Colorado Mountain Club Blog
By Noah Goold During a global pandemic, life as a Wilderness Trails Advocate was about as ideal as it gets. The daily schedule would often be booked with afternoon storms, downed trees, and many many hills. My days would start … Continued
By Dominic Cavilia, CMC Stewardship Crew Member The crosscut is a unique tool. Seemingly a remnant of days gone, it allows trail personnel to efficiently accomplish goals in wilderness areas that would otherwise be unattainable. In the vein of vinyl … Continued
By CMC Stewardship Crew member Bennett Muraski Our week began early Monday morning in Salida for a briefing on the work plan and to load our crew vehicles. Once we were prepped for the project ahead, we hit the road. … Continued
By Sarah Barringer After working two seasons on the Colorado Mountain Club Stewardship Crew, I was constantly surrounded in beetle kill. Over the course of many hitches, my crew and I cut hundreds of fallen trees on the trail. Our … Continued
Face caked in dirt and glistening from sweat, Sarah turns to me and says “this is the best milkshake I’ve ever had.” She, Dom, and I laugh and let out a synchronized sigh of sweet relief. We have just completed … Continued
Kyrie McCullough discusses a passion for Colorado and its mountains through trail conservation and stewardship.
More than 70 percent of Coloradans oppose public-lands seizure and, in 2016, the State Legislature created the first-ever Colorado Public Lands Day to celebrate these outdoor treasures. We need you to fight for these public lands!
Throughout the season, the Stewardship Team had the opportunity to lead projects in trail maintenance, construction, and restoration. Many long days were filled crosscutting in the Raggeds Wilderness and San Isabel National Forest, monitoring trail conditions on the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail, building dams in the Rio Grande Natural Area, gathering trail-use data for the Salida Ranger District, and installing post-and-cable fencing in Badger Flats to close off unsustainable roads.
The CMC Stewardship Team and the Monte Vista BLM participated on Saturday, Sept. 10 in the 2016 ASU Cares Day, which is a day that Adams State University dedicates to completing various volunteer projects throughout the San Luis Valley.
by Curtis Beutler CMC Stewardship Team Late August is a special time to be in Colorado’s Alpine regions, cool nights and mornings coupled with fairly consistent weather make for ideal conditions for thru hikers and peak baggers alike. Whether it’s … Continued
This fragmentation of wildlife and their migration routes has had a negative impact on the once bountiful elk, mule deer and bighorn sheep populations that once flourished in and around this area. Once an ideal area for hunting, Badger Flats has now been overrun with noise pollution and harmful impacts.
Whenever people ask me what my job is, they usually respond with something along the lines of “Wow! That is so cool that you get to spend so much time in the outdoors! I’m so jealous!” And while it is true that being outside for a majority of the time is a definite plus, my position as a member of the CMC Stewardship Team is much more than that: it includes being outside for 10 hours a day in the hot sun with little shade, working with tools that make you sweat and your muscles sore, and trying to push past the thoughts of “What did I get myself into?!”