when deer meet felines

Hope you saw Dave's smile-inducing story and Carol Lawrence's photo of a westside cat that has made nice with deer living in the 'hood. You missed a great line of his, something about a cat might hang with deer once and still say he/she's 100 percent feline, but after repeated incidents?

Do other cats start to wonder?

The story brought up another tale of a recent cat - deer encounter, but of the grim variety. Deer vs. big cat aka mountain lion. Suffice to say, the mountain lion didn't stop at sniffing the deer's nose. The homeowner found deer ... um ... bits in the yard.

I can't tell a deer what to do to prevent a mountain lion attack, but I can pass along advice for keeping yourself alive:

Do not hike, bike or run alone.

Keep a close watch on children.

Do not approach a mountain lion.

Do not run from a mountain lion.

Raise your arms or open your jacket to appear larger.

Make noise by stomping your feet and speaking loudly.

If attacked, fight back, then call 911.

For more information, go here.

Concerned cyclists unite!

The March meeting of the Pikes Peak Area Bikeways Coalition is 7-8:30 p.m. Thursday at the El Paso County Parks office at Bear Creek Regional Park.

If you're interested in getting involved in local bike events, or want to know how to improve cycling in the region, this group is for you.

Sorry for the late notice! But what else were you doing Thursday night?

Calamari rings the size of tractor tires

You may have heard about a Colossal squid hooked by fishermen off Antarctica last month. It was the biggest squid ever caught, at 32 feet. Being a total giant squid geek, I was fascinated. Anyway, the story just keeps going. The squid was frozen and sent to scientists in New Zealand. They just got it yesterday and are at a loss of how to defrost 1,000 pounds of squid without having it turn to mush.

See the video here.

What is Uncle Sam killing these days?

Just about everything. According to records it released last week at the urging of conservation groups, inn 2005, the USDA-APHIS-Wildlife Services killed three bald eagles (two by leg-hold traps, one by sodium cyanide gun); one golden eagle (by neck snare); two grizzly bears (leg snares); and 252 gray wolves (aerial gunning, trapping, and shooting).

The Wildlife Services department's mission is to get rid of pests, particularly for farmers and ranchers.
In 2005, Wildlife Service killed:
• 1.2 million starlings and 300,000 other birds, including a snowy owl (made famous in the Harry Potter movies), several hawks, eagles, song birds, and water birds.
• About 50,000 animals from the rodent and rabbit families—the largest toll came from beavers (33,000), nutria (3,000), and marmots and woodchucks (3,000).
• 99,346 native carnivores, such as 73,000 coyotes, 500 badgers, 2,200 bobcats, and 10,000 raccoons.
Wildlife Services had three notable changes from 2004 to 2005:
To learn more about the agency, click here: http://www.aphis.usda.gov/wildlife_damage/

Take a load off

A-Basin folks sent a note saying Black Mountain Lodge is open mid-mountain at the top of the Exhibition Lift. Anyone checked it out. Looks clean - and empty - in this photo. Apparently there's a sports shop and a 200-seat restaurant with views of Black Mountain, the East Wall and the Continental Divide. Check it out and let us know if it's worth a stop.

Leave no trace

Zen says there was lots of litter on trails in recent weeks, and I have to agree. I, too, almost always take at least one plastic bag with me to pick up trash along the trail. Sure, some trash blows in on our urban trails, but once you get beyond the trailhead...

I picked up the habit in Camp Fire and have continued since. I encourage everyone to do the same. We may not be able to change others' ways, but we can leave our trails in better shape than we found them. Why not?

Still itching for winter...

I went running in downtown Colorado Springs Monday in shorts and a T shirt. All around me leaves were peeking out of buds, flowers were poking through garden duff, and robins were scouting for bugs. It's clearly spring, at least down here. But I'm still jonesing for winter. I don't feel as if I fully got my ski on.

So... I'm making a pledge to do a few more wintry things.

First: I'm skiing the Elk Mountain Traverse between Crested Butte and Aspen.
Second: I've vowed to ski my first fourteener this spring. I'm hoping for Quandary Peak (above), but I don't know if it will be skiable. Any other suggestions.
Third: I plan to do some May skiing at A Basin.

Hopefully spring won't come to fast and nix my plans.

Next stop, Old Faithful

A blast from the past and a podcast are on tap for Yellowstone National Park this summer.

Eight low-slung 13-passenger tour buses that carted visitors around the park from 1936 to the mid-’50s have been refurbished. You can ride one of the Old Yellow Buses to tour the park under the guidance of a knowledgeable driver. Tours start June 4; outings include a sunset tour ($16-$32).

Also you can watch about 3 dozen videos on the park at home or download the videos and watch them . Or keep in touch listening to park podcasts.

Check out the Old Faithful Web cam here.

Booted from Iditarod

I'm glad witnesses reported this incident and that officials took action:

Two-time runner-up Ramy Brooks, 38, was disqualified from this year’s Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race for abusing his dogs, race officials said. Brooks hit each of his 10 dogs with a trail marking lathe, similar to a surveyor’s stake, after two refused to get up and continue running on an ice field, race marshal Mark Nordman told The Associated Press.

“He felt it was a discipline he needed to get his team off the ice,” Nordman said. Witnesses reported the incident to race officials. It happened Tuesday near Golovin, about 90 miles from the end of the 1,100-mile race.

One of Brooks’ dogs died the next day on the trail, betweenWhite Mountain and Safety, the last checkpoint before Nome. Nordman said based on inconclusive necropsy results on Kate, a 3-year-old female, he has no reason to believe two incidents were related. Further tests were being conducted.

An animal rights group called the incident “out right, blatant abuse.” “When is enough going to be enough with this event?" said Lisa Wathne, a spokeswoman for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. "There is no way to do this humanely.”

Nordman said all allegations of dog abuse are investigated thoroughly.

Protect raptor nests

More bird news - but it's Colorado bird news.

Officials at Rocky Mountain National Park have temporarily closed areas in Lumpy Ridge and Sheep
Mountain areas to protect raptor nesting sites.

Areas will be closed through July 31 - give or take. They'll open earlier or remain closed later based on raptor behavior.

Closures include Checkerboard Rock, Lightning Rock, Batman Rock, Batman Pinnacle, Thunder Buttress, The Parish, Alligator Rock, Sheep Mountain, Deer Ridge Buttress and Twin Owls, and Rock One - and areas within 100 yards in all directions. The perimeter around Alligator Rock extends for 200 yards in all directions.

Green beer 'sted green trees?

