Powder alert!

The highcountry got its first snow of the season Thursday night.
The folks at Breck emailed to remind us opening day at Breckenridge and Keystone is just 77 days away (Friday, Nov. 9). Time to start thinking about pass options.

DEER KILLED AT RAMPART SHOOTING RANGE

The Colorado Division of Wildlife is looking for information about a deer killed at the Rampart Shooting Range. The deer was discovered Thursday, August 23 by Forest Service employees and volunteers from Fort Carson who were doing a clean-up project at the range.

Any information would be helpful. If someone witnessed the crime, or has heard anything about it, they are asked to call Wildlife Officer Trina Romero at (719) 227-5284 or 1-877-265-6648.

Cruising in Style

The Gazette's Out There section looks at the growth of cruiser bike popularity. It's the only sector of the bike industry that is consistantly growing. But cruisers are more than a business statistic. Since their primary appeal is asthetic, I thought it would be cool to showcase some of the best, old and new.

1936 Schwinn Aerocycle

1946 Schwinn Autocycle

2007 Phat Cyles Super Stretch

1940 Elgin Four Star Sport

1936 Elgin Bluebird

2007 Schwinn Cruiser Deluxe

2007 Nirve Chopper

Bears: Go wild

Seen any bears lately? Wildlife officers say this will be a tough fall for them, as they struggle to bulk up for hibernation, chowing down 20,000 to 25,000 calories a day. They're looking for those yummy berries we were talking about last week.

Officers have killed at least six bears around Aspen that had become too attached to people's garbage cans and kitchen fridges.

First offenders are captured and taken into the wilds for release. Officers even give them a shot of "aversive conditioning" - blasts of rubber pellets to the butt. That's still not enough for most of the bears. They're just too hungry and locked in survival mode.

The Denver Post has a story today -- www.denverpost.com/ci_6703409 -- about the struggle for the bears to keep up with their eating and the struggle of officers to keep up with bear removal.

Ludacris at Vail

Tickets -- $40 -- go on sale FRIDAY at 8 a.m. Click here.

Ludacris and The Roots will play in Vail Dec. 8, headlining Vail Snow Daze, which is Dec. 3-9.

The week will be filled with on-snow action, demos, parties, lots of music and, we're told, more.

The Ludacris and The Roots concert will take place late in the afternoon Dec. 8, following Vail Snow Daze’s Dummy Gelunde World Championships event at Golden Peak. Tickets are $40 until Nov. 30. Then they bump up to $50.

(Photo from kids.yahoo.com)

Where the deer and the antelope play...

(National Park Service photo)

Remember that great story Dave did about the cat and deer friendship? If not, check it out.

Anyway, apparently there's a similar kind of friendship in Greeley: a young antelope (I guess, a pronghorn) that is pals with a dog.

The AP reports a "friendly young antelope" has been seen "cavorting with a dog" along a walking path.

The 3-month-old, 15-pound buck was spotted Wednesday, running and playing with a neighborhood dog named Skeeter along the Poudre River trail, a path that runs through Greeley and the nearby town of Windsor.

“It’s just the craziest thing I’ve ever seen,” said Ronda Underwood. “We were just riding along the trail and saw this antelope playing with a dog.”

She said the antelope came up to her, nuzzled its head and neck along her leg and seemed almost to beg to be petted. Larry Rogstad, a district officer for the state Division of Wildlife, was summoned for fear that the antelope would be attacked by the numerous coyotes in the area. The animal, dubbed “Poudre” by passers-by, was taken to a wildlife refuge where handlers will try to get it ready to return to its natural habitat.

Plan Red Rock's future

A meeting aimed at developing the Red Rock Canyon Interpretive Master Plan begins at 6:30 tonight in the upstairs courtroom in Pioneers Museum, 215 S. Tejon St. The meeting will focus on the canyon's flora and fauna.

There are many ways to get involved with what's going on at Red Rock Canyon Open Space. Another way is to get involved with the Friends group and its activities.

If you're a regular, go to the Friends' Web site and fill out the Interpretive Master Plan Questionnaire. Let people who are making decisions and allocating dollars know what you think of the signage, whether you'd buy a history book of the area, what you'd like to know about local geology and more.

Don't just visit the park, be a part of what happens next.

Orphaned crane finds a home

We told you about this bird a while back. And now the Division of Wildlife reports:

A greater sandhill crane that had been raised by a ranch employee in western Colorado is finally moving to a permanent home.

