THE QUARTERLY
THE COLORADO MOUNTAIN CLUB / cmc.org
SUMMER ‘21 ISSUE 1038
CLUB UPDATES pg. 1
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JOIN THE PACK pg. 2
BIRDING TRIP TIPS pg. 3
UPCOMING COURSES pg. 4
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Letter from the Executive Director A YEAR FOR GRIT The past year has lent new meaning to the phrase “unprecedented times.” When the CMC published our most recent issue of Trail & Timberline in Spring 2020, none of us could have guessed we’d spend the next year weathering a deadly pandemic. And while none of us had ever experienced anything quite like this before, it turns out there is some precedent at the CMC. As we planned our spring 2020 fundraising campaign, an archivist found this note in the January 1919 issue of T&T: The Editor offers no apology for the omission of the December number. The influenza quarantine so interfered with the activities of the Club that there was nothing to report, nothing to announce; in short, nothing to say. Under the circumstances, what more suitable than silence? A hiatus in the face of a pandemic is certainly understandable, but unlike in the fall of 1918, there’s plenty to report from the CMC. Over the past year, our membership numbers held steady, we received tremendous financial support with our spring and year-end fundraising appeals, we kicked off our website redesign, and we qualified for the Payroll Protection Program to help cover some of our shortages
The official publication of the Colorado Mountain Club since 1918.
We are Colorado. cmc.org
Keegan Young and Operations and Finance Director Jacob McCracken on the summit of Mount Massive this winter.
through the toughest times. I’m particularly proud of the fact that—as more people turned to the outdoors during the pandemic—we were able to provide new programming to support the increase in winter backcountry travel. It wouldn’t be fair to say that our first edition of T&T in over a year represents a return to normalcy; that’s still a ways off. But it does serve as a reminder of just how resilient our Club and our mountain community are. I’m so grateful you’re on this journey with us. See you in the mountains,
Keegan Young Executive Director
ABOUT THE COLORADO MOUNTAIN CLUB Since 1912, the Colorado Mountain Club community has inspired adventure, empowered progression, and protected the lands we love. Through peer-to peer-education, classes and schools, trips, and titles published by CMC Press, CMC helps novices and experts alike develop the skills they need to share life-changing adventures. We have supported Colorado’s mountains and fostered its mountain community for over a century—and will do so for generations to come. © 2021 COLORADO MOUNTAIN CLUB / ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Trail & Timberline (ISSN 0041-0756) is published biannually by the Colorado Mountain Club located at 710 10th Street, Suite 200, Golden, Colorado 80401. Advertisements in Trail & Timberline do not constitute an endorsement by the Colorado Mountain Club. Cover: Sunrise on Mount Toll. Photo by Jao van de Lagemaat
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Club Updates Membership
The CMC has been working hard to grow our membership benefits program over the past year, and we’re excited to keep bringing you valuable deals and discounts from your favorite brands and some that might be new to you: 30% off a Colorado State Parks Pass, 20% off all CMC Press titles, access to ExpertVoice, and deep discounts from brands like Backcountry Foodie, CAMP, and Zeal Optics are just a few of the benefits you have access to as a CMC member. See all of your available benefits by visiting cmc.org, clicking Member Login, and logging in to your account. We’ve also added new Special Interest Sections! See the full list at cmc.org/groups. Engage and connect with other members who share your passions by logging in to your account and updating your member profile.
Conservation
We recently revamped and expanded our Recreation Impact Monitoring System (RIMS) mobile app, making it even easier to give back to the land you love while you’re out on the trail. Report downed trees, erosion, and other public land use issues quickly and easily from your phone and help a land manager care for
Recording human waste impacts. Photo by CMC staff
our public lands. The app’s newest updates include more filters, a new archive feature, a car count option (simply enter the total number of cars in a parking lot), and more. Download the RIMS app to your smartphone for free, watch the quick online training video, take the volunteer quiz, and start doing assessments. Bonus: Once you sign up, you’ll automatically be entered to win a monthly user giveaway! Visit cmc.org/RIMS to get started.
Bilingual Trip Leaders
Not all of our families or members utilize English as their first language, so we’re working to recruit more bilingual trip leaders for hikes, climbs, skis, and rides. If you or anyone you know is interested in service as a bilingual trip leader, please email office@cmc.org.
