Cycling and Outdoor Gear

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Tags: Colorado, hiking, Independence Pass
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Hanging Lake Trail Reopened

August 25th, 2010

It’s one of the most crowded trails in Colorado, but it’s crowded because it also has one of the best payoffs at the end. Hanging Lake is an emerald green oasis fed by a waterfall in Glenwood Canyon. But all that use has taken its toll, and the U.S. Forest Service closed the trail in May for a $1 million repair project. Hanging Lake is the most popular hiking trail in the White River National Forest. Its boardwalk, dating back to the early 1900s, needed to be replaced.

Now that it’s open again, we suggest you visit it during the week, or at least wait until the tourists have gone home this fall. To get there, you have to be traveling eastbound on I-70. From Denver, you have to pass Hanging Lake, take the Grizzly Creek exit and reenter the highway eastbound to the Hanging Lake exit. Check it out at video of the hike here.

– Deb Acord

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Tags: Colorado, Glenwood Springs, hiking
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Harrowing Escape on Film

August 19th, 2010

Colorado climber Aron Ralston made headlines in 2003 after he freed himself from a boulder in a Utah canyon by cutting off his arm. Now, he will be immortalized on the big screen. Actor James Franco has been cast as Ralston in “127 Hours,” a film directed by Danny Boyle (“Slumdog Millionaire”). The movie will open in November. For a look at Ralston and how he has lived his life since his harrowing escape, go to Entertainment Popwatch

– Deb Acord

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Tags: Aron Ralston, hiking, Utah
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Make tracks to Picketwire

August 17th, 2010

You know what they say – big feet, big…

That’s footprints. As in really big. And really old.

Dinosaur footprints left 150 million years ago are the main attraction of the Picketwire Canyonlands on the Comanche National Grasslands south of La Junta. The area is protected, and can be accessed on foot or on bikes or horses. Several times a year, the U.S. Forest Service offers guided auto tours into the area as well.

Fall tours begin the first Saturday in September and run through October. During the tours, guides will point out hundreds of dinosaur tracks made by the mighty Brontosaurs and ferocious Allosauruses, as well as prehistoric, historic and natural features of the canyon.

All-day tours (from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.) are offered on Saturdays; cost is $15 per adult and $7.50 per child; visitors must use their own four-wheel-drive vehicles on the rough roads.

For more information or to make reservations, call the U.S. Forest Service at 1-719-384-2181 or go to http://fs.usda.gov/goto/psicc/com

– Deb Acord

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Tags: Colorado, hiking
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Keep an Eye on Barr Trail

August 12th, 2010

Friends of the Peak, the volunteer group that takes care of all things Pikes Peak, has a cool interactive map of Barr Trail on its web site. The map was developed to inform the Friends about trail problems – fallen trees, severe erosion, vandalism. Check it out, and while you’re there, sign up for an upcoming FOTP trail workday – you can still get in on projects on the South Slope, Devil’s Playground, and Buffalo Creek (also known as St. Mary’s Falls).

– Deb Acord

Related Link

Pikes Peak South Slope Hike and Photos

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Tags: Colorado Springs, hiking, mountain biking, Pikes Peak
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Gear Lust

August 11th, 2010

We’re over halfway through the traditional camping season, and I’m feeling like some new gear. Here are a few things that look intriguing:

The Jetboil Flash, a cool stove that include a thermo chromic temperature indicator on the three color neoprene stripes (it shows you when the contents are hot); a drink-through lid; and a windscreen for the adjustable-flame burner. The neoprene cozy is the most innovative part of this stove – it stays in place during cooking and doesn’t melt; and it has a pocket for utensils.

Teva Illum flip flops, with LED lights. If you’ve ever stumbled out of your tent in the dark for a bathroom break, you’ll appreciate this idea. Tiny detachable LED lights illuminate the ground about eight feet in front of each step. The lights, which are waterproof, run on batteries that can be replaced.

The Saris Bones trunk bike rack. I admit it – the color choices sold me on this (who could resist purple?) but the stability and six attachment straps are also worthy features. It has a unique shape that’s different than other car bike racks.

