Atlantic Peak officially named

By Joe Kramarsic

At its September 5, 2001, meeting, the U.S. Board on Geographic Names officially changed the name of Peak 13,841´ in the Tenmile Range to Atlantic Peak.

The designation of the mountain as Atlantic Peak resolves a naming controversy that has been simmering for the last two years. In July of 1999, the Red, White, and Blue Volunteer Fire Department of Breckenridge, Colorado, announced that it planned to submit a formal proposal to name the mountain “Red, White, and Blue Peak” in honor of those who had served in their fire protection district. The plan was headline news in the local Summit county newspapers and gained support from some official quarters—particularly the summit county Board of Commissioners.

Those with knowledge of Summit County’s mountains objected to the proposal. Local usage since the 1970s had referred to Peak 13,841´ as “Atlantic Peak” because of its location on the same ridge as Pacific Peak, less than a mile to the north.

During the 1980s, climbing the hundred highest mountains in Colorado became popular. Lists were compiled and refined to guide mountaineers to these “Centennial” peaks. Peak 13,841´ was found to be the 88th highest. Eventually the informal name of Atlantic Peak began to appear on these lists. The summer Activity Schedule of the CMC has scheduled climbs since 1986 using the name Atlantic Peak for this mountain.

Several authoritative books on Colorado’s mountains during the 1990s solidified the Atlantic Peak name. The revised ninth and tenth editions of the venerable Ormes Guide to the Colorado Mountains and new guide books to the thirteeners mentioned the traditional Atlantic Peak name for Peak 13,841´.

ühe research and compilation of this information prompted me to submit a formal application to the Board of Geographic Names for the name proposal of Atlantic Peak for Peak 13,841´. With the support of Mike Foster of the CMC’s Toponymics Committee, the CMC board voted unanimously in favor of the proposal. Locally, the Summit County Journal headlined an editorial “Keep Atlantic Peak Atlantic Peak.”

In August, 2000, and again in June, 2001, I made ascents to find separate summit registers for “Red, White, and Blue Peak” and “Atlantic Peak. Popular sentiment expressed in the registers showed that summiters favored Atlantic Peak. Some of the comments were quite emphatic about the issue.

The Board’s letter approving my proposal to make official the name Atlantic Peak on November 1, 2001.

Present at creation:
Sneffels Group—the CMC’s newest

By Bill Houghton, CMC President

It felt like being an expectant father again. I was wondering what to say, what it would be like, and who would be there. It was last November, and Julie Beckwith, the CMC’s Membership Services Director, and I were driving to Montrose to be present at the first meeting of a newly proposed group of the Colorado Mountain Club. How many would be attending and how much enthusiasm would there be for a group splitting off from the Western Slope Group? Was there going to be controversy over who should join and where the members should come from? So many questions and so many possibilities. My own concerns were how the proposed group would view our participation and what we should be doing for them.

The initial reception was perfect. We met Bob and Mary White at a restaurant in Montrose. Over dinner, Bob made a conservative estimate of who would be attending and how many people would be interested in starting a new group. We followed him out of town to the electric cooperative where they had reserved a meeting room, and there were already several people waiting at the door. Interested people: another good sign. One of the people waiting was Lon Carpenter, the chairman of the Western Slope Group. It was a great sign and a magnanimous gesture on Lon’s part to drive all the way from Grand Junction.

It turned out that the initial participants consisted of five members of the Western Slope Group who were interested in forming a new group. There were several who volunteered to assume temporary responsibilities to get the group started. Lon made a statement to the group about how he had been concerned about providing services to the members of the Western Slope Group who lived in Montrose, Delta, and beyond. He said that he was happy that they would be forming a group because they could enjoy more benefits from the Club. Julie and I offered help from the State organization and CMC staff.

One of the initial participants turned out to be a Club “treasure.” Madeline Moos is an eighty-year-old life member of the Colorado Mountain Club. She spoke with emotion about how the Club had affected her life; she mentioned her devotion to providing activities for the members of the Western Slope Group. She said that she would do everything in her power to make sure the new group got a good start. She still leads hikes for the Club and the Forest Service on the Grand Mesa as well as cross-country skis trips in the winter. What a great asset for the new Sneffels Group.

After introductions we proceeded to discuss the activities each of the participants enjoyed, and then they elected a temporary chairman and a secretary. A lengthy discussion over when and where to hold the meetings was held, and they decided to meet in a coffee house downtown. I left wondering if the coffee house would be big enough for their meeting.

A week later, after a great wilderness conference in Ouray, I was back in Montrose for the next Sneffels Group meeting. This time I was with John Ross, Board Member and Publications Committee Chairman; Vera Smith, Conservation Director; Clare Bastable, Conservation Field Coordinator; Steve Bonowski, Board Member and State Conservation Committee Chairman; and Sarah Peters, Volunteer Coordinator. From the initial five participants, the group had grown to seventeen, and yes, it was crowded. Because it was a great opportunity for us to meet new members and to explain what the State organization does, we crammed into the room and stood behind the participants. Vera covered the conservation activities and the projects that affected their area. Clare talked about her participation with western slope groups and her efforts to recruit diverse allies to the cause of conservation. Sarah covered volunteer opportunities and administrative benefits. Steve covered Conservation Committee activities, and I spoke about club organization.

We later learned that several more had volunteered for other positions within the group. The group was so enthusiastic that they decided to go on a hike the next weekend to get better acquainted.

Now, three months later, the group has twenty-seven members and as many more have expressed interest. Meetings are scheduled for the second Thursday of each month, with a program followed by a short business meeting. In February, Ranger Lew French spoke about Leave No Trace, March will feature Brad McMillon on his ascent of Fitzroy, and April will feature Joel Evans and his walk through the Black Canyon.

On January 20, the Sneffels Group staffed a table at the Ouray Ice Festival. Members handed out over fifty brochures and applications, met CMCers from all over the state, and possibly even recruited a new member for the Boulder Group. Bob said, “While I was talking to a man who was hesitant to join the Boulder Group because he perceived a difficulty getting into their school, the director of the Boulder Group mountaineering schools strolled up. I think we made a sale.”

Bob White serves as the Chairman of the Sneffels Group (970) 249-8967); Connie Kogler is the secretary; and Theresa Frick-Crawford is treasurer. Paul Sheya has created a group website at MCsneffels@ yahoogroups.com. The Group serves the area around Delta, Montrose, Ridgeway, Ouray, Telluride, Gunnison, and Lake City—truly the hub of a western wonderland. Welcome, Sneffels.