Elevation Outdoors August 2018

DEADLY ELKS | THE STRENGTH OF QUINN BRETT | FOLKS FEST FAVES AUGUST 2018

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E L E V AT I O N O U T D O O R S . C O M

THE

MOUNTAIN ISSUE 2018 “BROWN GIRLS CLIMB” TAKE THE LEAD

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THE LEGEND OF TEX BOSSIER M O U N TA I N T E C H : GEAR SETUPS FOR EVERYTHING FROM DRY TOOLING TO PEAK BAGGING

SLEEP IN THE SKY

MU TA N T

Br it tle ice, fr igid temps, and big-ass mountains; this is Silver ton, where the Mutant Series belongs. Built with a per fect fit and the durabilit y to withstand ever y thing from a mor ning on Snow blind to smash-andgrab ascents to ex tended expeditions on ver tical chessboards. Dependable packs w ith alpine-focused features; the y ’ll ge t you up, but they ’ll never let you down.

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PLAYS WELL WITH BOULDERS. There’s a reason we put our beer in cans instead of bottles. Because when we can our beer, you can do more with it. More hiking and biking. More climbing and camping.

More of anything you can think of, out where our beer was brewed to be enjoyed: in nature.

At Upslope, we can so you can.

#cancountry

IT’S

PLAYTIME AD O R O L O C IN

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Y R T N U O H IG H C

THE BEST HIGH

E, GO LD EN CO 13 13 W AS HI NG TO N AV

ONE WAY TO BEAT THE CROWDS WHEN YOU CLIMB FOURTEENERS IS TO SLEEP ON THEM. SEE PAGE 36

| 30 3. 27 1.9 38 2

photo by KENNAN HARVEY

CONTENTS DEPARTMENTS

N

YOUR DESTINATIO

P O H S G N I P M A C ARS FOR OVER 20 YE

7 EDITOR’S LETTER Why our editor is embracing the crowds.

9 QUICK HITS

Jackson Hole’s new via ferrata, “The Bikes of Wrath,” customized kicks, good eats and hiking in Taos, the CMC gets teens climbing, one multi-tool of an axe and more...

14 FLASHPOINT

Aspen’s Elk Mountains can be deadly but local volunteer rescue and climbing groups are looking for solutions.

17 HOT SPOT MONDRAKER FOXY RR

©JAMES STOKOE PHOTO

2019 BIKES ARE HERE! Mondraker FOXY 29 XR

Pivot FIREBIRD 29

YETI SB100

.6545 lden CO 80401 | 303.278 722 Washington Ave, Go 4

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AUGUST 2018 21 STRAIGHT TALK

A tragic fall in Yosemite left Quinn Brett paralyzed. This Marc Peruzzi reveals some interesting correspondence is how she is coping. from a sort-of-ex-insider.

35 HEAR THIS

Your guide to the best bands at Folks Fest.

36 THE ROAD

Kennan Harvey comes up with a brilliant plan to avoid summit crowds: Be last.

38 ELWAYVILLE

It's the sunsets that keep Peter Kray flying west.

FEATURES 22 BROWN GIRLS CLIMB

Bailey has some of the best singletrack in the state (and some decent hiking).

Here’s how to get after it like a champ.

Bethany Lebewitz founded an organization that is making a big difference.

19 NUMEROLOGY

A son says goodbye to his legendary father.

The raw numbers when it comes to people (and people eaters) on Colorado’s fourteeners.

30 ZINKE'S DEFLECTIONS

32 ALPINE CLIMBING GEAR Choose your discipline.

33 PEAKBAGGING GEAR

The best stuff for summits. .

ON THE COVER Monserrat Matehuala and Sasha McGhee take the lead for Brown Girls Climb in Colorado. The organization is making sure more women of color and underserved populations get out on the rock and in the wild.

by Carlo Nasisse / @carlonasisse

27 TEX BOSSIER

29 CAN SLEEP HELP YOU SUMMIT? The science says yes.

WANT MORE? CATCH UP ON PAST ISSUES, YOUR FAVORITE BLOGGERS AND DAILY ONLINE CONTENT AT ELEVATIONOUTDOORS.COM

THE THRILL OF EXPLORATION

NOW HAS LESS TO DO

WITH THE LIKELIHOOD OF SURVIVAL.

INREACH SERIES

©2018 Garmin Ltd. or its subsidiaries.

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1

Renew Your Spirit

CO N T R I B U TO R S

E DI TOR-I N -CHI E F

DOUG SCHNITZSPAHN

doug@elevationoutdoors.com

blake@elevationoutdoors.com PUBLI SHE R

CASEY VANDENOEVER

casey@elevationoutdoors.com ART DI RE CTOR

LAUREN WORTH

lauren@elevationoutdoors.com

M AN AG I N G E DI TOR

CAMERON MARTINDELL

cameron@elevationoutdoors.com SE N I OR E DI TOR

CHRIS KASSAR

chris@elevationoutdoors.com COPY ASSASSI N

TRACY ROSS

E DI TOR-AT-LARG E

PETER KRAY I N T E RN

SOPHIA ZAYAS ASSOCI AT E CRE AT I VE DI RE CTOR

MEGAN JORDAN

megan@elevationoutdoors.com CON T RI BUT I N G E DI TORS

AARON BIBLE, ADAM CHASE, ROB COPPOLILLO, LIAM DORAN, JAMES DZIEZYNSKI, HUDSON LINDENBERGER, SONYA LOONEY, CHRIS VAN LEUVEN CON T RI BUT I N G WRI T E RS

M.T. ELLIOTT, EDD FERRIS, KIM FULLER, KENNAN HARVEY, SASHA MCGHEE, CHRIS MEEHAN, EMMA MURRAY, MARC PERUZZI, AVERY STONICH ADVERTISING + BUSINESS SE N I OR ACCOUN T E XE CUT I VE

MARTHA EVANS

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CONOR SEDMAK

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MELISSA GESSLER

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State Forest State Park

CI RCULAT I ON M AN AG E R

KAITY VANCE

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CRAIG SNODGRASS

craig@elevationoutdoors.com DI G I TAL M AN AG E R

TYRA SUTAK

Visit or make a reservation at a Colorado state park today!

cpw.state.co.us/discover

1-800-244-5613

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WHAT SUMMIT DO YOU MOST WANT TO STAND ATOP?

PRE SI DE N T

BLAKE DEMASO

EDITORIAL + PRODUCTION

4 seasons to recharge.

41 state parks to discover.

700 miles of trails to hike.

225,000 acres to explore.

0 8 .1 8

tyra@elevationoutdoors.com

ELEVATIONOUTDOORS.COM 2510 47th Street Unit 209 Boulder, Colorado 80301 (303) 449-1560 P U B L I S H E D BY ©2018 Summit Publishing, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

SUMMIT

PUBLISHING

DOUG SCHNITZSPAHN

I plan to hike Kebenekaise, Sweden’s high point, this month.

CASEY VANDENOEVER

Mount Elbert. It's the highest mountain in Colorado, highest in the Rockies, and second highest in the contiguous United States.

CONOR SEDMAK

I would love to cement my love of the Pacific Northwest with a summit of Mount Rainier.

CAMERON MARTINDELL

Any summit I can get my kiddos on to inspire them to aim high for all the summits in their lives to come.

TRACY ROSS

I don't care about getting to the top of things. I just want to move in the woods as much as possible on every continent that I can.

CHRIS KASSAR

It was Mount Logan…but I just did it in June! Now I’m psyched to give the Grand Teton a shot.

KENNAN HARVEY

The Totem Pole in Tasmania—a slender tower 200-feet tall and 13-feet wide, with ocean waves battering the fragile base.

SASHA MCGHEE

Heiliger Geist, Greece.

It’s a place of tradition and peace and spirituality, bound with a deep history of war and struggle.

CHRIS MEEHAN

They’re not the biggest, craziest by any means, but I’d love to climb the Zhangye Rainbow Mountains of Gansu Province in China.

CHRIS VAN LEUVEN

Brer Rabbit on Cottontail Tower in Utah's Fisher Towers.

E D I TO R ' S L E T T E R

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BRING THE CROWDS

Colorado’s mountains jsut keep getting more popular.

That may be frustrating— but is it really such a bad thing after all?

by DOUG SCHNITZSPAHN

I

n June, I hiked Mount Bierstadt with my wife and two kids. It was the first fourteener for my son and daughter and we were excited to do it as a family. We chose Bierstadt for the same reasons why everyone choses the mountain: It's close to Denver and supposedly it's one of the easy fourteeners. That also means it's one of the most popular fourteeners.

Indeed, it was. As we hiked up we passed lines and lines and lines of people. There were the obligatory millennials in felt hats and facial hair, stopping for social media verification.

There were obvious foreign tourists, speaking in other tongues, wearing brightly colored packs and gear, and stopping to catch their breath. There was a couple I had to guess were on some type of we-met-online date: She was sporty and spry; he kept almost spraining his ankle. There were dogs, and a few babies. There were no breaks, really. The lines of people kept climbing with us and in front of us and behind us, and there was no place to sneak a pee in private.

There was a time when I would have avoided this horror show at all costs—after all who comes to the mountains to feel as if they are waiting to get into a String Cheese Incident show at Red Rocks? But I have to admit, I actually liked it. I enjoyed the company, the community. We were all up here, sharing in the beauty of the

CLIMB LIKE A BEE THE TEAM FROM HONEY STINGER STANDS ATOP THE HIGHEST POINT IN THE STATE OF COLORADO, 14,439-FOOT MOUNT ELBERT. photo by DOUG SCHNITZSPAHN

mountains. We were all investing in something that we all need, an escape and a confirmation that we are more than our screens and our cars and our responsibilities.

I was also pleasantly surprised by the mountain itself. Bierstadt is a beautiful peak, still kissed with snow in early summer and standing gracefully out above the high ponds of Guanella Pass. My kids did the hike no problem, but it was not easy: There was lots of rock to navigate and a fun little bit of easy scrambling to the summit. Plus, the snowmelt turned sections of the trail into a tricky mix of mud and ice (where the aforementioned dude with his Tinder date almost took a bad spill).

It was a beautiful day—for all of us.

It also made me glad in these strange days when we seem to be slipping backwards when it comes to embracing the treasure of nature and public lands in a world that is such a loud, exhausting mess to see so many people out enjoying it. We have people in office who want to sell off public lands, to limit and take away our communal ability to get out and away from all the garbage of online life and find something authentic in ourselves.

Looking at all the smiling (and huffing) people hiking up Bierstadt gave me a lot of hope.

If more people get outside, they will advocate for it. We need these voices.

We need young people and old people and people who don't normally see themselves as outdoorsy hiking up Bierstadt. And we need to hope they will speak for the peaks.

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SUMMER2018

YOGA AT A-BASIN

FRIDAYS AND SUNDAYS 11:00am–12:00pm, June 29–September 2

CHAIRLIFT RIDES SATURDAYS AND SUNDAYS

CONCERTS

Yoga On The Mountain August 9

SATURDAYS

Disc Golf Tournament

1:00pm–4:00pm

August 4 and 5

AUGUST

Cirque Series Trail Run

4

Miles Nielsen & The Rusted Hearts 11 Grant Farm 25 Pandas & People

August 18

Oktoberfest September 15

SEPTEMBER 1

Lunch at 6th Alley Bar & Grill Friday–Monday, 11:00am–4:00pm June 29–September 16

Drunken Hearts

Shopping at Arapahoe Sports Friday–Monday, 9:00am–5:00pm June 29–September 16

11:00am–3:00pm, June 30–September 2

ARAPAHOEBASIN.COM/EVENTS

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QUICK HITS

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GRAB THE VIA FERRATA

JACKSON HOLE’S NEW IRON ROAD IN THE SKY GIVES NUBES AND ROCK JOCKS ALIKE THE CHANCE TO TRY AN OLD EUROPEAN TRADITION IN THE ROCKIES.

NOW THAT’S ITALIAN EUROPE'S VIA FERRATE INSPIRED JACKSON HOLE COOWNER CONNIE KEMMERER TO CREATE ONE AT HER RESORT. photo courtey JACKSON HOLE

ITALIAN FOR “IRON ROAD,” A VIA FERRATA CONSISTS OF A SERIES OF METAL LADDERS AND OCCASIONAL EASY ROCK CLIMBING moves, all of it protected by means of an iron cable that runs the length of the route. Climbers clip into this lifeline with two quick draw set ups that ensure they are always connected to the cable, even when going around the bolts that keep it in the rock—ensuring you won’t fall to the ground. The routes first came into use during World War I, when the Italian army used them to scale the Dolomites and Alps. Today, via ferrate are common in Europe, and some, like the stunning Leukerbad Via Ferrata, are downright epic. It’s the longest in Switzerland with over 3,000 vertical feet of big-wall exposure that takes eight hours to navigate and puts you on the summit of the 9,652-foot-high Daubenhorn, overlooking the red roofs and green fields of the valley below. Telluride, Colorado’s Via Ferrata (telluridemountainclub.org/via-ferrata/) provides big thrills and a taste of the European experience without nearly as much commitment as something like the Leukerbad. The new via ferrata at Jackson Hole (jacksonhole.com/via-ferrata.html) might be the perfect place to give the ladders your first try, however, since it is managed by the resort’s outstanding Mountain Center and provides certified guies. —Doug Schnitzspahn

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QUICK HITS

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CUSTOM KICKS Feet are weird—and everyone’s are different. Why suffer through the pains of a factorycreated cruel shoe when you can customize the fit of the most important gear you own.