Merch
Want to represent the CMC when you’re out and about? Check out our online store for hats, shirts, and more at cmcpress.org.
The RIMS mobile app. Photo by Isabella Biondini
Stay up to date with what’s going on at the CMC by following us on social media: @coloradomountainclub on Facebook and @coloradomtnclub on Instagram and Twitter. We love seeing and sharing what our members are up to, so tag us in your outdoor adventure photos on Instagram for a chance to have them featured. Our monthly e-newsletter, The Rucksack, goes out the last week of each month. Check your inbox so you don’t miss out on regular Club updates, new events and courses, and exclusive subscriber discounts.
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Section Highlight
Solitude on a 2020 BPX trip to Paprika Lake on the Baker/Bowen Loop, Rocky Mountain National Park. Photo by Annie Legrand {
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MEMBERS ACROSS THE STATE COME TOGETHER IN NEW BACKPACKING SECTION By Emma Walker
John Walters has a secret for getting a favorite trail all to yourself, even as Front Range hikes gain popularity. “We look for bad weather days,” he chuckles. He and his CMC Backpacking Section cofounder, Linda Lawson, don’t mind trekking through rain or sleet. When I caught up with them on a dreary April afternoon, they’d just gotten back from a training hike at Staunton State Park, where theirs was the only car in the parking lot. That’s because when Lawson and Walters see an opportunity, they aren’t afraid to go all in to make things happen. That’s how BPX, as the section is affectionately known, came to be. When Walters finished a backpacking trip in 2019, he emailed Linda. The trip had been great, he said, but there weren’t any more on the calendar. Why didn’t they start a backpacking section? They had their work cut out for them: they needed to recruit volunteer leaders, research trips, develop risk management protocols, and figure out how to communicate all that to the members. The crux, Walters and Lawson figured, was that planning a backpacking trip is a great deal of work—a task they suspected prevented trip leaders from signing on for more trips. So the two cofounders joined forces with Bob Watkins, Steve Wolf, and Denver Backpacking School Director Jennie Popovich to develop pre-planned trip itineraries. The committee had plenty of experience
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to draw from as they planned the roster of BPX trips. Walters’ first backpacking trip was in the Grand Canyon in 1949. Lawson’s first experience was in the mid-nineties, when she started hiking the Colorado Trail (she has since completed it). Their hunch proved correct: CMC members wanted to go backpacking. Within a couple of months, the section’s ranks had grown to 1,500 members. (BPX is technically a subsection of the Denver Group, but it’s open to all members statewide—Lawson estimates that 30 percent of BPX members hail from other groups.) Despite a rocky start to the season, BPX was able to run 29 trips in 2020, all of which closely followed CMC and CDC coronavirus recommendations. They also managed a gathering in October 2020 for BPX’s first birthday, which included awards for first-ever backpackers and those whose packs tipped the scale at over 50 pounds—a nod to the section’s friendly, welcoming community. What BPX really needs now, say its founders, is more trip leaders. “We could offer way more trips if we had more volunteer leaders,” Walters says. BPX has built a trip leader development program to fill gaps in knowledge and experience and get leaders certified, so volunteers interested in stepping up can expect excellent mentorship. To learn more about BPX, visit cmcdenver. org and find the Backpacking Section under the Special Interests tab.
To learn more about CMC’s sections, visit cmc.org/groups.
