
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sat in the back seat of a car the spring of my final year of grad school at the University of Montana, mostly just listening to the guys in the front seat talk about all the countries and other places they’d visited. I didn’t say much because at 25, I hadn’t really been anywhere besides Iowa, where I grew up, and Colorado a couple of times. Josh looked back and tried to include me in the conversation. “How about you, Brendan? Do you want to travel?” I shrugged and said something like, “Yeah, I suppose so.” I would have about $900 to my name when I graduated in a couple months, which didn’t leave a lot of money to buy tickets to, say, Bali. A few weeks later, I walked into the financial aid office and asked for a $1,000 loan, to, you know, tide me over until I found my first job. None of that really mattered. The week after commencement, my friend Nick and I embarked on my first ever real road trip. We took 10 days to get from Missoula, Montana, to Phoenix, driving through Idaho, Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Utah and Arizona. We didn’t know shit about anything and it was wonderful. We had a $100 Campmor tent, some cheap sleeping bags, a single-burner backpacking stove and a Rand McNally Road Atlas (courtesy of my State Farm Insurance in New Hampton, Iowa). We packed it all into my two-door 1996 Pontiac Grand Am GT, which was about as far from the ideal road trip vehicle as you could get. (I was overjoyed two years later when a guy ran a stop sign in Denver and totaled the car, so I could buy a Subaru wagon with all-wheel-drive.) 44
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Nick and I stopped at Olympic National Park, $100 tent as soon as I HOW THE PROS ROLL Smith Rocks, Redwood National Park, Yosemite, could afford something LIVE IN YOUR CAR LONG ENOUGH AND YOU Zion, Monument Valley, and the Grand Canyon, better. I spent three sleeping mostly on the ground, at friends’ houses years working remotely, UNDERSTAND THE SUBTLE ART OF HOW TO SETTLE a couple of nights, and in the semi-reclining front living in a van with a INTO A SPOT IN THE seats of the car twice. We spent way too little mattress in the back, and MAZE DISTRICT IN UTAH'S time in way too many places, and took a bunch figured out how to write LAKE POWELL NATIONAL RECREATION AREA FOR A of photos on disposable cameras (including the in a “mobile office” that FEW FINE DAYS. photo by Brendan Leonard standard “I’m not looking at the camera so it was sometimes a coffee looks like I’m contemplating something really shop table, sometimes a deep, but really I’m just thinking about whether friend’s couch, sometimes or not I look cool on the edge of this cliff ” photos). a public library, and every once in awhile, a At the start of the trip, I had hardly any laundromat or the back of my van. outdoor experience beyond a dozen or so day I went on a great nine-day Southwest road hikes in Montana, Idaho and Colorado, but at trip with my friend Mick, who said, “When you’re the end of the trip, I walked into the REI store young, everything is new. When you’re old, in Phoenix and everything reminds WE SPENT WAY TOO LITTLE TIME IN WAY managed to talk you of something my way into a job else.” After he told me TOO MANY PLACES, AND TOOK A BUNCH OF on the sales floor, PHOTOS ON DISPOSABLE CAMERAS (INCLUDING that, I realized every even though I pretty trip to the desert THE STANDARD “I’M NOT LOOKING AT THE objectively still didn’t reminded me of a know shit about shit. CAMERA SO IT LOOKS LIKE I’M CONTEMPLATING different trip a few SOMETHING REALLY DEEP, BUT REALLY I’M JUST years back, and that THINKING ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT I LOOK it’s sometimes nice spent the next to revisit your old dozen or so years COOL ON THE EDGE OF THIS CLIFF” PHOTOS). haunts, even if they’ll punctuating my never feel the same as the first time you went. seasons with road trips whenever I could get a Places change. Monument Valley got a week off work or a three-day weekend: to the nice hotel where there used to be just a dusty desert, to the Tetons, out to the coast, anywhere campground, Moab got a dozen new hotels I was curious about and could talk myself into. and more restaurants, and it seemed like Good cameras got cheaper, I learned to climb, the campground in the Needles District in backpack, mountain bike and carry less gear, and Canyonlands National Park had more and more I got better gear for everything, retiring that
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people in it every Thanksgiving. And of course, I changed too. I had put almost 100,000 miles on that van when I sold it, after four-and-half years of bouncing around the West. I was tired of always living in other people’s space. I got an apartment with my girlfriend, and a toaster, and a blender, and loved it. After three years of life being one never-ending road trip, I was excited to get back to regular road trips. I had developed a skill and tolerance for traveling, to the point where I could pack to leave for a week in less than an hour the night before a flight or road trip (and sometimes the hour before we walked out the door). Traveling, at times, started to become exhausting. A decade after that first road trip with Nick, I found myself traveling relentlessly for fun, but also to promote books and attend trade shows and film festivals, using the dirtbag skills of sleeping in my car, Leave-No-Trace couch surfing, and how to concentrate on writing in the noisiest, busiest environments, to make it all work. Sometimes, when pushing through the last miles of a 7-hour drive home from a trip, trying to stay awake behind the wheel, I’d hear Josh from the University of Montana in my head: “How about you, Brendan? Do you want to travel?” And I’d chuckle.
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his past March, Hilary and I spent five days in The Maze District in Canyonlands, celebrating the end of a 50-date book tour. We were so tired, we found one campsite and barely left it the entire trip. At the end of our time here, we took the jet boat from Spanish
Bottom back to Moab, and we checked into a hotel for the night. As we stood at the front desk, an SUV with Nebraska plates pulled up, a pile of duffel bags stacked on a hitch rack on the back of the car. Five young men piled out, pale from a winter spent indoors studying, ready for their first desert sunburn. They looked about as dialed as Nick and I probably did leaving Missoula in my Grand Am 13 years ago, and for just a second, I remembered what it was like to have that Holy-Shit-We’reGoing-On-A-Road-Trip excitement, and how wonderful it is to not know anything. And it
was just like a living illustration of that thing Mick used to say, when you’re young, everything is new, and when you’re old, everything reminds you of something else.