The crane, affectionately named "Baby" by caretakers (no, that's no Baby in the photo, just an anonymous crane), is being given to Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo by the DOW. The crane was a chick when it was found by a ranch hand in 2005 near Nucla. It is rare for sandhill cranes to nest and hatch young in Colorado.

Believing that the young bird had been abandoned and couldn’t survive on its own, the rancher took the bird home, fed it cat food and treated it like a pet. When the ranch hand became ill with cancer late in 2006 he asked some friends to care for the bird.

Late last winter they took it to the area near Nucla where large flocks of sandhill cranes gather during their migration north for the summer. When they released the bird it wanted no part of its free-roaming cousins.

The bird was taken to the Schneegas Wildlife Foundation near Silt, a wildlife rehabilitation center. The professional trainers there saw quickly that the bird couldn’t be retrained; so they called the DOW, which placed the bird in its wildlife rehabilitation facility near Del Norte and began searching for a permanent home.

Baby will live in the Omaha Zoo's Crane Meadows with about 75 other cranes. Most of the cranes are unable to fly because of injuries.

Crane Meadows is part of the zoo's 400-acre Lee G. Simmons Conservation Park and Wildlife Safari, a drive-through preserve 25 miles west of Omaha.

Baby's hand-over is scheduled Monday.

To prevent other such dramas, the DOW reminds us all not to touch or pick up wildlife.

Google Earth releases Google Sky

From the New York Times:

After turning millions of Internet users into virtual explorers of the world with Google Earth, the Internet search giant is now hoping to turn many of them into virtual stargazers.

Today Google unveiled a service called Sky that allows users to view the skies as seen from Earth. Like Google Earth, Sky lets users fly around and zoom in, exposing increasingly detailed imagery of some 100 million stars and 200 million galaxies.

The Sky imagery was stitched together from more than 1 million photographs from scientific and academic sources. Google said that it developed the project strictly because some of its engineers were interested in it, and that it had no plans to make money from it for now.

Sky already has layers showing various constellations, a users guide to galaxies, the position of planets two months into the future and animations of lunar positions To get Sky, you have to download the latest version of GoogleEarth.

REI introduces green label

REI , America’s largest consumer cooperative and outdoor gear seller has added a label to help shoppers find of Eco-Sensitive materials. Garments made from the bamboo, organic cotton, hemp, post-industrial recycled polyester, recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic, polylactic acid (PLA), or organic wool will wear a little hang tag, such as you see pictured above. On its Web site is a link which rounds up all the apparel. The tags themselves are post-consumer recycled content, which is a good move, because by REI’s own estimates its own brand packaging used about 370 tons of paper last year.

It's part of a growing trend in green outdoor gear, in which companies are trying to eliminated useless packaging and develop sustainable raw materials. REI is working with 40 other stakeholders from the Outdoor Industry Association's (OIA) Eco-Working Group to develop standards to measure, report and ultimately improve on the environmental impact of outdoor gear and clothing.

Trailhead burglars nabbed

The Gazette reported today that a ring of ID thieves who specialized in breaking into cars at trailheads has been caught.

Joshua Dickerson, 27, was arrested on an outstanding warrant and was being held at the El Paso County Criminal Justice. More arrests are expected, police said. Police said the thieves specialized in car burglaries, breaking into vehicles parked at trailheads in Colorado Springs and in motel parking lots in the south metro Denver area, Colorado Springs and Pueblo.

What a bunch of scum. I've seen way too many cars with broken windows at trailheads. And I'm not alone.

Busy day on the peaks

File these under "Be careful out there":

+++ Two hikers from Michigan were rescued from the 14,005-foot Mount of the Holy Cross after they became stranded on a ridge below the summit Monday. They were escorted to a Colorado Air National Guard helicopter and flown to Minturn.

Jeff Snapper, 28, and his stepbrother Adam Van Essen, 23, called 911 on a cell phone to report they were stranded on a ridge and couldn’t go up or down safely. They said they started hiking early but at some point lost the trail.

+++ A hiker rescued from Longs Peak on Monday after she was injured in a 200-foot fall was identified today as Sheila Townsend of Chaska, Minn.

Townsend, 48, tumbled from the False Keyhole down to the Ledges area and lost consciousness Sunday, then spent a cold and windy night on the mountain at about 13,000 feet. Other hikers found her Monday after hearing her calls for help.