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Trip Tips ADD SOME BIRDING TO YOUR HIKING
By Norm Lewis, author of The Best Front Range Bird Hikes Two of the most popular and fastest-growing outdoor activities in Colorado are hiking and birding. There are hundreds of books detailing hikes of every description and field guides to assist in locating and identifying birds, but there have been few attempts at combining the two. This is why CMC Press has published a new book: The Best Front Range Bird Hikes. The book is a resource for hikers who would like to add another dimension to their treks, and for birders who wish to combine birding with physical activity. For hikers, there is little mystery to your pastime: go to the trailhead, walk up the trail to the end, enjoy the scenery along the way. It’s straightforward. However, if you have decided to add birding to your outing, things are about to change profoundly. First, your direct route to the top will be interrupted repeatedly by those annoying feathered miscreants. They seem to be everywhere and nowhere. You may walk for a mile and see nothing but the aforementioned scenery, then suddenly find yourself surrounded by motion and sound. This is one of the great attractions/frustrations of birding: its unpredictability. Perhaps you will achieve wonderful sightings, perhaps you will see nothing at all. The results are usually somewhere in between, depending upon the energy expended and the skills of the observer. There are a number of techniques that might assist the hiker in finding and observing more birds. First, consider motion. Birds are sensitive to movement and your behavior should be adjusted accordingly. One way to keep from flushing the bird is to, as much as possible, bird from the shade or shadows. Harsh lighting intensifies movement, so staying out of sun will ameliorate this. An additional technique that can aid in keeping a bird from flushing is to approach it indirectly, by either zig-zagging toward it or spiraling in. Once you have detected bird movement or have a pretty good idea where the bird is, do
White-breasted nuthatch. Photo by Norm Lewis {
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not immediately start scanning with your binoculars for the bird, which is frequently buried in a leafy tree or bush. Instead, find an easily locatable nearby geographic location. This can be almost anything: a dead leaf, a splash of sunlight, a patch of bark, an odd-shaped branch. Quickly note the location of the bird relative to your mark and locate the mark in your binoculars. From there it is easy to find the bird: six inches to the left, a foot above, or whatever. There are a number of good field guides, but arguably the best for carrying on birding outings is the National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America. If you wish to keep records of your sightings, I recommend using eBird Mobile, the bird listing program developed at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. The program can be found at ebird.org. And, it’s free!
Try a Bird Hike!
Want to read more? The Best Front Range Bird Hikes features thirty hikes, 175 species, detailed route descriptions, featured bird species for each hike, and full-color maps. CMC members can get 20 percent off at cmcpress.org! Upcoming birding hikes led by the author:
Q June 9 Clear Creek Trail Q June 23 Genesee Mountain Park
Free online clinic by the author:
Q June 22 Introduction to Bird Hiking (6:00 pm) SUMMER 2021 / THE QUARTERLY
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Upcoming Courses Ascending Hikes Series
Statewide • May–Oct. 2021 • Free The Colorado Mountain Club’s Ascending Hike Series is an opportunity to make new friends, explore more of Colorado’s hiking trails, and increase your hiking speed and stamina. Hikes start off easy and gradually progress in length and difficulty so you’re ready to tackle new challenges by the end of the summer.
BPX Backpacking Gear Check
Chatfield State Park • June 18, 2021 $20 members This gear check offers our members the opportunity to simulate the first night of a backpack trip. With this awesome overnight experience, you will learn how to prepare for future backpacking adventures!
Technical Climbing School: Intermediate Rock Climbing
PIKES PEAK GROUP
Castlewood Canyon • Four sessions offered between June 5, 2021, and Sept. 18, 2021 $95 members
Basic Mountaineering School: Wilderness Fundamentals
Colorado Springs • Two sessions June 7, 2021, and Sept. 20, 2021 $35 PPG members / $45 members This class is an introduction of important skills and backcountry knowledge to enable participants to independently plan and safely implement a day’s outing in the great outdoors.
Basic Mountaineering School: Intro to Backpacking
Lost Creek Wilderness • Two Sessions June 14, 2021, and Aug. 23, 2021 • Free This class focuses on the basics of backpacking in a lecture/discussion format and concludes with an overnight backpacking trip to put your new knowledge into action.
ARCPro Basic Climbing Anchors Castlewood Canyon • July 17, 2021 $45 members / $25 leaders
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Intermediate Rock Climbing focuses on outdoor climbing skills, rappelling, and safety. It may be taken as a stand-alone class, or as part of the Alpine Climbing School “Modular” track.
Technical Climbing School: Basic Anchors
Castlewood Canyon • Two sessions June 19, 2021, and July 17, 2021 $95 members The goal of the Basic Anchors seminar is to teach students safe methods for constructing top-rope anchors. Armed with these skills, the student will be able to construct anchors from natural features and fixed gear, as suggested by the location. These anchors will be suitable for rappelling and top-rope climbing.
Wilderness Trekking School
Golden • Starts Sept. 7, 2021 $150 members If you’re new to hiking, WTS gives you the opportunity to learn how to travel safely—and with confidence—in the backcountry. If you’re an experienced hiker, WTS gives you a chance to review, to enhance your skills, and possibly to fill in some gaps.
This course will teach climbing anchor fundamentals that can also be applied to traditional rock, snow, and ice anchors.