Gazette writer and all around newsroom assistant Christopher Short sent the following:

We headed to GOG Saturday morning at 9 to get some hiking in before the parade/melee. There were fewer than 10 cars in the main lot, and none besides ours in the south lot. We did a couple of laps of Ridge Trail without encountering another soul (here’s a photo from the top, near Sleeping Giant). Then the dogs wore out, so we went home.

Is it possible that everyone else was already testing out Dave’s “Paddywhacked” advice?

New York City Hawks on nest

We've followed the progress of Pale Male, a redtail hawk how lives on Park Avenue in Manhattan for a few years through the phenomenal pictures of www.palemale.com. The latest news: he and his mate, Lola, are sitting on the nest. Last year the pair failed to lay viable eggs. This year we hope for better luck.

In the mean time, seriously take a minute to scan these awesome photos.

The eagle has landed... on the nest

One of the best parts of spring is getting to goof off online by watching webcams Xcel energy has set up at its various power plants to monitor nesting raptors. There's a bald eagle, a few owls, and several falcons.
And, it may just be me, but I think the camera angles get better every year.

Just one of those rare times when you can see the outdoors better from indoors.

Weekend trail update

Hey, all. Hiked parts of the Intemann Trail, Red Rock Canyon and Cheyenne Mountain State Park (photo is from the Sundance Trail there - it'll be our Happy Trail in this week's Out There section of The Gazette) over the weekend. Seems the trails are in good shape. See the posts from Friday about Barr Trail and more.

Here's an update on Waldo Canyon from Biz Ed Joanna Bean:

Waldo Canyon is mostly dry throughout, except a few patches of snow and a muddy stretch on the far side of the loop. Saturday offered one of those classic March-in-Colorado choices: ski or hike? With so much stuff to do in town, I chose hiking, and a trail close to home at that.

The parking lot was packed around 2 p.m, but, as is usually the case with Waldo, most of the hikers were going only as far as the loop. I had that part of the trail mostly to myself. It still seems a little strange to have so much sunlight so late in the afternoon in mid-March. This moved-up switch to daylight-saving time will take some getting used to.

See Zen's comment on the Friday trail posting for news of the Mount Esther trail.

Let the woods inspire...

Mancos State Park accepting applications for Guest Artist Program
Mancos State Park in southwestern Colorado is accepting applications for its 2007 Guest Artist Program. Here's how it works: the artists stays in the park yurts in exchange for a donation of artwork or an interpretive event. The events will include concerts, art exhibitions, workshops, and other community presentations.
The five-night residencies will begin mid-summer and extend through the spring of 2008.
Interested artists should contact Mancos State Park at 970-882-2213 for application information, or visit www.parks.state.co.us and go to the Mancos State Park home page for more information.

Would elk mind skiers?

An update on plans to build a ski area near Minturn...
from the AP:

A developer who plans a major ski resort and 1,700 homes next to this former railroad town needs to give wildlife officials more information, a state official said.

Bill Andree, district wildlife manager for the Colorado Division of Wildlife, said an environmental report provided by the Ginn Development Co. does not provide sound conclusions and lacks an analysis of the environmental impact of the cleanup of the former Eagle Mine on the site, the Aspen Times reported today.

Bill Weber, senior vice president for Ginn, said he agreed with some of Andree’s concerns but not others. Andree said problem areas include the layout and height of
buildings, which could adversely affect elk and peregrine falcons. He also said the plan does not include adequate winter habitat for elk.

“The best way is to sit down and look at a map and say, ’This is the worst place to put a house, this is the best place,’” Andree said this week. “I think this can be done with very minimal impact.”

Trail conditions

The photo is from a hike in Blodgett Open Space two weekends ago. I'm sure it's totally dry now. I was talking to a bagger at Safeway last night and she said Section 16 above Red Rock Canyon was in good shape.

Biz ed Joanna Bean is wondering about Waldo Canyon. Anyone been in the last week? I heard earlier in the week from folks who hiked Palmer Park - said it was dry and fine up top.

What's the latest? Itchy feet want to know!

Coloradan makes it to Nome

OK, probably our last Iditarod post of the year...

Bill Pinkham of Glenwood Springs (that's him, above, earlier in the race) crossed the finish line in Nome late Thursday night, coming in 32nd. He leads tours when not racing.

How's Barr Trail?

Christian Murdock and I were just talking about this, and now Neal and Teresa write from Barr Camp...

If you're headed up this weekend, read on and be prepared. Conditions will change frequently based on the amount of sunshine we get and the temperature. Assume nothing!

Barr Camp has had 154 inches of snow thus far and there is still a lot of snow above No-Name. A step off the trail finds you hip deep in a lot of places!

Trail conditions as of Friday, March 16:

The first three miles of Barr Trail mostly clear of snow/ice and the trail is dry.

The next three miles to Barr Camp are mostly snow covered. The snow has been well packed and if the conditions are cold enough, one is able to stay on top of the 2+ feet of snow covering the trail with minimal “post-holing.” If it is real cold, a glaze of ice can be expected in areas. If the snow is sun drenched or warm, there will be a lot of possible post-holing stretches. The trip back through this area often finds warmer temps and slushy conditions. Expect wet feet!

(Christian notes it was a bit icy Monday in the cave. And the trail was slushy. Heed that note about wet feet!)

From Barr Camp to timber line, the trail is similar to below camp, But if the snow is soft and you slip, your downhill foot will go off the trail and throw your balance off. Post-holing is possible in the exposed areas, and the snow is “sugary” and hard to get any traction in.

The trail disappears and tracks have been made willy-nilly about 1/3 mile below the timberline and A-Frame Shelter. If you have not been on the trail above this point, it is easy to follow tracks that head off in various wrong directions, thus losing time and energy.

The trail above timberline is obvious in some areas; deeply buried in others. The top section - “the 16 Golden Stairs” - is very hard to find and full of deep snow.

Additionally, the crust on the snow is hard enough to scrape/cut your skin if you break through it. This is true on the entire trail.

Happy and Safe Trails!

So many slopes, so little time

but now there are extra hours!

If you haven't heard, Crested Butte is now running the Silver Queen Lift 'til 5 p.m. and the Red Lady Express Lift 'til 5:30p.m. The extra hour or so will continue till the resort closes April 8. That may be worth a spring break trip, no!?

The extended hours mean the DC Superpipe is open an extra hour and the Rail Park is open another 90 minutes. But the Ice Bar still closes at 3:30.

(Crested Butte photo by Tom Stillo)

Bored with your board?

Saw this at Colorado Ski Country USA:

Design Within Reach and Snowboard Outreach Society want you to help pick a sweet new ride. Apparently they're seen too many ugly snowboards in their day.