She was carried on a litter to a waiting helicopter and flown to a hospital. She suffered multiple injuries, including head injuries.

Heading to the hills

Anyone in grades 6-9 can sign up for a program beginning this week that'll get you into the wilds. It's Saturdays for a month.

You'll learn about "Leave No Trace," be challenged by a ropes course, fly fish on the Platte, mountain bike at Red Rock Canyon, and rock climb.

Orientation is Thursday from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Cost is $102 and includes transportation to field sties. Call 385-5996 or e-mail jderington@springsgov.com.

A new record! For me, anyway

The 2007 Pikes Peak Ascent and Marathon are now history. Matt Carpenter won both for the Men. Maria Portilla from New Mexico won the Ascent, and Salynda E Fleury from Gunnison won the marathon for the women.

I was way back in the field, but did post a best ever time of 2:45:41! Which warranted hoisting a chi-weenie over my head!

Great Ascent / Marathon photos

Check these two slide shows from the weekend's Pikes Peak Ascent. I'll see if Gaz photogs can give us a look at the marathon, too..

This one is from the aid station at the cirque, by Christian Murdock:

http://www2.gazette.com/interactives/ascentaid/

This one is a collection of images from start to finish, by Mike Terry:

http://www2.gazette.com/interactives/ascent2007/

To see other photos of various topics, check out our photographer's blog (they answer questions, too, if you want advice about how to get an action shot or take a photo at night, say).

http://gazettephoto.blogspot.com/

Rescue off the peak

An Ascent runner manages a smile (thanks for the photo, Christian!)

OT reporter Dave Philipps looked strong this morning as he hit Barr Trail after about 1.5 miles on the pavement at the start of the Pikes Peak Ascent. I haven't called to see how he did - and didn't see him in town afterward. (That's a photo of him below, closing in on the summit - by Gaz photog Christian Murdock.)

But there's a lot of chatter in the last 40 minutes about rescues on the mountain. Bad weather has hit and apparently there are still entrants on the course. I'm sure rescue teams, the aid station workers and Neal and Teresa at Barr are ready to help.

I have to say, it looked like there were a lot of people entered this year who I believe should probably join a charity hike of Pikes Peak instead of enter the Ascent. They were planning to hike it, no running or jogging involved. It's a challenge, either way, but when you're still on the trail more than 8 hours later... And when there were people who wanted to run it and couldn't get a bib...

Just sayin'.

Still room to camp

(Illustration by Nichole Montanez, The Gazette)

Parks officials dropped a line to say there are still camping spots open throughout the state for Labor Day weekend fun.

Sure, some site may be full-up, but today there are still spots at Arkansas Headwaters, Bonny Lake, Crawford, Eleven Mile, Jackson Lake, James M. Robb-Colorado River, John Martin Reservoir, Lathrop, Mancos, North Sterling, Paonia, Lake Pueblo, Ridgway, Rifle Gap, San Luis, Stagecoach, State Forest, Vega and Yampa River.

Reservations can be made online or by calling 1-303-470-1144 or 1-800-678-CAMP.

Special events include:

Golden Gate Canyon State Park: 9:30 a.m. Sept. 1. Discover Green Ranch, a beautiful area of the park usually closed to the public. This guided hike will include encounters with flora, fauna, historical sites, and amazing vistas that will rejuvenate and inspire.

Eleven Mile State Park: 6 p.m. Sept. 1. Join the volunteers of the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo Auxiliary for a fun look at the relationships that exist between the predator and prey species of Colorado. Adaptations will also be discussed and there will be plenty of hands-on demonstrations for kids.

John Martin Reservoir State Park: 6 p.m. Sept. 1. Learn about the Sand Creek Battle Site with Chuck and Sheri Bowen. The Bowens promise artifacts from the battle site and their expert knowledge of the historic area. Plan to settle in at the West Picnic Shelter for a thrilling evening of yesteryear.

Head to the hills

Somehow we missed the listing for events at Mueller State Park through this week in today's Out There section. Mueller's off Highway 67 between Divide and Cripple Creek. A day pass is $5 a car. These are free events. Check the Web site or call 687-2366.

These are all easy to moderate hikes, but remember to wear appropriate shoes and take water, a snack, insect repellent and sunscreen.

TODAY at 2 -- Red-Tail Overlook Hike. 2.8 miles. Meet at the Outlook Ridge Trailhead.