RUNNERS AND HIKERS ARE ALWAYS

looking for footwear that fits as if it were designed just for them. Now, a couple of Colorado retailers are able to offer customized shoe insoles and hiking boots that fit better than anything off the shelf.

Boulder run shop Go Far has the region's only SuperFeet FitStation, which digitally maps the shape of runners' feet. Wilderness Exchange in Denver offers the Tecnica Forge boot, heat-molded to fit customers as they wait.

Kate King, Go Far's operating manager, says the greatest power of the machine is to help customers visualize the different shapes of their feet—a person’s feet are almost always different from one another— and help alleviate imbalances that can lead to uneven wear, blisters or even injury in other parts of the legs.

Customers step onto a scanner for a 3-D measurement of their feet, which includes the width of their toe box and height and length of their arch. Another mat measures their gait to detect pronation or supination. This data is then saved under their profile in the FitStation computer, and recommends shoes in Go Far's inventory as well as stock insoles from SuperFeet. For an even more custom fit, customers can use their data to order soles 3-D printed to fit their feet and have them arrive in two weeks.

“One of the greatest takeaways we've seen is with the custom insoles,” says King. “People come in with problems on just one foot, like their arch length is totally whack, so over-the-counter insoles just aren't

HE'S GOING THE DISTANCE AUTHOR M.T. ELLIOTT GETS HIS GAIT ANALYZED ON GO FAR'S FITSTATION AT THE BOULDER RUNNING RETAIL STORE, THE ONLY SHOP WITH THE MACHINE IN THE REGION. TURNS OUT M.T. IS A PRONATOR. photo by ANDREW BYDLON

going to help, because they are made for two identical feet.”

For hikers, Tecnica's custom-fit machine molds the foot-bed and upper of the waterproof Forge boots, which has won plenty of accolades for its performance features. First used in its alpine ski boots, Tecnica's custom fitting is a two-step process that takes roughly 20 minutes. Customers take a seat in Wilderness Exchange's footwear section and strap their feet (and legs) inside Tecnica's molding machine.

In the first step, air pressure fills compartments around the feet and even above the knees to add pressure to the soles to shape the

TECHNOLOGY

foot-bed. Next, the uppers are molded around the heel pocket and ankle for a secure, comfortable fit that's ready to hit the trail.

“There's been an education process, as people still think they need to break these in,” says Ben Arnold, a manager and certified boot fitter at Wilderness Exchange. The store got the molding machine and two boot styles in February, and Arnold says he saw an immediate interest, especially among blisterprone hikers with difficulty finding boots that fit well and others with more complex issues.

“When you've got a bad injury, like a bolt and screw in your ankle, you're just not going to find a stock boot made to fit that.” He says it doesn't hurt that they are great three-season boots, with a slipresistant tread and breathable waterproofing.

—M.T. Elliott

GEAR WE LOVE

THE BIKES OF WRATH Want to suffer like Steinbeck?

Don’t miss this cycling documentary that dives deep into the heart of America.

SOMETIMES AN INTERNATIONAL TRIP

can put things in perspective, and leave it to a world premiere to give that viewpoint a voice. “The Bikes of Wrath” feature film showed publicly for the first time this past April at Five Point Adventure Film Festival in Carbondale, Colorado.

The movie follows five Australians as they attempt to cycle 30 days for 1,600 miles from Sallisaw, Oklahoma, to Bakersfield, California, retracing the route taken by the Joad family— characters in the John Steinbeck novel The Grapes of Wrath. The Aussies set out to survive on $420 (the modernday equivalent of the Joad’s $18 in the 1930s) and whatever their musical

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Durango, Colorado-based Kate Siber has been writing for magazines like Outside and The Smithsonian for years, but she just finished her first kids book (ages 6-10) to help upcoming generations get to know our national parks. Beautifully illustrated by Chris Turnham, it highlights the unique flora and fauna of these big playgrounds.

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$30 | KATESIBER.COM/BOOKS

performances could yield.

The one hour and thirty seven minute documentary proved to be a true highlight at Five Point this year, and four of the five in the group attended the festival, including producers and directors Cameron Ford and Charlie Turnbull. And to coincide with the theme of the weekend this year “Our Stories, Our Lands,” portions of the footage were filmed on public land.

The film took on a lighthearted tone while effectively exploring themes that reflect Steinbeck’s novel, including migration, inequality, and America as the perceived land of opportunity—all documented and produced from the lens of visitors to this country.

What the group encountered on their journey was a great deal of challenge, equally matched by positive interactions of humanity and hospitality throughout.

“It revitalized human connection for me,” said Ford at a Q&A session following the world premier of the film. “At a time when everyone is on their phones and their laptops, we go and attempt this remarkably insurmountable trip and found the generosity of every single person who came out to help us along the journey—that human connection. The task that’s too great then becomes achievable with the act of many and the kindness of many and the hope of many, and that’s what I am taking from it more than anything else.”

The film begs the question: Has America progressed in terms of the wealth gap, immigration and the American dream, since Steinbeck wrote his novel?

The answer is still to be

DUST BOWL TAKE A BUNCH OF AUSSIE CYCLISTS AND TURN THEM LOOSE IN THE LANDSCAPE OF THE GRAPES OF WRATH AND YOU GET AN EXAMINATION OF THE AMERICAN DREAM WITH A SOLID DOSE OF HUMOR TOSSED IN. photo courtesy THE BIKES OF WRATH

determined. “Everything is a lot more complicated and complex than you might originally think,” says Turnbull.

“Particularly with stereotypes and what the American South is like, what Texas is like, and notions held in those places.”

The film served as a good way for Turnbull to get out of his own bubble.

“Those preconceived ideas got blown away pretty quickly for me,” he says. “I hope it shows through in the film that things are complicated, but overall people are really generous and they want to help each other.”

You can find more info at: bikesofwrath.squarespace.com —Kim Fuller

EAT SLEEP PLAY: TAOS, NEW MEXICO With the Sangre de Christos on one side and the Rio Grande Gorge on the other, this bustling Land of Enchantment town lives up to the hype when it comes to its repuation as a place where magic (oh and lots of outdoor adventure) is sure to happen.

EAT: Oh come on, the food is perhaps the biggest reason why you travel to

New Mexico and Taos is an epicenter for traditional and nuevo cuisine that runs the gamut from cheeseladen comfort food to farm-to-table extravaganzas. Start the morning at Michael’s Kitchen (michaelskitchen. com), where you can merge cultures with a fresh green chili croissant.

Looking to eat with the locals? Head to Guadalajara Grill (guadalajaragrilltaos. com), which has locations at either end of town and plates a massive serving of chili rellenos that should sate your hunger after a big adventure in the Sangres. Treat yourself to the decadence of Chokolá Bean to Bar (chokolabeantobar.com), the husbandand-wife team here concocts every type of chocolate goody you can imagine—from green matcha tea bon bons to rich hot sipping chocolate that you can enjoy in the café. With postcard-perfect mountain views and a garden full of wind sculptures, Farmhouse Café (farmhousecafetaos. com) serves farm fresh dishes that draw on local traditions including organic chicken enchiladas and a curried squash pie with a homemade rosemary crust.

For that special meal, book at farm-totable fave ACEQ (aceqrestaurant.com) in nearby Arroyo Secco.

SLEEP: With a coop of friendly chickens

pecking around right on the property, Casa Gallina (casagallina.net) feels far away from the bustle of Taos Plaza, even if it’s just a few minutes away. Book one of the cozy, artfully furnished casitas that include kitchens (currently running $450 for two nights in September) and channel your inner artisan. The philosophy here is to slow down (and enjoy the fresh eggs). Couples seeking some Land of Enchantment romance, will want

THE WAY OF TAOS THE BEST THING TO DO IN THE NEW MEXICO TOWN FAMED FOR ART COLONIES, STEEP SKIING, GEODESIC DOMES AND GREEN CHILE? JUST FIND A GOOD SPOT TO SIT BACK AND WATCH THE SUNSET. photo by DOUG SCHNITZSPAHN

to check in to the Adobe and Pines Inn (adobepines.com), where you can enjoy a private deck (and more chickens on premises) or wander hand-in-hand in the lovely gardens. Double rooms run $240 per night in September as of press. If you want a taste of tradition, the Inn on La Loma Plaza (vacationtaos. com) is your ticket. The historic hacienda gives you a feel for old Taos with handcrafted furniture in each room and breakfast on site.

PLAY: The big outdoor attraction in Taos is of course Taos Ski Valley (skitaos.com). Even on a low snow year, you can find excitement on the steeps that host the Freeride World Tour each year. In the summer and fall, the resort serves as a cool base for mountain biking adventures or a hike up New Mexico's highest point, 13,159-foot Wheeler Peak. It's an 8.2mile round trip to the summit that racks up 2,961 vertical feet on the climb and begins right at the resort. Looking for something a bit more low key? Take a llama to lunch with Wild Earth Llama Adventures (lamaadventures.com).

The outfitter offers fun day trips served with gourmet lunch up in the Sangres as well as multi-day trips on which the gentle pack beasts provide support.

And fat tire fans will want to spin one of the best mountain bike rides in the state, the rollicking, 21.1-mile South Boundary Trail. —D.S.

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LOCAL HERO: STEPHEN SZORADI The head of Aspen Alpine Guides puts in overtime to ensure that people stay safe in the mountains.

FOR STEPHEN SZORADI, KEEPING PEOPLE

safe in the mountains isn’t just a job, it’s a civic duty. He earns his keep as a mountain guide, and for nearly a decade he’s been a member of Mountain Rescue Aspen (MRA), a volunteer organization that’s on call 24/7 to assist people who get into trouble in the backcountry. This is woven into his company’s culture, and 10 of his guides are on the rescue team’s roster. It’s no small commitment. Mountain Rescue Aspen estimates that members average 200+ volunteer hours annually.

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“Nothing makes me more proud than knowing we have these guys available,” says Szoradi. “It’s part of our responsibility of working in the mountains, morally and ethically.”

A scourge of accidents and a record number of fatalities in Aspen’s Elk Mountains last year prompted Szoradi to step up again. Together with the White River National Forest, Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office, Mountain Rescue Aspen, and Aspen Expeditions Worldwide, he helped develop an Elk Range Mountain Safety education curriculum, which he’s helping present across Colorado this summer. See story on page 14. aspenalpine.com –Avery Stonich

CMC RAISES UP TEENS A new scholarship aims to bridge the mentorship gap in memoriam of a teen who fell to his death in Boulder’s Flatirons.

ONE SUNDAY EVENING LAST AUGUST,

Carter Christensen scrambled, unroped, up the First Flatiron, the northernmost peak of the iconic rock formations dominating Boulder’s skyline. Near the summit, the 17-yearold posted a selfie on Instagram. In it, he’s smiling; a ball cap, sunglasses,

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and headphones frame his face; the lichen-covered sandstone drops down below him.

But before the sun set, police would report the teenager’s body was found at the Flatiron’s base. The evidence showed that he fell to his death from at least 100 feet above.

“That’s not a new thing, unfortunately,” says Doug Maiwurm, Colorado Mountain Club’s (CMC) youth program manager. As rock climbing’s popularity has grown, he’s observed more people trying the sport, which, of course, not only requires specific technical knowledge, but also good decision-making skills—two elements commonly in short supply as teenagers approach new tasks.

To help fill the ballooning void that’s developed between experienced climbers and novices, Christensen’s parents approached CMC in early 2018 to create the Carter Christensen Climbing

YOUNG, SCRAPPY AND HUNGRY TEENS GET A SHOT AT THE ROCK WITH CMC. photo courtesy CMC/DOUG MAIWUM

Scholarship. “They wanted something positive to come out of [their traumatic experience],” says Maiwurm.

Up and running this summer, the scholarship supports teenagers attending CMC’s rock climbing courses, which CMC hopes will foster mentor relationships. Once the summer courses end, meetups will continue throughout the academic year, extending mentorship opportunities as well as Christensen’s legacy.

“We want to promote good judgement, responsibility and decisionmaking in kids,” Maiwurm says. “There’s only going to be more of a need for that as the sport continues to grow.”