The Design the Modern Board competition is sponsored by Ride Snowboards. Proceeds benefit SOS. Colorado graphic designers are submitting designs and you'll vote. One board may become part of Ride's new lineup.

Wanna chime in? Plan to be at Design Within Reach, 2500 E. 2nd Ave., Denver, between 6 and 9 p.m. March 29. Then let them know you're coming by e-mailing your RSVP by March 22 to: denver@dwr.com

ski patrol

So, you feel drawn to help your fellow man - without fear of getting shot at, or years of medical school. How about the ski patrol? All the resorts have 'em. To see if you've got what it takes, head to Beaver Creek on March 24 or 31.

"We’ll be evaluating each candidate’s abilities in a variety of conditions, including steeps, crud, and powder." said Beaver Creek Ski Patrol Director Addy McCord. "We’re looking for men and women with strong, solid abilities in all conditions, not just finesse."

The ski test includes a few runs taken in variable conditions and evaluated by four or five members of Beaver Creek’s current patrol team. Patrolers are hired in fall. If hired, you'll help open and close the mountain each day, provide emergency medical care, share and enforce skier responsibility, watch for avalanche hazard and do some blasting, and help skiers and riders.

Still interested? Call the ski patrol at (970) 845-6610. Reservations are required and should be made in advance of either test date.

Hooked on mushing

I know, it may seem we have an obsession with the Iditarod, but it's such an gripping event... Managing Editor Larry Ryckman says his colleagues always followed the race when he worked with the AP, and I remember friends following it while I was in the Australian outback and during three years in subSaharan Africa.

From the Anchorage Daily News:

NOME, Alaska — Hundreds of people lined Front Street for the finish of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Tuesday night. Thousands if not tens of thousands glued themselves to their television sets. More clicked rapidly on their computers to monitor results.

Twenty-seven-thousand feet above the trail, Dick Mackey listened on a radio. Down below, his 36-year-old son, Lance, was making Alaska history, becoming the first musher to win the 1,100-mile Iditarod and the 1,000-mile Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race in the same year.

“I’m picturing my dad with a bucket full of tears, waiting underneath the Burled Arch,” Lance said before he left White Mountain and on the last leg of his run to victory.”

Instead of dad, he got exuberant brother Jason who wouldn’t stop hugging the race winner. Dad, who now winters in Arizona, was stuck on an Alaska Airlines jet somewhere between Kotzebue and Nome. A broken jet in Seattle, he said, had delayed his arrival in Nome.

“Where’s my dad?” Lance asked his wife, Tonya, beneath the Burled Arch. "He’s on his way” was all she could say.

... Not five minutes after starting his first sit-down meal since leaving Anchorage nine days earlier, someone in the yelled, “Look who’s here!” And there, barreling through the thick crowd as if he was still being chased to the finish line by Rick Swenson in 1978 was Lance’s 74-year-old father, a fellow Iditarod champ.

Lance dropped his fork; abandoned his New York steak, baked potato and salad ... and jumped off the stage to give pops a giant bear hug. The two cried. Both had ear-to-ear smiles.

... "You will forever be an Iditarod champion,” Dick said. “Damn, I’m so proud of you. Mission accomplished.”

... On the way from Kotzebue to Nome, the pilot announced over the intercom that Lance had reached Front Street, then crossed the finish line. “Everyone on the airplane was just cheering,” Dick said. “It was a great day.

Oh, give them a home

and the buffalo'll roam...

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Saturday will turn loose 16 bison from the National Bison Range in northwestern Montana on about 1,400 acres of the 17,000-acre Rocky Mountain Arsenal, once a Superfund site.

We gave a heads-up on this awhile ago.

The agency, which is managing the land in Commerce City as a national wildlife refuge, might relocate more bison if the first herd settles in and thrives.

The bison will be driven Friday from Montana to the arsenal. This'll be the agency's first bison refuge created in a major metro area. The bison are wild and are considered genetically important because there has been little or no cross breeding with domestic cattle.

Cleanup of the entire site is expected to be finished in 2011. The Army is transferring management of the land to Fish and Wildlife as cleanup is completed. The site already is home to about 330 wildlife species, including deer and bald eagles.

These bison won't be able to roam at will. If they venture far enough, they'll come to a 7-foot-tall, high-tensile wire fence, buffers and two more fences.

GOCO OKs $8.5 mil for parks

The Great Outdoors Colorado Board has voted to approve $8.5 million for Colorado State Parks fiscal year 2008 investments, according to a statement released today.
The approved investment plan includes funding for:
++ Land and water protection, including resource stewardship projects, GIS mapping and resource inventories, and park stewardship plans.
++ Land and water acquisitions, including buffer properties for parks and water leases to ensure that state parks can meet visitor demand.
++ Park enhancements, such as major facility rehabilitation at Cherry Creek, Trinidad, and Chatfield State Parks. This rehabilitation will include upgrading campgrounds and trails, building new picnic shelters, and improving existing day-use amenities.
++ Fire mitigation funding for work at Staunton, Golden Gate Canyon, Cheyenne Mountain, Mueller, and State Forest State Parks.
++ State Trails Program funding, to construct and rehabilitate trails statewide.

Colorado's 41 State Parks attract more than 11 million visitors a year. Recognize the photo above? Comment below.

Ski areas busy as ever

Colorado Ski Country USA announced today its 26 member resorts are seeing about the same number of skiers as last year, but are aiming to beef up end-of-season visits.

In total, Colorado ski resorts have hosted 8,487,943 skiers and snowboarders, an increase of 119,271 visits, over the same timeframe in 2005-06 (Oct. 13-Feb. 28).

Last year set a record: 12.5 million skiers and snowboarders. Who knows what we'll hit if the snow holds.

(A "skier visit" represents a person skiing or snowboarding for any part of one day at a mountain resort.)

Share your 2 cents

The Denver "Listening Session" with Deputy Secretary of the Interior Lynn Scarlett - mentioned in a Tuesday posting about $3 billion promised to the National Park Service - will be 5-7 p.m. March 21 at the Sheraton Denver West Hotel, 360 Union Blvd., in Lakewood.

"These sessions are a great opportunity to think big and act boldly to develop a plan to prepare national parks for the future," National Park Service Director Mary Bomar stated in a press release. From the session discussions, the Interior Department and the National Park Service will identify signature projects and programs, set specific performance goals and report to the President by May 31.

The public also may comment on the National Park Centennial Challenge online.

Celebs rescued in Aspen

Don't know how we missed this, but...