TONIGHT at 7 -- A talk, "Mountain Lions & Bears, Oh My!", at the amphitheater. Also, touch a black bear pelt; see a mountain lion skull, and more.

SATURDAY at 10 a.m.-2 or 3 p.m.. -- Fishing at Brook and Rock Pond. Meet at the Rock Pond Trailhead. Take your own fishing gear, fishing license, and barbless hooks for catch and release. Children 15 and younger fish free.

SATURDAY from 1 to 3 p.m. -- Skins and Skulls at the Visitor Center. Examine specimens and talk to a naturalist.

SATURDAY at 2 p.m. -- Stoner Mill Hike. 2 miles. Meet at the School Pond Trailhead.

SATURDAY at 7:30 p.m. -- See slides and learn about hummingbirds in the amphitheater.

SUNDAY at 9 a.m. -- Grouse Mountain Overlook. Short hike. Meet at Grouse Mountain Trailhead.

SUNDAY from 1 to 3 p.m. -- Skins and Skulls at the Visitor Center. Examine specimens and talk to a naturalist.

SUNDAY at 2 p.m. -- Black Bear and Mountain Logger Hike. About 2 hours. Meet at Black Bear Trailhead.

SUNDAY at 7 p.m. -- Learn about "Elk & Mule Deer" at the amphitheater.

The virtual race

For fans of the Pikes Peak Marathon and Ascent, here's who will win if everyone runs the time they predicted for themselves when they entered: (time first, then name, then home town)

2:00:00 Colling, David Russell Sand UT

2:00:00 Kercher, Kristina Marie Wauke IA

2:00:00 Ohmes, Kimberly Olathe KS

2:00:00 Riley, Heather Denver

2:05:00 Call, Hobie S Laverki UT

2:05:00 Gutierrez, Simon B Alamosa

2:08:00 Carpenter, Matt Manitou Springs

2:10:00 Ilfrey, Campbell McIntyre Boulder

2:14:28 Silvis, Jeffrey Alllen Green Mtn Falls CO

2:15:00 Booth, Christopher Craig

2:15:00 Parker, Daryn Manitou Springs

OK, now for some discussion. The four people who predict they will beat Matt Carpenter's all-time record of 2:01:06, which has stood for 14 years, are deluded. Especially the ladies from Iowa and Kansas. But look at Simon Gutierrez, who holds a few course age group records, and has won the race a few times. He's predicting coming in ahead of Carpenter by three minutes. Should be a great race, especially with cash prizes to push the competitors.

Of course, predictions are worthless. If predictions were right, I would finish the Ascent in 3 hours, in 192nd place. In fact, I hope to finish in under 2 hours, 50 minutes, which will probably put me in the top 25. Let's hope. My plan is to try to hang with the top women, who will finish in about 2:45.

Good luck to all!

Backflip over a pit of gators? No problem

Today in the Gazette's Out There, we feature a profile on Jason Lee (blue shirt), the godfather of mountainboarding. Besides being nice and a cool guy, Lee developed the first mountain board (with his best friend and brother), founded the largest mountain board company (MBS, based in Colorado Springs), and has won the title of national champion 5 times. Read the story here.

As if that wasn't enough, his spirit resides on YouTube in a clip of him doing a 22-foot backflip over a pit of man-eating gators. Watch the clip here.

Weather on Pikes Peak

With the Pikes Peak Ascent and Marathon just days away, we're getting a clearer picture of what the weather will be like for the thousands of people who will be running/walking/swearing up the peak. Up high, we're looking at a 30 percent chance of thunderstorms and a high of 54 degrees. That means it will probably get pretty nasty, if the last few years are any indication. Expect hail and cold, probably lightning, any time after about 11 a.m. I may not happen, but who knows? Dress accordingly.

Here are pics from 10 a.m. Thursday on the summit

Cheyenne Mountain State Park is open!

OK, so they recalled the press release saying the place was open, but I called this morning and both park and visitors center are open 7 days a week from 7:00am - 10:00 pm for hiking and mountain biking. The Visitor Center is open daily from 8:00am - 5:00pm.

Find out more at http://parks.state.co.us/Parks/cheyennemountain

More on hiker struck by lightning

28-year-old Justin Eggleston from Boulder was struck in the head by a bolt of lightning while descending Mount Elbert during an afternoon storm Wednesday. Read the whole story here. It was his first fourteener. He and his girlfriend had summited the mountain sometime after noon, and were running down, still above treeline, amid hail and lightning, when he was struck. He blacked out, but came to, and with help of other hikers, was able to walk down to his car.