—Emma Murray

With awe-inspiring fall colors, endless activities

Plan Your

and seasonal events, there is no better time to visit Grand County than this fall season. Enjoy a

Grand Escape

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FEATURED FALL EVENTS » Granby’s Farmers and Artisan Market Granby Main Street | August 10th & 24th, 2018 » Winter Park Uncorked Rendezvous Event Center at Hideaway Park | August 18th, 2018 » Demolition Derby Kremmling | August 18th, 2018 » Country at the Park Rendezvous Event Center at Hideaway Park | August 25th, 2018 » Endurance Race Series – Trial Running Festival Snow Mountain Ranch | September 22nd – 23rd, 2018 Visit VisitGrandCounty.com to see our full events calendar

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FLASHPOINT

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THE DEADLY ELKS

Climbers are fatally underestimating the challenge of Aspen’s Elk Mountains. How can we stop people from perishing in this risky range?

by AVERY STONICH

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y the end of last summer, Mountain Rescue Aspen members were totally spent from a busy season plucking people out of the Elk Mountains. The volunteers wore out their boot soles on 74 missions last year, including recovering a record nine dead bodies, five on Capitol Peak alone.

“The number of actual missions wasn’t so much higher but it seems like they were definitely more treacherous and certainly more tragic than years past,” says Justin Hood, president of Mountain Rescue Aspen (MRA).

The deadly season prompted a plan of attack to stem the tide of tragedy. In an unprecedented public-private partnership, Mountain Rescue Aspen, White River National Forest, the Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office, Aspen Expeditions Worldwide, and Aspen Alpine Guides joined forces to develop an Elk Range Mountain Safety education curriculum, which includes a series of classroom sessions and field clinics around Colorado this summer and fall.

Pitkin County Sheriff Joe DiSalvo wants to get the message out loud and clear: “If this is something you’re thinking of doing and you have no experience, you could end up dead,” he says.

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A DICEY PROPOSITION

The Elk Mountains, which straddle Pitkin and Gunnison counties from Carbondale to south of Aspen, are steep, technical, and notoriously dangerous. The range includes seven fourteeners, which have claimed 28 lives since 2000, according to Colorado Fourteeners Initiative. Capitol Peak is widely considered the most difficult fourteener in Colorado, while Pyramid Peak, the Maroon Bells and Snowmass Mountain are all in the top 10.

“One of the main things we’re trying to do with our educational program is help people understand that these aren’t hikes, but climbs,” says Stephen Szoradi, managing partner of Aspen Alpine Guides and a member of MRA. “These are technical mountains and people need to have mountaineering skills.”

Standard routes in the Elks are mostly class 3 and 4, meaning climbers have to ascend using footholds and handholds and might want to use ropes in more technical sections. There are no trails to follow, so route-finding skills are key. Falls can be deadly.

Amos Whiting, owner and head guide for Aspen Expeditions Worldwide, says he often sees people on the peaks who seem ill-prepared, without helmets, proper footwear or other safety gear. “The folks who could use more education are very fit. They do a lot of hiking, but they have zero formal education. They lack mountain sense because they lack experience.”

Suffice to say that knocking out Grays and Torreys on a Saturday alongside hundreds of people is an insufficient résumé.

Even those who have summited a dozen or more of Colorado’s fourteeners might be surprised to learn that the Elks are so dangerous. The crumbly sedimentary rock of the Elk Range is unlike other mountains in Colorado. As Gerry Roach wrote in Colorado’s Fourteeners, “It can be a nightmare to climb on for the

PREPARAING FOR THE WORST THE OFTEN TREACHEROUS ROCK AND CHALLENGING TERRAIN FEATURES OF THE ELKS MAKE RESCUE DIFFICULT. HERE MOUNTAIN RESCUE ASPEN VOLUNTEERS TRAIN WITH THE TYPE OF COMPLICATED PULLEY SYSTEM THAT COULD BE NECESSARY TO EVACUATE INJURED CLIMBERS STUCK IN TRICKY SPOTS UP IN THE HIGH REACHES OF THE RANGE. photo courtesy MOUNTAIN RESCUE ASPEN

uninitiated.” Routes are difficult to follow and tend to shift over time. Rocks flake off at the slightest touch.

Some slopes are just piles of rubble. People frequently send dangerous debris down onto other climbers and sometimes topple boulders onto themselves.

“People with less experience have less ability to recognize what you can hold onto and what you can’t,” says Whiting.

Another way climbers get into trouble is by wandering off route, either because they get disoriented or try a shortcut to avoid something sketchy. The Knife Edge on Capitol Peak, a razor-sharp ridge near the summit, can be a scary proposition, especially on the descent when people are tired.

Several accidents and deaths have occurred because climbers tried to cut below the Knife Edge, slid down steep scree and got cliffed out.

“Sometimes you’re at the top and you’re not thinking straight because you’re fatigued, you’re high in altitude, and maybe a storm is rolling in,” says Hood.

“We’ve done plenty of helicopter rescues of people on these cliff bands who were able to hang on and have cell service.”

Signs at the Capitol Peak and Maroon Bells trailheads warn about the dangers of climbing in the area but don’t seem to be working. “People are walking right past them and heading to their goal,” says Karen

Schroyer, district ranger on the Aspen-Sopris Ranger District of the White River National Forest. “The whole point behind the education campaign is to reach people before they get to the trailhead.”

GET CLINICAL

To reduce the likelihood of getting into trouble, Szoradi and Whiting urge people to follow a progression before climbing in the Elks. Starting with easier peaks, seeing how you feel at altitude, taking mountaineering and first aid classes, practicing rock climbing techniques, learning simple rope work, and getting comfortable in exposed terrain are key building blocks.

“The clinics we’re offering this summer are a great place to start,” says Whiting.

The Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office, White River National Forest, and Mountain Rescue Aspen are subsidizing the education program, which started in June and includes eight free 90-minute classroom sessions along the Front Range and Roaring Fork Valley, as well as eight full-day field planning and skills clinics in the Aspen area that cost $50. Aspen Alpine Guides and Aspen Expeditions Worldwide are leading the workshops along with mountain rescue volunteers.

The evening presentations touch on trip planning, weather considerations, online resources, choosing partners, route selection, navigation, essential gear, mountain etiquette, and how rescues work. The fullday clinics also include hands-on outdoor field work to practice route finding, terrain selection, climbing techniques, and basic rope skills. The goal is to help aspiring climbers make better decisions and motivate them to pursue more education.

The Elk Range Mountain Safety Coalition realizes that this program can’t reach everyone planning to climb in the Elk Mountains. To spread the messages further, officials have been posting up at popular trailheads this summer to talk to people heading out on

“Sometimes you’re at the top and you’re not thinking straight because you’re fatigued, you’re high in altitude, and maybe a storm is rolling in.” —Justin Hood, president of Mountain Rescue Aspen the trails and interview people returning from the peaks.

Mountain Rescue Aspen is also bumping up its education efforts. In June the organization hosted its first annual Backcountry Basics Workshop, an all-day event that drew more than 80 people. Greg Shaffran, an MRA member who spearheaded the clinic, says he hopes to do more. “Part of MRA’s mission is mountain safety,” says Shaffran. “We want to create an ongoing curriculum to keep people coming back.”

MIND THE TOURISTS

Meanwhile Colorado Fourteeners Initiative is rolling up its shirtsleeves to try to reach people coming from out of state. The nonprofit has been working all summer on a series of educational videos (watch them at youtube. com/user/CO14ersInitiative) that cover safety issues, how to prepare for harder climbs, and the Elk Range’s unique challenges. “There are five to six peaks where people die in great numbers. Those are the areas where people really need to know what they’re doing and have the relevant experience,” says Lloyd Athearn, executive director of Colorado Fourteeners Initiative.

People who do their homework might realize that climbing a fourteener in the Elks is a stretch. “If they

don’t have the experience and they still want to climb it and get their list [of all the fourteeners] done, hire a guide. You’ll have far greater odds of having a safe and successful summit than trying to do it on your own,” Athearn says.

For more information, head to mountainrescueaspen.org; aspenexpeditions.com; aspenalpine.com; and 14ers.org.

GET EDUCATED The following Elk Range Mountain Safety Clinics will help up your mountain safety awareness this fall.

Classroom Presentations: August 17 6:00-7:30 p.m.

Colorado Rocky Mountain School, Carbondale September 6 6:00-7:30 p.m.

Mountain Rescue Aspen Headquarters All-Day Field Clinics: 8:00-4:30 Presented by Aspen Alpine Guides: August 25, September 8, September 22 Presented by Aspen Expeditions Worldwide: August 5, September 2, September 16 Visit @ElkRangeMtnSafety on Facebook for details and to sign up.

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L E A R N M OR E - r e cove r b ra n d s . co m

H OT S P OT

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BAILEY BOUND Need a quick getaway? Take a short drive from the Front Range up to this rocking pocket of singletrack and secluded hikes.

by JAMES DZIEZYNSKI

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ailey’s unassuming location along a bend in the road on US Highway 285 belies its role as a gateway to some of Colorado’s best wilderness adventures. The venerable town sprang to life in 1864 when William Bailey established a ranch and stagecoach stop—12 years before Colorado was granted statehood. While the history of the area is rich, most people come to Bailey to get outdoors and play in the Buffalo Creek Recreation Area in Pike National Forest. The beginnings of a magical matrix of trails were just coming to life at Buff Creek when the catastrophic Buffalo Creek Fire incinerated over 12,000 acres in 1996. What rose from the ashes has evolved into 60-plus miles of the some of best singletrack mountain biking in the West. While the area was once known primarily for beginner and intermediate singletrack, the 2011 addition of the gnarly Blackjack Trail, intentionally designed to offer legit technical riding along Raspberry Ridge, added some technical challenge.

Mountain biking may be king in Bailey, but hikers, campers and backpackers also have plenty to explore. The 486-mile Colorado Trail traverses through Buffalo Creek, with several established campgrounds for both backcountry stays and car camping. And among the summit hikes within striking distance of Bailey sit two unheralded but gorgeous 13,000-foot summits: 13,07-foot Whale Peak and 13,575-foot Rosalie Peak. Finally, anglers have in-town access to Scott McGraw Memorial Park and the north fork of the South Platte River, known for brown and rainbow trout.

BIKE

The majority of the Buffalo Creek area trails are sweet, sweet, singletrack that’s fun for casual riders as well as hardcores. Descents are fast and curvy as they blaze through the apocalyptically charred burn zones and into vanilla-scented pine forests, where welcome pockets of shade and lazy creeks await. Charlie’s Cutoff (one of the oldest trails at Buff Creek), Shinglemill, and Morrison Creek provide some of the best descents, while the steady rhythm of the Colorado Trail from the Rolling Creek Trailhead is a great way to access the larger network.

Sustained climbs balance out the equation. In 2017, crews reworked the 2.9-mile Bald Mountain Trail into a buttery ascent, offering a pleasant grind through bulbous rock formations. The 5.2-mile Nice Kitty Trail presents a challenging intermediate climb with a few brief sections of slick-rock-like step ups in the midst of steep-but-rideable switchbacks. And for advanced riders, the aforementioned Blackjack Trail offers a series of casino-themed obstacles that include gutsy rolloffs and demanding technical rock drops.

Linking together these and other trails in the system is what makes Buff Creek such a fun place to ride. The trails are multi-directional and even on busy weekends, the crowds disperse, leaving little bike traffic to contend with. There are several trailheads—some, like Miller Gulch, offer free dispersed camping—that prove ideal for

point-to-point rides. Late summer and autumn can offer ideal conditions, especially if a little rain has made the singletrack a touch tacky. To learn more about specific trails, check out Mountain Bike Project’s Buffalo Creek page (mtbproject.com/ directory/8011430/buffalo-creek-trail-system).

HIKE

The 9.6-mile stretch of the Colorado Trail known as Segment 2 traverses through Buff Creek. As the CT crosses through the burn zones, shade and water are in scarce supply. Spring, autumn and even early winter are great times to see all the beauty of the slowly recovering burn-zone flora and you’ll find plenty of camping spots for overnights.

In the heat of the summer sun, escaping to higher altitudes (and possibly tromping through lingering snow fields) is the best way to beat the heat. Hall Valley Campground and the Gibson Lake Trailhead offer access to 13,078-foot Whale Peak (bit.

LOGISTICS Most people who stay overnight camp at one of the campgrounds at Buffalo Creek. Dispersed camping is free at designated sites such as Miller Gulch and along the CT and there is paid camping with facilities at the Buffalo Campground and Meadows Group Campground. Those

ly/2zpfJ6F), an excellent FEEL THE BURN 6.6-mile, class 2 hike that WITH MORE THAN 60 shares the Gibson Lake MILES OF SINGLETRACK THAT CAN BE WOVEN Trail to treeline, then INTO NUMEROUS LOOP requires an easy off-trail COMBINATIONS, THE TRAIL scramble along broad SYSTEM AT BUFFALO CREEK slopes to its lightly visited FERRIES RIDERS THROUGH FUN, OFTEN ROLLING summit.

TERRAIN THAT INCLUDES Start about 30 FOREST STILL RECOVERING minutes from Bailey at FROM A 1996 FIRE HERE the Deer Creek Trailhead AND A SECTION OF THE on Tanglewood Creek to COLORADO TRAIL. climb 13,575-foot Rosalie photo by LIAM DORAN Peak (bit.ly/2KL9Aa5).