Apparently the Aspen Ski Patrol had to come to the rescue of actors Rob Morrow, Chad Lowe and Fisher Stevens when they got lost in snow and fog and ended up out of bounds. ''We're all good skiers,'' said Morrow, star of ''Numb3rs,'' but he admitted they didn't know the mountain. ''We were going every which way.''

They ended up with another group of lost skiers, who had called for help on their cell phone. All were in an area closed to skiing. The patrollers decided to lead the pack to the bottom of the mountain, a three-hour trip through heavy snow, streams, and thick forest.

''It ended up being great because it was a good adventure,'' said Morrow, who previously starred in ''Northern Exposure.'' The patrollers had plenty of food and once the group felt safe they enjoyed the experience.

The AP didn't report whether the wealthy skiers offered to pay costs of the rescue.

what's 1 toe when you have 9 more?

... perhaps not much, say two women adventurers - UNLESS IT'S YOUR BIG TOE

from the AP:

Arctic adventurer Ann Bancroft said her polar trek partner, Liv Arnesen, might have been willing to sacrifice a baby toe so the pair could continue their journey across the Arctic Ocean - ''but the big toe is pretty crucial to an adventurer's lifestyle,'' Bancroft said. Over the weekend, the women called off their 530-mile trip, which they'd initiated to bring attention to global warming, upon discovering that frostbite had attacked Arnesen's left foot.

Just as Bancroft, of Scandia, Minn., and Arnesen, of Norway, were ready to set out last week from Canada, a plane landing nearby crashed into their gear, damaging the binding on one of Arnesen's snowshoes. They tried to patch it with binding from a ski, but from the start Arnesen felt pressure on her left foot.

''Friday morning is when Liv took off her sock, and it gave the two of us a shock,'' Bancroft said. Several of the toes had already started to turn black, Bancroft said. ''She said maybe if this was just my baby toe I wouldn't be so uptight about it,'' Bancroft said.

The pair waited until Saturday morning, but another check showed the problem getting worse. In the few days they spent on the ice, the women encountered harshly cold conditions that exceeded 100 degrees below zero at night.

On the Net: www.bancroftarnesen.com

cross-country skiers killed in avalanche

The Denver Post is reporting:
Three cross-country skiers were caught in an avalanche that killed two of them this afternoon in the White River National Forest, five miles southeast of Aspen, Pitken County Sheriff's officials said.

Authorities had no information about the victims and as of this evening the bodies of the two men killed were still being transported by snowmobile from the forest, sheriff's patrol director Jeff Lumsden said.

The county's emergency dispatch center received a call from a mobile phone about the slide about 3 p.m., from the lone survivor, who reported he and two other men were on the northwest face of Mount Shimer, Lumsden said. The caller said one of his companions had been buried about 4 feet, that he had dug him out and that he was conscious and breathing, Lumsden said. The man's other companion was buried under 8 feet of snow and appeared to have been killed immediately, the man reported.

A medical helicopter from Summit County flew a snow safety expert and a medic to the area, but upon their arrival the reporting victim was the only survivor, Lumsden said. The bodies of the men were being flown to awaiting rescuers, who were going to transport them out of the forest by snowmobile tonight, Lumsden said. Shimer's peak, at 12,339 feet, also is known by locals as "Sunshine Peak" because it's the last mountain to capture the light at sundown.

Mackey wins!

Lance Mackey raced into Nome early this evening, winning his first Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.

"This is a damn dream that I've been living, you know, dreaming about since I was a little, little boy when my Dad won this race,'' Mackey, 36, told the AP. Mackey crossed under the burled arch in downtown Nome, completing the Iditarod in 9 days, 5 hours, 8 minutes.

Later, the down-to-earth musher - who also became the first racer to win the Yukon Quest race in the same season - planned a little whiskey for his own rest and relaxation and to celebrate the feat with his family, including father, Dick, and brother, Rick, both past Iditarod champions.

Paul Gebhardt, who was third last year, finished second, racing into Nome a few hours behind Mackey.

''You got to admit, he's like the Dale Earnhardt of dog racing," he said of Mackey.

About a thousand fans braved subzero temperature to cheer Mackey to the finish. He lived the moment, slapping high-fives with fans as his dogs led him down the last block, sometimes jumping off the sled and running with them until his family mobbed him at the end.

''Dreams do come true, Mama, they do,'' Mackey said, fighting back tears. ''This is my passion,'' he said, adding he was proud to follow in his father's footsteps and joked about being thankful his father was a musher and not a lawyer.

''It's our lifestyle, it's something we breathe, eat and sleep,'' he said of the Mackey family's love of mushing. ''This is what we do.

Bill Pinkham of Glenwood Springs was running 32nd of out 60 teams still in the race. He had checked in at Shaktoolik today.

Local races fill up

Not everyone is happy, but the 1,000 spots in Wave 2 of the Pikes Peak Ascent filled in less than 10 minutes this morning. See comments on last night's post reminding people to register - and decide whether things went smoothly or not. Apparently folks who previously entered and seemingly were registered got cut out of the second sign-up.

Registration for the 815 spots in the Pikes Peak Marathon filled in about 15 minutes.

Anyone have a better idea for how to handle registration?

Parks service to get $3 billion

From the AP:

Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne came to the country’s most-visited national park — the Great Smoky Mountains — today to promote a Bush administration plan to give the national park system a $3 billion gift for its 100th birthday in 2016.

“The president has been very clear that he would like to use these 10 years as the time of preparation” for special projects tied to the centennial, Kempthorne said. The goal is to have “actual projects on the ground, new programs that have been implemented that are in place” by 2016, the former Idaho governor said.

Officials plan 17 public listening sessions through the end of the month to talk about how to use the money. A Denver listening session is scheduled March 21.

The administration proposes a $258 million increase in national parks’ funding in fiscal 2008 to $2.4 billion. Beyond that, the plan offers an additional $100 million for operations, including restoring some 3,000 seasonal park rangers, and $100 million in new federal money to match $100 million in new private giving for special centennial projects each year through 2016.

Public listening sessions (give your friends and family a heads-up):
March 13 — Gatlinburg, Tenn.
March 14 — Anchorage, Alaska
March 15 — St. Louis and Boston
March 20 — San Antonio, Texas; New York City and Seattle
March 21 — Denver and San Juan, Puerto Rico
March 22 — San Francisco and Miami
March 26 — Cleveland
March 27 — Albuquerque, N.M., Atlanta, Ga., and Kailua-Kona,Hawaii
March 28 — Washington, D.C.
March 29 — Los Angeles

Skier dies at Breck

From the AP: An 18-year-old man from North Carolina died Tuesday after hitting a tree at Breck. Resort officials said he was not wearing a helmet. Summit County Coroner Joanne Richardson said he died of massive internal injuries.