Eggleston told the Vail Daily his ordeal won’t stop him from hiking more peaks in the future. He’ll just work out his timing a bit better. “(I’m) definitely not going to be coming down any mountains at 3 o’clock. I guess the rule of thumb is to come down by noon so I’m going to stick to that,” he said.

Good rule of thumb. But for the inexperienced climber, it's not enough. So here's a better one.

YOU WILL TRAVEL MUCH SLOWER UP A FOURTEENER THAN YOU THINK. ONE MILE PER HOUR IS AN OPTIMISTIC ESTIMATE. PLAN TO BE HEADING DOWN BY 10 A.M. IF YOU WANT TO GUARANTEE A SUMMIT. THAT OFTEN MEANS RISING WELL BEFORE DAWN. EVEN THEN, DANGEROUS STORMS CAN MOVE IN. GO PREPARED TO TURN BACK.

Whoops, they did it again

I forgot to share the latest Cheyenne Mountain State Park delay.
The park, which was purchased in 2000, and was slated to open in 2003, then 2004, then 2005. Well, you get the idea. In 2006, the park held a grand opening with a ribbon cutting and all kinds of top brass. But the park didn't really open then. It stayed on a weekends-only schedule and the visitor's center stayed closed while workers finished putting in roads and other infrastructure.

Anyway... a two weeks ago I got this email from State Parks:

Cheyenne Mountain State Park celebrates Visitor Center opening

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.—Cheyenne Mountain State Park will be hosting a Visitor Center Open House on Sunday, Aug. 12, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Open House will celebrate the opening day of the Visitor Center and gift shop and will be a preemptive kick off to Aug. 13, when Cheyenne Mountain State Park will have new hours and be open on a daily basis.
The open house will include door prizes, giveaways, special discounts, park information, guided hikes, refreshments and free soft drinks for the first 200 visitors provided by Coca Cola and fun activities for the entire family.

I thought to myself: great, finally.

Then, a minute later, I got this message:

Parksnews would like to recall the message, "News Release: Cheyenne Mountain State Park celebrates Visitor Center opening".

I should have known.

It's berry pickin' season

Dave is out and about, but shares this:
The wet weather of August is always the best time to go picking wild raspberries, those perfect little red fruits with a fierce, woodsy flavor that's quite distinct from their plastic package siblings at the store.

(Those aren't wild raspberries, above, they're the ones growing in my backyard. -- Dena.)

Some people have told me over the years that we should leave the berries for the birds and the bears, and I agree. So when I go, I never collect any fruit to take home. I just pick them one at a time and pop them directly into my mouth. That way, I never eat too many, and there are always plenty left over.

Some favorite spots for gathering: near St. Mary's falls, along Ruxton Creek, up on the Pipeline Trail from Barr trail to Artist's Glen. But you can find them anywhere there's good sun and moisture.

Know any other good spots?

Headed to Yellowstone?

Wyoming travel folks just sent this:

The East Entrance to Yellowstone NP has reopened, and all lodging, campgrounds and amenities are open.

The Columbine Fire burning in East Yellowstone is about 53 miles southwest of Cody and 0% contained. It has burned about 7,000 acres, but is said to be no threat to people using the park. Check here for updates if you're headed that way for an end-of-summer fling.

Growing SUV use in the mountains

Out There alum Deb Acord had a story in the Rocky Mountain News today about the growing trend in recreational SUV use on public land.

She notes "A survey conducted by the U.S. Forest Service in 2004 showed nearly 48 million Americans turned their SUVs, ATVs and motorcycles off the pavement onto trails and roads on public lands that year. Nearly 2 million of those drivers headed to trails and backcountry roads in Colorado."

Unfortunately no mention of how Pike National Forest is unable to keep up with the damage from off-road driving. It's serious. In the last 10 years, I"ve noticed considerable degradation of some of our nicest mountain meadows, which have been turned into high-clearance mud wallows.

As an owner of a high clearance Tacoma, I say, have fun on the old mining roads, but leave the meadows alone.

Non-runners, get to work!

If you're not running the Ascent on Saturday - or working it, or cheering on a beloved runner - why not lend a hand on a beloved trail?

Former OT writer Deb Acord sends word that volunteers are needed to work Saturday, Aug. 18, at Aiken Canyon Preserve.

You'll repair water bars, trim overgrown vegetation in the parking area, and remove non-native weeds.