The recently renovated trail offers an easy but long 10.5-mile out-and-back to Colorado’s 207th highest mountain. En route, you’ll pass twisted patches of bristlecone pine, some of which may be more than 2,000 years old.

looking for a lodge with Wi-Fi and hot showers, check out Lynwood Park (lynwoodparkbailey. com) or Bailey View Cabin (baileyviewcabin.com), both reasonably-priced, rustic and comfortable.

At Rustic Station (rusticstationrestaurant.com), mountain bike jerseys hang on the wall next to taxidermied

animal heads. The classic American food is perfect after a long ride and there are plenty of good vegetarian options. The Cut Throat Cafe (cutthroatcafebailey. com) plates pub food and a relaxed vibe. And finally, China Village has excellent Asian cuisine and friendly service— maybe a bit unexpected in a Colorado ranch town, but a worthy spot to grab a bite.

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The percentage of the U.S.’s 14,000-plus-foot mountains located in Colorado. There are 89 peaks across all the states, Alaska and Hawaii included, that surpass the magic 14,000 foot mark.

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The number of 14,000-foot peaks within 20 miles of the memorial to victims of the infamous cannibal, Alferd Packer. It’s no wonder the infamous Packer got lost in the San Juans near Lake City, forcing him to eat members of his party in 1874—14ers clutter the area, including Sunshine Peak (14,001 feet), Red Cloud Peak (14,034 feet), Handies Peak (14,048 feet), Mt. Sneffels (14,150 feet), Uncompahgre Peak (14,309 feet) and Wetterhorn Peak (14,015 feet). Packard was the only person ever convicted of cannibalism in Colorado. The media sensationalized his case: In one report covering the sentencing, Judge M. B. Gerry allegedly said, “Stand up yah voracious man-eatin’ sonofabitch and receive yir sentence. When yah came to Hinsdale County, there was siven Dimmycrats. But yah et five of ’em, goddam yah. I sentence yah t’ be hanged by th’ neck ontil yer dead, dead, dead.” The reporter may have taken some creative license.

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FOURTEENER MADNESS

Take a deep dive into these facts and figures about Colorado’s most famous peaks.

by CHRIS MEEHAN

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epending on how you count it, there are 53 or 58 peaks over 14,000 feet in Colorado—the outliers being a couple of summits that don’t drop more than 300 feet between themselves and an adjacent taller peak. The state’s highest, Mt. Elbert, sits at 14,433 feet tall; while the shortest, Sunshine Peak, barely scrapes past the height requirement at 14,001 feet tall. But we have many more ways to count these mountains.

The height, in feet, of rocks that would have been piled on top of 14,421-foot Mt. Massive to make it taller than its neighbor, Mt. Elbert, the state’s tallest mountain at 14,433 feet. That’s what fans of Massive tried to do in the 1930s. Fans of Elbert retaliated by climbing Massive and knocking down the giant piles of rocks, thereby ensuring Elbert retained its title.

It’s not the only instance where interlopers planned to interfere with geology to make a 14er taller than Elbert. At 14,420 feet, Mt. Harvard is the third highest 14er in Colorado and the fourth highest in the lower 48 states. In 1962, Harvard alums concocted a plan to make Harvard the tallest peak in Colorado with a 14-foot-high pole that said: “Mt. Harvard, 14,434. This sign is erected at an altitude of 14,434 making it the second highest point in the contiguous United States.” They dragged the pole to within a few hundred yards of Harvard’s peak but abandoned it as darkness encroached. In 1963—former U.S. Senator from Colorado Tim Wirth, his brother John—both Harvard graduates dragged it to the peak. The pole disappeared in the the 1980s.

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owned since then and is reportedly the only privately owned 14er in the U.S.—if not the world. The current owners of the Cielo Vista Ranch allow hikers, but they do charge a fee and restrict access to the peak June through September.

The year that Mexico made the Sangre de Cristo Land grant, including 14,047 foot Culebra Peak, to Stephen Luis Lee and Narcisco Beaubian.

The mountain has been continuously

Everyone loves FKTs (fastest known times), and there are at least three different big FKTs for climbing all of Colorado’s 14ers. As of early summer 2018, the undisputed champion is Andrew Hamilton, who climbed all of Colorado’s 58 14ers in 9 days, 21 hours and 51 minutes in 2015—around his 40th birthday. Hamilton also has the unsupported Nolan’s 14 record, climbing the 14 Sawatch Range 14ers in 53 hours and 42 minutes. Oh yeah, and he’s the only person to climb all of Colorado’s 14ers in a single winter season in 2017-2018.

Hamilton doesn’t have all the FKTs on Colorado’s 14ers—yet. In 2016, Joe Grant ran, hiked and biked every Colorado 14er in 31 days, 8 hours and 33 minutes. While Hamilton’s overall attempt included driving (at the speed limit mind you) between the 14ers, Grant biked to all of the peaks and then trail-ran and climbed the rest of the way.

Perhaps the toughest trek through the 14ers took the longest, however.

In 2013, Junaid Dawud and Luke DeMuth thru-hiked them all, traveling roughly 1,300 miles and gaining about 300,000 feet of elevation over 70 days between July 20 and September 29, 2012. It’s likely the fastest anyone has thru-hiked all the 14ers.

311,000

The number of people the Colorado Fourteeners Initiative estimates hiked Colorado’s 14ers in 2016—the latest year the data is available. We hate to sound bossy but, when you’re out there, be aware and be courteous of others. Also consider supporting the initiative. Every year the group does incredible work to help make the trails safer and more sustainable. In 2017 the non profit maintained 16 miles of existing trail and cut 2.21 miles of new trail on Mount Elbert.

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Number of 14ers (14,286-foot Lincoln, 14,238 Cameron and 14,148 Democrat) the Elevation Outdoors crew hiked to raise funds for Big City Mountaineers via the Summit for Someone program. bigcitymountaineers.org Chris Meehan is the author of Climbing Colorado's Fourteeners: From the Easiest Hikes to the Most Challenging Climbs. You can find it here: bit. ly/2MvQrFR. His forthcoming book is a Colorado adventure guide, so if you have any favorites to share, write him at chris@chris10meehan.com.

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S T R A I G H T TA L K

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QUINN BRETT The speed climber took a 140-foot fall that left her paralyzed from the waist down. She talks about highs and lows and the fight to adapt to a new life.

by CHRIS VAN LEUVEN

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ctober 11, 2017, Yosemite Valley, California.

Speed climber Quinn Brett is midway up El Capitan’s famed 2,900-foot Nose route, karate-chopping her way up a hand-width crack known as the Boot Flake, moving faster than ever. To climb super-fast, she’s not placing gear. Her partner, Josie McKee, tied to the other end of the rope, is far below and climbing up behind Texas Flake. Then things go wrong. Brett slips and starts falling. With no gear to protect her, nothing to stop her, she slams into the bare rock of the Texas Flake 140 feet below.

She lived through the “unsurvivable fall,” but not without serious injury: a burst fracture of her twelfth thoracic vertebrae, leaving her paralyzed from the navel down; a concussion that took away her sense of smell; four broken ribs; a broken scapula; a punctured lung; and a bruised liver. She had to have her T10 to L4 vertebrae fused.

Before her climbing accident, Brett, originally from New Hope, Minnesota, was a summer climbing ranger in Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP), a sponsored athlete and a frequent expedition climber. She did triathlons. She was a climbing and adventure guide.

For fun she did handstands on mountaintops. Today, nine months after her fall, she’s readjusting to her new life Estes Park, the place she’s called home for 16 years.

How are you coping?

Some days are better then others. Nerve pain is a bitch. I have it every other day quite strong, then the odd days are a tiny bit mellowier. But essentially, I persistently feel like a fridge is crushing my legs and that they are on fire!

So, as you can imagine, on the days of stronger pain, I am not as pleasant or as present to be around.

Blame is inappropriate trait for anyone to have, to blame themselves or to blame others. I struggle with people's perceptions of me now, of my mistake. I struggle with finding myself attractive, so how could anyone else? I am forced to sit with many integral pieces of Quinn, to see if that truly is who I am.

Before your accident you were a big wall free climber and alpinist. What was the attraction to speed climbing?

I’m a person who likes to move. My parents would attest to that. Even when I waited tables at Ed’s Cantina [in Estes Park], I liked memorizing people’s orders—like 12 of them at once—and cutting corners to go faster, playing games with myself. Speed climbing attracted me in that way. I also enjoyed running fast and light up Longs Peak and doing fifthclass ridges.

How long did you work as a Climbing Ranger in RMNP and what were your duties?

For five years, starting in 2013. For the job, you had to be able to climb 5.10, A1, M3, be an EMT (Emergency Medical Technician qualification) and have some

rescue experience. Every week, my duties were to roam around the park waiting for a rescue call, talking with visitors and do preventative rescue talks, such as warning people against walking out into storms.

What’s it like being back in Estes Park?

I’m selling my house. I bought a place here with my folks that is more accessible. It’s not my old lovely home; it’s more condo-ish. It works with my lifestyle.

Tell us about your recent work with Rocky Mountain Conservancy.

I’m the communications manager, which is a new role for the company, but they’ve been around for many years. I do public outreach and social media. Not a lot of people know what we do—I’m hoping to change that—but we have a huge role with Rocky Mountain National Park.

FULL OF EMOTION BRETT SHARES THE PAIN OF DEALING WITH HER INJURIES AND ADJUSTMENT TO A NEW LIFE ON SOCIAL MEDIA. photo by MATT VAN BIENE

That’s a hard one. I have a teaching degree, and that’s one of the reasons why I started Dovetail Mountain Adventures (dovetailmountainadventures.com) yoga and climbing where I’ve helped people be more open and communicative. I’m always trying to infect people with something positive.

I’ve blogged before, but today I share more because I have more sitting time than adventure time. I’m just sharing the sentiment I’m going through.

I’m not putting this on anyone else. It’s how I feel. It comes from that I don’t accept myself.

You’re trying adaptive climbing. What’s it like?

It was good. It was a little disheartening at first. The reason I was drawn to climbing was the gracefulness of movement. But now it’s not graceful or beautiful at all. But it it’s also fun to belay people and watch them be beautiful as they move over the rock.

What’s next?

Flying with my friend and local pilot Bronson MacDonald tomorrow. Getting out more and enjoying camping. I’ve gone car camping once. Over 4th of July weekend, some girlfriends and I will go camping again. Then to Buena Vista to go rafting.

In a recent Instagram post where you took a selfie while in tears. And a recent post on your blog says you’re “coping with a new body that I am slightly ashamed of.” What made you want to share this vulnerable side with the rest of the world?

To learn more about Quinn Brett, follow her blog: quinnbrett.blogspot.com. You can also help support her through her reocvery and treatment at gofundme. com/quinn-brett-recovery-fund.

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THE LIFE

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ROLE MODELS Meet Brown Girls Climb. This multifaceted organization is getting out on the rock and in the peaks and not just getting more women of color and other under-represented groups participating (and having fun)—they are changing the perception of the sport.

by SASHA MCGHEE

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his isn’t a new revelation but I’ll say it anyway— most of the time, when we flip through outdoor magazines or scroll through outdoor Instagram feeds, the majority of the images we see are lacking in diversity. To put it more frankly, most of the people we’ve historically seen in these images are white, casually outdoorsy and oftentimes male.

For someone who doesn’t fit that singular narrative, it can start to feel as if maybe they shouldn’t step into the outdoors, as if society is letting them know, image after quiet image, that they don’t belong. Because the climbing community has a very defined culture, that message can sometimes sound even louder.

Lack of social, educational and financial resources and a limited number of role models are just some of the major barriers that many people of color and other marginalized identities face when considering venturing into the outdoors, especially climbing. Those barriers were in part what Bethany Lebewitz was attempting to address when she founded Brown Girls Climb in 2016.

What initially began as an Instagram page to showcase the diversity that exists in the climbing community has since become a national organization with nearly 10,000 Instagram followers, an active climbing blog and outdoor leaders/ambassadors in five states. Brown Girls Climb and other outdoor diversity organizations have exposed what some may have already known but others (me included) were shocked to learn: People of color, and specifically women of color, have been climbing and crushing for years. Only recently have they begun to see traces of a spotlight.

In Colorado, climbing gyms have seen a small increase in diversity recently as outdoor groups have worked tirelessly to increase education and access for people of color. However, outdoor climbing crags continue to be predominately white spaces. Colorado Brown Girls Climb leaders are striving to create a community where women of color feel valued and understood, comfortable expressing their full identities and confident as both leaders and learners of climbing.

Over the past few months, we’ve hosted several outdoor meetups and have partnered with a local gym to host intro to climbing courses to bring curious women into the sport. Our meetups usually involve laughter, #Selena a capella and a lot of conversation around our connected outdoor experiences, all wrapped up in really fun and supportive climbing sessions. We also host a monthly gym meetup that we’ve unapologetically coined #MelaninMonday where we invite all new and experienced climbers of color, regardless of gender expression, to come meet new people and challenge themselves on whatever level feels comfortable.

