Elevation Outdoors August 2017

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THE

MOUNTAIN EMPOWERED

THE FEMALE LEAD­—MARGO HAYES AND THE NEW WOMEN OF CLIMBING

ASK A GUIDE GEAR YOU NEED

FOR THE CRAGS

OFF THE BEATEN PATH IN ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK

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IT’S

PLAYTIME AD O R O L O C IN

’S

!

Y R T N U O H IG H C

BOLD HOLDS

E, 13 13 W AS HI NG TO N AV

GO LD EN CO | 30 3. 27 1.9

COURTNEY LOVE NAVIGATES THE MONKEY TRAVERSE. IN THIS, OUR ANNUAL MOUNTAIN ISSUE, WE DIG INTO THE REAL EMPOWERMENT WOMEN ARE CREATING IN THE WORLD OF CLIMBING (PAGE 22).

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ON

TINATI S E D R U O Y

P O H S G N CAMPIFOR OVER 20 YEARS

CONTENTS AUGUST 2017

photo by Nicole Thurk

DEPARTMENTS

7 EDITOR’S LETTER

Outdoor Retailer comes to Colorado.

8 QUICK HITS

Where to go “tramping,” Melvin’s nomadic brewer, belay glasses, high times in Telluride, eclipse hikes and more...

12 FLASHPOINT

How slackliner Sonya Iverson and the City of Boulder legitimized the sport.

15 HOT SPOT

Devils Head crags keep getting better.

16 THE TRAIL

Download the free ViewRanger app and take on 18 miles of Mummy Mania.

19 NUMEROLOGY

FEATURES

22 FEMALE LEAD

This is how women climbers are creating their own space in a world all too often defined by their male counterparts.

26 GENERATIONS

Kennan Harvey sees a younger version of himself when he helps teach a 13-year-old friend the multi-pitch ropes.

29 PROUD PUPS

Meet the adorable winners of our top adventure dog readers’ poll.

30 ASK A GUIDE

It pays to hire a pro. Here’s why.

35 THE BEST GEAR

This new swag will improve your belaying and peakbagging experiences.

These mountain facts may surprise you.

21 STRAIGHT TALK

Kyle Maynard bear crawls to the top.

39 HEAR THIS

The Invisible Whip honors a blues hero.

YETI SB5+

2018 BIKES ARE HERE! Spot Brand MAYHEM

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545 lden CO 80401 | 303.278.6 722 Washington Ave, Go

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40 THE ROAD

Jonathan Waterman felt compelled to climb Denali one more time for his 60th.

42 ELWAYVILLE

What we can learn from D-Day survivors.

Want more?

Catch up on past issues, your favorite bloggers and daily online content at ElevationOutdoors.com ON TH E C OV ER: B ETH G ORA LSKI SC A LES TH E C H U B BY PIC KLE (5.11B ).

ILLUSTR ATION BY: DAV ID C LIFFOR D / DAV ID C LIFFOR D PH OTOGR A PH Y.C OM

CAMPUS CRUSH

MK Flat Pack

MK Rucksack

Your Back to School Headquarters: Mountain Khakis Flagship Store 1412 Larimer Square Denver, CO (303) 505-1566 MountainKhakis.com

Confluence Kayaks 2301 7th St. Denver, CO (303) 433-3676

CONTRIBUTORS

PRESENTING YOUR YEARLY CHANCE TO WISH YOU HAD A CAR YOU COULD SLEEP IN, TOO. ElevationOutdoors.com

WHAT MOUNTAIN RANGE KEEPS CALLING YOU BACK?

EDITORIAL

DOUG SCHNITZSPAHN

ED ITOR -IN -CH IEF

DOUG SCHNITZSPAHN

SATURDAY, AUGUST 26

11:00 AM - 4:00 PM

doug@elevationoutdoors.com MAN AG IN G ED ITOR

CAMERON MARTINDELL

cameron@elevationoutdoors.com SEN IOR ED ITOR

CHRIS KASSAR

Montana’s sublime, sedimentary, wildflower- and wildlife-filled Gravelleys. There’s no place closer to my heart.

chris@elevationoutdoors.com

ELIZABETH O'CONNELL

CON TRIBUTIN G ED ITORS

JOIN US AS WE CELEBRATE OUR FAVORITE KIND OF GERMAN ENGINEERING, ALONGSIDE OUR FAVORITE KIND OF GERMAN BEER. Get up close and personal with 40 vintage VWs as you sip on the 2017 release of our Red Baron Octoberfest--with its brand-spanking-new package design. Grab a bite to eat, too, and savor a sunny Colorado afternoon well spent. Prost!

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

GEORGIE ABEL, JEFF BLUMENFELD, JEDD FERRIS, KENNAN HARVEY, KRISTEN POPE, LORI POTTER, JONATHAN WATERMAN ART + PRODUCTION A RT D IREC TOR

MEGAN JORDAN

megan@elevationoutdoors.com

SEN IOR D ESIG N ER

LAUREN WORTH

lauren@elevationoutdoors.com G RA PH IC D ESIG N ER

PAIGELEE CHANCELLOR

paigelee@elevationoutdoors.com

ADVERTISING + BUSINESS PRESID EN T

BLAKE DEMASO

blake@elevationoutdoors.com PU BLISH ER

ELIZABETH O’CONNELL

elizabeth@elevationoutdoors.com

Photo: Noah Wetzel

SEN IOR AC C OU N T EXECUTIVE

MARTHA EVANS

martha@elevationoutdoors.com AC C OU N T EXECUTIVE

CONOR SEDMAK

conor@elevationoutdoors.com BU SIN ESS MAN AG ER

MELISSA GESSLER

melissa@elevationoutdoors.com C IRC U LATION MA N AG ER

HANNAH COOPER

hcooper@elevationoutdoors.com

DIGITAL MEDIA ON LIN E D IR EC TOR

CRAIG SNODGRASS

craig@elevationoutdoors.com

D IG ITAL MA N AG ER

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

NEW in 2017

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PU B L I SH ED BY ©2017 Summit Publishing, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

08. 17

Colorado’s Sawatch Range: This stretch of mountains is chock full of amazingness.

CAMERON MARTINDELL

I spent nearly a decade doing search-andrescue work in the Cascades—so many spontaneous adventures filled with stories and lore.

TRACY ROSS

My whole life is tied to Idaho’s Sawtooths— best of times, worst of times. I dream of living in Stanley so I can travel in the range as much as possible.

GEORGIE ABEL

I can feel the pull of the Sierra no matter where I am. I've been known to read Sierra guide books when I'm in a different country.

HUDSON LINDENBERGER

I just skied the Alps for the first time and I think I will always want to go back. It's so beautiful.

JONATHAN WATERMAN

Since the first time I saw it unloading from the Alaska Railroad in 1976 with a ton of gear, the Alaska Range—with that great white leviathan Denali—won’t stop beckoning me.

CHRIS VAN LEUVEN

The Sierra. I miss the white, crispy granite beneath my fingers and toes, the sharp alpine splitters and mountain lakes and oceans of glacierpolished rolling slabs.

PETER KRAY SUMMIT

PUBLISHING

The Collegiate Peaks in the Sawatch Range.

So stunning. And so many family memories.

THE BIG SHOW

by DOUG SCHNITZSPAHN

O

n July 6, Governor John Hickenlooper, Denver mayor Michael Hancock, numerous other officials and businesspeople and the Outdoor Retailer trade show made an announcement that will make Colorado the epicenter of outdoor recreation and public lands conservation.

The massive, twice-annual OR Show chose Denver as its new home. This is a big deal for the state on many levels, and, hopefully, it’s also an important step in the fight to protect the wild lands and public recreation areas that mean everything to this community.

The show brings a big economic payoff with it: Its 45,000 attendees contribute roughly $45 million dollars to the local economy. It also should have a gravity that draws more outdoor gear manufacturers and advocacy groups to the state. But the big win here is not connected to the hotel rooms and bar tabs all those flannel-clad faithful will run up. The state of Colorado won the show because it is committed to promoting outdoor recreation as an economic driver, and that includes standing up for public lands and conservation policies that defend the outdoors.

IT'S OFFICIAL The state of Utah lost the OR show, which GOVERNOR JOHN HICKENLOOPER flourished and grew in Salt Lake City for over 20 years, because it is purposefully seeking to dismantle ANNOUNCES THE NEWS THAT THE OUTDOOR public lands and run rampant over conservation and RETAILER SHOW WILL BE MAKING A NEW HOME IN environmental protections. It’s a long story, but, in short, over the winter, prominent outdoor brands led DENVER STARTING IN 2018. photo by Ben Duke, courtesy OIA

by Patagonia decided they were done with Utah. For many years, Black Diamond founder Peter Metcalf had been saying that his home state did not deserve the benefit of the show since it’s politicians sought to subvert the places the industry not only relies on for business but also sees as spiritually vital. After the Utah legislature and governor Gary Herbert passed a bill laying claim to 31.2 million acres of federal lands in the state in 2012, the animosity between the outdoor industry and Utah increased. When they called for President Trump to wipe out the newly created 1.3-million-acre Bears Ears National Monument, Patagonia had enough. The iconic brand decided to boycott the trade show as long as it was in Utah and called for other brands to follow suit.

The show and the Outdoor Industry Association called a meeting with Herbert to discuss the issue. The governor’s response was so callous that the show and industry also decided it was over, too. Utah kissed it all goodbye to hang on to coal mining and outdated notions of how we all use our public lands.

The end result will be better for everyone long-term. Colorado and its legislature and governor want to promote recreation and they see the wild places and open spaces of the fast-growing state as its biggest resource, one that will draw high-paying jobs and creative people. And they see the necessity in protecting it as well as coming up with innovative solutions when faced with growing populations and diverse user groups. Utah, quite simply, does not.

That's sad for Utah. I will be attending the last OR show in the state (I have been to every one since 2002) next week. It will be distressing to see so many restaurant owners and rickshaw drivers who will be losing a major part of their livelihood. It will be tough to swallow that if we really want to fight for public lands in Utah, we will have to fight even harder now. Because as great as Colorado is, the fight for public lands knows no borders.

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QUICK HITS

08 .17

TRAMPING, COLORADOSTYLE Forget sleeping where mice and bull snakes lie. These oneway overnight hikes between Colorado mountain towns offer all the atavistic joys of a wilderness jaunt with the promise of a cozy bed at the other side.

ground-tested these town-to-town hikes in the Centennial State: ASPEN TO CRESTED BUTTE. Try this

summer classic in July and August when the wildflowers hit peak bloom.

Via the West Maroon Creek trail, this 11-mile trip racks up 3,000 feet of elevation gain. It’s essential to reserve a shuttle to and from the trailhead on the Crested Butte side, since it’s 14 miles out of town. The East Maroon Creek trail provides another option between Aspen and Crested Butte. It’s about 16 miles long, but with a more moderate grade and fewer users than West Maroon.

From Aspen, take Maroon Creek Road off of Highway 82 to access both trailheads at Maroon Lake.

THE BRITISH CALL IT “TRAMPING,”

walking from village to village and sleeping at inns and eating at pubs along the way. Call it what you want, you can find the same experience here in the mountains of Colorado.

All you need is a daypack, your hiking essentials and a credit card (leave the tent and sleeping bag at home). Not sure where to do it?

Devotees of Colorado tramping have

VAIL TO MINTURN. This 11-mile hike

climbs 2,000 feet. Starting from the summit of Vail pass, it follows the Two Elk trail over Two Elk Pass. Take in Sound-of-Music views of the Gore Range, Sawatch Range and Vail’s Back Bowls as you hike to some of Colorado’s tastiest Mexican food in Minturn, roughly a mile from trail’s end along the road to the town.

TECHNOLOGY

NEDERLAND TO WINTER PARK.

Surprisingly, the stunning 16-mile hike along the Arapaho Pass trail through the Indian Peaks Wilderness only accumulates 2,000 feet of elevation gain on its way to the other side of the Continental Divide. You’ll enjoy a nice forested stretch as well as mountain vistas on this long walk that starts at the Fourth of July trailhead outside of Nederland and ends at Monarch Lake on the west side. Arrange a shuttle or taxi from Monarch Lake into Winter Park or Granby for lodging.

BRECKENRIDGE TO COPPER MOUNTAIN.

Nearly 13 miles long, this trek follows Segment 7 of the Colorado Trail, climbing 3,600 veritcal feet, and taking you to the backbone of the Tenmile Range along the way. Start in Breck at the Goldhill Trailhead off of Highway 9. After arriving in Copper, the free, convenient Summit Stage bus from Copper to Frisco to Breckenridge offers a return option. You can also hike back the way you came or walk to Frisco, six miles on the relatively flat, paved bike path. Bonus: It doubles as a wild mountain bike ride.