Witnesses reported the teen was skiing very fast before hitting the tree, Richardson said. The ski patrol was alerted to the accident at 10:10 a.m., and the teen was taken to Breckenridge Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead, resort officials said. The teen was at the resort for a church school senior trip. The group arrived in town Monday, and today was the teens' first day on the slopes.

Mackey on trail to Nome

Defending champion and four-time winner Jeff King said a fifth win in the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race is not in the cards unless musher Lance Mackey slows down. Mackey's team is the only one that has left White Mountain on the 80-mile trek to Nome - and the finish line.

“He’s going to be tough to beat,” King said, after arriving Monday in Koyuk, an Eskimo village of 350 people on Alaska’s western coastline. Mackey arrived at White Mountain at 1:38 this morning. Paul Gebhardt arrived a few hours later.

Mackey, 36, is trying to become the first musher to win both the 1,000-mile Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race and the 1,100 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in the same year.

Don't forget to sign up

Check you've moved the time ahead and then set your alarms to sign up for the Pikes Peak Marathon and/or Ascent, Aug. 18 & 19. If you tried to register March 1 and you're not on this list, you have to re-register Tuesday.

General registration for the:
Ascent - Wave 2: 6 a.m.
Marathon: 6:30 a.m.
Ascent - Wave 1: 7 a.m.

To register, go to www.pikespeakmarathon.org

Colorado Rocky Mountain Hiiiiiiigh

It's official:

“Rocky Mountain High,” the late John Denver’s love letter to his adopted state, became Colorado’s second official song today.

(To watch an audio slideshow of local singing Colorado's state songs, click here.)

Lawmakers passed a resolution that puts Denver’s 1972 anthem alongside the lesser-known “Where the Columbines Grow”, which was adopted in 1915.

In the House, where lawmakers listened to a live performance of the song, Rep. Debbie Stafford, R-Aurora, unsuccessfully tried to amend the resolution to make it clear that the song refers to Colorado’s altitude and doesn’t encourage drug use.

Some senators tapped their feet and sang along while others sorted through paperwork on their desk.

Sen. Dave Schultheis, R-Colorado Springs, who voted against the measure, said he didn’t think the state should have two songs. “If we don’t like ’Where the Columbines Grow’ the legislature should remove it and replace it,” said Schultheis, who admitted he didn’t know the words to the original state song.

Denver’s brother, Ron Deutschendorf, told the Aspen Daily News earlier this month that Denver would have been “proud and honored” to have the tune designated a state song. An uncle, Dave Deutschendorf, is a Colorado Springs resident. (Thanks to Denver's family and friends for the photo, from their Web site.)

Coloradan still mushing; one dog dies

An early evening Iditarod update: Lance Mackey is still in the lead, having raced out of Koyuk with 13 dogs running. The race profile says this next leg can be a windy and lonely stretch of trail. The following leg around White Mountain sounds grim for a feature so late in the race.

Glenwood Springs resident Bill Pinkham is in 32nd place, having checked in and out of Kaltag.

Mackey and his team left Koyuk after a three-hour rest. Paul Gebhardt arrived a few minutes later, then headed out again in less than 10 minutes. Martin Buser and Zack Steer also arrived today in Koyuk, 171 miles from the race’s end in Nome.

Also today, Canadian musher Karen Ramstead scratched from the race at the Grayling checkpoint after one of her dogs died. Race officials said she wanted to be with her family to grieve the loss of Snickers, (what a beauty) a 6 ½-year-old female. The dog died Sunday night, about seven hours after Ramstead and her 14 dogs pulled into the Grayling checkpoint. A necropsy will beconducted in an attempt to determine the cause of the dog’s death, officials said.

No fake snow

Following up on a story we posted ages ago: The AP says a federal appeals court today ruled against a plan to use treated wastewater to make snow at the Arizona Snowbowl (north of Flagstaff). One judge said the plan was akin to using wastewater in Christian baptisms.

The court said the act would violate the religious freedom of more than a dozen American Indian tribes. The San Francisco Peaks have spiritual and religious meaning to 13 tribes in the Southwest. The resort's plans also included adding a fifth chair lift and tearing down and grooming about 100 acres of forest to attract more skiers.

For the third time in four years the resort opened late this winter because of a lack of snow. Two years ago, when 460 inches of snow fell on the mountain, the 68-year-old resort stayed open for 139 days and hosted more than 191,000 skiers. Last year, there was so little snow that the lifts ran only 15 days.

Sprint to Nome

When I last checked the official Web site, Lance Mackey was more than a half-hour behind in the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. Now, officials report his team has surged ahead during the final leg. Mackey recently won the 1,000-mileYukon Quest International Sled Dog Race

Mackey left Unalakleet about 30 minutes before defending champion and four-time winner Jeff King and widened the gap on the run to Shaktoolik, where he stayed 5 minutes before setting out across frozen Norton Sound to the town of Koyuk. This leg is often one of the most challenging.

“Why wouldn’t we want to push the pace in the biggest dog race in the world?” said King, when asked about his dogs going 150 miles on the Yukon River into a brutally cold headwind with just five hours rest.

The winner is expected to arrive in Nome on Tuesday or Wednesday.

When it's not your money....

Resident gazette bulldog Pam Zubeck (who's one heck of a reporter) filed this story today on how the city seems to be trying to cover its tracks for trying to buy a trail corridor for 10 times it's assessed value.

What’s this trail land really worth?
By PAM ZUBECK THE GAZETTE
March 10, 2007 - 1:11AM

The city’s first appraisal of Rock Island Trail Corridor land set its value at a fraction of the amount the city has agreed to pay, the city’s former real estate manager said Friday.

Betty Clark-Wine, who has sued the city for wrongful dismissal in connection with her December 2005 termination, said an appraiser set the value of the 28.35 acres at 30 to 35 cents per square foot.

That’s about 15 percent to 17 percent of the $2.47 million the city agreed to pay the Colorado Springs & Eastern Railroad Co., owned by Evelyn Jane Lawrence.

The city had refused to release that appraisal and other documents surrounding the deal, citing a provision in the Colorado Open Records Act that gives the custodian discretion in releasing appraisals until title transfers.

But in a surprise move late Friday, the city released a more recent appraisal that set the price at precisely the amount the city agreed to pay.

Read the rest at www.gazette.com

500 miles to Nome

Four-time champion Martin Buser was awarded with a seven-course gourmet meal and presented with a gold pan filled with $3,500 in $1 bills for being the first musher Friday to reach theYukon River in the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.

