Outdoors: Forest Service adds ‘new’ trails in Summit County

Posted on May 17, 2013 by Bob Berwyn
Some of the "new" trails on national forest lands in Summit County lead to hidden coves along the shore of Dillon Reservoir.

Some of the “new” trails on national forest lands in Summit County lead to hidden coves along the shore of Dillon Reservoir.

Travel management plan update results in some user-created trails becoming an official part of the trail network

By Summit Voice

FRISCO — If you’ve never heard of the Hippo Trail or the Bodhi Trail, don’t feel too bad. Both are newly named trail segments in Summit County that have just recently been formally added to the national forest trail system managed by the U.S. Forest Service’s Dillon Ranger District.

Many of the user-created have been popular with locals for years, but now they’re officially on the map, said Ken Waugh, recreation staff officer for the district.

“Many of these have never been maintained and have not been on District maps,” Waugh said, adding that the Forest Service is making an outreach effort to let hikers and cyclists know about the new trails.

As part of that effort, the Dillon District is preparing Recreation Opportunity Guides for these new trails. The one-page sheets  have a map on one side and information about the trails on the other. When they’re done, they’ll be posted online at this White River National Forest website. Some of the guides are already posted at www.dillonrangerdistrict.com. The guides include directions to the trailhead, mileage, range in elevation, difficulty, and trail highlights. They’re also avaiable at the USFS visitor center in Silverthorne. (more…)

Filed under: biking, Colorado, Dillon, Dillon Ranger District, Dillon Reservoir, Frisco, hiking, recreation, Summit County Colorado, Summit County news, US Forest Service, White River National Forest | Tagged: , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Colorado: Exploring the Ute Trail

Posted on July 8, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

Escape to the high country of Rocky Mountain National Park

A bull elk resting in a cool breeze on Trail Ridge, overlooking Ute Trail.

Story and photos by Kim Fenske

Rocky Mountain National Park is a major tourist destination. Recognition of that fact alone has been enough to deter me from visiting the area during the summer season for decades. But this year I decided to to spend a few early summer days with some friends at the Moraine campground.

Trapped in the valley between Trail Ridge Road and Longs Peak with temperatures soaring above a hundred degrees in the lowlands east of the Front Range, I was committed to any plan that took me to the highest elevation available. (more…)

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Colorado: Your grandmother’s fourteener

Posted on June 10, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

Kim Fenske strolls up Mt. Sherman

The rounded ridge to the summit of Mount Sherman lies beyond ruins of the Hilltop Mine, 1.5 miles up the trail, at 12,900 feet.

Story and photos by Kim Fenske

SUMMIT COUNTY — At 14,036 feet, Mount Sherman is one of the more modest fourteeners in Colorado, ranking forty-fifth in height. With an easy walking trail from about 12,000 feet in elevation, Sherman is your grandmother’s fourteener —  good beginner trek or afternoon sprint mountain. Even flatlanders visiting from lower elevations should be able to walk up to the summit of Sherman in a few hours.

Mount Sherman lies in the middle of the Mosquito Range. The mountain forms a narrow rib between two river valleys, the Arkansas and Platte. Sherman is southeast of Fairplay, Alma, and Breckenridge, with Leadville in sight to the west. The summit can be approached from Leadville, via Lake County Road 2 east to Iowa Gulch. However, the most popular approach is on dirt roads from Fairplay, along Fourmile Creek. (more…)

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Colorado: A spring hike on twin 14ers

Posted on May 29, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

Kim Fenske hikes Shavano and Tabeguache

Kim Fenske on the summit of 14,155-foot Tabeguache Peak, with Shavano in the background.

The summit of Tabeguache Peak from the saddle to Mount Shavano.

Story and photos by Kim Fenske

Rising from the lowlands west of Salida, a giant mountain marks the path to Monarch Pass. This cornerstone of the lower Arkansas River Valley is Mount Shavano, 14,229 feet, southernmost peak of the Sawatch Range.