TAKE IT ALL IN THE BEST WAY TO EVOLVE INTO AN OUTDOOR JUNKIE WHO KNOWS “SHIT ABOUT SHIT?” TAKE AS MANY ROAD TRIPS AS POSSIBLE, TAKE AS MANY PHOTOS AS POSSIBLE AND NEVER FORGET HOW IT FELT THE FIRST TIME YOU FELT FREE. photo by Brendan Leonard
BRENDAN LEONARD IS THE AUTHOR OF THE GREAT OUTDOORS: A USER’S GUIDE AND SIXTY METERS TO ANYWHERE. YOU CAN KEEP UP WITH HIS ADVENTURES, READ HIS WORK AND BUY HIS BOOKS AT SEMI-RAD.COM.
YOU CAN’T DO THIS IN THE MOUNTAINS. Not that you’d want to. The rivers are too cold, too fast, and too full of giant rocks. But that’s just fine because some river adventures have nothing to do with being cold, wet, and in constant danger. Some river adventures happen at a mosey. Just you, some friends, a cooler, and an unsinkable cattle tank.
It’s called tanking. Invented in Western Nebraska. You’re welcome.
to Western Nebraska
TankWestNebraska.com
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ELWAYVILLE
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THE ROAD TRIP NOT TAKEN Because when you have the choice to stay or go… go.
by PETER KRAY
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asketball players have a saying: You miss every shot you don’t take. The same could be said of road trips. In college, I missed out on a trip to ski New England’s legendary Tuckerman Ravine with three other guys named Pete. I think I stuck around campus for some memorably unmemorable barbecue or keg party, while my buddies returned with spring-piste tans and tales of campfires, steep corn chutes and an angry moose. Another time, I gave up my ticket to the legendary U2 Under a Blood Red Sky tour—yes, the one where Bono strutted across the Red Rocks stage in a withering rain—to study for a biology test. Even after all the cramming, I still got a C-minus. In high school, I even blew a chance to snowboard the Great Sand Dunes—maybe before anyone else had ridden them—because The Nuggets were in the playoffs, and I wanted to watch the game. It’s been a long time since anyone’s had to worry about that. The only road trip I’m grateful I missed was when a few friends called after college to say they were moving to Telluride, and did I want them to pick me up? When their car broke down in Nebraska, another friend called to ask if I wanted to move to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, instead. That move changed my life.
BIGGER THAN THIS
As stunningly beautiful as Telluride is, if I had stayed here in Elwayville at that personal crux moment, I’m afraid I might still think Colorado is all there is of the Rocky Mountain West. I would never have lived beneath the jagged teeth of the Tetons and felt the thrilling mix of terror and awe at skiing a bigger, wilder, steeper mountain than anything I had ever experienced. I also wouldn’t have eventually seen the many lonely blue ranges of Montana—the Bridgers, Crazies, Absarokas and the Beartooths. I wouldn’t have felt like I was traveling in a lunar lander as I traversed those great yawning landscapes in a silver Volkswagen Golf. Or camped under so many stars it made me dizzy to see them, sharing tobacco, whiskey, stories, dreams and all that open space with ranchers, hippies, soldiers and ski bums, and a host of other travelers. Those events, and those people, continue to teach me life lessons—little mantras and big ideas that sometimes keep me up at night. Like the visceral relief of having my own memories to share of spring-piste tans, late-snow couloirs and some half a dozen angry moose.
Illustration by Kevin Howdeshell / THEBRAVEUNION.COM
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Moving to Jackson eventually led to me traveling across the oceans to South America, Japan and Europe. It opened my eyes to the possibilities of being a stranger in a strange country rather than shrinking down to the two-dimensional cutout of another angry local, sitting on my duplex porch, in Sunday Broncos traffic or on the first-day chair at A-Basin, bitching about how much better Colorado was before “all the newcomers ruined it.”
SAY YES
Mark Twain famously said, “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime.” Only John Wooden, Yogi Berra and Seinfeld can compare to Mark Twain when it comes to quotable quotes of grassroots wisdom. Although I might disagree, at least for a moment, with the global implications of our current national wisdom. America right now is a country looking for itself on the Internet. We stare at our phones to speak with
our friends, vow to hate strangers in newspaper comment sections and on Facebook, and personalize every random nuance of sports and politics. Every morning, we seem to think some new piece of online information might save or doom us, then immediately move on to something else. What we really need to do right now is go out on a trip to rediscover ourselves. You know, the kind of open-ended adventure full of possibilities, unknowns and even a little danger that might entice Hunter S. Thompson or Jack Kerouac to jump in the car, chip in for the beer and the gas, and offer up a place to crash for the night. It’s time for all of us to take a long look at each other, and ourselves, and to be reminded that the adventure is us. You’re not going to get that on the couch, or your phone. You have to hit the road to find it. The next time someone asks if you want to go on a road trip, just say yes! —ELEVATION OUTDOORS EDITOR-AT-LARGE PETER KRAY IS THE AUTHOR OF THE GOD OF SKIING. THE BOOK HAS BEEN CALLED “THE GREATEST SKI NOVEL OF ALL TIME.” DON’T BELIEVE THE HYPE? YOU CAN BUY IT HERE: BIT.LY/GODOFSKIING
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Some roads call for an adventurous spirit.
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