GEAR WE LOVE

THE GRAND VIEW LOOKING FOR A WILD DAY WITH A SMOOTH ENDING? YOU CAN TRAMP FROM THE BEAR LAKE PARKING AREA OF ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK OVER TO THE CREATURE COMFORTS OF GRAND LAKE ON THE WEST SIDE OF THE DIVIDE. photo by Ruth Becker

ESTES PARK TO GRAND LAKE. Starting at the Bear Lake trailhead on the Estes Park side of Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP), the highranging Flattop Mountain trail takes hikers 4.5 miles to the top of 12,324foot Flattop Mountain. If you want to tramp, the trail then continues 12 more miles to Grand Lake on the west side of the RMNP. It includes a reasonable 2,850-feet elevation gain over those 16.5 miles, and the traverse of the park is truly adventure-filled and wild. Bonus: You’ll likely see wildlife—everything from bighorn sheep to moose—on this epic walk.

A new website, daypackadventures. com, provides detailed information on each of these hikes and invites users to suggest others.

—Lori Potter

BOOKS

BioLite PowerLight Mini

Metolius Belay Glasses

The Push

This small, incredibly versatile dimmable light can clip onto the collar of your shirt for hands-free illumination or to the back of your bike for better traffic visibility on the road. A looped kickstand will keep it propped up, and a USB port can boost other electronics in camp.

Thanks to these glasses with mirrors you don’t have to keep your neck craned up while you keep an eye on the climber you are belaying. We know they may be ugly as hell, but they certainly keep you from calling the chiropractor. $60 |

Colorado’s Tommy Caldwell is one of the planet's best climbers.

Here, he recounts his incredible journey. The book is not just about vertical achievements but also the balance it takes in all aspects of life to truly succeed. $27 |

$50 | BIOLITEENERGY.COM

METOLIUSCLIMBING.COM

TOMMYCALDWELL.COM

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HIKE TO DARKNESS Get away from the throngs of people gathering in towns along the path of totality and see the eclipse from the trail this August.

eclipse chasers from around the world will converge along the “path of totality,” which passes straight across Wyoming and Idaho here in the Rockies, to experience complete darkness during the total solar eclipse. But who wants to be around all those crowds? As long as the weather cooperates, these hikes in the backcountry should offer prime viewing away from the masses. Be sure to take the proper precautions.

If you want to look directly at the eclipse, protect your eyes with special solar eclipse glasses (they must meet the ISO 12312-2 international standard; sunglasses won’t work).

And bring bear spray.

ON AUGUST 21,

THE NOMADIC BREWER Melvin Brewing’s Jeremy Tofte slings out craft beer and seeks waves across the country out of his mobile home.

MELVIN BREWING COMPANY Co-Founder

Jeremy Tofte lives the life aspiring Instagrammers dream of. His eightyear old brewery has won numerous accolades, including taking home “Best Small Brewer in the Country” at the Great American Beer Festival in 2015. Formerly sharing space with a Thai restaurant, Melvin recently completed an expansion just outside its home base of Jackson, Wyoming, to accommodate the overwhelming demand for its beer.

But what really makes Tofte happy is the fact that for the last two-anda-half years he has lived the life of a nomad, travelling the country pimping out his beer from the back of numerous “mobile” homes.

“When I decided to stop paying rent in Jackson little did I know how much I would love not having a fixed address,” says Tofte. “Waking up wherever I want to be is awesome!”

His first home was an old converted ski patrol bus, perfect for hosting parties, but a “pain in the ass” to drive.

He lived in it for a year before upgrading to a converted MercedesBenz Sprinter Van in the spring of 2016. After extensive renovations, it has become the perfect platform for exploration, stuffed with numerous toys since his company's beer is sold

ROLLING SUDS “I DON’T KNOW WHY MORE PEOPLE DON’T HIT THE ROAD,” SAYS TOFTE, WHO OPENED A NEW BREWERY BUT LIVES IN HIS VAN. photo courtesy Melvin Brewing

in places where adventure is never too far away—Wyoming, Colorado, Idaho, Oregon, Washington and California.

“I only want to sell my beer where surf, snow or single-track is not to far away,” says Tofte.

A quiver of surfboards and array of solar panels sit on top of the Sprinter. When winter hits, he stocks the Thule lockbox with snowboards.

He has three bikes—fixie, MTB and road—stashed under his bed and a KTM motorcycle dangling off the back. When he's not selling beer or having fun in the backcountry, the van’s flat screen television, a

“I only want to sell my beer where surf, snow or singletrack is not too far away,” says Tofte.

PlayStation and a sound system loud enough to host an impromptu disco party at the campground. Besides the digital delights he’s decked out the van with a full kitchen, portable shower and a small office nook where he is able to conduct sales calls via a MiFi. “I am living the life I always dreamed of and having a blast while doing so,” says Tofte.

—Hudson Lindenberger

BALD MOUNTAIN TRAIL, SUN VALLEY, IDAHO. Hike to the top of Sun Valley’s

iconic Bald Mountain on this fivemile route that gains 3,300 feet in elevation. Plan at least three hours for the hike up, and savor 360-degree views from the summit. Leave enough time to hike back down, since downloading via lifts will not be possible on August 21 (the resort won't run the lifts during the eclipse). sunvalley.com/eclipse2017

2017 ROAD TOUR FIND US THIS MONTH AT:

ARISE MUSIC FESTIVAL AUGUST 4-7 LOVELAND, COLORADO

BUSES AT THE BREWERY

AUGUST 26 COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO

FOLLOW THE ADVENTURE @LIVEOUTSIDEANDPLAY LIVEOUTSIDEANDPLAY.COM PRESENTED BY

DARBY CANYON, CARIBOU-TARGHEE NATIONAL FOREST, WYOMING/IDAHO. Slip

over to the western side of the Tetons and explore the Caribou-Targhee National Forest via the Darby Canyon Trail, accessed through Idaho’s Teton Valley. Enjoy a 5.4mile round-trip route with 1,800 feet of elevation gain and plenty of open areas for viewing. fs.usda.gov TAGGART LAKE, GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARK, WYOMING. Grand Teton National

Park is expecting its busiest day ever on August 21. If you dare brave the crowds, hike to Taggart Lake, an easy three-mile roundtrip with 350 feet of climbing. Or make a longer loop by adding another 2.6 miles to Bradley Lake for a 5.9-mile roundtrip moderate adventure. nps.gov/grte/ planyourvisit/2017-solar-eclipse.htm —Kristen Pope A U G U S T 2 017 / E L E VAT I O N O U T D O O R S . C O M

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LOCAL HERO: ANN BAKER EASLEY The executive director of Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado wants Coloradans to own their public lands.

NOTHING IRKS BOULDER NATIVE ANN

Baker Easley more than people who walk around muddy trails, cut switchbacks or abandon dog poop bags. So she’s tried to do something about it. For 10 years, Easley, 62, has led a veritable army of volunteers passionate about maintaining Colorado’s outdoor environment.

As executive director of Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado (VOC), a statewide nonprofit founded in 1984, she and her staff supervise 95 projects each year.

In 2016 alone, this involved 5,400 volunteers and nearly $955,000 in donated labor. VOC projects unfold across Colorado—from city parks and open spaces, to grasslands and foothills, to alpine meadows and peaks. Volunteers seed hillsides after fire, reconstruct trails damaged by flood, remove invasive species and create new trails that can withstand heavier foot and bike traffic.

“The various land managers, such as the Forest Service or local municipalities, can’t do it alone,” she says. “The public has to own their public lands in terms of caring for them, not just using them. That’s the ethic we are trying to sustain.”

All that hard work creates a big appetite. So it's no surprise that food is a large part of VOC’s lure.

“Come volunteer and our crew chefs will feed you well. There’s breakfast burritos, coffee, hors d’oeuvres, a full dinner, even beer at the end of the day,” Easley says.

That makes VOC’s volunteer projects, such as the Hanging Lake Trail near Glenwood Springs or Dixon Trail in Colorado Springs, a bit like a guided camping trip—but one on which you work hard to earn your keep. That’s the point.

“Most of us have desk jobs where the results aren’t immediately apparent,” says Easley. “When our volunteers return to hike a trail they helped build or maintain, there’s a sense of incredible accomplishment, a sense of satisfaction people can’t get in their normal working lives.”

For more information, go to voc.org —Jeff Blumenfeld 10

TELLURIDE COLORADO There’s always a festival going down and plenty of outdoor fun brewing in everyone’s favorite mountain town.

EAT It can be a hassle to find a table in Telluride during the summer. But one of the latest new offerings for eats here is tucked in a little sliver of space around the corner from the popular and bustling Smuggler’s Brewpub.

Appropriately named the SideWork (sideworkspeakeasy.com), it takes up the spot where servers at Smuggler’s used to do their side work (e.g. rolling silverware into napkins or filling water pitchers). Owned by Smuggler’s proprietors Josh and Melissa Klein, veterans of the restaurant scene in their native New Orleans, it just opened on Christmas Eve last year.

Styled in the manner of low-key 1920’s speakeasies, the place specializes in drinks and “Mediterranean-American comfort food.” The menu features dishes in the size options of Smalls,

E L E VAT I O N O U T D O O R S / A U G U S T 2 017

Plates and Sweets. We suggest you try the shepards pie made with local Colorado lamb and finish off with the blackberry pann cotta.

CLEANING UP AND HANGING OUT EASLEY OVERSAW ALMOST $1 MILLION IN DONATED LABOR IN 2016 (LEFT). GET HIGH ON TELLURIDE'S VIA FERRATA (RIGHT). photos courtesy Christine Carlso (left), courtesy San Juan Mountain Guides (right)

SLEEP Summer or winter, The Peaks Resort and Spa (thepeaksresort. com) in Telluride’s Mountain Village wows guests with incredible views of the surrounding peaks of the Uncompahgre National Forest.

It also offers easy walking access to all amenities of the Mountain Village (there's a fun ropes course).

Pop on the free gondola for a scenic, 13-minute to get to town (or you can drive). Kids are welcome and they’ll delight in the indoor and outdoor pools, including a short-but-steep waterslide. Rooms are simple, yet comfortable, with a range of different size suites (summer rates range from $215 to $250 per night depending on the day of the week).

PLAY The hot attraction here right now is the Via Ferrata (telluridemountainclub.org).

Popular in Europe and literally translated as “iron way,” the route consists of a series of metal rungs

and ladders bolted into to the sheer rock face. You move along the holds clipped into a cable that runs the length of the via ferrata connected by a system of two slings and carabiners.

It’s incredibly exposed but well protected, making it a blast for both novice and advanced rock climbers (but do have the proper training). San Juan Mountain Guides (mtnguide. net) runs trips on the via ferrata for . $179-$349 per person depending on group size. Seeking a big adventure?

Consider the 215-mile mountain bike ride from Telluride to Moab or build your own itinerary in the San Juan huts (sanjuanhuts.com). And of course it’s hard to visit Telluride without running into a festival: This month, highlights include the Telluride Jazz Festival (telluridejazz.org), August 4-6, and Telluride Film Festival (telluridefilmfestival. org), August 30-September 4. Don’t miss the outstanding Brews and Blues Festival (tellurideblues.com), September 15-17.

—Cameron Martindell

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Gear Journal - AUGUST

2017

Sea to Summit Pro Hammock BUCKET SEATS

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Our t-shirt and sock tans are the best they’ve ever been. Exploring Colorado while living out of a van provides ample time in the sun. With the long summer days stretched out before us, we’ve been able to check things off our bucket lists and explore parts of Colorado we didn’t even know existed. Fewer showers, more green chili, and a lot of sleeping with the back doors wide open.

FOLLOW THE ADVENTURE @LIVEOUTSIDEANDPLAY ELEVATIONOUTDOORS.COM BLUERIDGEOUTDOORS.COM PRESENTED BY

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A U G U S T 2 017 / E L E VAT I O N O U T D O O R S . C O M

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FLASHPOINT

0 8 .17

LINING IT UP Thanks to the work of Sonya Iverson, the city of Boulder, Colorado, created a slacklining policy that has become a model across the country. Is slacklining poised to become a major sport?

by CHRIS VAN LEUVEN

O

ctober 2011, Esplanade Park, Boston, Massachusetts. A light wind ruffles the red, brown and yellow leaves as the deep, slow Charles River bends its way around the park. A lone, slender, blonde figure methodically walks over tensioned webbing slung between red oak and white willow trees. The 200foot tensioned line bobs and weaves under her weight, and, when she reaches the center of it, her bare feet scrape the tips of the grass.

Concrete and steel high-rises, 12

signs of Boston’s busy metropolis, poke into the sky in the distance. But the lone figure, Sonya Iverson, barely notices any of it. She’s in her isolated world, focusing on putting one foot in front of the other without losing her balance and getting bucked from the line.

She fights the urge to tense up—if she does, she’s off. Instead, she focuses on the moment, keeping her mind and body relaxed, working under the power of muscle memory.

The walk acts as moving meditation.

Slacklining takes her away from her studies in molecular biology and earning her Ph.D. at Boston University, calming her and resetting her for the upcoming week of intensive work.

