What I'll Be Carrying in my Backpack for the Colorado Trail: Ranger Dave's Videos

Here are a couple of short videos on the gear I will be taking with me as I hit the new 80-mile Collegiate West segments of the Colorado Trail in a few weeks.

So I can enjoy the miles without so much weight on my back, I lean towards packing as light as I can. I will have just what I need to be safe, and then use my head so I don't get myself into sketchy situations.

Hitting the Trail Once Again for Nature Education

A few weeks ago, I found myself in front of a small group of people from around the country who had flown in for a retreat at the Horseshoe Lodge. I was presenting on my adventures along the Colorado Trail that I did a few years ago. It was a pleasure to relive the many miles of amazing scenery, sharing stories of the trail, and connecting the adventure to the reason behind it – to raise funds for MPEC’s Nature education programs.

 Last year, I got word through the Colorado Trail Foundation – the organization that stewards the trial – that the Colorado Trail was expanded to include 80 additional miles of trail through the spectacular Collegiate Peaks, home to a dozen of the state's 14,000-foot mountains. The new "Collegiate West" forms a western complement to the classic 80-mile stretch of Colorado Trail on the eastern side of the Collegiate Peaks from Twin Lakes, southwest of Leadville, to south of Monarch Pass, southwest of Salida.

It did not take long for me to come up with the idea that I needed to hike this new 80-mile stretch. Along with learning about the new section of trail, last year presented MPEC with some budget challenges associated with some unexpected expenses while dealing with cuts from some funding sources. The fact is that many local non-profits have not felt any significant improvements since the economy took a nosedive several years ago.

Since the original Colorado Trail Fund-Raising effort was a success, it only makes sense that this new section of trail is providing another opportunity for MPEC. So, sometime this summer, I will be backpacking these new 80 miles with the intention of raising money for MPEC’s Nature education programs. We have set a goal of raising $24,000 from the hike, which translates to $300 per mile. Please consider making a pledge to what we are calling Ranger Dave’s Collegiate West Fund-Raising Backpack for Nature Education. You can go to MPEC's website, click on the Help MPEC Grow icon on the lower right of the page, and then choose Ranger Dave’s Backpack as the donation category. Every penny that is raised will directly support MPEC’s programs that help children experience the wonders of Nature. Thanks so much!

One Last Time!

It is Saturday evening, and I've enjoyed a restful day at home, getting ready for my final leg of the trail. I've got 74 miles left to complete the Colorado Trail, which I will be doing this week. Jim Redfern, the terrific contractor who I've worked with for the last five years in renovating the Horseshoe Lodge, has kindly offered to drive me to Durango, a five hour drive, on Monday. Friends Mindy and Patrick Meiering generously offered for me to spend the night at their home in Durango, then a ride to Molas Pass on Tuesday morning where I will start the 73.9 miles of Sections 25-28. I'm so pleased to be at this stage of the hike...it's been a lot of planning, driving, and especially, putting one foot in front of the other. And I am so excited to have the completion for this challenge a few days away. Of course, I still have a good hike ahead of me, but I am rested and ready! I expect to get to the the end of the trail, just outside of Durango, on Friday or Saturday. Pledges and donations continue to come in and I am at over $73 a mile so far. The funds being raised are directly supporting MPEC's education programs, with an emphasis on this year's Earth Studies program. Through ES, every 5th grader from Pueblo City Schools, around 1300 kids, gets 6 full days of Nature-based education spread throughout the school year. Serendipitously, this year's first day of Earth Studies is this Tuesday as well. All week, while I'm covering the final miles of the CT, students from Parkview, Baca, Spann and Carlile Elementary Schools, many of whom will be going to the mountains or taking a hike for the first time in their lives, will be in Pueblo Mountain Park kicking off the the 10th year of MPEC's award winning ES program. That is all the motivation I need to complete the hike!

Happy Trails...an essay in the Pueblo Chieftain!

This year, I've taken more time out on the trail to write and journal...this was somewhat by design, as last year I missed some things in my push for miles. And, waiting out afternoon stormy skies created space for writing as well. I am pleased that the Pueblo Chieftain published an essay I wrote during this summer's first stretch on the trail. You can read it by clicking here!

Now THAT was a hike!

All last year, across the first 267 miles of the CT, hardly a drop of rain fell on me. Not once did I pull out my rain gear. Well, that does not seem to be how 2011's miles are shaking out. Not so far, anyway. Hail, a late morning thunderstorm, off-and-on afternoon rain, early morning fog...wet is now a word to add to my CT experience.

I am happy to say that, beyond the added tasks associated with all the moisture (e.g. drying out the tent, being sure key gear stayed dry), it didn't really cramp my style all that much. The biggest challenge came from the fatigue associated with 4 consecutive 20-mile days. Combined with lots of elevation gains, these miles really wiped me out. I'll admit it, when the last day's 12 and a half miles were nearly complete as I approached Spring Creek Pass where Helene was meeting me, I was ready to be off the trail.