Each time we come together, I’m reminded by our members and by my own intense feeling of belonging, the importance of the space we’re creating. It’s not just for the community we’re continuously building, but also for all the ways that the space encourages confidence: to be climbers; to try hard or not try hard; to be ourselves. Every day, Brown Girls Climb Colorado and other chapters nationally break down social barriers, crush discouraging statistics and create community that embraces individual identities while helping women to expand their indoor and outdoor climbing skills.

BETHANY LEBEWITZ JOURNEY: Texas/Maryland/Colorado PRONOUNS: She/her/hers IDENTITY: Biracial/Mexican/Chicanx DREAM CRAG FOOD: Watermelon, mangos CLIMBING GOAL: The Maiden (V0) highball As the founder of Brown Girls Climb, Bethany wants to help connect, encourage and mentor other women of color interested in the sport. Bethany grew up in Cut and Shoot, Texas and became the first in her family to attain a bachelor’s degree at The University of Texas at Dallas. She entered the climbing world on her own and her experience as the only woman of color at the crag has motivated her to open the space to elevate and promote others. She began bouldering since it is the most accessible option for solo climbers, but lately is finding more and more joy being on the top of an exposed multi-pitch route and exploring the techniques of traditional and sport climbing.

“If I designed the ultimate synthetic climbing robot, she would double as a BASE jumper so we could fly off the top of all of our summits. She’d also sing Lauren Hill every time my heart rate significantly increased.”

certification. Climbing throughout Mexico while documenting indigenous names and creation stories.

Monserrat was born in California but grew up in North Carolina where she fell in love with community organizing and the outdoors. Monserrat is a climber, outdoor educator, community organizer and allaround outdoor chingona currently based in Boulder.

She started in the outdoor industry in 2013 and quickly realized that there was work to be done. She sought to bring change through creating DEI outdoor programming, sharing resources and facilitating trainings. In 2015, Monserrat moved to Colorado to continue her work in outdoor education. She believes in the power of climbing to heal, stand in one’s power and build community. She facilitates climbing experiences with women and girl’s through Women’s Wilderness and loves to support affinity climbing spaces. She has presented around diversity, equity, and inclusion in the outdoors at conferences like PGM ONE and AORE. “My ultimate synthetic climbing robot would be a Selena robot who makes me tacos, touches up my lipstick and blasts Selenas while I climb (but turn off the music while communicating with my belayer) #AnythingforSelenas.”

MONSERRAT MATEHUALA LIVES: Boulder, Colorado PRONOUNS: She/her/hers IDENTITY: Chicana (Mexica and Guachichil ancestry) DREAM CRAG FOOD: Fruta with chile CLIMBING GOAL: Successfully completing her SPI

SOLVING THE PROBLEM BETHANY LEBEWITZ STARTED BROWN GIRLS CLIMB BECAUSE SHE ALL TOO OFTEN FOUND HERSELF THE ONLY WOMAN OF COLOR BOULDERING. NOW, SHE IS ACTIVELY HELPING TO MAKE CLIMBING MORE INCLUSIVE ACROSS THE COUNTRY. photo by BENJAMIN PINGILLEY

MEET THE LEADERS

Recently, our leaders were asked to introduce themselves and to describe their perfect synthetic climbing robot. See what the Rocky Mountain leaders had to say about our community below!

A NEW VIEW AT THE CRAG BROWN GIRLS CLIMB LEADER MONSERRAT MATEHUALA SURVEYS THE SCENE IN GOLDEN, COLORADO. THE ORGANIZATION PLANS MEETUPS THAT BUILD COMMUNITY FOR WOMEN OF COLOR OUT AT THE LOCAL CRAGS. photos by CARLO NASISSE

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G RACE ANDERSON LIVES: Lander, Wyoming PRONOUNS: She/her/hers IDENTITY: Black DREAM CRAG FOOD: Seaweed snacks CLIMBING GOAL: To combine my love of cycling and climbing as much as possible. I’m looking to bike/hike to some of the classic peaks in the Winds this summer.

Grace has spent the past few years working in outdoor education and meandering around the globe. Her focus is on supporting people of color and other marginalized identities by sharing of skills and resources that create self sufficiency in the outdoors.

When not in the mountains, she is the summit director for PGM ONE, a summit for people of color in the outdoors and environment. Grace instructs for GirlVentures, NOLS and Balanced Rock and is based out of Lander, Wyoming. Her favorite type of climbing is moderate sport and trad multi-pitch routes that include lots of laughter and exhaustion.

“If I designed the ultimate synthetic climbing robot it would have a never ending playlist of Elton John songs to help calm my nerves.”

SASHA MCGHEE LIVES: Denver, Colorado PRONOUNS: She/her/hers CLIMBING IDENTITY: Sport climber, boulderer, approacher, activist DREAM CRAG FOOD: A carne asada burrito and hot Earl Grey tea with honey (salivating) CLIMBING GOALS: This summer, I’m venturing into the Indian Peaks range to climb the North Face route of 11,900-foot Lone Eagle Peak, an 11-pitch, moderate (5.7) alpine climb. It will be her first alpine route.

Sasha grew up in south Georgia where she and her siblings spent the majority of the weekends and sweltering summers exploring every corner of the wilderness in her neighborhood. She was introduced to climbing at indoor meetups while living in Monterey, California. After moving to Colorado, she met her now partner who showed her more advanced techniques of bouldering, sport and trad outside. Since that introduction, she has enjoyed pushing herself to go further as a climber while also creating fun, supportive climbing spaces for her communities and challenging problematic assumptions about people of color in outdoor spaces. Aside from climbing rocks, Sasha is an IT project manager and spends much of her free time combining an activist mindset and consulting experience to push for positive change.

“My ultimate synthetic climbing robot would describe every shitty hold as if it's a huge jug so that it feels like a jug when I touch it. She would have a compartment to warm shoes for cold bouldering sessions. And she would be a black woman.”

FOLLOW BGC:

INSTAGRAM: @BROWNGIRLSCLIMB FACEBOOK: /BROWNGIRLSCLIMB FACEBOOK.COM/GROUPS/132837427325920/ WEB: BROWNGIRLSCLIMB.COM EVEN BETTER THAN SYNTHETIC ROBOTS GRACE ANDERSON (TOP) COMBINES CYCLING AND CLIMBING ADVENTURES IN THE WIND RIVERS NEAR HER HOME BASE IN LANDER, WYOMING. AUTHOR SASHA MCGHEE (BOTTOM) PLANS ON RATCHETING UP SKILLS SHE HAS DEVELOPED AT THE GYM AND CRAG ON A MULTI-PITCH ALPINE ROUTE. photos by BENJAMIN PINGILLEY

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READER POLL

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LIBATIONS CELEBRATION

Beer, wine, whiskey cider… Colorado craft brewers, vinters and distillers have been winning awards and pleasing palates with all of these libations. But who wins when you square them all off?

NEW

Threads!

T

he landscape of Colorado craft concoctions keeps changing. Beer used to be king, but now handcrafted liquor and spirits, wine and ciders (and even kombuchas) are all making a play to become the beverage of choice when you chill out after that big adventure. That’s why we ask our readers to vote in those four categories for our annual online Boozapalooza poll. Then we take the winners from each division and find out what beverage maker rules the Colorado craft scene. The readers have spoken. Meet the 2018 Boozapalooza champions.

OVERALL CHAMP BEST LIQUOR AND SPIRITS

Breckenridge Distillery Whiskey won the big dance this year and no proprietor in the state slings the brown (and white) liquor better than the folks at Breckenridge Distillery.

“Our location certainly doesn't make it easy to do what we do but nothing that is rewarding and worth doing comes easy,” says Jessie Unruh, Marketing Coordinator for the brand. “Bryan Nolt, our CEO and Founder, found inspiration to start the Breck Distillery while standing at the top of Mohawk Lakes in Breckenridge, looking at the high alpine lakes and freshwater. He thought...it just makes sense for us to be here.”

DON’T MISS: Breckenridge Bourbon Whiskey, simply one of the best bourbons in the state ODDBALL: Breckenridge Chili Chile Vodka, a mix of Colorado and Turkish peppers breckenrigedistillery.com

BEST BEER

Upslope Brewing (Boulder) There’s a special place in our heart for Upslope since the brand began the same year we did and has crushed it ever since by crafting suds that not only taste good but also appeal to the adventure minded. Credit that to the folks at the brewery who love to get outside and play and support partners in the outdoor industry.

DON’T MISS: The ever-changing Experimental IPA ODDBALL: Blood Orange Saison, dropping in September upslopebrewing.com

BEST CIDER

Colorado Cider Company (Denver) Cider continues to make a mark on the local beverage scene and the oldest cidery in the state impressed our readers with its commitment to outstanding drinks and to the state. “Colorado is a hard place to beat, with a great craft beverage scene, the mountains and a nice little apple basket on the Western Slope, we love living and making cider in Colorado,” says Xandy Bustamante, National Sales Manager.

DON’T MISS: Grasshop-ah, cider with a touch of lemon zest ODDBALL: Pearsnickty, pear cider coloradocider.com

S H O P. B L U E R I D G E O U T D O O R S . C O M

BEST WINE

Four Leaves Winery (Durango) This boutique winery in Durango almost won it all in this poll. That’s impressive since many think the Centennial State falls short in viniculture. We suggest you head to the vineyard and indulge in a tasting.

DON’T MISS: The Dry Riesling, it puts an easy drinking spin on an often sweet wine ODDBALL: Blackcherry Pinot Noir, mixing black cherry nectar with the grape gives a deep taste fourleaveswinery.com

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L E G E N DS

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INTO THE WIND In 1963, on a harrowing first ascent of the Diagonal Direct route on Longs Peak’s Diamond, a 20-year-old climber named Tex Bossier almost lost his life. Decades later, his son returned to the mighty mountain to pay tribute to his father’s life and spread his ashes in the place that made him feel the most alive.

by TYRA SUTAK

T

hrough the window of his restaurant Jack’s Bar & Grill in Arvada, Colorado, Jack Miller can’t break his gaze from a snow-capped Longs Peak towering in the distance.

His eyes begin to mist over as a smile spreads across his face. He shares story after story of his father, Tex Bossier an extraordinary man who helped develop the sport of climbing as a teenager.

In the world of climbing, there are countless legends—superhumans, fearless adrenaline junkies and

trailblazers. But in the beginning, climbing began with ordinary men and women with an extraordinary sense of adventure and strength. Tex Bossier was one of those climbers.

As a kid growing up in Port Arthur, Texas, Floyd Allen Texas “Tex” Bossier was known more for his wild hair, propensity for laughter and passion for the people around him rather than his ability to scramble up rock faces. At 17, in 1961, the curious climber made a name for himself as one-half of the duo that put up the Culp-Bossier route on Rocky

“The mesmerizing pull of the Rocky Mountains proved magnetic, and soon Bossier was spending much of his time exploring Rocky Mountain National Park using nuts and bolts he scavenged while he walked local train tracks as protection on exposed routes.”

Mountain National Park’s Hallet Peak—a Grade III, 5.8+ route, the most difficult of its kind at the time.

“These are the things about climbing and first ascent climbing. In specific, you carry on a language or a non-verbal conversation with the earth,” said Bossier in a transcript from Patagonia’s archives.

Having caught a case of wanderlust, the freeminded young climber landed in Boulder on the premise of attending the University of Colorado, but in reality, Bossier was looking to live out his childhood dreams of exploring the mountains and rugged landscapes that had leapt out from the TV screen and captivated him as kid. The mesmerizing pull of the Rocky Mountains proved magnetic, and soon Bossier was spending much of his time exploring the nooks and crannies of Rocky Mountain National Park, using nuts and bolts scavenged while he walked local train tracks as protection on exposed routes.

Bossier’s career almost came to an abrupt end in 1963 on a first ascent on Longs Peak, however.

“The ledge was very narrow, with the Diamond above you and that whole lower wall below,” recounted Bossier later for the book Climb: The History of Rock Climbing in Colorado. “[Layton] Kor nailed in a piton for a belay and said, ‘On belay.’ Crossing in his footsteps, I got about half way across when some of the snow gave way and I half fell over backwards. One leg stayed in the step. I was on my back with my head looking down the lower wall. The whole panorama of the face went by as I fell backwards.” He and Kor went on to complete the new route, Diagonal Direct (V+ 5.8 A4), which was not repeated for another 10 years.

The sport of climbing began too take off. Starting in the late 1950s, Bossier’s

PITON PIONEER BOSSIER SOLD EARLY CL;IMBING GEAR AS PATAGONIA'S NATIONAL SALES MANAGER. photos courtesy PATAGONIA

good friend and climbing partner Yvon Chouinard started selling handmade hard-iron pitons and later, less harmful hexagonals to the growing climbing community. In 1973, Bossier joined him one of the first sales reps of Chouinard Equipment, and later as Patagonia’s national sales manager. His passion for climbing and mountains was infectious, and soon he began guiding and teaching the sport to hundreds of new enthusiasts, including Phil Powers, now CEO of the American Alpine Club.