When she steps off, she sees a few curious onlookers are standing near the line, startling her back to reality. The 20-something Millennials (like her) are hoping to get the chance to try out the sport. She goes over the basics with them, one by one on the line: Keep your body upright like a tree. Look straight ahead to keep a good center of balance. Walk carefully.

The following weekend she returns to Esplanade Park, this time with an extra line, a short one no

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more than 30 feet long, for firsttimers—should they arrive—to play on while she works out the moves on the 200-footer. (The longer the line, the harder the challenge.)

Soon a crowd 30 deep begins to assemble in front of the beginner line. The word is out.

ONLINE COMMUNITY

Nine years ago, while living in Bozeman, Montana, Iverson picked up slacklining, learning by trial and error with her boyfriend at a local park. For months, they set up and broke down the line using carabiners and knots, starting with 30 feet and working up to 90-foot spans.

Sometimes the line was too tight, other times too loose. And there were falls—missteps, where trained reflexes allowed her to hop off the line before slamming into the grass.

Other times, the line would spring back and smack her in the back of the legs.

Finally, after weeks of timeconsuming progress, they saw highliner Josh Simpfenderfer setting up a massive 280-foot line. Watching in awe from across the park as he danced across, they sidled over. Soon he was offering advanced slacklining tips to her. Iverson absorbed every

word, and ABOVE THE FRAY she and LOGAN O'BRIEN WALKS THE Simpfenderfer HIGHLINE, “I'M ON became fast TV,” IN CLEAR CREEK friends. A few CANYON, COLORADO. SLACKLINERS ARE weeks later, WORKING WITH he showed LOCAL GOVERNMENT her the art of TO MAKE SURE THE SPORT CAN THRIVE. highlining— photo by Katrin Bell walking lines rigged hundreds or thousands of feet above the ground.

Without his mentorship and safety tips, she may have never graduated to highlining.

But three years later, in 2011, with the group of Bostonites surrounding her at Esplanade Park, she got the chance to pay Simpfenderfer’s generosity forward. Instead of continuing to teach the group of eager slackliners one-on-one (there were too many), she started a community Facebook group, Slackline Boston, where “slackers” could learn about rigging lines and meet-ups with fellow members.

Within a few years, Slackline Boston became one of the biggest slackline groups in the U.S., with 795 members currently on its Facebook page. For her part, Iverson was hooked on spreading the word.

So she started the non-profit Slackline U.S., modeled after the climbing advocacy organization the Access Fund, to provide safety and access information to the community.

Next came the community forum Slack Chat, which connects practicioners of the sport and gives them a place to talk about community, problems and technique.

Seven years later, through building slacklining websites and acting as moderator—and reaching out to city officials when slackers got busted for walking their lines, say, in Colorado and Oregon—she’s become the de facto spokesperson for slacklining in the U.S. “Boulder is a great example of successfully working with the city,” she says.

Now, in addition to maintaining her sites, Iverson slacklines 100 days a year. She’s also walked lines as high as 1,000 meters (3,281 feet) and attempted lines as long as 220 meters. She’s traveled to 15 countries, including Iran and Turkey, to teach and perform on lines.

To practice her sport and travel, she lives a nomadic lifestyle out of her maroon 2002 Pontiac Grand Prix.

“I don’t often sleep in my car, but I live out of it,” she says. “My home bases are Montana, the Bay Area (California), Copenhagen, Denmark.”

LAT

44.943387° N

The walk acts as moving meditation.

Slacklining takes her away from her studies in molecular biology and earning her Ph.D. at Boston University, calming her and resetting her for the upcoming week of intensive work.

Iverson says there are three issues slackers run into in city parks: concern for the safety of the trees, liability and a general “‘We don’t know what slacklining’ is mentality which is what I call the skateboarder syndrome,” she says. “People didn’t understand skateboarding in the mid-‘80s, and when you don’t understand something, it’s easiest to say ‘you can’t do that here.’”

BOULDER BOOMING

In spring 2016, Tyler Shalvarjian and his friends were slacklining in Boulder Colorado’s Martin Park when they were fined $250 for attaching an object

LONG

to trees, an antiquated law intended to prevent horse tethers from damaging bark. They were cited under “Boulder City Code Section 6-66(c), ‘Protection of Tree and Plants,’ which prohibits attaching anything to a tree on city-owned property,” (BoulderColorado.gov).

The group contacted Slackline U.S. for help. “People had been kicked out of Martin Park before. This was the first time there was a ticket,” says Iverson.

She worked with a group of Boulder slackliners led by locals Ken Wagers and Katie Frayler to prepare their approach before getting in touch with the city’s Parks and Recreation office for a resolution. They aimed to open communication and provide documentation on the sport of slacklining, the legality behind it, and what worked managing it in other areas.

By winter, Boulder officially recognized slacklining and released their rules and regulations guide for slackline access on public lands. On its website the city stated: “In 2016, Parks and Recreation staff worked closely with a community group of slackliners to explore ways to attach the slackline in a manner that doesn’t harm the tree and agree on specific trees that are suitable for the sport. By working

with the community and exploring rules and protocol from other peer communities, the city developed and proposed a rule change to allow safe slacklining in designated park locations while protecting trees.”

Rules state that lines can be no higher than four feet off the ground at the center when weighted; lines can only be set up and used during daylight hours, and must be removed daily; trees must be protected from harm; and flags have to mark lines greater than 50 feet in length. The city also posted an interactive map on their website showing trees designated for slacklining. Open areas include Melody Park, Howard Heuston Park, Scott Carpenter Park, Beach Park, Admiral Arleigh A. Burke Park, Martin Park and Bear Creek Park.

“The Boulder rules are the best of any towns with regulations,” Iverson says. “Now we’re using this as a model for opening up access in other places where slacklining is not allowed.

The more cities where slacklining is legalized with reasonable regulations like this, the easier each new conflict resolution becomes.”

Slacklining is now the future.

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HOT SPOT

08. 17

DANCE WITH THE DEVIL Looking for new crags this summer? Hit up Devil’s Head in the Rampart Range for fine granite, few crowds—and an ever-increasing assortment of fun, challenging new climbs.

by CHRIS KASSAR

W

ith the dog days in full swing, summer starts to drag. How about visiting a new crag for a little pick-me-up? Located in the Pike National Forest, near Sedalia, Devil's Head is a hidden climbing area gem with over 1,000 routes scattered across 100 crags, spires and walls— all hidden only an hour from downtown Denver.

The sheer number and variety of climbs here make Devils Head one of Colorado’s, and arguably the country’s, most impressive granite sport areas (with some trad routes thrown in). Even though it’s a short drive from Denver and Colorado Springs, it’s nestled deep in the Rampart Range, so it feels more remote than it is. You’ll camp among the pines and ramble directly to the crags from your site.

The climbs at Devil’s Head deliver something for everyone with steep walls for vets, lower angle routes and multi-pitch options—and spectacular panoramas. The granite here isn’t just slabby (although you will find plenty of face climbing if that's your thing); it’s also rife with complex roofs, cracks, hearty hand holds and jugs. Plus, locals are continually establishing new routes here, too, so you’ll always find novel challenges.

THE VISIONARIES BEHIND DEVILS HEAD: In 1993, Tod Anderson bolted the area’s first line, “Private Idaho” (5.11a), located on the Headstone formation. Ever since, a devoted team of climbers, including Anderson and his son Gordon, Scott Sills, Todd Leeson, Derek Lawrence, Paul Heyliger, Tom Rossbach, Dan Godshall and Mike Carrington, have continually established new gems throughout the six-square-mile area.

GETTING HERE: From Denver, take Highway 85, or South Santa Fe Drive, for 10 miles to State Highway 67 in Sedalia. Turn right, and after 10 miles, turn left on Rampart Range Road (Forest Road #300).

Follow it south for 9 miles to the main Devil’s Head fire-tower trailhead. Or continue to mile marker 10 or 13 for access to the Lower West Side. A short walk/drive north along Jackson Creek Road reaches the southeastern access point.

WHEN TO GO: The Forest Service typically keeps the Rampart Range Road gate open from April to the first weekend in December.

LEARN MORE: Pick up the guidebook Rampart Range Rocks by Tod Anderson. Published in 2010, it covers 400 routes in the East Valley, West

Valley, Lower West Side and Radio Head. But something new is always on scene at Devil’s Head.

Route developers estimate they put up 50 to 100 new routes each year here. Stay up to date with this digital climbing guide: rakkup.com/guidebooks/ south-platte-devils-head-rock-climbing

THE CLIMBING

With so many must-dos, and more being added every day, it’s tough to recommend just a few, but here’s a rundown of walls and routes to please everyone.

TRAINING GROUNDS

Newbies and novice leaders will appreciate this well featured, 50-foot wall in the lower West Valley that features six fun routes, all easier than 5.10.

SLABULOUS

This rock buttress located west of Devil’s Gate offers numerous easy to moderate (5.6 to 5.10) routes that reward climbers with stunning vistas of the Rampart Range. Try the eponymous “Slabulous” (5.7), a gratifying, well-bolted, twopitch climb that scales 165-feet of superb granite.

THE HEADSTONE

This imposing 250-foot west-facing yellow wall is one of the area’s classic crags. Scale the longest continuous stretch of the Headstone via “Remote Control” (5.10a, 2 pitches, 240 feet). One of the first lines put up on this wall, it begins on a slab, but then carries you to an overhang and arête that add excitement and challenge. And, don’t miss “Topaz” (5.10c, 2 pitches, 220 feet), The Headstone’s prize route, known for its chicken heads, layaways and a small roof that requires a big move.

“MODERN ART”

KIDS DON'T FOLLOW

(5.11A, 2 PITCHES, 120 FEET)

SINCE IT'S CLOSE TO DENVER AND PROVIDES A WIDE RANGE OF GRANITE SPORT CLIMBING OPTIONS, DEVIL'S HEAD IS A GOOD PLACE FOR YOUNGER CLIMBERS TO GET OUT AND LEAD ON ROUTES THEY KNOW WELL ENOUGH TO FEEL CONFIDENT ON.

Located on the newly developed Passageway Wall, this route requires scaling an unrelenting vertical face to reach a slender granite summit spire that delivers a bird’s eye view of Denver.

photo by Todd Leeson

WISHBONE DIHEDRAL (5.11B 1 PITCH, 80 FEET)

Climb an overhanging, angled dihedral on this must-do route located on the Lower West Side’s Chicken Head Ranch. Get ready for sustained, varied, techy moves that require as much mental focus as they do physical ability.

“THE DEVIL’S OWN STONE” (5.11D, 1 PTICH, 70 FEET)

This route on Devil’s Gate, one of the area’s best new crags, requires climbers push through several cruxes to reach the top of a stunning wall. It’s a hard single-pitch climb but it’s littered with enough crimps and nubs to support a sustained effort.

“ELLIPTICAL SEASONS” (5.12A, 1 PITCH, 90 FEET)

The favorite climb on Starcastle, the highest crag here, “Elliptical Seasons” follows a stunning seam on a glorious yellow-and-red wall. The route— which delivers a mix of crack and face climbing, and requires some reach-y moves—demands constant effort from start to finish. There’s even a final tricky move to reach the anchor.

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POWERED BY

THE TRAIL

0 8 .17

MUMMY MANIA Looking for a big day of adventure up high? Download the free ViewRanger app and the following coordinates to take on this 18-mile trek in a seldom-visited part of Rocky Mountain National Park.

by CHRIS KASSAR

R

ocky Mountain National Park can be a sea of tourists and stopped traffic in the summer.

If you want to escape the masses, head to the Mummy Range on the northern edge of park. This 18-mile journey across the top of it is perfect as either a beast of day hike or an overnight trip. In total, it scales eight rarely visited mountains (seven of which top out over 13,000 feet). It’s not easy, requiring cross-country travel, route finding, class 3 scrambling and an elevation gain of 6,246 feet total—but that’s the appeal of Mummy Mania.

1. CHAPIN CREEK TRAILHEAD

This trek works best as a one-way traverse, so you'll need two cars or a shuttle. Park one car at the Lawn Lake Trailhead and begin just up the Old Fall River Road at the Chapin Creek Trailhead (11,020 feet), following a well-defined trail northeast.

2. MOUNT CHAPIN

Ascend moderately and bear right to reach Chapin’s 12,454-foot summit.

To avoid storms, you should leave while it’s still dark and enjoy the stars from this summit.

3. MOUNT CHIQUITA

Drop to the saddle. Ascend 1,000 feet to reach the rocky crest at 13,069 feet. Darkness should be giving way to light—pause to soak in the shadowy silhouette of Longs Peak.

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4. YPSILON MOUNTAIN

Scramble 700 feet up to this 13,514foot summit, the fifth highest in the park, and take in views of Spectacle Lakes Basin, Desolation Peaks, Blitzen Range and the Never Summers.

5. FAIRCHILD MOUNTAIN

Take care crossing the stony, exposed ridge off Ypsilon, which requires scrambling around chunky towers to reach the Ypsilon-Fairchild saddle.

From this low point at 12,580 feet, settle in for your 922-foot climb.

