Culebra Climbs: 2002

The Colorado Mountain Club will sponsor two climbs of Culebra Peak on August 24 and 25, limited to twenty-five climbers on each. All climbers must have done at least twenty-five fourteeners and be members of the CMC. This year, special emphasis will be given to those persons who have climbed at least fifty fourteeners. The deadline to express interest is June 28 (send e-mail Julie Beckwith, membership services director). If needed, a lottery drawing will be held on July 15.

For those interested in access to Red Mountain, Purgatoire Peak, and Vermijo Peak, those peaks remain closed for 2002.

Front Range Trail gains momentum

By Steve Bonowski

The Front Range Trail concept conceived in 2000 by the Colorado State Parks Board and supported by the State Trails Committee envisioned a trail stretching from the Wyoming border to New Mexico. State Parks staff held a series of stakeholder meetings along the Front Range last year. Now slightly shortened to run from Trinidad to Fort Collins, the Front Range Trail would encompass existing trails systems; lightly traveled back country roads, especially in the south; and would require some new trail construction. Most proposed new construction is already on the master trails plans of affected municipalities or counties. Except in a few locations in the southern part of the state, the trail would be for non-motorized recreation only.

Virtually every local government along the way has enthusiastically endorsed the proposal. Many think a Front Range Trail would promote alternative means of transportation along an increasingly congested urban corridor. Boosts are also predicted for local economies if recreationists stay at home for their recreation instead of fighting heavy traffic in the corridors leading to the mountains. Some amount of long distance travel, primarily by bicyclists, is predicted and would lead to increased business for restaurants, local bed and breakfast facilities, and other merchants along the trail corridors.

The main corridor for the trail roughly parallels Interstate 25 south of Denver. From Castle Rock north, there would be two routes, east and west, that would converge at Fort Collins. The eastern route follows both the South Platte River and Cherry Creek into Denver, then continues along the Platte north to Greeley and follows the Poudre River into Fort Collins. The west route would parallel U.S. 85 north from Castle Rock to Chatfield State Park then follow the line of the foothills north through Golden, Boulder, and Lyons before curving northeast to Fort Collins.

South of Pueblo, the trail is planned to go west up State Highway 96 and south through the Wet Mountain Valley to Walsenburg. There are two routes proposed from Walsenburg to Trinidad. One stays near I-25; the other goes west to La Veta and then south over Cucharas Pass before looping east to Trinidad along SH 12. As of this writing, there are no plans to take the trail south of Trinidad, but some consideration is being given to an extension north of Fort Collins. One proposal would roughly parallel U.S. 287 to Ted’s Place and maybe beyond; the other goes to Wellington.

It would seem that the Front Range Trail is an idea whose time has come. A few obstacles loom, however. One involves land acquisition in a few places. The biggest drawback is funding. Nevertheless, some existing trails money is already available, and extensive planning is under way in some quarters in order to find the additional money needed to make the trail a reality. Interested CMC members can contact the author via the CMC for further information about the trail; or can watch the pages of Trail & Timberline for updates.

A hike through geologic time in the Grand Canyon

Inaugural education tour sponsored by the CMC state education department

The State Education Department is expanding programs to include trips throughout the world led by expert guides and instructors in natural and cultural history, beginning in September, 2002. The inaugural trip, “A Hike Through Geologic Time in the Grand Canyon,” will be offered in late September. Call the CMC office for more details.

May HAMS program scheduled

Mount Assiniboine is one of the premier peaks of the Canadian Rockies—known as the “Matterhorn of the North” for its steep and challenging routes. It’s the dominant peak in a remote wilderness south of the popular resort town of Banff.

High Altitude Mountaineering Section favorite John Goggin spent three days on a trip to tackle the classic North Ridge, flying by helicopter to Magog Lake and packing up to the climber’s hut. Join John as he and friends rope up for this exciting alpine route May 20 at 7 p.m. in the auditorium at the CMC offices in Golden.

Gore Range Natural Science seminars

The Gore Range Natural Science School will hold a series of eight adult natural history seminars this summer. They range from an Alpine Ecology class that focuses on the effects of extreme environment to “The Night Sky” seminar. The courses are taught by experts in the field or led by people who bring several generations of family folklore and insights into the history of this region.

Other titles include “The Mining History of Leadville;” “Birds of the Eagle River Valley;” “Edible and Medicinal Plants of the Eagle River Watershed;” “Nature Photography;” “Interpretation of the Rocky Mountain Landscape;” “4 Lanes into the Wilderness: The Creation of I-70;” “Entomology for fishing enthusiasts;” and “Bugling with the Elk.” They are scheduled throughout the summer.