Not that the 90.6 miles were all wet and tired...I saw so much beauty (mountain vistas, gorgeous sunsets, lovely wildflowers), I successfully met the challenge of all those miles, my body kept on keeping on, and I raised more revenue for MPEC's education programs, so young folks can continue experiencing the natural world through our programs. Not a bad way so spend five days in July.

I am now 358 miles into the 485-mile adventure. This leaves 127 miles of some of the most beautiful mountain scenery Colorado has to offer left to hike. Of course, the on-going challenge is how to fit the rest of these miles into all the other things I need and want to do this summer. But, a plan to finish the CT in two more separate treks is taking shape...more as that firms up. Here are a few photos from along the trail. Also, you can check out a recent Pueblo Chieftain article on my Colorado Trail Hike by clicking here.

Ranger Dave Starts 91 mile leg of Colorado Trail Today

Helene here:

I just left Dave at the Marshall Pass trailhead at 6am as daybreak fell around us and a pack of coyotes howled nearby. What a beautiful morning for Dave to begin this weeklong trek It's a 13 mile journey down a old railroad dirt road to the trail head and we spent the night there in our tent. It rained most the night and was in the 40's this morning. We could see snowfields nearby but wildflowers were blooming brilliant this morning and it's a beautiful day.

Helene ( the woman who wishes she was hiking with him but no way...today alone is a 22 mile day and that's too quick a pace for me)

But it's not melting enough just yet!

Recent digging into what conditions are like out there reveal that snow depths above around 11,500' is still quite significant. Since a good amount of the miles of the next few sections are 12,000+, I've decided to postpone my getting back on the trail until mid-July...when my schedule, and hopefully the Colorado Trail, opens up. So, I'm not back out there yet!

The Colorado Trail backpacking is done for the year, but the effort is still generating plenty of interest and energy. This past Saturday evening, around 100 people came to MPEC for a delicious dinner and a musical presentation on Ranger Dave's progress along the trail so far. several delicious soups, a salad with MPEC's own savory dressing, and several homemade breads and deserts started out an upbeat evening. Then Dave told the story in pictures and love music of his 267 miles on the trail this summer. Here are some photos of from Saturday's program (staff & volunteers in the kitchen; cooks extraordinaire Mary Porter & Bernie Abrahams; warming up the crowd before the program; happy MPEC members Barbara Blake and Michael Wenzl).

Done for the year!

I excitedly started this fund-raising hike on Sections 1, 2 and 3 last May, with snowy signs of winter lingering along the trail. Many summer and autumn miles have since been hiked until this past Monday, October 11, when I hiked Section 15 to Marshall Pass. This was the last section of the Colorado Trail that I will hike in 2010. And winter is already quickly arriving to the CT with snow along the higher parts of the section's 14.3 miles. I am most pleased to have hiked 267.6 miles for Nature education this year, well past the CT's halfway point and my goal for 2010. This leaves 218.2 miles for next year - piece of cake!

Here are a few photos from Section 15 (1. first snow along the trail; 2. on the Continental Divide; 3. looking back; 4. the distant San Juan Mountains, where the trail is heading) - the scenery was gorgeous on a cool but gentle day. It's wonderful what can be accomplished, simply by putting one foot in front of the other. I am already looking forward to next year's miles along the Colorado Trail. Thank you so very much to all who have supported this hike 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.

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!

Mile 100 passed and looking forward to the next 100!

A couple of fairly long days of hiking and so much gorgeous scenery and now Section 6 is complete. I enjoyed the good company of Tim Sandsmark, who helped with vehicle shuttling, and then hiked the first 6 miles of the trail with me. Thanks so much, Tim. Tim is an excellent photographer, and you can check out his photos of the hike at http://coloradotrailsection6.shutterfly.com/.

I then continued up and over the Continental Divide at Georgia Pass. This was the highest point of the hike thusfar, at 11,800'. There were several snow drifts to maneuver over, but they presented no real problem except for a bit of snow in my shoes (I was too lazy to put on the gaiters). I camped at mile 17.1 and enjoyed a lovely "close-to-full moon" and the melancholy song of a lone hermit thrush. The hike into Breckenridge was full of beautiful mountains, lodgepole pines (many hit by pine beetles), and a very hot sun that had me pretty cooked by the time I reached my car.

You can go to my Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/photo.php?pid=726784&id=1274464053 for my photos of the 33 mile trek.

This bring my mileage total to 104 miles. I am looking forward to continuing this effort as the summer unfolds. If you are interested in hiking/backpacking a section with me, please email me at mpec@hikeandlearn.org so we can make a plan.

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!