Hefty talus blocks and steeples guide you to the right side of the spine that leads to the 13,502-foot summit.

6. THE SADDLE

Navigate across a rugged ridgeline, and then pick your way down a field of enormous boulders to reach the mellow grassy pass at 12,398 feet between Fairchild and Hagues.

Shimmering Lawn Lake dominates the view below. This is the only spot where you can bail with ease: If bad weather is imminent, head east down the trail to Lawn Lake. This is a good spot for camping, too.

7. HAGUES PEAK

Tackle the biggest vertical push on the trek (1,162 feet). Beginning gradually on grassy slopes, the climb steepens as you scramble over lumpy broken blocks, and navigate ledges to reach the top of Colorado’s northernmost thirteener at 13,560 feet.

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8. ROWE MOUNTAIN

Head north and descend an intimidating talus incline toward a glacial tarn. Curve around it and head up a steep, boulder-covered rise to this pinnacle at 13,184 feet.

9. ROWE PEAK

From Rowe Mountain’s apex, head south across tundra to reach its 13,400-foot sister summit. Retrace your steps, heading southeast to descend, and then navigate the rocky traverse to Mummy.

10. MUMMY MOUNTAIN

Scale directly up Mummy’s grassy flanks to its 13,425-foot summit.

After a rest, head east and let gravity do the work as you descend.

11. BLACK CANYON TRAIL Bushwhack through the forest below treeline until you intersect with an obvious trail. Turn right (north).

12. LAWN LAKE TRAIL

After a short distance, reach the Lawn Lake Trail. Filter water from the creek and then get going. After such a long, scenic day, churning through this section—five miles of relatively flat and boring terrain on an established trail—is tough.

13. LAWN LAKE TRAILHEAD

Where your car, stocked with cold beer and sandals, awaits.

TOUCH THEM ALL THE MUMMY TRAVERSE SUMMITS SEVEN OF COLORADO'S PEAKS OVER 13,000 FEET. photo by Chris Kassar

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NUMEROLOGY

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PEAK FIGURES It’s time to take measure of these important facts about mountains.

by CAMERON MARTINDELL

T

he mountains are always calling us, as John Muir so famously said. When we love the outdoors, mountains define us: They provide something to measure ourselves against, whether we climb them via trails and talus scrambles or test our skills on technical routes. Here in Colorado, the most famous mountains are the state's 53 fourteeners. That number is determined not by just every rock outcrop that scrapes 14,000 feet or higher but also by prominence, how high a particular summit rises from the next highest point around it (in Colorado it must be 300 feet, but some places have different definitions). No matter how high you climb, here are some mountain facts to entertain you.

Feet of topographic prominence required in the state of Alaska to define separate peaks.

21

Number of fourteeners in Alaska with 500-foot topographic prominence, a number established by the Mountaineering Club of Alaska.

584

Number of thirteeners in Colorado defined as having a 300-foot topographic prominence.

HIGH POINTS SCRAMBLING ON ELLINGWOOD RIDGE LOOKING BACK AT COLORADO’S FIFTH HIGHEST PEAK, 14,360-FOOT LA PLATA. photo by Cameron Martindell

SEVENTEEN 1947 Year that Barbara Washburn Major mountain ranges located became the first woman to in the state of Colorado. climb 20,320-foot Denali, the U.S.’s highest peak.

Number of 4,000-footers in New Hampshire as defined by having a 200-foot topographic prominence. The original number was 46, set in the 1950’s; it grew to 48 in 1982 thanks to better surveying equipment. The Appalachain Mountain Club created the list, and while they call it the 4,000-ers of the White Mountains, some call it the New Hampshire list because it does not include the 4,170-foot Old Speck Mountain right across the border in Maine.

2

Number of fourteeners in Washington (Mount Ranier and Liberty Cap), defined by 300-foot topographic prominence.

Number of fourteeners in California as defined by having a 300-foot topographic prominence.

5

Number of thirteener summits in Colorado with the name “Grizzly,” including the highest, in the San Juan Mountain range, Grizzly Peak (13,738 feet)— not to be confused with the 13,700-foot Grizzly Peak also in the San Juans.

SIX HUNDRED AND THIRTY SEVEN

Number of summits in Colorado over 13,000, which includes fourteeners. Just over 20 people claim to have reached all these summits.

12

Number of fifteeners, defined as having 500-foot topographic prominence, established by the Mountaineering Club of Alaska.

Percent of the glacial ice mass of South America’s Andes that has disappeared over the past 30 years.

FIVE Width in miles of Utah’s Wellsville Range, which begins in the 4,500-high Cache Valley and rises to a highpoint of 9,372 feet in Box Elder Peak. With that incredible, narrow rise hikers often call them the steepest mountains in the world.

Number of people to have climbed Mount Kailash in Tibet. The 22,028-foot peak is sacred to four religions: Buddhists, Jains, Ayyavazhi Hindus and Tibet’s ancient Bon denomination. The god Shiva is said to sit in meditation, waiting for his eye to open and the world to end here. Reinhold Messner once gained a permit to scale the unclimbed peak, but decided that the summit should remain untouched.

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STRAIGHT TALK

0 8 .17

KYLE MAYNARD Born with a profound disability, this climber and martial artist kicks some serious butt.

by HUDSON LINDENBERGER

K

yle Maynard has achieved some amazing milestones during his 31 years on the planet. He has stood atop the highest summits in Africa and South America, competed in the Jiu-Jitsu World Championships, reigned as a champion wrestler and fought in the Octagon of Mixed Martial Arts. He’s also a New York Times bestselling author.

What’s really impressive about all he has accomplished is that Maynard was born with a rare condition that left him with arms that end at his elbows, and legs that end near his knees. To climb, he must scramble over each rock less than two feet off the ground using all four of his limbs with his face just feet from the dirt. He describes it as “Bear Climbing.” It’s a painful process that sees him take hours to cover turf that others can cross in minutes. But he has never let that, or anything else, hold him back. We caught up with Maynard in between trips to talk.

?

HOW DID YOU PREPARE TO CLIMB KILIMANJARO AND ACONCAGUA?

The biggest obstacle was finding a group of people willing to climb with me. I am not that fast. Once we had a group, then we needed to design gear.

There was none that would work for me. Not having hands and feet makes climbing a bit more complicated. In the beginning we were taping towels, potholders and MTB tires over my arms and legs—that was painful. Over time, we developed carbon fiber custom boots and a system of gear that would work for me to bear crawl upwards.

?

WHAT WAS THE HARDEST ASPECT OF THE CLIMBS FOR YOU?

The long days. I would be bear crawling seven to eight hours per day; it was so hard on my body. My arms were destroyed, my legs were shaking, and I would struggle to keep moving forward. On summit day on Aconcagua I was on the move for 14 hours.

?

DID YOU EVER THINK ABOUT GIVING UP?

Always. I used to think about it all the time… but then I would realize I am not giving in to that thought. I will not give up. I would just shake it off and keep crawling. The key is to let that thought go when it pops into your head and focus on the next one that arises. Hopefully it’s the one that tells you to keep moving. If not, you are in trouble.

?

HOW OFTEN DO YOU WONDER, “WHY ME”?

Not near as much these days as I did when I

Fear comes when you are pushing the boundaries, when you are growing.

Fear keeps us sharp, it makes us better. I embrace fear. was younger. My parents used to tell me that we all have something to deal with, it’s just that 99.9 percent of the time you can’t see it in others. My issues just happen to be quite visible. I try to live so that the circumstances are not dictating the quality of my life, but instead my mindset is in charge.

?

AS SOMEONE WHO HEARD THE WORD “NO” A LOT GROWING UP, HOW DO YOU DEAL WITH IT NOW?

?

WARRIOR OF HEART WHEN YOU ARE BORN WITH NO HANDS AND FEET YOU MUST IGNORE THE PEOPLE WHO TELL YOU NO. THAT’S THE LESSON KYLE MAYNARD LEARNED EARLY ON, AND IT'S HOW HE WAS ABLE TO WIN MIXED MARTIAL ARTS COMPETITIONS AND CLIMB TO THE TOP OF SOME OF THE WORLD’S HIGHEST MOUNTAINS.

I spend a lot less time listening to people telling me I can’t do something now than photo courtesy Kyle Maynard I did in the past. It took me two-years to get approved to do a MMA fight. People would tell me my story was inspiring, and then tell me no, I could not fight.

I would get hurt, I was not equipped to go in the ring, I was a liability. (Fighters said more visceral things than just I’d get hurt.) I ignored them and kept on overcoming their objections to get to my dream. That’s how it’s always been.

WOULD YOU CHANGE ANYTHING IF YOU COULD?

No, not at all. I consider [my disability] the greatest gift I have ever been given. It has made me the man that I am. It’s kind of irrelevant to think about going back and changing things, because I can’t. I would rather focus on what I can change right now, what I can help others with, not what could have been.

?

us sharp, it makes us better. I embrace fear.

HOW DO YOU DEAL WITH FEAR?

I spent the better part of my twenties trying to understand fear. What I found is that it will never fully go away if we are doing things that cause us to grow and expand. Fear comes when you are pushing the boundaries, when you are growing. Fear keeps

?

WHAT WOULD YOU TELL SOMEONE WHO SAYS THEY CAN’T CHASE THEIR DREAM?

Get up off your ass and do something. Figure out what you actually want in life and go after it. It might be hard to get there, but you can. The only thing stopping you is yourself.

?

WHAT OTHER ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR US MERE MORTALS?

Live a life of meaning. You have to ask yourself what are you doing to make others' lives better?

You are only here for a short time, so strive to improve the world. That’s how we can enact real change.

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LEADING EDGE

08. 17

EMP

THIS IS HOW WOMEN OF ALL KINDS ARE HAND-CRAFTING THEIR OWN SPACES AND STANDARDS WITHIN THE MALEDOMINATED CLIMBING WORLD.

I GEORGIE ABEL

N LATE FEBRUARY OF THIS YEAR, just one month after millions of people around the world took to the streets for the International Women’s March, 19-year-old Margo Hayes sent “La Rambla,” a famed sport route in Siurana, Spain. The route was a personal best for Hayes, but for the greater climbing community, it was even bigger. The moment she clipped the chains, she became the first woman to successfully climb a confirmed 5.15. The days of 5.15 being a male-only number grade were over.

The achievement was celebrated widely by the climbing and outdoor communities. A post-send photograph of Hayes looking as joyful and teary and awestruck as one would assume to appear after achieving a major milestone for womankind circulated widely across social media. I, along with thousands THE NEW FACE of other people, shared the WHEN MARGO photo on my Facebook wall.

HAYES BROKE THE 5.15 BARRIER SHE Within moments, I TOPPLED THE WAY received a surprising comment WE LOOK AT NUMBER on the post. “I just don’t get GRADES FOR MEN AND WOMEN. the hype. Dudes have been photos courtesy The North Face climbing 5.15 for years.” It

While some women, such as Margo Hayes, find joy and success in the maledominated and determined world of rock climbing, other women do not. For years, female climbers have been begging brands and media makers to represent a wide variety of women accurately, equally and with respect.

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OWERMENT

was a shock. I thought that maybe this person was just trying to get under my skin, but as I scrolled around social media, I noticed similar comments occasionally littering the otherwise party-like atmosphere of my newsfeed.

“Dudes” have in fact been climbing the grade for quite some time now, with the first 5.15 established

by Chris Sharma in 2001. Since then, at least 50 men have sent 5.15. While women such as Ashima Shiraishi and Josune Bereziartu have come very close to the grade, Hayes is the only woman to climb a solid, confirmed 5.15—for now.

Climbing grades were created by men and, for the most part, they are still upheld and maintained by men via route development, first ascents and route setting in gyms. Climbing media and culture also favor men by representing, sponsoring and supporting males at a higher frequency than women.

Believe it: Only 29 percent of sponsored climbers are women. This means that in order for a female climber to perform at a high level, she must possess or mimic traditional male characteristics. There is nothing at all wrong with this, as some women find joy in taking on male roles or character traits—and female climbers who fit into the male-generated idea of what being “strong” means will most likely send the hardest grades.

However, even when a woman climber trains to fit into this box, this does not automatically guarantee that she will perform at a high level.

LEADING PERCEPTIONS Women climbers not COURTNEY LOVE only have to fit into a BOULDERING IN THE male-determined idea FLATIRONS (TOP). of what “strong” means, BETH GORALSKI ON INDEPENDENCE PASS but they also must deal with systemic oppression, (RIGHT). WHY SHOULD WOMEN HAVE TO FIT INTO social conditioning that MALE DEFINITIONS OF STRONG WHEN THEY ARE tells women that their OUT ENJOYING THE ROCK? worth is based on their looks, that they recieve photos by Mike Thurk (above), David Clifford (right) lower pay than men and so on. Female athletes in particular receive massive scrutiny, largely focused on their appearance. Women climbers are not immune to this, as it is not uncommon for a brand to introduce their new female athlete as a “young, pretty face,” as if there was nothing more there.