You should take your own work gloves and wear sturdy shoes. Work starts at 8 a.m. and a potluck will follow at noon in the Aiken Canyon Field Station.

To get to Aiken Canyon, take Highway 115 south to Turkey Canyon Ranch Road (watch for Army sign). Turn right, and then right again into the Aiken parking lot.

For more info, e-mail Deb at dacord@tnc.org.

If you plan to go, please let Deb know; I'm sure it'll help with planning for that day.

Paying for 14ers, and paying the ultimate price

A weird story in the Boulder Camera this weekend talked to Colorado State University economist Catherine Keske about how much value a forteener has.
Keske and colleague John Loomis studied the economic impact of closing Mounts Lincoln, Democrat and Bross on the local community in Park County. For comparison, the researchers surveyed climbers on nearby Quandary Peak, which has a similar difficulty.They found that the median amount a climber spends is $221, and $191 of that is spent within 25 miles of the peak, on hotels, food and other services.

I don't know about you, but as a peanut butter and jelly, Pabst in a cooler afterwards climber, that figure sounds a bit high. That would put the cost of climbing all 54 peaks at abut $12,000, which clearly above the norm.

Anyway, here's the weird part. The story says, "The research could be a useful tool for land managers as they plan how to pay for maintaining trails, signs and parking lots on the fourteeners. Now, access fees are charged for only some of the peaks, but as their popularity grows, so does the need for funds to preserve them as some of Colorado's greatest natural resources."
And goes on to suggest it may be time to start charging climbing fees for the fourteeners.
Discuss.

... Now, for the ultimate price

27-year-old Peter Jessup from Glenwood Springs apparently fell to his death on the southwest face of South Maroon Peak Friday. Other climbers called 911 to report they had spotted what appeared to be a woman lying in a scree field about 500 feet below the peak of South Maroon. Jessup was the immigrant community advocate for Catholic Charities, a faith-based, nonprofit agency that works in the Colorado River corridor and the Roaring Fork Valley to give assistance to transients and the poor. To read more, click here.

Another climber in trouble

The AP reports rescuers are trying to reach a climber on South Maroon Peak.

The Gunnison County Sheriff’s Department said it got a 911 call just after 8:30 a.m. about someone in trouble on the southwest face of the peak.

South Maroon is 14,156 feet high and the state’s 25th-highest peak. Hope the climber is OK.

BTW, anyone have word on that teen who was said to need help last night by the AFA? I haven't seen/heard a word about him today.

Lance Armstrong drops the bomb

Last night when Lance Armstrong spoke at a Broadmoor fundraiser for Bikes for Kids he made a shocking admission.
No, not that he doped like practically everyong else.
And no, not that his long-time team, Discovery Channel, disbanded today.
But that he went to Palmer High!
(Gasp)
It's apparently true. When he was part of the OTC's young athletes program.
According to Steve Cram, a journalist for The Guardian:

It is claimed Lance Armstrong spent a difficult year of his academic career at this establishment, although they will also tell you that he has always been reticent about his attendance there and the school are encouraged not to overplay his patronage.

Last night Armstrong said he is not the most well know graduate. That belongs to Elvira.
So... he didn't dope but he skip.
Does anyone in town remember going to school with Lance anytime between 1983 and 1987?
Or perhaps remember his empty seat in class?

To the bat cave!

Well, OK, it isn't exactly a cave. In the Gazette's Out There section today we have a story about the 250,000 bats that live in t he Orient Mine, in the San Luis Valley. Seeing them all fly out of the mine is one of the coolest sights I've ever seen. It's easy to go see them, find out how by visiting the Website of the Orient Land Trust.
You can also see the outflight on-line. The Division of Wildlife has a pretty good video. Click here, then scroll down to "Wildlife Videos" and click "All about Bats."

You can learn much, much more about the facinating free-tailed bats that live in the mine from Bat Conservation International.

Be on the lookout

My wife and I saw the most amazing beetle crossing the upper, upper end of Ruxton Avenue. It was as long as my index finger, slightly darker than the longhorn beetle pictured here, but not quite black. It did have long, clearly segmented antennae like the longhorn, but as far as I know, this is an eastern beetle.
Anyway, it was sitting right in the middle of the road about an hour before dusk. I gently pushed it over to the side with my foot so it wouldn't get run over. It didn't hiss or click.
What is this beetle? I have no idea. Unfortunately, I didn't have a camera with me, but it was easily the largest beetle I've ever seen.
It doesn't appear in the very good "Guide to Colorado Insects." So I'm at a loss.
Anyone who sees it or its bretheren scurrying around, try to get a picture so we can solve this riddle.
Also, anyone with a beetle background, feel free to chime in.