Tuition costs range from $25 to $125 depending on the seminar. To register or for more information, call (970) 827-9725 x10. Reserve your spot early because classes are limited to twelve participants. CMC Gore Range Group members receive a ten percent discount. Seminars take place at a variety of field sites. Transportation is provided from the top level of Vail’s Lionshead parking structure next to the skateboard park.

Wildlife rehabilitation center issues spring warning

Greenwood Wildlife Rehabilitation Sanctuary is urging Coloradans to take precautions when handling injured or abandoned newborn wildlife this spring. The Longmont wildlife facility recently issued guidelines on how to handle animal encounters in its annual report, the “Chirp Alert.”

“Greenwood receives thousands of baby birds and mammals each year due to human intervention,” said Jillian Weems, Greenwood’s Operations Manager. “Now is the time to prepare homes to prevent animals from nesting in unwanted areas before baby season hits full-force,” she said.

“There are humane ways to prevent wildlife from taking up residence in and around homes. Taking a few simple, non-lethal steps will encourage them to safely move their litters,” Weems said.

Some mammals such as raccoons are quite accustomed to urban environments and will sometimes nest in residential chimneys, attics, and crawl spaces. Making those areas less hospitable will reduce the prevalence of these unwanted house guests.

Greenwood’s guidelines suggest covering chimney and attic entrances with screens or wood before breeding season begins in late March. If a raccoon family has already made itself at home, try dropping a light into the area, playing a radio loudly, or place tennis balls or rags dipped in ammonia near the nesting site. Mother raccoons usually have alternative nesting sites and will move babies within a few days.

“Capping of chimneys is the most effective way to prevent raccoons from nesting in homes,” Weems said. “Most baby raccoons we see at Greenwood came from unwanted nests in peoples’ chimneys.”

Squirrels are also common nesters in neighborhood areas, sometimes shacking up in backyard trees. Greenwood advises people to look carefully for nests before tree trimming and suggests scheduling tree work for June, early July, or late fall when squirrel babies have already left the nest. Squirrels have two nesting seasons, from mid-January to late March and from late June into September.

Spring is also the time to be extra alert for abandoned and injured animals. If you find an injured or abandoned animal, Greenwood advises placing the animal in a warm, dark, and quiet place, such as an aerated cardboard box or covered domestic animal carrier. Do not feed the animal, and contact Greenwood for further instructions.

In some instances, a lone baby animal is not necessarily abandoned; its mother may have left the nest momentarily. If the nest or baby animal has fallen to the ground, try to place it back in its original location. Also, some apparently abandoned animals don’t always need to be “saved.”

With baby birds, there is a period in their development in which the bird leaves the nest and is unable to fly. If it is feathered and is able to hop around with no apparent injuries, it does not need to be re-nested. This is called a fledgling and is a normal part of bird development. Its parents continue to feed it so it is not abandoned, said Weems.

“We receive many calls at this time because people are worried that cats or dogs will kill the baby bird, or it will get run over,” Weems said. “Greenwood simply does not have the means to take in every fledgling. So people should keep their cats inside and leash their dogs during this vulnerable period. Within about a week, the baby bird should be able to fly safely out of the way.”

Greenwood’s Chirp Alert is published in the sanctuary’s spring 2002 newsletter and can be viewed online at: www.greenwoodwildlife.org. For more information about wildlife care or to report an injured or abandoned animal, contact Greenwood at (303) 823-8455.

Luebben to lead
rock climbers self-rescue clinic

AMGA certified rock guide and guide instructor Craig Luebben will be presenting rock climbing self rescue clinics in Vail on June 29 and 30 for CMC members and others.

The clinic teaches climbers to climb the rope to free a stuck rappel line or to ascend if they’ve fallen from an overhang and are hanging in space. Participants will also learn how to improvise a belay or rappel device if they’ve dropped or forgotten theirs; how to escape the belay to assist an injured partner or go for help; how to haul a partner if he or she has become injured, fallen from an overhang, or simply can’t follow the lead; and how to use a block and tackle to unweight a jammed knot or undo a mistake when performing a self rescue.

The clinic also teaches several general safety tips, including backing up the rappel for increased safety and control. The clinic lasts five hours and is recommended for all climbers who climb multi-pitch traditional routes, especially in remote locations.

Each clinic will be Saturday or Sunday, June 29 or 30 at the Vail Athletic Club climbing wall at 9 a.m. Sign up by calling Norm Numerof at (970) 845- 8518. There is a $50 fee for the instruction and a $12.50 fee for the climbing wall.

Craig Luebben, author of How to Ice Climb and co-author (with John Long) of Advanced Rock Climbing, has taught dozens of self rescue clinics around the U.S. and in China.