W

hile some women, such as Margo Hayes, find joy and success in the maledominated and determined world of rock climbing, other women do not. For years, female climbers have been begging brands and media makers to represent a wide variety of women accurately, equally and with respect. Women have gone about doing this in a variety of ways such as writing letters and emails, but mostly they are expressing their frustration on their own social media pages and blogs. After their requests to be treated and represented equally went unheard and A U G U S T 2 017 / E L E VAT I O N O U T D O O R S . C O M

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were even laughed at by some industry professionals and media makers, they recently decided to take the matter into their own hands.

In the last few years alone, the sport of rock climbing has seen the birth of women’s climbing festivals, women’s outdoor empowerment summits, women-run businesses, women-specific content and information, women’s climbing events, womenspecific brands and thousands of women’s-only social media groups and pages. Female climbers are creating these new spaces within the sport for themselves from the ground up—often without help or resources from big brands.

Perhaps the most heartening aspect of this movement is that women of different backgrounds— not just white women—are creating spaces for themselves and fiercely claiming the sport as their own. When social change comes from the top—via politics, lawmaking, brands or media, it often focuses solely on the issues of white women. But when it comes from the ground up, that is, from individuals, the needs of many more people can be addressed.

What’s happening in the climbing community right now is multi-faceted and, for the most part, intersectional. This is not coming from the climbing industry. This is happening because individual women are claiming the sport as their own.

For example, Bethany Lebewitz created Brown Girls Climb, a group that was created to share and encourage diversity within the climbing community.

Women climbers who are black, latina, trans, Native American, queer, Deaf, mothers, para24

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What’s happening in the climbing community right now is multi-faceted and, for the most part, intersectional. This is not coming from the climbing industry. This is happening because individual women are claiming the sport as their own. athlete and more, have all hand-crafted positive and empowering spaces for themselves in the sport of climbing. These new spaces are giving women what the industry and has largely refused them— representation, information and most importantly, a new way to define success in rock climbing.

I

n my experience, women’s climbing communities celebrate two distinct types of success—one, moments like Margo Hayes sending “La Rambla,” and two, a new type of triumph that the climbing world hasn’t yet seen in mainstream media. Women are not just celebrating the first female 5.15, but they are also celebrating their first lead after having a baby, their first solo-trip, their first trad lead and most notably, they’re celebrating each other.

Community is the theme that is woven throughout all of these diverse women’s climbing groups, and

the support that comes A WOMAN'S SPACE from this has acted as a WHILE MANY WOMEN CAN AND WILL THRIVE foundation for women CRUSHING MALEto approach climbing in CREATED STANDARDS, A ways that they never NEW YOUNG, GENERATION IS ALSO REDEFINING have before.

IT MEANS TO BE Margo Hayes’ send of WHAT A FEMALE CLIMBER BY La Rambla coincided with THEIR OWN MEASURE AND ACHIEVEMENT ON a powerful, grassroots ROCK. (CLOCKWISE feminist movement in rock THE FROM LEFT) MAYAN climbing. Not only are SMITH-GOBAT, JESSA many women succeeding YOUNKER, ANGIE PAYNE, MEAGHAN MARTIN in rock climbing’s malephotos by David Clifford paradigm, but they have also created a system of their own, where personal growth, exploration and friendships are celebrated. Women have hand-crafted their own space within this sport, measuring success in new ways, and, despite the many challenges they face when entering into the traditional climbing spaces, women are crushing there, too.

A new generation of women climbers is emerging. They’re smart, scrappy, kind, funny and open-hearted. Most important, they know how to climb like themselves, whether that’s climbing with the guys or creating rules of their own. And that’s definitely something worth celebrating.

GEORGIE ABEL IS A YOGA TEACHER, WRITER AND ROCK CLIMBER BASED IN CALIFORNIA. FOLLOW HER ADVENTURES ON HER BLOG, GEORGIEABEL.WORDPRESS.COM.

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RETURN TO LONE PEAK GENERATIONS

0 8 .17

CLIMBING IS AS MUCH ABOUT TEACHING THE ROPES TO THE NEXT GENERATION AS IT IS ABOUT ABOUT LEARNING THE ROPES—AGAIN AND AGAIN.

by KENNAN HARVEY

W

HEN I WAS 20,

in 1985, I carefully placed my new blue-and-white EB climbing shoes into my pack and bounced up a rutted road rising steeply above the Salt Lake Valley and along the flanks of the Wasatch Range. I was green and keen. Our destination was an alpine climber’s paradise called Lone Peak Cirque. A horseshoe shaped basin of textured granite walls resembling an outstretched baseball mitt, the cirque defines the southeastern end of the Mormon's promised land. Prophet leader Brigham Young declared, “This is the place,” when he arrived in 1847. Beset by a combination of eagerness and fear, something climbers call butterflies, I had to agree.

My partner, Jay Wilson, had completed the first ascent of Torre Egger in Patagonia a decade prior so I had good mentorship. At 36, Jay was also the most admirable grown-up I knew. He ran instead of walked when working construction, and laughed when I felt like blubbering with fear. He loved the mountains and sharing them with others, no matter their skill level. My experience on the day we climbed Lowe Route, a five-star, 500-foot-high, moderate masterpiece of sculpted alpine granite, perfect hand jams and “chicken head” face climbing covered with vibrant green patina, is burned into my memory. It firmly defined my future multi-pitch climbing ambitions.

During my climbing apprenticeship, I was fortunate to connect with many great mentors.

Dave Anderson took me to Indian Creek, where we camped alone below the huge cottonwood tree right at the base of the Battle of the Bulge Buttress. I attended the mythical Bean Fest in Cochise Stronghold, and blew up watermelons with Todd Skinner during a 4th of July party in Lander, Wyoming. Craig Luebben, inventor of wide-crack protection called Big Bros, showed me the best offwidths—awkward and insecure kneeand elbow-sized cracks. No matter how impossibly hard they were, we insisted on rating them 5.9+, in honor of those who pioneered wide cracks several generations before us, without adequate protection.

Fred Becky, mentor of all mentors and still 26

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ALL IN THE FAMILY JACK WILLIAMSON AND HIS DAD, MARK, CELEBRATE AT THE TOP OF THE LOWE ROUTE IN UTAH'S LONE PEAK CIRQUE. THE 5.8, THREE-PITCH TRAD ROUTE WAS FIRST ESTABLISHED

BY LEGENDARY LOCAL BROTHERS JEFF AND GEORGE LOWE (THIS PAGE).

INITIATED FATHER AND SON HEAD BACK TO CAMP. THIS WAS JACK'S FIRST MULTI-PITCH TRAD ROUTE (OPPOSITE). photos by Kennan Harvey

climbing at 94, shared first ascent photographs from Alaska, inspiring me to make it a regular spring destination. These were the days when a three-month-long road trip to Canada, Idaho and California cost just $1,000, including gas and beer.

That was unless I traveled with Fred. His food sponsor was the McDonald's condiment packet bin, he slept on concrete without a pad, and he wore polypro for longer stretches of time than the reign of the dinosaurs.

Eventually, I became competent at moving over stone and through the mountains. Ravenous for challenge, I found difficulty and claiming first ascents myopically important. Time passed in a blur of summits until, surprisingly, I began to crave process over achievement, planting a garden and building the off-grid home that parenthood and the unconditional, primal endorphins involved.

I also started to tire of attending memorial services for my climbing buddies and although modifying addiction is challenging, eventually my adventuring goals rotated full circle with the measure of success firmly rooted in my safe return.

Locations like Lone Peak are once again top of the list: solid rock, plentiful protection, moderate grades and meaningful memories.

L

ast summer, my good friend Mark Williamson invited me to revisit Lone Peak Cirque with his son, and I found myself bouncing up the same rutted road, looking in the rear view mirror at 13-year-old Jack—already an unusually talented biker, skier and skateboarder—in the backseat. Wiry and strong, with shoulder-length

Now I am alone on the ledge belaying my dad. Man, am I high off the ground.

I’m scared and there is no way I can lean away from the anchor against the rope even though they told me it was bomber. Instead, my toes hurt in my tight rock shoes and I feel a little off-balance standing on this sloping belay ledge. dirty blond hair and new braces, he was quietly reflective, green like I had been, his mind filled with anticipation for the Lowe Route.

Quoting singer James Taylor, “Looking in my rear view mirror, I saw myself the next car back, looking in the rear view mirror.”

Same road, same objective. Watching Jack was like watching the memory of me. His eyes and emotions were my virtual reality goggles,

and suddenly I felt as if I was riding shotgun inside his brain. Of course the magnitude of the moment belonged solely to Jack, but the vicarious association was intense. This was going to be really fun. Here is Jack's perspective (or at least how the memory of me imagined Jack experiencing it all): Pretty sleepy and hot, the valley temperature just hit the daily low of 88 degrees at 6 a.m. My dad's idea to go alpine multi-pitching. Lone Peak Cirque is five miles and 5,500 vertical feet above us. We are about to hike there with huge packs filled with three days of food and climbing gear. I have no idea what that even means.

The hike is a roasting nightmare. I am too stunned to complain. After five hours, I collapse into a coma on the cool grass surrounding our camp at the mouth of the cirque. I never nap.

Around 3 p.m., my dad nudges me awake and the three of us scramble up the exposed ledges for several hundred feet to the base of the Lowe Route. This is my first multi-pitch trad climb and I am pretty nervous.

Kennan leads while my dad and I climb together till the last chicken head face pitch, which my dad re-leads so Kennan can take photos.

Now I am alone on the ledge belaying my dad.

Man, am I high off the ground. I'm scared and there is no way I can lean away from the anchor against the rope even though they told me it was bomber. Instead, my toes hurt in my tight rock shoes and I feel a little off-balance standing on this sloping belay ledge. My dad said the rope should run just fine... well, IT'S NOT. It’s wrapping itself in a frenzy around the rocks, webbing, and my legs. He calls for rope. Close to A U G U S T 2 017 / E L E VAT I O N O U T D O O R S . C O M

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panic, I shout back, “You should’ve done a better job stacking it.” Ok, there it goes. Sweet.

Belaying is going easier. I look around, still hugging the wall. The evening sunlight is cool. My turn to climb.

Ok, Jack, deep breath. ‘Climbing,’ I yell. I start moving, getting that feeling I love. Granite. Man, granite is grippy, good holds. Finally I am not so scared, moving higher. Now to see what those chicken heads are all about.

F

TEEN SPIRIT THIRTEEN-YEAR-OLD JACK WILLIAMSON WORKS ON HIS MOVES, BOULDERING IN THE CAMP IN LONE PEAK CIRQUE. GRIPPY GRANITE HERE MAKES FOR PERFECT TRAINING GROUNDS. photo by Kennan Harvey

28

E L E VAT I O N O U T D O O R S / A U G U S T 2 017

rom my ridgeline perch to the side of the angled granite face, I watch Jack begin to climb. I can tell he is really scared because of his awkward hesitations. I begin to worry about the fun factor but slowly he begins to relax, his movements becoming less fearful with summit success in sight. The sun hovers low in the western sky stirring the warm alpine breeze and bathing the cirque in golden light. The city fades into shadow, and together, we are alone. His papa is waiting with a high five, and Jack clambers onto the summit ridgeline and back to level ground.

Where once I followed Jay, Jack now follows Mark. With climbing, each new generation quickly absorbs the peak achievements of those who ascended before them. They take with them tokens of mentorship via tricks of the trade as well as an Appalachian-like oral climbing history that’s mostly true, very embellished and always funny. Kinship and legacy. Where Jack chooses to lead one day is still unknown except for the fact that he will have a seven-year head start on me.

My grin reflects the setting sun. Thanks for the memories, Jack. You go.

COMPANIONS

0 8 .17

TOP DOGS

Enzo

SHAKE PAWS WITH THE WINNERS OF EO’S ANNUAL BEST ADVENTURE DOG READER POLL.

E

by TK

VERYBODY LOVES SEEING OUR CANINE

companions seeking adventure in the wild with their best friends. So every year, we ask our readers to send in their favorite photos of those funseeking pups getting after it and ask you to vote for your favorites. Here are the top three according to ElevationOutdoors.com visitors, plus three more our editors fell in love with.

Thanks to everyone who submitted and voted— and don’t forget, no matter what, you win when you get outside and play with your dog.

Gunner

Silva

FIRST PLACE ENZO

HUMAN COMPANION: ANGLEA KAISER “Enzo is my lifelong companion, my heart dog.

He insists on following me wherever I go. He is amazing off-leash and we can go everywhere this way. We have recently moved home to Ohio, but up until then we used to spend time hiking in parks in the north Georgia mountains and in Florida, where I was a wildland firefighter and game warden. He also loves going to the local farmers’ market or anywhere he can get tons of attention from people.”

SECOND PLACE GUNNER

HUMAN COMPANION: LINDSEY FRAZIER “Gunner loves to run! He will normally win first dog at any running competition, when I can keep up. However, if I find someplace where he is allowed to run off leash, he’s in heaven—especially bouncing through the snow. We’re always looking for places we can go camping and hiking together. The very best thing about having an active dog for a companion is that they are always ready to go. It doesn't matter if it's snowing, raining or windy, Gunner won’t complain.”