How and when on Pikes Peak. Why is up to you.

Race day for the Pikes Peak Ascent and Marathon draws nye. Racers have a week and a half of easy work-outs and resting (and hopefully some altitude work) before the big weekend August 18 and 19.
But how fast should you run? For those who haven't found it yet, Matt Carpenter put together a really cool pace calculator that will tell runners what their times should be at 10 spots along the trail if they want to reach the summit at a certain time. Just put in your goal time and the calc will do the rest.

The only thing left for most people to do is try to aclimate. Here's a chart showing that usable oxygen on top of Pikes is only about half what it is at sea level.
How do they do you acclimate. The best plan is to drive up Pikes Peak and do short, (20-30 minute) easy workouts (walking or jogging on the Peak) to stimulate hypoxia. The low oxygen levels will prod your body to make more blood.
According to the training Website Higherpeak.com, "Intermittent Hypoxic Training" (IHT) has been touted as a quicker method of reaping some of the benefits of altitude training. In IHT, you do short intervals breathing low oxygen air, so your blood oxygen saturation dips below 90%. Again, the aim is to trigger the natural systems that produce new red blood cells."
So go up the peak, hang out, jog a little.
I would add, don't do it during the two days before the race. It's better just to rest. I always feel crappy after a day at 14,000 feet and notice my performance is down considerably.
By the way: post your goal times. Mine is 2:47.

High drama on easy peaks

Looking for a different perspective on climbing the highest mountains in Colorado. 'Tis the season when various flat-land journalists have returned from climbing our peaks, and typed up their recounts. It makes for interesting reading. I reminds me that what, to me is routine is completely exotic to others. Fresh perspective is always welcomed.

Here's one from the Austin Statesman about climbing Quandary Peak: Now that Gandy and company have broken above treeline, at about 12,000 feet, the terrain turns barren and bald. The group trudges onward, scrambling over teetering scree — rocks first the size of oranges and then as big as volleyballs (called "babyheads" in climbing lingo). The wind picks up; the temperature drops.
Soon, they encounter larger and larger patches of snow. The wind blows. Every 10 or 15 steps, the climbers take what Ridenhour calls "blow breaks" to catch their breath.

Here's one from the Chenango County, New York Evening Sun -- a serial about the perils of climbing Mount Bierstdaht.

Based on what I've seen on Barr trail, there must be a number of Missouri and Oklahoma church news letters with similar tales of suffering and triumph.

Wilson Peak will open again

From the Denver Post:
The most popular path to three of the state's 14,000-foot peaks near Telluride will reopen to hikers under a deal between a conservation group and a Texas developer.
The Trust for Public Land has reached a tentative agreement with Rusty Nichols, owner of 220 acres of mining claims, to buy his property, which would provide access to the Silver Pick Trail that leads to Mount Wilson, El Diente Peak and Wilson Peak.
There has been only limited access for the past three years.

Read the rest of the story HERE.

House approves ban on Roan drilling

According to the AP, Energy companies would be barred from tapping natural gas on federal land atop the scenic Roan Plateau under the energy bill passed by the House Saturday.

The provision was inserted by Colorado Reps. Mark Udall and John Salazar, and was one of two victories for state Democrats on the bill.Udall and Rep. Diana DeGette also helped lead a successful fight to add a renewable energy requirement. It would require utilities to get 15 percent of their electricity from wind, solar or other renewable energy sources by 2020.The bill also includes a measure by Udall extending the amount of time the Bureau of Land Management has to prepare regulations for oil shale leases. It gives the state 120 days to review them before they are adopted.

There's been so much back and forth on the fate of the Roan, it's hard to know what will ultimately happen, but local leaders certainly seem to be doing their share to slow down energy development on the plateau.

To see video of the area from Gov. Bill Ritter's recent helicopter tour, click here.

More on Almagre Mountain

This week's Happy Trails takes hikers up the west side of Almagre Mountain to a saddle, then to the summit. It's a great hike, and one that's new to me, but there are a few places where the trail is not there. I recommend taking along the Pikes Peak Atlas.

To help you envision the route, here's a pic.