“Pretty awesome,” he said.

Buser shared his meal with Iditarod veteran Ken Chase. The two mushers became friends in 1980 during a cold Iditarod run on the Yukon River. Buser was trying to camp out on the river. Chase steered him toward a more comfortable spot.

The finish line in Nome is about 500 miles away.

Defending champion and four-time winner Jeff King was second into the checkpoint. Lance Mackey was third.

Buser said he’s taken some pretty hard hits on the trail this year — one that he thought was going to end his 24th Iditarod. He was on his way to the halfway point at Iditarod when he banged his knee on a tussock. “I thought I had totally broken it. It made such a loud pop,” he said. “It just knocked me off the sled and passed me out.”

When Buser came to, he pulled himself back on his sled and continued on. “Obviously, I am wimpy. I couldn’t handle the pain and passed out.”

Off on assignment

I'll be out of the newsroom all week in the canyon country of Utah at a spot called Grand Gulch. The easiest way to describe it is a backcountry Mesa Verde: all the ruins, none of the roads. I'll return Friday.

Happy Trails,

Dave

Descent into Raddness

Who knew Pueblo's South Shore bike trails would be so awesome? Not me. I had heard about them, but assumed they'd be only OK until I got the full tour. Here's the short version: beautiful scenery, fast, uncrowded trails built specifically for bikes, and some bone-breaking options for those who need a little adrenaline rush.Read the Gazette story from Out There here.

Post your own review of the trails below.

Don't forget the "do-over"

Next Tuesday (3/13) Pikes Peak Ascent and Marathon emerges sign up emerges from the fiasco of last week that shut down the servers of active.com. Even if you signed up last week, you'll have to sign up again if you're not on this list.

The start times for registration will be as follows:
General registration for the EAS Pikes Peak Ascent - Wave 2: 6:00AM MDT
General registration for the EAS Pikes Peak Marathon: 6:30AM MDT
General registration for the EAS Pikes Peak Ascent - Wave 1: 7:00AM MDT
All remaining (TCR Series, 1/2 price, comps etc): 7:30AM MDT
Wait lists will already be open so that they can be used as races fill.

To register, go to www.pikespeakmarathon.org

Clovis man they are not

It's theorized that the Americas were originally populated by migrations of humans crossing ice or land bridges on the Bering Strait in Alaska. But not these guys.
The AP is reporting that National Guard officials mounted a rescue effort Thursday for two Korean backpackers stranded on an ice floe in the Bering Strait. The backpackers were trying to walk across the ice pack from Russia and Alaska but somehow became stranded.

Hunters will target elk

From the AP:

Colorado’s top wildlife officer said today he is optimistic that licensed hunters, rather than contractors firing guns with silencers, will be used to thin the elk herd that is overgrazing and damaging habitat in Rocky Mountain National Park.

Park officials want to reduce the herd to about 1,700 from an estimated 3,000. The Colorado Wildlife Commission thinks licensed hunters should cull the herd because it will cost less and the elk will be used. The park’s proposal would cost about $18 million over 20 years.

Park officials are expected to release their final management plan in May or June, when the public would have another chance to weigh in. Advocates of restoring wolves to Colorado say the problem could be solved by releasing wolves in the park.

What do you say? Contractors firing at night with silencers? Hunters? Wolves?

Mackey still in lead

There's still a ways to go, but Lance Mackey is still in 1st place (with 15 dogs) in the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. He has reached Iditarod. The race Web site says the next section, to Shageluk, is desolate and though not tough can take its toll. It says musher sometimes caravan to ward off the "lonely and sometimes spooky feeling" of this stretch of trail. Five other teams also have reached Iditarod.

Glenwood Springs resident Bill Pinkham is in 33rd place and still has 15 dogs in.

Cabela's writer, Jon Little, says to look for a bonafide leader to emerge in this section of the race.

How to get ahead in the Elk Mountain Grand Traverse

I'm doing the Elk Mountain Grand Traverse for the second time this year. It's a 40-mile backcountry ski race from Crested Butte to Aspen that starts Midnight, March 30.

I want to share a few tips I've learned.

First: Leave the telemark skis and boots at home. Yes, there are some big downhills but the vast majority of the route is rolling and the extra weight of tele gear really adds up. Find a metal-edged backcountry touring ski and light comfortable boot.

Second: Practice with all of your gear. The race requires a backpack full of safety gear. It pays off to bring it all on training skis. Your shoulders get used to the load, and you get used to finding what you need in your bag.

Third: Eat simple, no-freezable food. Last year my teammate and I packed cookies, sandwiches, energy bars, candy and energy gel. We found the energy gel was the most palatable for our exhausted bodies. This year, that's all we're taking (plus canned coffee.)

Most important: Use half skins. Last year I kept my skins (above) on my skis almost the whole time. It was too much of a pain to take them of and on. But we lost a lot of glide because of it. This year, we've stolen an idea from other veterans. Buy a fat pair of skins and cut them in half long-ways. When they're on your ski, they'll only cover one half of the base (make sure it's the half on the outside of your foot, under the pinkie toe.) When you need to climb, put weight on the outside of the ski edge. When you need to glide, shift weight to the inside. We tried it for the first time last weekend and were amazed at the added efficiency. I'll post pictures our ours soon.

Cool running

The lead position has changed a few times in the past 24 hours, but musher Lance Mackey is back on top in the Iditarod. He broke a sled runner Tuesday and limped along for miles on a rigged wooden cross-country ski. He was hoping to borrow a sled before heading out. I suspect since he's in 1st place that he's not running on broken equipment. He's only down 1 dog at the moment, too.

Mackey was out of Ophir, about 680 miles from Nome.

Bill Pinkham of Glenwood Springs, has moved up to 25th place from 41st of this time Tuesday. The latest info shows he has 15 dogs, too.

Go to the site and check out the interactive map. There's quite a climb ahead for the teams.

Toughest runs

The Gear Junkie (Stephen Regenold) ranks the continent's toughest ski runs on his Web site.

He says Two Smokes at Silverton ranks No. 2 in North America.

No. 6 is Avalanche Bowl to Zoom at Loveland. Telluride's Mak-M-Stairs Plunge is No. 10.

Here's his list. What do you think? Accurate? Nearly so? Full o' beans?