THIRD PLACE SILVA

HUMAN COMPANION: BRIAN ZIPLER “Silva is a rescue dog, so his past is a mystery, but he has been by my side exploring Colorado ever since I got him. He has climbed fourteeners, been

Buddy

Bacchus

my partner backcountry skiing and played in the Colorado Sand Dunes. However, if it were up to Silva we’d go to the lake every weekend to swim and chase birds. This year we’re going to try stand-up paddle boarding—that is, if I can keep him from knocking us off the paddle board to go swimming the entire time.”

BACCHUS

BUDDY

EDDIE

HUMAN COMPANION: BRIAN LEHMAN “Buddy has unbridled enthusiasm! His mood ring always reads: ‘I don't know what's happening, but I'm totally in.’ He loves playing Frisbee anywhere, anytime—and if water is involved, his energy level hits 100-percent puppy.”

Eddie

HUMAN COMPANION: SUSAN KRANZ “Bacchus loves swimming. He especially enjoys chasing after fish that we catch and release. We don't know what his life was like before we adopted him two years ago, but he appreciates the little things: a patch of particularly delicious grass, the lingering scent of a forest critter, a quick nap in the sun...”

HUMAN COMPANION: CLAIRE LITTLE “Eddie makes a great adventure companion because he sleeps on the car rides and he loves to cuddle at the end of a long, fun day. Bonus: At 25 pounds, he's conveniently sized for travel. Our next big trip is a couple of days canoeing on the Green River.”

A U G U S T 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 LIFE

08. 17

ASK A GUIDE WHAT’S THE BEST JOB ON THE PLANET? EXPLORING THE PEAKS AND SHARING THE LOVE. THREE OF OUR FAVORITE GUIDES TALK ABOUT THE WORK AND PASSION OF LIVING THE DREAM.

by DOUG SCHNITZSPAHN

W

HILE MOST OF US come to the mountains whenever we can, some lucky souls get to work there. And work it can be: Becoming a certified mountain guide takes dedication, years of training and the ability to manage both crisis and cranky clients.

But it’s worth it, not just to spend all that time up high in the wild but also to impart a love of peaks and pristine places to others. Whether you rely on guides or have a habit of going alone, we suggest you hire one of these folks or other fine, certified guides on your next climbing or alpine excursion.

with a guest; the Smear of Fear with Scott Bennett (he led the hard pitches!); the Bells Traverse with guests—that’s super fun!

WHERE’S YOUR FAVORITE PLACE TO GUIDE?

I'd love to return to the Italian Dolomites to guide rock climbing (although skiing would be a close second there, too). For ski guiding, there are some wonderful places in western Canada.

North Atlantic with amazing terrain for all abilities and motivations. The skiing is really good but so is the ice climbing, not to mention all the great seafood, bread, cheese and skyr (Icelandic yogurt).

WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT GUIDING?

It’s engaging, ever-changing and I get to meet and climb/ski with the most interesting people from all walks of life.

WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT GUIDING?

I love managing a complicated route with capable guests. I have two buddies/clients with whom I climb and we've done some longer, cool routes like “Dream of Wild Turkeys” (5.10a) in Red Rock, or even “The Bulge” (5.7 R) in Eldorado Canyon—these guys are strong, reliable, and love tackling tricky climbs to push their limits. That's a fulfilling day of guiding!

WHAT DO YOU THINK IS ESSENTIAL FOR PEOPLE TO KNOW ABOUT THE MOUNTAINS?

WHAT’S ESSENTIAL TO KNOW ABOUT MOUNTAINS?

They’re not to be trivialized and there is no such thing as “conquering” a mountain. Rather, we should look at climbing and skiing as something we choose to do as a challenge to ourselves. Rather than conquer a climb or peak, it might be more sustainable to view mountain climbing as a process that involves working with what the terrain, weather, and conditions offer at any given time.

Hands down, know thyself. What are my weaknesses? What are my personal biases, the things that will trick me into a bad decision?

Some old guy in pajamas said, “To know others is wisdom; to know oneself is enlightenment.” It's a good reminder.

BIG PICTURE | PETE LARDY OPERATES PIKES PEAK ALPINE SCHOOL, WHICH EO READERS VOTED BEST GUIDE SERVICE. photo courtesy Pete Lardy

PETE LARDY ARCTIC BLISS | DRINKWATER CALLS UTAH HOME, BUT ONE OF HER FAVORITE PLACES TO GUIDE IS FAR OFF IN ICELAND. photo by Erica Engle

EMILIE DRINKWATER

OWNER, CLOUDSPLITTER MOUNTAIN GUIDES | SALT LAKE CITY, UT SMILE TIME | COPPOLILLO WORKS WITH CLIENTS ALL OVER THE GLOBE, BUT LOVES ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK. photos courtesy Vetta Mountain Guides

ROB COPPOLILLO

CO-OWNER, VETTA MOUNTAIN GUIDES | BOULDER, CO HONORS AND ACCREDITATIONS: IFMGA-licensed

mountain guide, co-author The Mountain Guide Manual, WFR, AIARE 3, LNT Master, Elevation Outdoors contributing editor

HONORS AND ACCREDITATIONS: AMGA/IFMGA

Mountain Guide, 2011 AMGA President's Award, 2016 AMGA Guide of the Year WHAT ALPINE EXPERIENCE YOU ARE MOST PROUD OF?

Making enough good decisions in the alpine environment to live another day. But if you need a less abstract answer, “The Trilogy,” a solo enchainment of six peaks involving skiing, ice climbing and clawing my way up 20,000 vertical feet in 24 miles in 17 hours in the very underestimated, rugged Adirondack Mountains.

This link-up remains unrepeated.

WHAT ALPINE EXPERIENCE YOU ARE MOST PROUD OF?

I've loved climbing challenging routes in the mountains—Alexander's Chimney on Longs Peak 30

E L E VAT I O N O U T D O O R S / A U G U S T 2 017

WHERE’S YOUR FAVORITE PLACE TO GUIDE?

Iceland! It’s a fascinating Arctic country in the

PIKES PEAK ALPINE SCHOOL COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO HONORS AND ACCREDITATIONS: AMGA Certified

Alpine and Rock Guide, AIARE Level 3 WHAT ALPINE EXPERIENCE YOU ARE MOST PROUD OF?

Completion of the AMGA Alpine Guide Certification. It was the culmination of three-anda-half years of hard work, training and examination among peers. I grew as a guide during this time.

WHERE’S YOUR FAVORITE PLACE TO GUIDE?

Colorado for excellent rock climbing and Washington for stellar glaciers.

WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT GUIDING?

I love sharing challenges. I love the benefits of being a mountain professional that continually offers ways to review and hone my craft.

WHAT’S ESSENTIAL TO KNOW ABOUT MOUNTAINS?

Bigger picture awareness is key to making good decisions in the mountains. By always asking why and searching for answers, you’ll become a better mountain traveler.

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DO YOU REALLY WANT TO GO TO THE MOUNTAINS? They block the view, and even in summer it gets cold at night. They’re always attracting tourists with their majesty and that makes traffic and everything else a nightmare.

So ask yourself, do you really want to go to the mountains?

Or would you rather go someplace where you can hike, bike, camp, ride, float, or mosey on your own terms. Get away from the crowds, blaze your own trail. Find you next adventure.

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UTAH ADVENTURE GUIDE

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PLANNING A TRIP TO THE BEEHIVE STATE? DON’T MISS THESE HOT SPOTS FOR ADVENTURE.

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other Nature outdid herself when she made Utah. From the magnificent arches in Arches National Park, to the mesmerizing wavy rock walls of Antelope Canyon, the state is full of geological wonders, endless adventures, and the kind of epic natural scenery that makes memories that will last a lifetime.

MOAB

The technical ledges, slick rock and breathtaking vistas that make up the Captain Ahab trail just outside of Moab are the kind of things that mountain biking dreams are made of.

Tackle the easy climb at the top end of this 9.5 mile trail, and reap the rewards with fast 32

and exciting drops along cliff edges and overlooks with vast views of the area’s colorful landscape.

ISLAND HOPPING UTAH'S MOUNTAINS GET LOTS OF ATTENTION BUT CHECK OUT THE VIEWS FROM DOWN ON ANTELOPE ISLAND.

FOR THE FAITHFUL CHILE PEPPER BIKE MECHANIC TRACY MICHAUD TEARS THROUGH CAPTAIN AHAB. photos courtesy Davis County (above), Steve Halm (below)

ESCALANTE

Choose your adventure in the rust-colored deep canyons of the Grand StaircaseEscalante National Monument.

Explore one of nature’s most breathtaking geological wonders, from accessible wonder of a place like Calf Creek Falls, to true adventure

E L E VAT I O N O U T D O O R S / A U G U S T 2 017

of paddling the Escalante River when the flows are right.

Whether you’re looking for a mellow hike, or a challenging multi-day trip, this gem has a little something for outdoor adventurers of all levels.

ST. GEORGE

The warm water-reservoir and sandy beaches lure travelers to Sand Hollow State Park near St. George each year, but it’s

the unique red rock formations rising from the calm blue waters of the reservoir that keep standup paddle boarders coming back for more. Plus, overnight campgrounds make it easy to turn a SUP adventure here, into an all-out SUP weekend.

DESERT DAYS SOUTHERN UTAH SERVES UP PLENTY OF SLICKROCK AND HIKES TO DISCOVER EVERYTHING FROM ODD GEOLOGICAL FORMATIONS TO ANCIENT RUINS. photo by Doug Schnitzspahn

LOGAN, UTAH THIS HIDDEN GEM MAY BE A BIT OFF THE BEATEN PATH BUT IT’S FULL OF ADVENTURE There are countless ways you can explore Logan— spinning on a bike, scaling the face of a rock wall, waist-deep in a secluded fishing spot on the blueribbon waters of the Logan River, relaxing in one of more than 300 campsites in the area, or ambling along the miles and miles of groomed hiking trails easily accessed from the city’s charming downtown.

Take a cruise along the 43-mile-long Logan Canyon National Scenic Byway to explore dozens of rock walls that boast more than 400 sport and trad routes.

Take on the challenging China Wall—an extensive limestone wall with dozens of fun routes—or keep your feet on the ground and traverse the out-andback eight miles of alpine trail that graze the rocky shores of the beautiful White Pine Lake. If twowheeled adventures are more your style, head to the Beaver Creek Trail—a scenic route perfect for beginners and families alike. Just 83 miles north of Salt Lake City, Logan is just far enough off the beaten the path, and it’s brimming with big-time adventure.

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Wind Caves and Witch’s Castle, may sound like places in a fairy tale, but they are part of a magical and unique trail system on the north side of Logan Canyon. The popular 5.3-mile hiking trail leads to triple arch and natural cave in a limestone outcropping, known as the Witch’s Castle, which offers panoramic views. The trail to the Wind Caves is fairly steep, but the final destination is worth working up a sweat.

ANTELOPE ISLAND

Antelope Island is the largest of ten islands located within the Great Salt Lake, and although this 42 square-mile patch of land is relatively small, it’s filled with adventure. Cycling, mountain biking, hiking, horseback riding and birding are all popular activities on the island, but be sure to watch out for the herd of bison that roam freely along the sandy and salty shores of this mighty lake.

ESCALANTE DREAMING COVERING 1.9 MILLION ACRES, UTAH'S GRAND STAIRCASE-ESCALANTE NATIONAL MONUMENT HIDES COUNTLESS PLACES TO SIMPY GO AND SOAK IN ALL THAT BEAUTY. photo by Dylan H. Brown

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Quench your thirst after a long day on Utah trails with a locally-made craft beer from one of the state’s renowned breweries. Grab a can of one of Uinta Brewing’s easy-drinking brews to rehydrate post-ride, or belly up to the bar at Epic Brewing Company’s Salt Lake City taproom for a pint.

In need of a refuel? Grab a burger and a handcrafted beer at the Moab Brewery.

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WHICH TOWN WILL COME OUT ON TOP? WINNERS WILL BE FEATURED IN THE NOVEMBER ISSUE!