River boarding: cool and easy, just watch for rocks

Out There had a cool story today by Andrew Wineke about river boarding. He went to an introductory class, but you can river board at many levels. To see some serious whitewater action, click here.
For even burlier footage, click here. (I'm talking New Zealand burly)

Mostly suburban vacay

I've been doing too much of this:

and not enough of this:

while in SoCal visiting family and friends. But my brother may have found a solution to my carbon offsetting:



It's a Whizzer replica. Great fun cruising the neighborhood. It'd be perfect for short commutes. Not something you could take up Ute Pass, though. Still, perhaps I'll Whiz to work in good weather.

A bit warm here. Muggy, too. Heading to the beach later to see relatives, dip toes in the Pacific:

My weekend trip up Maroon Peak

It was cloudy, but successful. I now have three peaks to go before I've climbed all 14ers except Culebra Peak. Here are some photos from South Maroon Peak

From Crater LakeClimbing the loose, rocky east shoulder to the south ridgeIn the clouds, finding the way along exposed ledges using cairns. A happy climber at 13,700 feet
The summit

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Speaking of driving

In a sad footnote to an untimely death, a CHP investigation has revealed that Michael Corvino, president of JanSport backpack company, was drunk when he crashed his car July 14 in Danville, Calif., killing himself and injuring his 16-year-old daughter and a teenage boy. Toxicology tests show that Corvino's blood-alcohol level was 0.21 percent, almost three times the California legal limit of 0.08 percent, when he lost control of his 1970 Dodge Charger and struck a tree near his Danville home at 5:30 p.m. The report also found that none of the three people in the car was wearing a seat belt at the time of the accident.

Gas prices cut outdoor activities

We don't cover hunting and fishing, and both activities tend to involver larger vehicals than the average hiker has, but I thought this was interesting:

Gas prices will impact fishing and hunting participation. According to a poll of 2,481 sportsmen and women conducted by AnglerSurvey.com and HunterSurvey.com in June, 2007, over half of all anglers and 40 percent of hunters indicated rising gas prices will cause them to reduce their outdoor activities or reduce their travel distance and boat use. The rest indicated that rising fuel prices would not hinder their outdoor activity, or were not sure of the impacts.

Drill rigs on public land want bears to stay away

Here's an unusually tough-worded press release from the Division of Wildlife. Apparently, all the oil and gas drilling in the state is rubbing the DOW the wrong way. Can't say I blame them:

This summer, bears are finding new sources of food among the thousands of energy industry employees who work and, in some cases, live in prime black bear habitat.

"Trash storage and trash disposal at man camps is the biggest issue right now," said J.T. Romatzke, DOW district wildlife manager for the Parachute area.

Man camps provide housing for workers close to large energy development areas. These man camps cut expenses for workers and companies, but they equate to placing a fully operational hotel or mobile home park into prime bear habitat.

"In the past three weeks, I've taken more than 40 phone calls from energy workers who want us to 'do something' about the bears," added Romatzke. "Without cooperation on the trash, grease and food storage issues, we can't help in these situations." Just like trash left out in town, trash strewn around well pads will attract hungry bears. Bears that become habituated to getting food from human sources also become more aggressive in their efforts to get food. "We've had some requests for us to trap and relocate bears out of these sites," said Dean Riggs, DOW area supervisor for the Grand Junction area. "But, unlike bears that venture into town and become a nuisance, this is a situation where man has come right into the heart of the bears' habitat and we aren't willing to start punishing the bears for that."

Beyond the unwillingness to punish bears for energy development, wildlife officials aren't sure that there are places to move bears that become habituated to well site and man camp trash.

With more than 90% of the public land in Northwest Colorado already leased for energy development, there aren't many places to move bears where the bear wouldn't just find another untidy well pad.

Many communities have ordinances requiring residents to deal with trash by using wildlife resistant or wildlife proof containers, but no such requirements exist for remote sites like well pads. The DOW is hopeful that energy companies and their numerous subcontractors will work to address the problem through establishing and enforcing strict trash policies and by providing proper trash disposal equipment.

To make matters worse, the DOW has begun receiving reports of energy workers intentionally feeding bears. Officers have even seen pictures of energy workers posing for pictures with bears. "Feeding bears is against the law and we will write citations," said Ron Velarde, Regional Manager for Northwest Colorado. "This kind of human behavior jeopardizes the safety of the people feeding the bears, but more critically it jeopardizes the safety of every person the bear comes into contact with in the future."