I

n 2015, at the age of 71, Tex Bossier lost a battle with cancer and passed away in Annecy, France—the country he had called home since moving to Chamonix in 1987 to help establish Patagonia’s European business. Longtime friends Yvon and Malinda Chouinard and the entire Patagonia community mourned in the only way they knew how to deal with the passing of someone who, to them, had been larger than life. They told stories and laughed.

In 2017, renowned climbers and friends of Bossier, Lynn Hill and Fred Knapp, fulfilled the climbing legend’s final wishes by hauling a portion of his ashes up the Culp-Bossier route on Hallet Peak. Another portion would be buried in Germany, and Bossier’s son, Miller, returned the rest of his father‘s remains to wind on Longs Peak.

“I know that's where he is,“ says Jack Miller still telling those stories and looking out the window of Jack’s Bar & Grill with a grin so big, it’d be hard to miss—even from 14,259 feet.

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Jax Outdoor Gear Fort Collins (970) 221-0544 Loveland (970) 776-4540 Lafayette (720) 266-6160

RESEARCH

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SLEEP YOUR WAY TO THE TOP

How sleep science can help you perform your best on summit day.

S

by JAMES DZIEZYNSKI

leep is often the first thing people compromise in the midst of busy lives yet it’s easily one of nature’s most critical processes. If we were to take sleep as seriously as we probably should, a full eight hours each night would take priority and we would schedule our days around slumber. But with jobs and kids and happy hours and movies and concerts and stress and screens, we unfarily sacrifice sleep on a daily basis.

The importance of a good night’s sleep is amplified when you are hiking in the Colorado high country.

Lightning storms can be expected every afternoon from May until early October. Many mountain trails travel above treeline, making them vulnerable to the full brunt of violent afternoon thunderstorms. You can mitigate storm danger by getting an early start, but often that means hitting the trail by 4:00 a.m. or earlier—plus a few hours of drive time to reach the trailhead. Many summit days begin in a mental fog and end with a wearisome drive home.

“Sleep loss is cumulative,” says Dr. David McCarty, MD and the Medical Director of the Colorado Sleep Institute. “You don’t make up for a week of bad sleep in a single night.” While this may seem obvious to anyone who loses sleep on a regular basis, the science behind why has only come to light in the past decade.

The glymphatic system, a means of purging metabolic waste from the brain via the central nervous system, was uncovered by sleep scientists in 2012 using advanced brain imaging.

McCarty explains the complexities of the glymphatic system with an easyto-understand example: fumes in the attic. “It’s a linear system,” explains McCarty. “When you’re awake, you’re building fumes, and when you sleep you’re clearing them out. It takes a full eight hours of sleep each night to clear out the fumes.” The more

sleep deprived a person is, the more neurotoxins accumulate, to the point where a single good night’s sleep won’t repair the damage of multiple nights of little sleep.

The upshot for mountain hikers? To achieve your best summit day, focus on good sleep for three to five days before your attempt. The catch? Not everyone sleeps the same.

NIGHT OWLS AND MORNING LARKS

When it comes to sleep, there are two kinds of people: night owls and morning larks. And when it comes to hiking, morning larks—those who cheerfully bound out the door on a 5:00 a.m. run—have an advantage over night owls—people who only come to life in the afternoon. But here’s the injustice.

Night owls are not owls by choice,” says Matthew Walker, PhD, in his book Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams. “They are bound to a delayed schedule by unavoidable DNA hardwiring.”

But that doesn’t mean night owls are doomed to spend their mountain time in a cerebral haze. It just means they have to work harder to feel good during early morning starts.

PLAY TO YOUR CIRCADIAN STRENGTHS

Night owls can shift their sleep patterns to a degree, with the goal being to minimize the cumulative effects of sleep loss and perform better in the pre-dawn hours. But McCarty says the human body can only effectively adjust sleep time by about 30 minutes earlier per night.

This explains why a person who normally goes to bed at midnight will toss and turn for hours when they try to drift off by 9:00 p.m.

Instead, try to go to sleep 30 minutes earlier each night over the course of three to five days before your big endeavor. Taking

a 0.5-milligram dose of over-thecounter melatonin five hours before sleep will help the body ease into its natural sleep rhythm without bringing on sudden drowsiness. Minimizing exposure to lights like computer screens and TVs earlier in the evening will help as well. Practice this religiously, and by the time summit day arrives, the night owl should be well rested and less mentally fatigued by closing the gap between their normal wake time and their early morning alarm.

TRAILHEAD CAMPING OR EARLY START?

Sleep affects more than mountain safety; it also impacts your drive to the trailhead. Night owls should sleep at trailheads the night before their big hike, as they likely will be mentally intact for an after-drive work and can benefit from a sleep cycle closer to their natural rhythms. Morning larks can often sleep at home, especially if they are strong hikers who can start on trail at 7:00 to 8:00 a.m. It’s worth noting that morning larks can suffer a “breakthrough drowsy episode”—a normal and natural bit of fatigue in the course of a day—between 2:00 to 4:00 p.m., which is often when the drive home begins. They might catnap after a hike to ramp up energy for the drive. If a night owl and morning lark hike together, the morning lark can drive to the trailhead and the night owl can take the drive home.

THE PERFECT ALTITUDE

One of the problems with sleeping at trailheads is that altitude adjustment can contribute to a poor night’s sleep.

Thus, a night owl who is trying to gain an advantage by sleeping at a trailhead may actually end up more impaired than if he had left from home.

From an unscientific standpoint, I’ve found that Front Rangers who live at 5,000 - 6,000 feet will get the best trailhead sleep at 8,500-9,000 feet

(McCarty supports this observation).

“Sleep quality varies by magnitude at elevation,” he explains, “and at 10,000 feet, many people will experience high altitude periodic breathing.” Anyone who has shared a tent with a grunting, snoring tent-mate knows the symptoms all too well: shallow, non-rhythmic breathing, with pauses that can last up to 20 seconds between breaths. This phenomenon is more likely to occur in men than women. High altitude periodic breathing doesn’t mean your body isn’t acclimating, but lower oxygen levels can result in poor sleep, leading to sub-par performance the following morning. It’s best to sleep lower than 9,000 if you only have a single night out.

If needed, McCarty suggests overthe-counter sleep medications (taken at a half-dose) or the high-altitude drug Diamox (prescription) to ward off high altitude periodic breathing, especially if you absolutely have to sleep at an elevation over 10,000 feet (such as on a hut trip).

IN THE WILD

As a night owl who has spent years exploring the best sleep strategy for a weekend-day summit, I find sleeping at a trailhead / or camp no higher than 8,500 feet gave me my best shot at both sleeping well and crushing it the next day. Using McCarty’s three-tofive-day sleep strategy, I have felt even better and stronger than just sleeping at the trailhead—a few days of intentional preparation made a noticeable difference.

Elevation Outdoors contributing editor James Dziezynski’s guidebooks Best Summit Hikes in Colorado and Best Summit Hikes: Denver to Vail are available on Amazon and at independent Colorado outdoor retail and book stores.

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S AT I R E

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RYAN ZINKE: THE DEFLECTION MEETINGS The guy can’t wear a cowboy hat properly, but Secretary of Interior Ryan Zinke’s a survivor. What follows are the notes of an exiled undersecretary on a man who likes to axe national monuments.

by MARC PERUZZI

W

ith the removal of scandal-plagued EPA administrator Scott Pruitt in July, government ethics watchdog groups have turned their eyes to Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke who is currently involved in 11 formal investigations—compared to Pruitt’s 18—and dozens of (at best) ethical faux pas. The list includes shady real estate deals, clandestine scheduling of governmental business, $6,000 helicopter flights to go horseback riding with fellow macho dreamboat Mike Pence, using the power of his office to make political favors and threats, and the reassignment of uppity Native American Interior Department employees. He’s even under investigation for tweeting about the Make America Great Again socks he’s been wearing—a clear violation of the Hatch Act intended to keep government employees from using their positions to

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push political ends.

But don’t count out this former Navy Seal and Montana Congressman just yet. He’s been squatting with his spurs on, it’s true, but Zinke’s image making skills are legendary. Who can forget his arrival in Washington sitting atop Tonto, a 17-hand Irish sport horse, while a Northern Cheyenne Tribe drummer laid down a beat. Sitting atop Zinke atop Tonto that day was a black cowboy hat, pulled down low on the eyes as if to say “Me and my posse are here to drive out all you bookish climate change scientists propagating this here swamp.” More recently he’s been seen wearing a National Park Service Ranger “campaign hat,” which he unfortunately doffed backwards as he has done with the cowboy hat. This from a guy that used to drive a Prius and wear a beard when he was a state senator from the ski resort, hoppy beer and outdoorsy enclave of Whitefish.

Can Zinke costume his way out

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of the current follow: A junior staffer mess before he proposed that the gets busted off ol’ June 17, 2018: Zinke Secretary soften his Tonto and has to calls an emergency chew gravel like morning meeting image slightly by his former pardner with his trusted chewing on a long Pruitt? He and his advisers and blade of grass and PR team recently sat communications occasionally tilting down for a series of team. (natch) unscheduled his hat back. Adding meetings to figure What shocked me a feathered band to out a plan. Luckily at first were the the cap was briefly for Elevation pastries. There were discussed, but angrily easily $300 worth Outdoors, an Interior Department staffer of petit scones, dismissed by the who didn’t want pain au chocalat, Secretary who said to be identified lemon bars, and he didn’t want to be revealing wardrobe biscotti, much of it discussions gluten free from the accused of aping reached out to Richard Petty’s look. Secretary’s days our researchers. in Santa Barbara. I She’s since been didn’t see a western reassigned to Barrow, Alaska. But style cinnamon roll in any of the boxes. before she went, she took prodigious As soon as he had three sips of his notes following each meeting. Excerpts caramel macchiato, the Secretary dove

into the topic at hand. “Pruitt was about to hang” he said. “We need to get in front of these scandals or I’ll be next.” A communications staffer proposed immediately admitting wrongdoing in a prepared statement followed by a press conference. It would be best, he said, looking around the room, “if we also sacrificed some lambs to the cause.” Zinke, though, acted as if he didn’t hear him and instead redirected the conversation from damage control to image control. “What does everyone think of the black hat?” he asked. “And am I getting enough camera time on horseback?” There was much agreement on the cowboy hat, but calls were made for more shots of the Secretary riding trail, perhaps on a palomino or a chestnut. A junior staffer proposed that the Secretary soften his image slightly by chewing on a long blade of grass and occasionally tilting his hat back. Adding a feathered band to the cap was briefly discussed, but angrily dismissed by the Secretary who said he didn’t want to be accused of aping Richard Petty’s look. “I need my own fucking brand people,” he screamed. “The Zinke brand. If you don’t share my vision for this, get the hell out.” As we adjourned, he agreed to the strand of grass and mother of pearl buttons. An order was placed for alfalfa.

June 29, 2018: Casual Friday; the Secretary in alligator boots. He reconvenes the meeting near EOD in

his palatial office festooned with bronze sculptures of elk and bear and mountain lions.

Now he’s in a hot tub with what appears to be a mojito in hand; in the near distance, guests are nibbling on light tapas.

It’s unclear if the Secretary is wearing a bathing suit. For my part, I just left a barbecue and put on a pant suit for this meeting.

This time I’m shocked by the contrast. The Secretary is clearly enraged, but he’s drinking prosecco from a fluted glass and his pinky finger is flaring off the stem. “The cowboy theme clearly isn’t working people.

Those fucking ethics goons are greasing up the hot seat for me! I think it’s time for us to revisit the Ranger Rick theme.” This is met with audible groans from PR, who point out that last rollout was a disaster. “The fake news will only drudge up those shots of you wearing the hat backwards,” they say. “They’re using it as a metaphor for Christ’s sake.” The Secretary though, is adamant. He says he needs Trump’s support moving forward, and the president loves men in uniform. He pulls up a picture of the president gladhanding a North Korean general as evidence. “Pruitt didn’t have a uniform; he had no safety net,” he said waving his glass demonstrably. “Get me the full kit and put an arrow under the brim this time so I know front from back. I

want a photoshoot Monday in front of the building with my ‘In The Office’ Flag snapping in the wind. It’s time to wag the dog people. We need to talk to the base.”

July 5, 2018: I’m texted to meet via Skype upon the news that Pruitt had been forced out over ethical violations. I reach the Secretary in Santa Barbara, California—what Montanans call his “real home.”

Now he’s in a hot tub with what appears to be a mojito in hand; in the near distance, guests are nibbling on light tapas. It’s unclear if the Secretary is wearing a bathing suit. (For my part, I just left a barbecue and put on a pant suit for this meeting.) He’s also belligerent. Because of that and because I’m remote and alone on the video call, I record the conversation.

It’s a little lispy because the Secretary is wearing those teeth whitening strips.