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CLIMBING GEAR

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SEVEN MUST-HAVES FOR BETTER BELAYING

Single-pitch climbing outings require a lot of belay duty. These gear items will make your work keeping your partner safe easy...and comfy.

by CHRIS VAN LEUVEN

1. Helinox Chair One

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Lounge between burns in this 33-ounce, portable and quick-to-set up chair. We’ve carried it everywhere from Golden’s Quarry Wall to Suesca, Colombia, and have written many a story (and gear review) while plopped in its comfy alloy and nylon design. $124 | helinox.com.au

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4. Petzl Sirocco Weighing in at just 170 grams (six ounces) this lid represents a welcome improvement over the previous generation Sirocco. It’s no longer inyour-face orange, (now it’s black and orange), rides lower on the head and hybrid construction strengthens its ability to deflect blows. Plus, it’s headlamp compatible. $130 | petzl.com

2. Petzl GriGri + First there was the original GriGri, the industry standard in assisted-braking belay devices, which came out 25 years ago. Then came the GriGri 2, which worked on smaller diameter ropes. The GriGri + works on even smaller cords, down to 8.9mm (and up to 10.5mm). This useful tool is built for heavy use and has two has modes, top-rope and lead. It also has an anti-panic handle. $150 | petzl.com

3. DMM Rhino Carabiner Of all the non-rotating belay carabiners we’ve used (there are a lot on the market), this one is the simplest. DMM put a horn above the spine, a simple nub, so the GriGri + (or other belay device) is far less likely to cross-load. This durable 72-gram locking carabiner comes in screwgate, quicklock and locksafe configurations. $15-$24 | dmmclimbing.com

5. Edelrid Bulletproof Quickdraw Many a climber uses two opposite and opposed quickdraws as their toprope anchor on sport routes (guilty!).

Dedicating Bulletproof draws, made with high-use steel baskets, saves your other

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quickies for stringing up your project. Available in straight and bent keylock gates, it weighs 118 grams. $29-$30 | edelrid.com

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6. Patagonia Crag Daddy 45 Duffel-style packs excell at the crags. You can reach inside to grab a soggy PB&J or swig of water without having to pull everything out. Made of abrasion resistant 630-denier nylon with a polyurethane coating, this baby is large enough to carry an entire kit (rack, rope, draws), and opens up wide for easy access to goodies. $179 | patagonia.com

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7. Expedition Hot Sauce After nearly three decades of wolfing down bland climber food, we can still manage to down junk...thanks to Expedition Sauce. A bland packet of tuna?

No problem, when you put a dab of this spicy pepper and tomato concoction on it. It’s great on hard-boiled eggs and leftover pasta. $6 | rei.com A U G U S T 2 017 / E L E VAT I O N O U T D O O R S . C O M

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ALPINE GEAR

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SEVEN GEAR ESSENTIALS FOR COLORADO PEAKBAGGING August and September are primetime for tagging summits in the Centennial State’s high country. Here’s the gear you will want for the trip up.

by DOUG SCHNITZSPAHN

HAT The North Face Trail Trucker This hat may have been designed for ultra running but it proves just as useful hiking in the high country. Don't think it’s just another hipster lid, this trucker features Flash Dry fabric and mesh that wicks away sweat, and a headband that keeps the drip out of your eyes. $21 | thenorthface.com

BOOTS Adidas Terrex Fast GTX Surround Good mountain boots need to be light, comfy and keep out the elements. Weighing in at just one pound and shored up with Gore-tex’s Surround system, which repels the wet and breathes out the bottom of the sole, this springy kick scores big on all three fronts. Plus, the Continental sole grips to rocks on tricky scrambling moves. $225 | adidasoutdoor.com

PACK Mountain Hardwear Scrambler RT 20 The stripped-down, 14-ounce Scrambler might look more like a haul bag than a backpack but its down-to-business attitude makes it an asset on trips to mountaintops. The roll-top closure and an OutDry membrane built into the sturdy nylon pack fabric make it waterproof—which is nice for paddling or foul weather commuting, too, and a godsend when you’re on exposed terrain. $110 | mountainhardwear.com

POLES Fizan Compact Burly, multi-season trekking poles make sense backpacking, but they’re overkill for peakbagging.

Tipping the scales at just six ounces and simple to break down and adjust, these babies are useful on surprise snowfields and extended descents. Bonus: interchangable basket designs. They're affordable, too. (Italian brand Fizan is only available in the U.S. through a collaboration with Massdrop.) $60 | massdrop.com

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SHELL Mammut Rainspeed Ultralight HS Nothing is worse than getting caught in a high country downpour. Since it happens, pack this fourounce, barely noticeable shell in your summit pack.

It blocks the elements as well as a burlier jacket, thanks to a Gore-tex Active two-layer material that actually shakes dry. $300 | mammut.ch

INSULATOR Arc’teryx Atom LT Hoody There can be a huge temperature difference from town to the top of a fourteener, so a good insulating layer should be mandatory when you head up high. Since the Atom weighs just 12.7 ounces and packs down to softball size, we take it every time we head to the hills. If nothing else, it’s a perfect slip-on when you stop for lunch in a stiff breeze above treeline. $259 | arcteryx.com

DOG PACK Ruffwear Approach Pack We love taking our tough, eager pup up in the high country, but it’s important to make sure your canine pal has her needs met up there, too. With a customizable fit harness to keep it snug when your pooch is hopping from rock to rock, and plenty of room for food, water and poop bags, this pack ensures all-day comfort for you both. $80 | ruffwear.com

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SIMPLE WAYS TO BECOME A STRONGER, SMARTER CLIMBER BROUGHT TO YOU BY LAUREN SEIDL, SIERRA TRADING POST WHETHER YOU’VE JUST STARTED CLIMBING or have been at it for years, there’s always room for improvement.

Building strength and refining technique are surefire ways to make you a better climber, no matter if you sport climb, trad climb or boulder. But lifting weights and hitting the indoor climbing wall aren’t the only ways to boost those climbing skills.

You can work on becoming a better climber while you’re at the crag by keeping these simple tips in mind.

CL IM B WI T H P EO P LE W HO AR E BE T T E R THA N YO U Climbing with people who are better than you can help you improve your own skills. Just by watching skilled climbers, you get a visual lesson in what good form looks like. And if you find yourself stuck on a move, a better climber can give you advice on how to get past it. Climbers with a higher skill level can also give you feedback after you finish a route so you know what to work on when you jump on the next one.

When you go climbing with better rock climbers, you are also given the chance to try difficult routes on top rope. This allows you to try routes slightly above your skill level with minimum risk.

CL IM B WI T H P EO P LE W HO AR E WO RS E T HA N YO U This is contrary to what I just said, but hear me out. It’s good to balance climbing with people more skilled than you and with those less skilled, or at a similar level. This is especially important when you start leading routes. Setting up a climb can be scary. If there’s a better climber in your crew that you can fall back on, it’s easy for you to give up and just let that person lead the route. But take this person out of the picture, and you become more accountable. Sometimes knowing that you can only rely on yourself is the mental boost you need to push yourself further.

B E S M A RT WI TH I N JUR IES Achy elbows and shredded fingers are very familiar to rock climbers. It’s tempting to push through injuries, but doing so can take you out of the game for even longer than if you stopped when your body told you to. You can’t get better at climbing if you can’t climb.

To prevent injuries, be sure to start slow and warm up with easy routes. If you do find yourself experiencing pain, take some time off to recover.

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CL IMB W ITH A N ENCOU R AGING PART N E R Choosing a climbing partner is almost as important as choosing a life partner. Picking someone you trust is a given, but choosing someone positive is also important. If you are nervous or frustrated on a route, would you rather have a partner who cheers you on or one who indulges your negativity? Having a partner who encourages you to push yourself and who is genuinely excited about your achievements will help bring your climbing skills to the next level.

CL IMB CONSISTENTLY Rock climbing requires practice, just like any sport. The more you climb, the quicker you’ll improve. This doesn’t mean you need to climb every day, but getting on the wall once a week or once every other week is better than climbing sporadically a handful of times each year. If you don’t always have a partner available, head to the climbing gym. Some gyms have self-belay devices, but bouldering works just as well to keep your technique and muscles from getting rusty.

STAY POSITIV E Rock climbing is just as much of a mental sport as it is a physical one. It’s easy to get into a negative mindset when you’re doing something that is difficult and a little frightening at the same time. Next time you’re struggling on the wall and start spiraling into a world of negativity—stop. Train your brain not to go there. Staying positive will keep you in the frame of mind you need to push yourself and improve. This isn’t an easy task, but preventing yourself from giving up on the wall will ultimately make you a better climber.

Lauren Seidl is the blogger and social media specialist for off-price retailer Sierra Trading Post. She hikes, camps, climbs and explores the Rocky Mountains as often as she can. When Lauren isn’t out finding adventures in her home state of Colorado, she can be found sipping a beer at any given Fort Collins brewery.

HEAR THIS

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THE BAND PLAYED ON Guitar hero Jimmy Herring and his new band The Invisible Whip head out on tour in honor of blues legend Bruce Hampton.

by JEDD FERRIS

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he stage was set for quite a celebration at Atlanta’s Fox Theatre on May 1, 2017. A cast of musical all-stars came together to honor and celebrate the 70th birthday of Col. Bruce Hampton, an underground icon in the Southern rock world. Throughout his five-decade career, Hampton flirted with broad success, releasing a record on Columbia with his Hampton Grease Band and gaining his greatest attention fronting the Aquarium Rescue Unit, an early 1990s contemporary of Phish and Blues Traveler.

His reach was far deeper, however. The quirky, thought-provoking bluesman was the musical equivalent of a minor-league baseball coach, mentoring countless musicians who went on to bigger things. Many of them showed up to pay tribute in front of a capacity crowd at the ornate Georgia theater. The four-plus-hour show, billed as “Hampton 70,” featured Warren Haynes, John Popper, Derek Trucks, Susan Tedeschi, Peter Buck of R.E.M., Rolling Stones keyboardist Chuck Leavell and Phish drummer Jon Fishman, as well as members of Widespread Panic and Leftover Salmon.

Guitarist Jimmy Herring, who first surfaced playing for Hampton in the Aquarium Rescue Unit, could tell his former bandleader was enjoying the evening. But during the encore, while a packed cluster of players ran through a version of Bobby “Blue” Bland’s “Turn on Your Lovelight,” Hampton suddenly fell to the ground. At first, many on stage thought the guy well known for zany stage antics Dead and Phil Lesh and Friends. He’s currently a was playing a joke, but it soon became clear the full-time member of Widespread Panic, but with situation was serious. The curtain closed. Hampton that band scaling back its road time, Herring is died after rescuers took him to a local hospital. using the summer to “It was surreal,” unveil a new group, the Herring said, five weeks HAMPTON SUDDENLY FELL TO Invisible Whip. after the show. “I’m still THE GROUND. AT FIRST, MANY torn up. It’s hard to ON STAGE THOUGHT THE GUY n his upcoming stomach, but I’ve heard WELL KNOWN FOR ZANY STAGE tour, which him say that’s the way swings through he wanted to go. He was ANTICS WAS PLAYING A JOKE, the Front Range for surrounded by so many BUT IT SOON BECAME CLEAR four shows in early people that hold him in THE SITUATION WAS SERIOUS. September, Herring high regard.” will front his own band Calling Hampton his for the first time in five years. He assembled the “muse, musical father figure and mentor,” Herring new outfit as a direct nod to his time playing with credits his late friend with instilling in him a Hampton. All members of the Invisible Whip— musical enlightenment that influenced his work drummer and fellow former ARU member Jeff Sipe, in subsequent high-profile roles. Since his time in organ player Matt Slocum, bassist Kevin Scott ARU, Herring has gone on to develop one of the most enviable resumes in rock. He was a member of and multi-instrumentalist Jason Crosby—spent time playing with Hampton. For Herring, common the Allman Brothers Band following the departure thread is essential. of Dickey Betts, and he’s played lead guitar for “I want to be surrounded by people who have some notable Grateful Dead spinoffs, including The

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LOVE LIGHT WIDESPREAD PANIC GUITAR SAVANT JIMMY HERRING CREDITS THE LATE, GREAT (BUT LITTLE-KNOWN) BRUCE HAMPTON WITH TEACHING HIM HOW TO PLAY MUSIC WITH SOUL. HERRING WILL PAY TRIBUTE TO HAMPTON IN A TOUR ROLLING THROUGH COLORADO IN SEPTEMBER. photo courtesy Jimmy Herring (top), by Roger Gupta (left)

worked with him, because we all speak the same language,” Herring says.“The music was so simple when we played with Bruce, and it was easy to inject your musical self when you were on stage with him. I want that to be an element of what we’ll be doing with this group.”

Herring says the new band will incorporate roots-based music with room for improvisational tangents, much like they did during their time playing with Hampton. Set lists will include some of the instrumental compositions from Herring’s two most-recent studio albums, 2008’s “Lifeboat” and 2012’s “Subject to Change Without Notice,” as well as new material and select covers. With Herring’s virtuosic guitar work leading the charge, the sound will shift between wide-open blues jams, melodic rock journeys and spacey free-jazz jaunts, but Herring isn’t fond of sonic labels.

“It’s instrumental music, so some people will hear it and immediately call it jazz,” he says. “But I don’t like to draw distinctions between genres. To me, in a perfect world, there’s no line between jazz and funk and blues and rock. That’s what Bruce taught me.

Music can be oriented in certain ways and injected with personality, but it’s just music.”

JIMMY HERRING AND THE INVISIBLE WHIP PLAY THE GOTHIC THEATRE IN ENGLEWOOD ON SEPTEMBER 7, THE FOX THEATRE IN BOULDER ON SEPTEMBER 8 AND 9, AND THE AGGIE THEATER IN FORT COLLINS ON SEPTEMBER 10.