1. Alta Zero, Jackson Hole
2. Two Smokes, Silverton
3. Climax, Whistler Blackcomb
4. Keyhole, Alpine Meadows, Calif.
5. Corbet’s Couloir, Jackson Hole
6. Avalanche Bowl to Zoom, Loveland
7. Goat, Stowe Mountain, Vt.
8. The Palisades, Squaw Valley, Calif.
9. Outer Limits, Killington, Vt.
10. Mak-M-Stairs-Plunge, Telluride

Colorado State Song, continued

I think we need to broaden our debate about the Colorado state song beyond "Rocky Mountain High." There are a lot of other 70s songs that talk about Colorado.

Bob Seger - Get Out of Denver

Reo Speedwagon - Riding the Storm Out

Joe Walsh - "Rocky Mountain Way"

Ozark Mountain Daredevils - "Colorado Song"

Stephen Stills - "Colorado"

Are there more? Vote for your favorite!

They have a point, we don't have Trader Joe's

The Web page forum is one of those weird, unanticipated mutations on modern technology: sit posting treatises on random topics and retorts to people you've never met. Get all fired up for nothing. It's like holding a McGaughlin Group of the inconsequential while wearing pajamas.

Today's topic on www.14ers.com: Reasons to live in New Mexico, spearheaded by Albuquerueans with chips on their shoulders:

#1 few people on trails

#2: incredibly varied and beautiful landscapes

#3: incredible sunsets, good weather

#4: most people don't even know it exists

#5: awesome food

#6: reasonable cost of living

#7: no vehicle inspections (my truck doesn't even have a working speedometer anymore, but who cares)

And then another guy from Colorado chimes is

#8 It's right next to Colorado.

But two can play that game. A Santa fe guys replies:

#9 Trader Joe's, which Colorado doesn't have.

Touche...

Vitriolic, repetitive debate ensues. Read here.

Local musher is out

According to the official site of the Iditarod, our local musher, Lachlan Clarke of Buena Vista (left), scratched just before noon today at Rainy Pass Checkpoint. Race officials say he tore a ligament in his ankle.

What a blow! It's such a mundane thing to happen, but that's all it takes. We'll check in with him down the line to see how he is. It appears his dogs are fine, as are the dogs of other veteran mushers who dropped out of the race today and Monday.

Looks like Butch Austin of Fruita scratched this morning at the Finger Lake Checkpoint, citing injuries that occurred before the race began. Officials say Austin didn't think it was safe to continue.

Bill Pinkham, a veteran musher from Glenwood Springs, is in 41st place, and has made it to the Rainy Pass Checkpoint.

Iditarod vets bow out

Lachlan Clarke, the musher from Buena Vista, was in 63rd place after checking in at Rainy Pass.

From the AP in Alaska:

Musher DeeDee Jonrowe, 53, dropped out of her 25th Iditarod Monday at the Rainy Pass checkpoint after a series of nasty falls on the trail (she broke a finger and may have suffered other damage to a hand). She placed 4th last year.

Jonrowe was the second of the Iditarod’s best and most experienced veterans to scratch from the 1,100-mile race from Anchorage to Nome. Four-time champion Doug Swingley, 53, of Lincoln, Mont., withdrew Monday after being injured in a spill on a slick and icy hill a few miles before Rainy Pass, just two days into the race. Race officials said he may have broken ribs. Swingley said he didn’t think he could properly care for his dogs. He scratched from the 2004 race after frostbiting his corneas when he took off his goggles when the wind chill factor was 90 below zero.

Rick Swenson, the Iditarod’s only five-time champion (competing for the 31st time), said he was doing "poorly" this year.

Teams at the front of the pack today are making the 80-mile run from Rohn to the village of Nikolai on the Kuskokwim River.

"Rocky Mountain High" as state song?

Yes, some people want to make the bare foot John Denver classic an official state song.

According to the AP A lawmaker wants to make John Denver's "Rocky Mountain High" Colorado's second state song, saying the current official song just isn't as memorable.
"You hear a few bars of John Denver and you recognize it," Democratic state Sen. Bob Hagedorn told the Aspen Daily News in today's editions.
The current state song is a turn-of-the-century waltz,"Where the Columbines Grow," by A.J. Flynn. "That's not a song that a lot of Coloradans know or can hum the lyrics to," said Hagedorn, who represents the Denver suburb of Aurora.

No bill has been introduced yet, but I can already sense dissidence among certain types of lawmakers. Look, I like "Rocky Mountain High." It's fun to sing and easy to play on a guitar around the camp fire. But have you looked at the lyrics to this song? Here's the damning stanza:

Now his life is full of wonder

but his heart still knows some fear

Of a simple thing he cannot comprehend

Why they try to tear the mountains down

to bring in a couple more

More people, more scars upon the land

This is a nod to smart growth, limiting development, and valuing natural heritage above property rights. Not something the state house will likely vote for.

So are you in the Ascent, or aren't you?

If you tried to sign up for the Pikes Peak Ascent, and aren't sure whether you got in, a list hast just been posted here.

If you're not on the list, the "do-over" sign-up is Tuesday, March 13, 2007.
The start times for registration will be as follows:
General registration for the Ascent - Wave 2: 6:00AM

General registration for the EAS Pikes Peak Marathon: 6:30AM General registration for the Pikes Peak Ascent - Wave 1: 7:00AM
For more info, click here.

Look for a follow-up story on the front page of Tuesday's Gazette.

Glimpse of spring

With temps nearing 60 you may feel drawn to local trails. Please send updates of conditions. I'm curious about Palmer Park. After weeks of staying off the Intemann Trail for weeks, imagining it was icy and muddy, we walked up Sunday afternoon for a look-see. We strolled the section between Pawnee and Ruxton avenues. (The IT runs along the hills on the south side of Manitou Springs.)

Most of the trail was dry, though there is snow in parts. Less ice than I imagined. The photo shows the worst part of the trail. A short stretch of nearly dry mud. Should get better as the week progresses. We didn't go up Red Mountain, which looked muddy, nor head east from Pawnee - lots of area in shade, so we suspected mud.

Anyone been on Waldo? Share your updates.

Two avalanche deaths defy logic.

One man caught in an avalanche recently was buried for 8 hours and lived. Another never had his head go below the snow and died.

A snowmobiler was caught in an avalanche in Montana Friday and was buried under 4 feet of snow. His friends searched for two hours, then went for help. After six hours, his cousin, who had just arrived, probed the snow, hit a body, and unearthed the unconscious but still breathing man.

"I guess I was just allowed to live another day," he said when released from the hospital.

A day later in Colorado, a snowshoer on the flanks of Mount Evans died even though he was never buried. According to the Rocky Mountain News, he and his girlfriend were snowshoeing along County Highway 5 near Echo Lake, which is closed for the winter, when the man fell about 50 yards down a slope, setting off the slide.
The woman, who had been skiing ahead of him, began to search with her dog. The dog soon found the man buried up to his neck in snow. Three other people arrived to help, and one was able to dial 911 and summon the Alpine Rescue Team and Flight for Life.

