Songs From the Trail

Over the past few years, I have presented my Colorado Trail musical slide show many times all over Colorado. This is always a pleasure for me, as I get to re-live the many trail experiences I had, once again see photos of Colorado's amazing high country, and sing some of the songs that I kept myself company with when I was out on the trail. And, I would get to raise some more funds for MPEC's Nature education programs.

The other day I was singing some songs for the trees outside my home and for the evening sky, and when I began to play Jackson Browne's These Days, I was immediately transported to being on the Colorado Trail. This is the opening song that I do during the slide show, and so it now has taken on such a strong association with hiking the Colorado Trail. The opening lyric, "Now I've been out walking," takes me right back to being out there in Colorado's wild Nature, walking and walking and walking. Other songs that I now associate with hiking the trail include I Will (Paul McCartney), Kathy's Song (Paul Simon), and Carol King's Home Again, as I sang these over and over again out on the trail, and as part of the slide presentation.

With the upcoming hike, and knowing that I'll be putting together another presentation (with live music of course), I've been giving just a little bit of thought to what songs will be a part of that presentation. I can only use a handful of songs for the presentation - not so for when I am hiking, as I will be out there for a week or more, so I'll have time for lots of songs. So I'll have to narrow it down to just a few for the presentation.

One of the many things I am looking forward to on the upcoming trek is being out there in such beautiful country while keeping myself company with songs that I enjoy singing. It's been awhile since I made a living solely as a musician, but I love making music, and I am so pleased that music has become a part of my Colorado Trail Backpack for Nature Education.

One more time before wintry conditions prevail!

The 14.3 miles of Section 15, from Hwy 50 to Marshall Pass, is on my agenda for this Monday, Oct 11. Helene and I plan on heading over to Salida tomorrow afternoon so I can get an early start the next morning on the last section of the Colorado Trail that I will do this year. It will be a good workout - a 3600' climb spread over the first several miles will take me up along the Continental Divide, which the trail hugs over the next 150 miles. So, the views should be terrific, the temps probably pretty cool, and I believe there may already be a bit of snow up there. Helene is kind enough to to have arranged her schedule so she can drop me off, and then drive around and pick me up at Marshall Pass, early afternoon if my legs are up for a perky pace. I heard a TV meteorologist say that a strong front will be arriving in Colorado on Tuesday, so one last hurrah before I say good-bye to the CT for 2010.

A great weekend of hiking!

Another 39 miles and sections 8 & 9 are complete, bringing my total miles of "hiking for Nature Education" to 156. Alex Martinez hiked all 39 miles with me this past Saturday and Sunday, and those miles were a treat to our senses, even if we moved through them at a pretty good clip. The scenery was gorgeous, the wildflowers were in great form, and the weather was very cooperative.

Section 8 included hiking over Searle and Kokomo Passes and ended at Tennessee Pass. The trail climbing was generally moderate in this section, and several miles were above treeline, so the scenery was spectacular. Section 9 spent much time in the trees, but once the trail broke out into the open, the distant views were just as spectacular. Much of Section 9 was in the Holy Cross Wilderness. The area around mile 8 of this section, with a few small lakes, open grassy meadows, and plenty of wildflowers, was exceptionally lovely...I could see myself backpacking into this area and spending a few days exploring, and just being, in such a beautiful place. The last couple of miles dropped steeply into the Turquoise Lake area and the terminus of the section. A gentle rain cooled us just as we began the steep descent.

Alex is an avid hiker, bicyclist, and runner, so there certainly was an element of "clicking off the miles" as we enjoyed the scenery. Alex is a Justice on the Colorado Supreme Court, and so I also enjoyed getting a bit more of a glimpse of the job of a Supreme Court Justice through some of our many conversations. It certainly was a great weekend of hiking! Alex took a bunch of terrific photos. Here is a link to Alex's photos.

Back on the trail!

In the morning, I plan on getting back onto the Colorado Trail, this time taking off from Copper Mountain for Sections 8 and 9. My friend Alex Martinez plans on hiking about 17 miles on day one with me, ending up in the old Camp Hale area. (Camp Hale was a WWII military base where the 10th Mountain Division learned mountain skills, such as winter survival and skiing. Many 10th Mtn. Division veterans returned to Colorado after the war and were instrumental in developing the ski industry.) If all goes according to plan, I will finish Section 8 and then Section 9 on the following day or two (how long it takes me depends on how strong I feel). This will put me past the 150 mile mark and into the Sawatch Range, heading south along the eastern side of the Collegiate Peaks. Pledges are above $36 / mile - so the next few days of hiking will bring over $1400 towards our Nature Education programs. Thank you for making this effort a success!