He starts off with ‘Pwuitt is fwucking twoast.’ ‘And what the hell are you doing to make sure I’m not next? Enjoying your fwucking holiday, eh? Eating hot dogs

and blowing shit up like those MAGA idiots? We need a new plan and we need it now. Here’s what I’m thinking: We haven’t played up my background as a Navy Seal enough. But since I don’t control any branches of the military, I can’t exactly head out on a mission with them, can I? So I’m thinking I should jump into a fwire fwighting scenario with the Smokejumpers. Something dangerous. We need drama to deflect CNN. Maybe I could parachute in and rescue some horses from a burning barn. Make it baby horses. Let’s start with a smokejumper suit by Monday.”

“But sir,” I say, “only Forest Service Smokejumpers are active right now and they fall under the Department of Agriculture. There aren’t any jumpable fires on BLM land.” To which he replied, “I need loyal people on my team. A new fire on BLM land will be a tremendous sign of loyalty. Otherwise I hear they’re looking for field staff in the Barrow office. Click.”

July 23, 2018: Anyway, now I’m in Barrow and I’m sending you my notes.

And surprise surprise, there are BLM fires out there. Get ready for Zinke’s golden parachute.

—Marc Peruzzi is the editor of Mountain magazine and the Out of Bounds columnist for Outside online. Please address hate mail to Tonto, Office of Former National Monuments, Care of Former National Park Service.

FUEL FOR EVERY DAY

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THE PEAKBAGGING PACKING LIST Want to summit a few fourteeners and other Colorado summits while there’s still time left this summer and fall? We have you covered with all the gear to get you through that big day.

by DOUG SCHNITZSPAHN

SHOES S A L E WA W i l d f i r e The perfect peakbagging kick needs to pull double duty. You want a shoe that can provide traction on rocky scrambles and exposed terrain, but you also want to crush down the trail on it. The Wildfire delivers thanks to a profile that gives it a light-in-yourstep feel when you are on the trail and a sole that simply sticks to the tricky stuff.$129; salewa.com

SHADES SPY OPTIC Hunt These shades look low-key enough to transition from car to peak to bar, but they also put you in the

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zone, thanks to Spy's Happy Lens, which makes the bright sunlight of the high peaks easier on your eyes by enhancing long-wave blue light—the effect is your peepers get more protection and you actually feel elevated thanks to the colors. $110; spyoptics.com

SHIRT DA KOTA G R I Z Z LY S a w y e r Made with a mix of polyester and flannel, this shirt may not be your top choice for pure technical performance, but it's ideal for big hikes and the ability to head off to celebrate that summit without stinking.

Big bonus: There's a sunglass-cleaning cloth built into the underside. $54; dakotagrizzly.com

SOCKS R E C OV E R H o r izo n You can feel good about your life choices in these socks made from 100-percent recyclable material that's sourced and built within 100 miles of Recover's South Carolina base. $14; recoverbrands.com

STOWAGE D E U T E R ACT Tr a i l P r o 3 2 S L When it comes to a big day pack, we want comfort without a ton of extras that simply take up space. This roomy women's hauler fits easy to hips and back so that you barely feel you are wearing it. $200; deuter.com

SHORTS

SOOTHING

LU LU L E M O N C o m m i s s i o n Comfy as those tennis shorts from the 1970s but built with hi-tech fast-drying, water-wicking, light fabric, the Commission can withstand all the abuse of the peaks but never feels too tech-y on the hike or when you pull up a stool after. $88; lululemon.com

A R C A N U M S a r a c o B r e eze A little secret: This activated hemp massage treatment takes away the owies. $40; arcanum.com

SHELL B L AC K D I A M O N D H e l i o A l p i n e S h e l l The big mantra when it comes to peakbagging layers is to be sure you carry a shell that can stand up to a high mountain storm. This 13-ounce, packable soft shell offers more than meets the eye, bolstered with GoreTex C-knit fabric. $499; blackdiamondequipment.com

SOUL N AT I V E S O U T D O O R S 8 - b i t Lo g o Tr u c ke r H a t The first Native-American owned and operated brand to join the Outdoor Industry Association, NativesOutdoors raises awareness to the issues facing indigenous people, from artist exploitation to losing Bears Ears National Monument to the Turmp administration to getting Native kids out in the wild.

Wear the hat to support the brand, the people, the land, the cause. $24; natives-outdoors.org

CLIMBING GEAR

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SCARPA MAESTRO MID ECO

SCARPA REBEL ICE BOOTS

PETZL NOMIC

OCUN CRACK GLOVES

PETZL QUARK

SCARPA ZODIAC TECH GTX BOOT

DMM VAULT CLIPPERS

CAMP XLC NANOTECH SEMI AUTO CRAMPONS

BEST SUMMER ALPINE CLIMBING GEAR Specialization is key when it comes to technical alpine climbining. Here’s the right gear for the job when it comes to rock, ice, dry tooling and mixed pursuits.

by CHRIS VAN LEUVEN

W

the terrain is demanding enough that even the stickiest approach won’t do, you’ll want a technical, all day trad shoe. This supportive, comfy technical kick gets the job done. $180; scarpa.com

HAND PROTECTION O C U N C r a c k G l ov e s Climbing alpine rock requires jamming cracks of all sizes, meaning shoving hands into grainy, sandy and wet cracks. Protect your mitts. $40; ocun.com.

ALPINE DRY/MIXED TOOLS

hile Boulder is roasting in the summer months, many climbers seek the higher, cooler elevations to get their rock (and even ice) fix on. Up above 10,000 feet at Mt Evans and the Black Wall and on Rocky Mountain National Park’s Flattop Mountain, the routes are cool and long. Though climbing technical routes in this alpine setting requires some of the same gear (light helmets, harnesses, ropes, slings and protection), the sub-genres of ice, rock, mixed/ dry are even more specialized.To that end, we give you insight on the best gear for the vertical disciplines of Alpine Rock, Dry/Mixed and Alpine Ice.

P E T Z L N o m i c I c e To o l s Drytooling requires hooking crampon points and ice picks in razor-thin cracks and over magazinewidth edges. Because few areas allow the use of sharp steel on bare rock (drytooling is for experts only), ask the staff at your local gear shop (or at Rock and Resole) which areas they recommend. For performance drytooling, where power trumps speed and distance, you’ll need aggressive, precise (and balanced) machines at your hands. Reach for the ever-reliable Petzl Nomic ice tools ($300/each) or Ergonomic ice tools ($360/each), equipped with Pur’ Dry ice picks ($60/each). petzl.com

ALPINE ROCK

FOOTWEAR

SHOES S C A R PA M a e s t r o M i d E c o When climbing slabby to vertical rock buttresses, where efficiency of movement—speed—is key, and

S C A R PA R e b e l I c e b o o t s / K r u ko n o g i A i r Li g h t C r a m p o n s For ascending hard vertical to overhanging rock with crampons, you’ll want footwear that resembles a climbing shoe more than a bulky boot. Called

Fruit Boots, this specialty footwear is designed for competition and only the most demanding dry (pure rock) and mixed (ice and rock) routes. The winner?

Rebel Ice boots ($550; scarpa.com) with bolted-on Krukonogi Air Light crampons ($199; krukonogi.com).

CLIPPERS/HOLSTERS D M M VAU LT C l i p p e r s Sometimes you’ll need to grab the rock when climbing the steeps, which requires holstering your ice tools. Unlike other ice clippers, which are made of thin plastic, DMM’s Vault clippers are constructed of aluminum and made for the kind of durability this requires. $45; dmmprofessional.com

ALPINE ICE TOOLS PETZL Quark Ice in summer? Sure, but, for steep gullies, where the winter’s snow has melted into névé, you’ll want tools (ice axes) designed for steps of ice and planting into couloirs. The latest version of the Quark, released in 2018, is noticeably lighter and more ergonomic than previous models. $260; petzl.com

FOOTWEAR S C A R PA Zo d i a c Te c h GT X B o o t a n d C A M P X LC N a n o t e c h S e m i - a u t o C r a m p o n s Lugging around winter boots and rigid crampons is heavy, hot and cumbersome. In summer you need the kind of flexibility and breathability that this setup provides compares to over-insulated winter footwear. $295; scarpa.com. $240; camp-usa.com A U G U S T 2 01 8 / E L E VAT I O N O U T D O O R S . C O M

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WE BEAT THE HEAT This summer is one we’ll never forget. We’re entering our final month here in Colorado, and we have spent glorious days on adventures with friends new and old. But it’s almost time to head back east for the fall portion of our tour. Whether you came to a festival, a meetup or just hung out and enjoyed the outdoors with us, we want to say thank you. We will see you soon, Blue Ridge Mountains!

AUGUST 2018

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2018 ROAD TOUR

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G E A R W E ’ R E LO V I N G

HYDRAPAK STOW 500ML Water is mandatory on summer rambles. The best way to carry it with you?

HydraPak’s Stow! It weighs a full 80-percent less than most hard-sided water bottles and collapses into itself for the perfect graband-go bottle. $15 NAT GEO MAPS ARKANSAS RIVER MAP PACK BUNDLE Designed with anglers and boaters in mind, The Arkansas River Map Pack details 123 miles of this famed Colorado stream. Here you’ll find detailed river information, including rapids, river miles, access points, private and public land beta and much more! $25

NITE IZE HUCK AND TUCK GLOWSTREAK COLLAPSIBLE THROWER + LED BALL This collapsible ball thrower quickly became our dog’s favorite toy on pit stops and in camp. The awardwinning, color-changing LED ball will ensure that you and your best friend have fun long after the sun sets. $30

SEA TO SUMMIT ALPHA COOKSET 2.2 We pair this handy cookset with Sea To Summit’s Alpha Pans to complete our mobile kitchen in the small space of our van. We love the Pivot-Lock handle and the ability to customize it all to carry along as a convenient backcountry setup. $90

EST. 71

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HEAR THIS

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BEAT THE HEAT You won’t want to miss these five essential acts who will be performing at this month’s Rocky Mountain Folks Festival in Lyons, Colorado.

by JEDD FERRIS

I

t may be considered the mellow cousin of Planet Bluegrass’s other big shows, the Telluride Bluegrass Festival and Rockygrass, but the Rocky Mountain Folks Festival (bluegrass.com/folks) always delivers an impressive array of acts. Taking place Friday through Sunday, August 17-19, at Planet Bluegrass Ranch in Lyons, the 28th running of the annual songwriter-driven event features a range of artists from folk heroes to indie upstarts, all playing for relaxed crowds along the St. Vrain. Here are five sets you won’t want to miss.

Jeff Tweedy

Wilco fans were bummed when the seminal band announced a touring hiatus for the entirety of 2018, but fortunately for the diehards, front man Jeff Tweedy is making the rounds as a solo act.

Performing as an acoustic troubadour, Tweedy offers intimate versions of some of his band’s most beloved tunes, including “Jesus, Etc.” and “Handshake Drugs,” but he also delivers deep cuts, including tracks from his days in Uncle Tupelo and lesser-known punk group Loose Fur. For a taste of what Tweedy sounds like in this stripped-down format, check out last year’s tongue-in-cheek titled “Together at Last,” his first solo album. Also during his set, expect to be entertained by a steady stream of wry banter between songs.

Las Cafeteras

In late spring U.S. congressperson Keith Ellison shined a spotlight on Chicano folk-pop outfit Las Cafeteras by wearing one of the band’s t-shirts to a parade that said, “Yo no creo en fronteras,” translation “I do not believe in borders.” He then encouraged his Twitter followers to check out the band’s song “Tiempos De Amor,” a dance-friendly tune from the six-piece group’s 2017 album “Tastes Like LA,” about the love-driven determination of migrant families. In light of the recent uprising over President Trump’s family separation policies, the band’s message, which it has championed since it formed over a decade ago in East Los Angeles, seems more relevant than ever. The group’s politically charged songs are rooted in Son Jarocho, a regionally specific form of traditional Mexican folk, and infused with the urban edges of hip-hop and pop. Folks-Festival-ready is the band’s cross-cultural reworking of Woody Guthrie’s “This Land is Your Land,” an example of protest music becoming joyful noise.

While set among bigger, roots-based arrangements, thanks to help from producer Joe Henry and Wilco’s Pat Sansone, the duo’s pristine joint singing and intensely personal lyrics still drive the music.

Pattengale recently overcame a cancer scare and endured the end of a seven-year relationship, while Ryan’s family expanded with the addition of a new child. The heft of those life experiences comes through in cuts like “Big Time,” which will please fans of Gillian Welch, and “One More for the Road,” a gentle, 10-minute acoustic journey with a jazzy guitar interlude. Pattengale and Ryan are bringing a full band on the road for their summer tour dates, which include a Sunday appearance at Folks Festival.

Milk Carton Kids

Wild Child

Five years ago this folk duo consisting of Kenneth Pattengale and Joey Ryan earned breakout success with the album “The Ash & Clay,” an effort that garnered the band a Grammy nomination and some undeniable comparisons to close-harmony predecessors like Simon and Garfunkel and the Everly Brothers. On this summer’s “All The Things I Did and All the Things that I Didn’t Do,” the musical partners have expanded their vision by enlisting a full backing band to assist with their latest record.

One of the funnest sets at the festival on Saturday should come from Wild Child, the indie pop outfit that hails from the vibrant music scene in Austin, Texas.