Soon after the rescue workers arrived, the man's condition deteriorated and he was declared dead at the scene. The cause of death has not been determined.

The slide was one of many set off by people this weekend. Backcountry slide danger is still rated "considerable" in most of the state.

National Forest comment meeting Tuesday

Pike and San Isabel National Forest is carrying on with comment meetings for it's management plan revision. This is the document that will guide decisions for decades.
The last local meeting, held in Black Forest, attracted so many people rangers had to turn about 50 cars away. This time, they've chosen a bigger venue.
Here's the address and time:3/06/07; 5:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.; DoubletreeHotel—World Arena, 1775 E. Cheyenne Mountain Blvd.

For more on the revision process, click here.

Change has come to the Gazette

More in Saturday's business section. May we weather it well.

Copper Mountain/Winter Park owner buys Steamboat

According to the Denver Post and other papers, Intrawest Holdings, which owns Copper Mountain and 9 other ski resorts in North American, and manages Denver-owned Winter Park purchased o Steamboat Ski & Resort for $239.1 million Thursday.
This could be a big win for Colorado Skiers. Next year Interwest may offer a three mountain season pass similar to Vail Resort's pass, which is good at Breckenridge, Vail, Beaver Creek, Arapahoe Basin and Keystone.
Currently, Interwest offers a pass good at Copper and Winter Park. The company's CEO David Barry said "We do believe that the combination of Copper, Winter Park and Steamboat is a great one," he said.
Especially since Steamboat, sitting way north of the other resorts, often has tons of powder when the central mountains are dry.
Steamboat saw 1.05 million skier visits last winter, making it the sixth-most-visited resort in the state, according to Colorado Ski Country USA.

Mountain races that won't crash your server

If you tried to sign up Thursday, you know: runners signing up for the Pikes Peak Ascent and Marathon (joined by racers from several other events) crashed the server at Active.com. It was only slightly more frustrating than normal for a lot of people who never get in because the race is so popular it fills up the day registration opens.
But there's good news. There are a lot of races in this state that are just as beautiful and grueling as the Pikes Peak Ascent, and cheaper, and won't leave you pounding on your computer in frustration.

Here are some great alternatives:

The Imogene Pass Run
My personal favorite. Run from downtown Ouray to downtown Telluride over an alpine pass. www.imogenerun.com

The Mount Evans Ascent
Like the Pikes Peak Ascent, but not as burly (only 4,000 feet of gain) or as hard to get into. Registration is open now. Visit www.racingunderground.com/mtevans/index.html to sign up

The Leadville Trail Marathon
Not ready for the Leadville 100? How 'bout the Leadville 26? They even do a half marathon.
For more info, visit www.leadvilletrail100.com

The Vail Hill Climb
Yet another race where Manitou legend Matt Carpenter holds a record no one has even approached. This uphill grunt goes from Vail Village to Eagle's Nest. To sign up visit www.vailrec.com/adult_runningrace.htm

And for those of you who think you've raced with asses before, how about the Fairplay Burro Days donkey race? Race 20 miles with a donkey fully loaded with prospecting gear. You must provide your own ass. To sign up visit www.burrodays.com

Perfect storm

While you're reading this, the folks who run the Pikes Peak Marathon and Ascent are meeting to try and come out of what turned into a perfect storm on the Internet. They've posted an update on their site to explain what happened with the on-line registrations for the races, and they reassure people they will find a solution. Sit back, relax and wait for their instructions (or just go for a training run).

Ascent & Marathon update

Hurry up and wait, runners. The registration is delayed.

Dave posted this to The Gazette home page earlier:

Colorado Springs roads weren't the only avenues snarled this morning - March 1 is sign up for the region's premier running events, the Pikes Peak Ascent and Marathon.

After thousands of people spent the morning trying to log on and sign up for the races in August, registration closed at approximately 10:30 a.m. when a flood of would-be racers registering online crashed the server at www.active.com. Many would-be runners may have registered multiple times because their payment went through but they did not get confirmation.

Shortly after the servers shut down, organizers of the race posted this message on their web page, www.pikespeakmarathon.org: "Please stop trying (to register), relax and go about your day.We will come up with a solution to this mess. We are sorry - it was not on our end! But we will take responsibility and work with Active.com to fix this." Last year, the Ascent filled up in nine hours.

Gazette sports writer Brian Gomez will take over from Dave and write a follow-up story for Friday's Gazette. If you don't get registered, make sure you set aside the weekend to cheer the runners on! For a refresher look, check out last year's slideshow by Christian Murdock (scroll down to Pikes Peak Marathon).

Clothing optional

Mount Everest has become the place to show support for a cause, champion disabililties, or in other ways become the "first." Now, a Dutchman named Wim Hof is planning his own first this spring, when he climbs the world's highest peak dressed only in shorts. Yes, shorts (along with Everest boots, a hat, gloves and a backpack). Hof has made a name for himself for his cold-weather antics - in January, he ran a half marathon above the polar circle in Finland, barefoot and wearing only shorts. The Everest climb will be led by another Dutchman, Werner de Jong, who says that even if Hof "only" gets to 7,900 meters (25,918 feet) it will be a success. Read more at http://www.mounteverest.net/news.php?news=15688

(Above, Wim, who says he has trained his body and skin to withstand temperatures that might kill mere mortals)

It's minus 20 degrees in Alaska....that's a good thing

At least it's a good thing for the mushers assembled there for the Iditarod. The race starts Saturday in Anchorage, and takes mushers and their dog sled teams deep into the Alaskan wilderness, over two mountain ranges, frozen rivers and streams, and along the Bering Sea. There are three Colorado mushers in this year's race - Lachlan Clarke of Buena Vista, Bill Pinkham of Glenwood Springs, and Butch Austin of Fruita. Clarke and Pinkham are veterans; Austin is a rookie this year. This year's race looks to be faster than ever, with mushers training their dogs almost year-round. We'll profile Clarke in a story in Sunday's Gazette. And you can follow all three teams at two sites - www.iditarod.com and www.cabelasiditarod.com

Yikes! The Ascent!

I was talking to Dave about 15 minutes ago and he jumped up, yelling, "I've got to sign up for the Ascent!"

I assumed he already had. No! 40 minutes after it opened the man who has been reminding all of us to sign up still hadn't done so himself!

He looks calm, so it appears all is well. How about you? Did you get in?

Update: Looks like there are delays with the site. It says EAS is working on it.