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!

CT's Highest Point Here I Come!

With summer rolling by, I've only a limited window to complete the Colorado Trail, so here I go once again. I am heading out of Beulah this Friday afternoon to spend the night in Creede with Helene (it's her birthday), then I will take off from Spring Creek Pass Saturday morning. I am giving myself until Wednesday to complete Sections 22-24...afternoon thunderstorms may slow me down. Needless to say, I'll be packing up early each day to get my miles in before noon. Section 22 will bring me to the trail's highest point of around 13,300', right near a peak called Coney's Summit. Molas Pass, a few miles south of Silverton, is my destination. I am looking forward to some phenomenal scenery, as most of these miles are above timberline. Look for my post-hike report.

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.

OK, here I go again!

Reports have it that the high-country snows are rapidly melting, so Plan B has been formulated. Helene and I will be heading out of Beulah this Saturday to spend our 35th anniversary (which is July 10...wow, it's been three and a half decades since our bi-centennial wedding in Queens) in Salida. We will spend Sunday evening camping at Marshall Pass. I will set out on Section 16 Monday morning, and Helene will head home. I plan on hiking Sections 16 through 21, a 91 mile trek, over five days and will meet Helene on Friday afternoon at Spring Creek Pass on CO Hwy 149. That is the plan...let's see how this goes.

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 snow is melting, so I'll be hiking!

I've spent the last week casually getting things together for heading back out there on the Colorado Trail, as the info I've found at various websites indicate that the high country snows are melting enough to resume the 485 mile trek. Last year's miles taught me that keeping my pack light is a key to enjoying the experience. So, since I'll be out for six days on this stretch, I am planning my food needs carefully to keep the weight down. Here is my pack, rested and ready as I begin to get my gear loaded up. I'll be driving out of Beulah this Thursday afternoon, the 23rd, for an evening start at Marshall Pass...please follow my progress at the map on this blog. I anticipate getting off the trail later on Wednesday the 29th.

A couple more weeks and I'll be back on the trail!

It's been October since I hiked down into Marshall Pass and completed 2010's Colorado Trail miles. My feet are itching to get back out there, and it looks like the itch will soon be relieved. My plan is to get dropped off at Marshall Pass (which is southwest of Salida) after a dinner in Salida on Thursday, June 23 and get in a few miles. Then, over the next six days, hike to Spring Creek Pass, 91 miles from my dropoff. A couple of issues I anticipate are few reliable water sources over the first 50 miles or so, and then potentially deep snow towards the latter part. As for water, this will require being very careful about where and how far the next creek or spring is. I am hoping the above average winter of snow will help with this issue. Speaking of snowfall...the Colorado high country overall has received 249% of average snowfall this past winter. I've been trying to find out snowpack conditions along this section of trail, as I do not want to deal with long stretches of six feet deep, wet snow. I still have two+ weeks before I am out there, and it is warming up as summer weather takes hold. So I believe I will be ok, but I will continue to find out what I can as my plan is to average around 15 miles each day...deep sloppy wet snow will make that very difficult, and maybe not possible. More on all of this soon...

The Colorado Trail is Calling My Name

As spring begins to hint of its arrival, I am beginning to feel a growing itch to get back out there on the trail. Of course, right now the CT is covered in many feet of snow. But spring brings warmer temps, and when that snow finally melts, my feet will be trekking the final 218 miles of the trail, from Marshall Pass to Durango. As I've been preparing for this Friday's evening presentation of my CT program in slides and song at MPEC, I am remembering some of last year's details and glad to know I have some good backpacking waiting for me this summer. Also, I am presenting this program in Golden, Colorado on April 16 ... if you are in the Denver area, please come by ... email me at mpec@hikeandlearn.org for details. ~ Happy Trails!

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).

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!

Section 6 in the morning!

After a very busy couple of weeks, my backpack is packed with food, shelter, sleeping bag, extra clothes... and I am slipping away for a couple of days of hiking. Section 6 of the Colorado Trail takes off from Kenosha Pass, slides over Georgia Pass (and the trail's first crossing of the Continental Divide), and works its way down into the Breckenridge/Frisco area. My friend and Lookout Mountain Nature Center Director Tim Sandsmark plans on hiking a few of the miles with me. I believe there will be some sections of snow on this leg, so I have my high gaiters and am ready for a vigorous and enjoyable trek across the high country. By the way, I am so pleased to say that I have now received donations and/or pledges totalling over $34 per mile...thank you all so much for your support of my efforts for Nature Education! More on my return!

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

Colorado Trail miles: 41 hiked, 444 to go...one step at a time!

I completed my first venture along the Colorado Trail as the weather appeared to be hinting at turning back towards winter. A windy and cooling May 10 morning as I hiked the final miles, after a warm and gentle night, made me glad that my son was meeting me at the section end to shuttle me back to my car. I hear a foot or two of snow may be falling as I write this blog entry. The lighter gear and my solo venture for these first three sections allowed a pace that I was pleased and surprised at...16 miles on day one, nearly 17 on day 2, and only about 8 miles on the final leg. Words/thoughts for each of the 3 sections -- Section 1: a lovely Waterton Canyon hike; many mountain bikers sharing the trail; great views of the Buffalo Creek burn area (section 2's hike); a sunny day becoming grey that tried to rain but just couldn't muster any real raindrops. Section 2: a frosty morning; many miles of burned over land; hundreds of pasqueflowers; mountain ball cacti; lonely, hot and windy; no water. Section 3: more mountain bikes in the beginning; just me and the wind the last six miles; fleeting views of snowy Mt. Evans; my son Sequoia and his dog Bella greeting me at the end of mile 41. A great start for a great cause, Nature Education. (Photos: view of Buffalo Creek burn, mountain ball cactus, Pikes Peak in the distance in middle of Section 2, my overnight accommodations, feeling good at sections 3 end.)

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!