The REI Adventure Dog Dream Bed. This is on my dog’s wish list – it has a self-inflating pad insert that allows you to roll it up for easy carrying, and a Sherpa fleece cover. Think Therm-a-Rest for dogs.

The Dajo Survivor knife, because you can never have too many camping knives. This cool tool has a stainless-steel blade, a fire-starting notch and a Swedish FireSteel included, along with a sheath, emergency whistle and five foot of cord.

A CamelBak insulated stainless steel Better Bottle. How optimistic I am when I go hiking with my water bottle filled with ice. How disappointed I am when I stop for my first drink of warmed water. This bottle eliminates that disappointment, and it has a cool silver finish.

– Deb Acord

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Tags: camping, cycling, hiking, mountain biking, outdoor gear
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Holy Bat Cave, Batman

August 5th, 2010

(From ColoradoCaves.org)

One of the most fascinating natural dramas in Colorado is now easier to experience. A unique team effort involving the Colorado Division of Wildlife, the Orient Land Trust and the Saguache Field Office of the Bureau of Land Management/U.S. Forest Service has resulted in a viewing area near the Orient Mine in the San Luis Valley.

Each July and August, about 250,000 Mexican free-tailed bats roost in the former mine, and just before dusk, they leave the cave to begin their nightly search for food. A massive column of bats exiting the mines continues for nearly an hour.

According to ColoradoCaves.org, the Orient’s bat colony is the largest in the state. The mine intersects several natural limestone cave passages. It has been closed to the public along with all caves on public land to prevent further spreading of White Nose Syndrome, a fungus that has been killing bats across the country.

The Orient Land Trust and the DOW worked in cooperation with the BLM-USFS office to offer public parking at the Black Canyon Trailhead. The one-mile trail leads to a viewing area for the mine. The trail can be accessed from Saguache County Road GG, north of the intersection of U.S. Highway 285 and Colorado Highway 17. To reach the trail, go east on Road GG and follow signs to the Black Canyon Trailhead. Hikers can also access the Sangre de Cristo Wilderness from the trailhead. The mine can also be reached farther up the road through the Valley View Hot Springs (a clothing-optional area).

Through August, guides will be stationed at the Black Canyon trailhead a few hours before dusk, about 5 p.m., Thursdays through Sundays. The trail is open, unguided, on the other days of the week.

For more information, go to www.olt.org

– Deb Acord

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Tags: bats, Colorado, hiking
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A Good Day for Volunteering

August 4th, 2010

The U.S. Forest Service will sponsor the agency’s Volunteer Day with a project in the San Isabel National Forest near the Spanish Peaks on Aug. 7.

Volunteers will meet at the Dikes Trailhead and spend the day cutting brush, removing fallen trees and clearing drainage dips. The day starts with a 9:45 a.m. orientation and workers can each stay as long as they want to. The Dikes Trailhead is south of Cuchara off Highway 12. For more information, contact the U.S. Forest Service in La Veta at 1-719-742-3681.

– Deb Acord

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Tags: hiking, San Isabel National Forest, trail work
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Colorado Trail Segment Closed

July 16th, 2010

An important leg of the Colorado Trail will be closed beginning in August. A seven-mile stretch through Waterton Canyon, part of Segment 1, will be closed from Aug. 2-Dec. 3 and Feb. 28-Dec. 31, 2011 so a Denver Water contractor can dredge the Strontia Springs Reservoir. The reservoir contains more than a million cubic yards of sediment, remaining from the 2006 Hayman fire. The project requires heavy machinery and equipment.

Waterton Canyon will be closed as follows:
– Monday, Aug. 2, 2010 until Sunday, Dec. 3, 2010
– Monday, Feb. 28, 2011 until Saturday, Dec. 31, 2011

Both the parking lot at the canyon entrance and the canyon will be closed. The next closest access to CT Segment 1 is via the Indian Creek Trailhead on Colorado Highway 67, 10.5 miles west of Sedalia.

For more information, go to the Colorado Trail website, or Denver Water .

– Deb Acord

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