If all goes according to plan...

...I'll be hiking Sections 4 and 5 starting tomorrow (Wednesday, June 2) afternoon. As expected, the biggest challenge to doing this hike is fitting it in. But, I believe what I have planned will work. After a commitment in the morning, I will drive to Kenosha Pass (the end point for Section 5), leave my car, and my dedicated son will meet me there and drive me to the TH for Section 4. I'll hopefully hike a few of the 31 miles of these 2 sections before dark, camp, do a long day on Thursday, then finish out on Friday in time to get back to Pueblo for my father-in-law's art opening / 90th birthday. By the way, so far I am close to $20/mile in pledges and donations. Thanks to all who are supporting this effort for Nature Education. More after I return. Happy trails, Dave

Hike is attracting attention!

Yesterday, KOAA Channel 5 TV News did a story on the upcoming hike, with some great footage of some of our Earth Studies students. Check it out at
http://www.newsfirst5.com/news/485-mile-fundraising-effort/
Click on PLAY VIDEO underneath the large Mountain Park Environmental Center logo to see the clip.

Meanwhile, I am actively working on getting my gear ready. I've stuck with my desire to do this project with lighter gear, so I recently seam-sealed my Big Agnes Fly Creek 1 tent (it weighs less than 3 pounds), I trail tested my Osprey Exos 58 backpack (2.5 pounds), and I just purchased a GPS SPOT Beacon so I can send "I'm OK" or "I need help" messages, and also so folks can track my progress and whereabouts on the trail. I am still figuring out how this gadget works, so more on that soon.

I hope to be on the trail soon. Happy trails, Ranger Dave

Hiking for Nature Education

(This was first published in the Spring 2010 edition of MPEC's newsletter "Mountain Park News".)

Yes, it’s been a challenge, keeping the funding going for our programs in this slumped economy. As MPEC’s Executive Director, I am 100% determined to get through these tough times with zero reduction in the on-the-ground programming that MPEC is all about, so people, especially young people, can keep getting out into our part of Colorado’s great outdoors!

So, this year, in response to my determination to keep programs fully funded, combined with my desire to always be creative in our fund-raising, I am embarking on a personal fund-raising effort for MPEC. Beginning sometime this spring, and continuing for as long as it takes me, I plan on doing a fund-raising backpack of the Colorado Trail.

Since my work and family commitments will not allow a straight-through hike, my plan is take a series of shorter backpacks of a few to several days, taking off on each subsequent hike where I left off on the one before. Depending on many factors (e.g. weather, scheduling conflicts, other commitments), I know that this may require 2011 to finish, but my plan is to walk from Denver to Durango, all 485 miles.

Backpacking the Colorado Trail will not be without its challenges: all sorts of weather, long stretches with no reliable sources of water, and a total of 77,690 feet of elevation gain (and 76,210 feet of downhill hiking), to name a few. But I won’t deny it, I love to backpack, I love a challenge, and there certainly will be a huge element of personal enjoyment in doing this hike. As MPEC’s founder, I also cannot deny that MPEC has become so much a part of me, and is never very far from much of what I do in my life. So, I thought, why not combine my love of backpacking with my love for Nature education? Hence, Ranger Dave’s Colorado Trail Fund-Raising Backpack for Nature Education.

I know that MPEC could not do the good work that we do without the support of the many people who support MPEC through memberships, donations, and volunteering. And I know that this new fund-raising effort will not be successful without that same support. So, I need your help. Please consider making a pledge towards this effort. A dime per mile translates into $48.50. A quarter per mile comes to $121.25; $.50 would provide $242.50 towards MPEC’s programs; and so on. Maybe one lump sponsorship sum would work better for you.

Another way you could help is to provide transportation and/or shuttle assistance to the various trailheads. If you would like to join me for sections of the trail and get your own pledges, that could be another way to help. My “not-as-young” body is requesting an equipment upgrade with some “ultralight backpacking gear,” – maybe your business would be willing to co-sponsor by helping out with gear. It’s all about raising funds to keep MPEC’s great programs going, so let me know your ideas on how you can help make this fund-raiser a huge success for MPEC. You can contact me at (719) 485-4444 or email mpec@hikeandlearn.org. Thanks so much!