GPS Basics Class
Colorado Springs • July 26, 2021 • Free GPS Basics offers students the opportunity to learn how GPS works, how to plan an adventure online, how to move that information to a GPS receiver, and how to use GPS to help with route finding, trip progress, reporting locations in an emergency, and capturing key data for a trip report.
ARCPro Sport Lead Climbing Class
Cañon City • Sept. 11, 2021 $80 members / $50 leaders This two-day class will teach participants the skills needed to safely lead sport climbs, to include setting up a top-rope anchor, cleaning the anchor and rapping or lowering down, along with some more advanced sport climbing skills.
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Upcoming Events Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour
PIKES PEAK GROUP
Virtual Screening now through Oct. 24, 2021 $15 members / $15 nonmembers The World Tour brings films from the annual Banff Mountain Film Festival to hundreds of communities around the globe. From an exploration of remote landscapes and mountain cultures to adrenaline-fueled action sports, films in this year’s tour are sure to captivate and amaze the explorer within you!
Personal Locator Beacons and TwoWay Satellite Communication Devices
Virtual • June 15, 2021 • Free Join us for a discussion of the pros and cons of dedicated search and rescue beacons versus commercial satellite messaging devices such as Spot, InReach, Bivystick, and Somewear.
CMC New & Prospective Member Orientation
Virtual • Five sessions offered between June and November 2021 • Free Learn more about what the CMC does and how awesome it is to be a member. We’ll answer questions you might have in our “Chat” portion of the Zoom meeting.
New Member Hikes
Golden • Seven hikes between June and August, 2021 • Free Whether you are a new or existing member, join us for one or more of our New Member Hikes along the Apex Trail this summer! We will answer new members’ questions about the CMC as well as offer basic trail tips.
Quick Start Schools (QSS)
“Quick Starts” are a series of seminars that highlight topics about recreating in Colorado. They’re a great place to learn something new, or refresh something familiar! Keep an eye out for new QSS offerings on the CMC calendar each month!
In-State Outing 2021
Kebler Pass • Week 1 July 25–30, 2021; Week 2 Aug. 1–6, 2021 $670 members / $755 nonmembers On this five-night excursion you’ll be immersed in the Great Colorado Outdoors and discover an area of our state that is welcoming and pristine. Camp as a group near Kebler Pass and enjoy hiking, biking, fishing, kayaking, and lots of fun evening entertainment together.
Western Slope Group 70th Anniversary Camping & Hiking Summer Outing
Thomas Lakes • Aug. 12–15, 2021 It’s time to celebrate 70 great years of recreating in the Western Slope with a three-day backpacking adventure this August at Thomas Lakes! Contact WSGofCMC@gmail.com for more details.
New England Fall Colors Hut to Hut 2021
New Hampshire • Oct. 2–8, 2021 $999 members / $1,100 nonmembers Come enjoy a week of hut-to-hut hiking in New Hampshire’s White Mountains during peak fall foliage season. This six-night trip will consist of daytime hiking along the famed Appalachian Trail, completing parts of the Franconia Ridge and the Presidential Traverse.
CMC Annual Benefit Gala & Mountain Fest Golden • Sept. 23–26, 2021 Save the date and get excited! We will be hosting our annual Benefit Gala on Thursday, September 23, followed by a weekend of Mountain Fest fun from Friday, September 24 through Sunday, September 26. Look to the CMC website for more details! Bea Slingsby, Sherry Richardson, and Linda Lawson at the 2020 Benefit Gala. }
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Recreate with RIMS
Give back to the land you love with the CMC RIMS mobile app: If you spot a downed tree, trail erosion, trash, or poor signage while you’re out exploring, open the app and submit a quick report so that land managers can address the issue. Learn more and get started at cmc.org/RIMS.
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SUMMIT SOCIETY Supporting the CMC through the Summit Society is the simplest and most effective way to ensure that future generations are able to enjoy Colorado in all its splendor. Join the Summit Society with any gift of $250 or more. Benefits include a CMC trucker hat, festival tickets, Summit Society gear, tickets to the Gala, gift memberships, and even a lifetime membership for yourself! Learn more about the benefit levels at cmc.org/Donate/IndividualGiving/SummitSociety.
710 10th St #200 Golden, CO 80401
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SAVE THE DATE!
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CMC Annual Benefit Gala: September 23, 2021 Mountain Fest: September 24–26, 2021 See cmc.org/Calendar/SignatureEvents for more details!
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