Founders and songwriting partners Kelsey Wilson (violin) and Alexander Beggins (ukulele), craft rootsy, honest earworms in the vein of the Lumineers and the Head and the Heart. The pair now front a sevenpiece crew that delivers collective swells of strings, horns and keys in stomp-and-holler live shows that should get folks out of their lawn chairs. This summer,

the band is touring behind SOLO SONGSTRESS its fourth studio album, REGINA SPEKTOR WILL HIT “Expectations,” an effort THE FOLKS FEST STAGE WITH A SET FULL OF PIANO created with help from AND POETIC TUNES. multiple producers, including Delta Spirit’s photo by SHERVIN LAINEZ Matthew Logan Vasquez, ex-Death Cab for Cutie member Chris Walla and Scott McMicken of Dr. Dog.

Regina Spektor

Another chance to catch a dynamic artist bring songs back to the basics of a solo performance comes on the festival’s final day with a headlining set from Regina Spektor. Last fall the revered songstress embarked on a lengthy solo tour—just her cascading piano work, dramatic voice and lengthy catalog of poetic, soul-felt tunes—and she’s reviving the format for brief summer run. Although Spektor has favored intimate theaters when playing alone, a foothills sunset in the open air should give new beauty to familiar songs like “Better” and “Samson.” Her most recent setlists have also included a tribute to Tom Petty, with a reading of the late great’s “Yer So Bad.”

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T H E R OA D

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THE SLOWEST ARE FIRST What’s the best way to escape the crowds and find some type of new, authentic experience on Colorado’s over-loved Fourteeners?

Spend the night on top and bring a kite. words and images

by KENNAN HARVEY

I

t’s a long trudge up the 4x4 track to Lake Como—especially in the blazing afternoon sun. Rising 4,000 feet in seven miles, the road is labeled the “roughest in Colorado” and a memorial plaque at the Jaws II crux section serves a testament to the ambition of some four wheelers. “Kind

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of seems like soloing (climbing ropeless) with a lead weight attached,” my partner Allen observed. From our alien-like encounters passing several jeeps—us gawking, them rocking—it was clear that neither party really understood the point of our respective adventure objectives.

The weather remained perfect into the afternoon as we headed up the 1,400-foot West Ridge Direct route we had chosen for our ascent of Little Bear. The warm setting sun, mostly good rock, and the fact that we had no rope kept us rooted happily in the moment until the route abruptly ended at the slender summit—a conjunction of three lengthy ridges providing little more than a tattered summit register and shallow rock depressions for shelter. It looked like home to me.

Holding a kite in one hand, I teetered along the rocky ridgeline descending from 14,035-foot Little Bear Peak while Allen unrolled a slender spool string attached to our magical toy. Together we counted, “one, two, three,” and I tossed while

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he pulled. With no room to run, the kite started to fall over the edge. If you want to sleep on top of a 14er so you can beat the crowds to one of the most precipitous and popular traverses in Colorado, you need to bring a kite, right?

S

ummiting a 14er should be a top priority, a rite of passage for Coloradans (and an increasing number of visitors). Part of the appeal is that there are so many of them and so many ways to enjoy them. While California’s 14,505-foot Mount Whitney is the highest in the lower 48 States, its permit system can be a challenge.

Washington’s 14,411-foot Mount Rainier, which has the greatest prominence, or vertical rise, is logistically difficult to climb, with countless crevasses and weeklong rainstorms. Colorado’s 14ers, on the other hand, offer everything from the ability to drive to the top to technical climbing on exposed rock, and they benefit from generally sunny weather and moderate, glacier-free approaches.

ALL THE TIME IN THE WORLD MORE AND MORE PEOPLE ARE LINING UP TO SUMMIT COLORADO'S FOURTEENERS— BUT YOU CAN ENJOY A LEISURELY EVENING ALONE IF YOU ARE THE LAST TO THE TOP.

The only problem is that accessibility makes them popular: Visit the Longs Peak Trailhead in summer at 3:00 a.m. and you will see more headlamps than a field of fireflies, and on the summit you will fight off a horde of fat marmots queuing for your lunch. You won’t be alone or the fastest or the first. But this popularity can easily be avoided by embracing the individual freedom and creativity that are the foundations of mountain exploration, by climbing them with personal style.

Harken back to your grade-school PE class. The teacher, most likely sporting white-striped Adidas pants and a whistle, is herding everyone onto the track, bellowing, “Run, everybody, run!” The class spreads

stepping-off point out around the The warm setting for Colorado’s oval, most barely sun, mostly good most precipitous trotting, except rock and the fact we ridgeline, the for the fast kids Little Bearwho invariably lap had no rope kept Blanca Traverse. everyone. There’s us rooted happily A serpentine a moment, when in the moment until “walkway” of you first hear the the route abruptly towers, pinnacles fast kids’ pounding and rock dropping feet coming up to ended at the exposure, this pass, that you have slender summit—a mile-long crest a stylistic choice. conjunction of three resembles the Great You can accept the Wall of China—with indignity of being lengthy ridges slightly different really slow, or you providing little more proportions. It’s might pretend that than a tattered just two feet wide you are actually in summit register and 1,000 feet front, racing to the high. There are no finish line neck-inand shallow rock easy escape points neck. If someone depressions for so bad weather took a photograph shelter. is a real concern, of this moment, it making an extra would corroborate early start key. the fantasy. It turns out that being last can sometimes mean being in front.

At least that was my argument lthough last to summit, we were to Allen Riling, a frequent climbing now first in line for the traverse. partner from Durango, as I explained Those shallow rock depressions the idea of a minimalist, nighttime insulated us from the jaw-dropping summit-bivi on Little Bear, the second exposure while our camp stove most difficult 14er, jutting steeply labored in the thin air to boil water for above the eastern edge of the a pasta supper. We felt cozy yet giddy windswept San Luis Valley. My plan for from the altitude. As the sun crept the peak was unusual in that it went towards the horizon, we wished we against the cardinal rule for climbing were in summertime Alaska so the day any 14er in the summer: Start early would last forever. with a headlamp and descend by Our evening was thankfully free of noon to avoid the frequent and violent any weather-related pyrotechnics and electrical storms. I wanted to be last. after a leisurely breakfast we were “Nowhere does this rule include well along the actual traverse before summit bivvy,” Allen replied the first “fast kids” rolled over the skeptically. summit of Little Bear and joined into “We’ll reduce the hazard of the delicate choreography of climbing climbing below other people and along the narrow path to Blanca. potentially knocking rocks down After a couple of hours of focused, by starting really late and sleeping precipitous, beautiful movement, Allen on top,” I argued. “We can assess and I reached the summit of Blanca the thunderstorm potential at noon Peak, pausing for a moment before before even leaving the car, and then beginning the long, knee-tweaking again at 4:00 before we climb above descent back to our car. Looking back treeline.” over our sinuous pathway from Little Allen still looked unimpressed. He Bear, still hours before noon with and his wife were expecting their first no need to rush, Allen recalled the child soon, so I understood why he moment from the previous day when was questioning my wacky idea. we had the summit of Little Bear and “With a liter of wine, a stove and the evening all to ourselves and he light sleeping kit,” I pressed, “our unfurled his stunt kite and we tried to packs will be tiny compared to the launch it. awesome sunset over the plains over At first, we failed to properly align 6,000 feet below.” with the wind. The kite faltered and I sold him on it. Our style was set. tumbled. Then, like a fish on a hook, While our plan was unusual it is it shot up, suddenly high overhead, not unique. In 2011, Jon Kedrowski glistening and rippling in the golden slept on 54 summits in 95 days, evening light. It was a moment we publishing a book with meteorologist wouldn’t have had time for had we Chris Tomer called Sleeping on been hurrying our way around the the Summits. Camped on Mount 14er PE track, so to speak. Holding the Harvard, Kerdrowski got chased from strings like reins to a horse, the fabric his tent by a rogue thunderstorm. of our wind-filled fancy danced above He remembers being guided by an us. It was a mythological white-winged angel-like figure sitting on a rock Pegasus, free and unrestricted by our pointing where to go. Moments later, earthbound perch. Amid the lengthy lightning struck the tent, knocking him list of 14er firsts, summit kite at sunset down and melting the poles and the is surely the next big thing—at least contents within it. for anyone who wants to sleep in for The difficulty of Little Bear was the noon-time departure. another draw. Its summit is the

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E LWAY V I L L E

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LOST IN PLACE

Rocky Mountain sunsets are the reason I will never leave the West.

by PETER KRAY

O

n a recent flight back home from New York, I took pictures of the clouds as we emerged from a thunderstorm. The range of colors split the sky, with purple castles of clouds, a bloody sunset, and below, the golden glow of the earth.

In one photo, I felt certain I captured the image of a blue-crowned angel facing west, riding a spreading throne of cumulus. It occurred to me that as a Colorado kid, I always thought every angel faced the West.

Why? Because any fool among us can see heaven in a sunset, no matter our thoughts on the miracle of every moment, or the potential promise of the afterlife. And in what I have been privileged to see of this world, it’s my humble opinion that Rocky Mountain sunsets are among this planet’s very best.

TOWARD THE SUNRISE

In the Rockies, setting suns and mountain ranges provide a daily sense of direction—a kind of constant North Star, with the homing pulse of Polaris emanating from the profile of every peak—as well as a sense of place My wife, who also grew up in Colorado, and I went to college at St. Lawrence University, in upstate New York. It’s a small, close-knit school, with just over 2,000 undergraduates and a tiny haven for skiers, since it’s just a short drive from Lake Placid, which hosted two Winter Olympics, and a half hour from Canada, with negative-30 degree cold spells in the winter which can often last a week.

We both loved it: the Adirondack isolation, East Coast exposure, life-or-death collegiate hockey grudges, and thrillingly cold Saturdays when ice storms swept across the campus and everyone collected in a room or one of three downtown bars to celebrate the shivering smiles and bone-warming reassurance of human warmth, and maybe play a couple hands of Pitch.

ANGELS FACING WEST

We made friends for life. We made the kinds of memories that still sneak into our dreams at night.

But when we graduated, we flew like fugitives back west. It turns out, the lack of mountains on the horizon could confuse us in the middle of the day, leaving us wondering which direction to look.

In the east, trees hide the sunsets, as does the curving distance of the world to the horizon where Denverites expect instead to see the rising silhouettes of peaks of titanic rock.

There’s also the humidity, which, as any traveling athlete or summer wedding guest knows, can suck out your high-altitude superpowers like Kryptonite.

There's even something foreign in the lush tangle of trees, the giant lawns and ponds as big as lakes, something like the drunken ease of impressionism as opposed to nature in the abstract. There’s an almost over-bearing leisure of being—of bounty—where in the west we want stark, jagged borders between us and the stars. We want to be in a place where outside every door, there’s the opportunity for a daily epic.

BRINGING IT ALL BACK HOME

I went back to New York, just outside Manhattan, for a kind of reunion in June, to see a Dead band at

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Illustration by Kevin Howdeshell / THEBRAVEUNION.COM

Garcia’s in The Capitol Theater in Port Chester and dance and laugh with about 100 of the best people I have ever met. For 48 hours, I felt a deep sense of nostalgia for the part of the country I loved, but never completely embraced. I envied the ease of access to the ocean. The big(ger) cities. Traveling from state to state in a matter of hours. The fall colors in Vermont.

Then I got on that cloud-washed plane headd back West. As I drove home from the airport, I could feel the Emerald City promise of the East Coast being sucked out of me by the famish of drought. The hush of dry wind and the hoarse catch of moisture-less breath. Already there were fires in Durango and New Mexico, with evacuations and scorched homes, and untamed infernos that by July would be dwarfed by what came next.

In this warming world, wildfire has become the

signature symptom of the season. Friends have lost everything. Woodland creatures have seen their habitat turned to ash. We are becoming refugees from ourselves, ready to run from the changes we have wrought. But we love each other more because of it. We offer each other a helping hand, a bed, sustenance, and a chance to get back on our feet. We stand together on the frontier of the future, with emergency bags packed by the car, ready to ride the phoenix. For better, and worse.

We are, all of us, looking West.

—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: AMZN.TO/2LMZPVN

HYDRATION, TRANSFORMED

The great outdoors just got greater. The Seeker™ is HydraPak’s ultra-light, durable water storage system for camping, backpacking, you name it. It packs down to the size of a fist, attaches to your pack or hangs from a tree. You can freeze it to use as an ice pack or fill it with hot water to keep you warm. Katadyn® BeFree™ filtration compatible.

Find one at a dealer near you hydrapak.com

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PROVIDING ESSENTIAL GEAR TO THE ADVENTUROUS.

Heuberger Motors offers all models and trim levels to power your personal love of adventure. Courtesy delivery anywhere in Colorado at no charge.

Love. It’s what makes a Subaru, a Subaru.

2018 Crosstrek 2.0i Premium depicted. Visit us at www.BestBuySubaru.com for specific models and pricing or call 888.840.9024 today for your no hassle price. Heuberger Subaru is at 1080 Motor City Drive in Colorado Springs, Colorado

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