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THE ROAD

CHASING YOUTH When the clouds cleared below camp, our HE MAY HAVE BEEN STUCK AT THE BACK OF THE park service helicopter ROPE, GETTING READY would fly in from sea TO CATCH SHINY-EYED level and carry him MILLENNIALS, BUT WATERMAN FELT RIGHT out. I stood and gave AT HOME ON A PEAK THAT a respectful bow, and HAS BEEN AT THE CENTER began to shiver, but OF HIS LIFE. photo by Jonathan Waterman there had been a time when high-altitude life, and death, seemed more commonplace.

Exactly four decades had passed since the first time I stumbled up here with my scout troop from Massachusetts. That year of 1976, I sat at this elevation next to another corpse awaiting a helicopter, the 18th death in the mountain’s history. Our failure to summit, along with confronting that needless fatality, had spurred me into learning how to safely climb big mountains, and launch a career that kept me in the wilds.

Working as a guide, a filmmaker and a park service ranger, I returned to Denali repeatedly.

Unduly influenced by hormones, I climbed “The High One” in winter; through astute planning and more than a little luck, I slunk off the mountain with only one frost-blackened toe. Ill-disposed

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SINCE I DIDN’T WANT TO PREVENT SOMEONE ELSE FROM SUMMITING WHILE THEY ACCOMPANIED ME DOWN, I RELUCTANTLY CONTINUED UP.

DENALI, DENIAL What happens when a climbing vet returns to his spiritual home?

by JONATHAN WATERMAN

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pulled the balaclava down over my frosted chin as the bottom half of Denali fell into shadow. In the 23 years that had passed since my last visit here, I couldn’t help noticing that the culture of climbing had changed on North America’s highest mountain. My teammates were watching movies downloaded onto their smart phones, climbing traffic had doubled and, in good weather, touristengorged bush planes swarmed over the mountain like swamp-bound mosquitoes.

Modern hoodies—chic-ly worn up even on warm days—made these wilderness mountaineers resemble inner-city, well…hoods. Climbers now pay a $365 fee, submit their registrations 60 days in advance and carry park service issue “clean 40

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mountain cans” (CMCs) so that their feces can be disposed of in pre-marked crevasses—only the bravest mountaineers carry their full CMCs all the way back down the mountain.

But some things hadn’t changed. We stomped out a helicopter pad in the snow and I sat next to the dead body of a Czech ski mountaineer. Several days earlier, he’d made three jump turns down the Messner Couloir, caught an edge, fell head over heels, and continued plummeting 1,500 feet toward camp over rocks and bullet-proof ice. In the heat of awful sunlight reflecting off the snow, the slow process of necrosis had already begun—dispersing the atoms that made up his body back out into the mysterious universe of our beginnings.

for government paperwork and uniform dress, I quit rangering and wrote three Denali books to share what I had learned, and then continued my impoverished career as an adventure writer.

This June 2016—volunteering on a park service patrol—I didn’t come to Denali simply to perform rescues. I came to revisit a mountain that had imparted meaning to my life, a wellspring for persistent dreams: laughing with teammates, walking knife-edge ridges above the clouds, and digging snow that fell as fast as we could shovel in tent-burying storms.

I didn’t want any more epics. But since my aging frontal lobe had blurred the suffering into memories of high-altitude bliss, I had to come back to Denali.

Here at 14,300 feet, walking briskly to my tent, I thought about how the Czech skier’s demise—raising the death toll to 123 in the history of climbing North America’s highest peak—could have been tragic bad luck rather than recklessness. Although I didn’t plan on undue risk-taking, as I climbed higher, I would become literally older. The thought of flaunting my 60th birthday on top seemed like a karmic invitation into certain disaster. So I kept the disrespectful fantasy to myself.

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wo of my six companions, all half my age, had been here before. On the day we left for the West Buttress high camp, it appeared no one had anything to prove. Still, in fear of becoming the pensioner slowing down young teammates, I had trained a dozen hours a week

by running uphill—breathlessly—on my crosscountry skis in Colorado.

On past trips to these unseemly elevations I had been clobbered with headaches, while depositing innumerable piles of vomit, forgetting my name, battling insomnia and nearly drowning in my own fluids—regardless of acclimatization.

Needless to say, the family ancestry didn’t include high-altitude genes. Still, as masochistic as it sounds, I had to return because it seemed that I had taken for granted the most incredible natural wonders and interpersonal realtionships of a lifetime—all of which I found on Denali.

Fortunately, the West Buttress is a relative walk-up, given several days of good weather (uncommonly found up high) on this mountain.

But below the fixed ropes, parboiling in a snowbasin that resembles a fry pan, I developed urgent misgivings. What in the name of retirement am I doing here? I thought. My tweenie sons had tried to convince me that I was too old for Denali.

They promised to never talk to me again if I didn’t come home.

Today, being towed up the 20,310-foot massif by rope, all the while breathing like a landed fish, didn’t feel right. Plus, we were cueing up for a mountain that I’d never seen lines on.

“I’m going back down,” I told Ranger Dan Corn, our unflappable leader. To my knowledge, he had never breathed hard or broken a sweat during our last two weeks of toil. I suspected that Corn was the progeny of high-altitude Tibetans, even though he talked like a Virginian. But before I could verify his lineage, an unfortunate meeting with a full, yet topless pee bottle and two sleeping bags had forever banned me from his tent.

There at 15,200 feet, Corn’s shrewd leadership skills would prevail again when he mentioned that I couldn’t descend alone. Since I didn’t want to prevent someone else from summiting while they accompanied me down, I reluctantly continued up.

At 17,200 feet, with the mercury hugging the balmier single digits, we dug in, acting as park service exemplars for the dozens of campers surrounding us. The snow blocks that we quarried, lifted and stacked around our three tents in a towering barricade—before I collapsed, exhausted, several hours after arriving—could have given pause to a horde of invading mongols.

Let alone a Denali blizzard.

Amazingly, I had an appetite for the disagreeable freeze-dried food. I slept soundly.

And when I woke up—feeling as if resuscitated from major surgery—I had no headache. This time I vowed to forgo the summit and be content with 17, 200 feet. I had to act my age rather than my double boot size.

Yet everything got upended two days later, June 12, on that auspicious date when everyone began singing Happy Birthday. Somehow word had gotten out. Although not pleased to be so publicly reminded of reaching my seventh decade, I did look forward to one more day of repose in the tent before descending to thicker air. Until Ranger Corn announced that I would continue up immediately, escorting the youngsters while he supervised a helicopter removing high-altitude trash. No one defies the lawmen of Denali, or this is how I remembered my own park service

patrols back in the days before Corn’s Sherpa parents sowed and raised Corn.

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he summit day proved a blur. I hardly remember how late Millennial stallions in harnesses dragged me up. It's a blur of continually passing or waiting in line with the resting crowds, who warbled out oxygendeprived versions of Happy Birthday to this frosted graybeard. Apparently, the whole roof of the continent had been let in on my secret.

Then, suddenly as a cork popping from a shaken champagne bottle, further ascension became impossible. We had reached the top.

From previous visits, I knew that we were standing on a colossal cornice with a dizzying view down the south face, but fortunately, we were blanketed in cloud and the effect equaled that of standing in a featureless white room after ingesting psilocybin mushrooms. Undoubtedly hypoxic, I still had one epiphany: Through suffering, mountain climbers become incredibly cunning, albeit more than a little brain damaged, otherwise why would we choose to do this again and again?

Then my teammate Michael Hutchins— another high-altitude mutant, though not yet even an embryo the last time I climbed Denali—pulled out a surprise ceremonial kata and tied it around my neck. We all shook hands. Then I hugged and kissed a redheaded stranger in another team joining us on top. It seemed likely that this person was a woman but anything can happen at 20,310 feet above sea level.

I resumed the duck footed descent at the rear of the rope, knees grinding audibly beneath the prosthetic hip, bracing an antique Chouinard

ax across my chest in ONE BIG VIEW constant self-arrest THIS OVERLOOK FROM 17,000 FEET ON DENALI'S position. Now, and WEST BUTTRESS ROUTE hopefully for the last SHOWS THE WORLD'S time, I had to make it GREATEST VERTICAL RELIEF (TOP). WATERMAN down safely—if only to resume slouching behind CELEBRATED HIS 60TH BIRTHDAY ON DENALI'S my desk, plotting the SUMMIT (BOTTOM). social security benefits photos by Jonathan Waterman that accrue from sharing these sorts of deathdefying adventure tales. As for the future, I can only pray that my sons won't make me take them up Denali. In the meantime, I will do my level best not to take the mountain for granted again.

CARBONDALE RESIDENT JONATHAN WATERMAN IS THE AUTHOR OF THREE BOOKS ABOUT DENALI, INCLUDING IN THE SHADOW OF DENALI. HE IS NOW WRITING A FOURTH, IN BETWEEN ADVENTURES WITH HIS SONS. A U G U S T 2 017 / E L E VAT I O N O U T D O O R S . C O M

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ELWAYVILLE

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LOSING FREEDOM

This is how we came to have everything to lose.

by PETER KRAY

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y wife Catherine and I lived in an adobe house next door to a shining light of a man named Juan Herrera when we were first starting out on our life together. On June 6, 1944, he had been one of the thousands of young men risking their lives for world freedom, crashing through the waves off Normandy on his way to Utah Beach.

Many summer nights “Johnny,” as I called him (he liked to call me Pedro), and I would sit on the rock wall he had built between our houses in the ’50s to talk and watch the sunset. Whenever those deep pink twilight clouds eventually began to stretch away from the blackening peaks, this man who had seen so much would look and proclaim, “That’s as pretty as it gets.”

Señor Herrera earned two purple hearts for his sacrifice in Europe—this for a boy who before the war had never been beyond a now long-abandoned mining town in the Southwest. Sometimes, he told me stories about the first hours and weeks after D-Day, with the constant push inland, the bloody battles between the giant hedgerows and all the field hospitals filling up. Twice, he told me how he was sharing a cigarette with a friend named “Frenchie,” when a German sniper shot Frenchie through the neck.

“It was the general who sent me home,” Juan told me, with a little smile. “After the second time I got hit by shrapnel, he took a look at me in my cot and said, ‘I think you’ve done enough.’”

THE LONG VIEW

Sometime around the 50th anniversary of the invasion of Europe, PBS aired a documentary about D-Day, and Juan knocked on my door and asked if I wanted to come watch. As the black-and-white footage of the bombs and close fighting rolled by, he recited everything the narrator would say about about 30 seconds before, describing in detail the casualties and the desperate enemy the soldiers faced.

When the Stephen Spielberg/Tom Hanks D-Day film “Saving Private Ryan” came out in 1998, Juan’s son, Alan, took him to the theater for the first time in 15 years to see it. After the movie, Juan didn’t come out of his house for a week.

I don’t think he ever said another word about D-Day after that. As visceral as that movie is— with so much detail in the early scenes copied from actual combat footage—it’s just another amazing action movie for many. But for the few left who were actually there, killing and dying on a windswept beach, I imagine watching it on the big screen must have been somewhat akin to watching your walking

Illustration by Kevin Howdeshell / THEBRAVEUNION.COM

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nightmares turned into flesh.

Juan suffered a head injury after he fell in his kitchen about a week before the 9/11 attacks. I remember my father called that morning and said, “Turn on the television, the world has changed forever,” and the first thing I had wanted to do was go next door and hear “Johnny’s” thoughts.

When he died from that injury, there was a service at the cathedral, a folded flag for his son, and a 21-gun salute. After Catherine and I stopped sobbing, we went home, poured two tall drinks, and sat on that rock wall until long after dark.

TOO EASY STREET

An older family member of mine likes to suggest how spoiled my generation—and especially younger American generations are—because we never had a war to fight. I used to agree, thinking of how all the major conflicts American servicemen and women have sacrificed their lives for since World War II have been in the aid of someone else—for another country’s freedom, or defending everyday people against the fascists, dictators and terrorists that continually seem to rise to power in the world.

Now, I’m not so sure. It seems like there have been plenty of wars to fight here at home, and most of us have been too lazy, too selfish, or too busy “living the dream” (man I hate that phrase, right up

there with “this doesn’t suck”) to notice.

Just look at the mess we are making, and ignoring with global warming—no, I won't call it your politically correct “climate change.” Look at the bullshit of Corporatocracy-funded legislation and court decisions like Citizen’s United that have helped to pervert our political system. Consider the fact that in the past few months there have been more than a dozen new bills to curb our right to free speech in the form of peaceful protest. You know, just in case you wanted to raise your voice against the great land grab of the American West.

We’re losing freedom left and right because we’re too fat and lazy to defend it. And right now, despite our best intentions and a few bright lights, we haven’t organized to do anything about it.

My neighbor Juan and his contemporaries earned the moniker of “The Greatest Generation,” because they bet their own futures for the rest of us. Right now, the future is going to have a very different name for us.

I think we can do it. But we need some very big ideas. I would appreciate hearing your thoughts.

—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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