Mount Shavano is named after a great leader of the Tabeguache band of the Utes. Across a saddle from Mount Shavano rises the dramatic summit of Tabeguache Peak, 14,155 feet, protected by a wide ring of boulders and broken cliffs. (more…)

Filed under: Colorado, hiking, recreation | Tagged: , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Colorado: Hiking Mount Harvard

Posted on October 27, 2011 by Bob Berwyn

Exploring the Collegiate Range

Missouri Peak, where a father and daughter died early this summer.

Story and photos by Kim Fenske

The Collegiate Peaks west of Buena Vista provide many beautiful and challenging hikes within an hour of Summit County. The peaks are part of one of the ten largest wilderness areas in the U.S. Over the past several years, I have scrambled over the long boulder fields of Mount Harvard a few times. At 14,420 feet, the summit of Harvard is the third highest Fourteener in Colorado

My first ascent of Harvard on a hot August day ended with me hunkered down in a blinding snowstorm with a covey of ptarmigan among the rocks at about 13,000 feet, then drenched in a heavy rain on my retreat down Frenchman Creek. (more…)

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A hike to Windom Peak, Sunlight Peak, and Mount Eolus

Posted on September 13, 2011 by Bob Berwyn

Explore the San Juans with Kim Fenske

Needle Ridge and Sunlight Peak rise above Twin Lakes.

Story and photos by Kim Fenske

Durango is the entry point for a rare adventure into the Weminuche Wilderness Area to ascend three challenging Fourteeners. After a six-hour drive from Summit County, an overnight camp is possible along Highway 160 on the outskirts of Durango or a couple of hours sooner in the National Forest campgrounds between Wolf Creek Pass and Chimney Rock. However, plan to arrive downtown in Durango before eight in the morning if you want to catch the train to the high country. (more…)

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Colorado: Rescue on Quandary Peak, Part 2

Posted on September 1, 2011 by Bob Berwyn

Helping hands on a big mountain

Summit County Rescue Group member Daniel Dunn during the ascent to search for some missing hikers on Quandary Peak, in Summit County, Colorado.

Editor’s note: This is part 2 of  Daniel Dunn’s first-person account of a recent rescue mission on Quandary Peak, often described as an “easy” 14er. Despite that reputation, Quandary claims live on a regular basis, both in winter and summer and keeps local search and rescue volunteers busy. Visit the Summit County Rescue Group online to learn more. Click here for Part 1.

Summit County Rescue Group Open House info

Story and photos by Daniel Dunn

Saving Lives
What!? Colin just came over the radio, he’s got a visual, about 100 yards! Awesome! Nice work dude! That is really pretty exciting. He’s about 100 yards away, and said all four guys are moving towards him. Great! He’s about 400 vertical feet above us. Nothing we can really do from here, and in fact he just said why don’t we sit tight, as these guys are all moving, and we still have a long way to go, and we’re gonna need to be fresh for the rest of the journey.

20 minutes later and we finally see all five guys slowly making their way down to us. It’s amazing when we see them. They come out from behind some arête, and they aren’t that far away, but it seems like they moving so slowly. Wow, these aren’t mountain people, even what we think of as they easy stuff, they’re having serious issues with. Hey Dan, stop that thinking right now, they’re doing the best they can, and we’re here to help, don’t make ‘em feel bad.

Cool, they all get to us, yes! 13,400 feet is the elevation, and just about 6:30 p.m. Thank you weather gods for looking with pity upon us. One dude, the big guy, has a pretty good gash on his leg, but it’s all clotted up and he’s mobile. Not even giving it a second thought, there’s no way we’re looking at that wound right now. We gotta keep these guys moving. This is where I feel like my people skills shine. I instruct them to all grab a seat, giving them hot and/or cold water, and some Gatorade. I give them Clif bars and other sugary granola bars, gotta get some calories in these boys. I hang with them and let them know it’s all gonna be OK, while behind me, Colin and Punchy discuss the plan of attack. (more…)

Filed under: Colorado, hiking, recreation, search and rescue, Summit County Colorado, Summit County news | Tagged: , , , , | 11 Comments »

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