A 'Base Camp' to Build On
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News from The Colorado Trail Foundation FALL 2015 A ‘Base Camp’ to Build On The Colorado Trail Foundation has taken some big an ideal location, especially after Adams and his wife, steps to ensure the Trail will be well taken care of far Anne Englert, decided to relocate from Dolores to Salida. into the future. The first was the hiring this spring of Furthermore, most of the CTF’s major projects over the the CTF’s first full-time field operations manager (see next 10-15 years are within proximity of the new base story below). The second was purchasing camp. land in Poncha Springs for a “base camp” to According to consolidate the foundation’s now-scattered Adams, “Plans are still trail building and maintenance equipment in development, but and serve as a base of operations for future the facility will likely projects. include one or more The 50,000-square-foot lot is about two buildings to house the blocks from the intersection of U.S. Highways trail crew equipment 285 and 50, about 13 miles east of Monarch and water trailers, Pass, very close to the midway point on the which are currently Trail between Denver and Durango. The stored outside year CTF board of directors envisions erecting a round, a workshop for storage and maintenance building on the site drying and working on in the coming months. field equipment, storage facilities, and a small office.” “This part of an exciting new chapter for The Colorado “The new field operations truck will also be housed in the Trail Foundation, along with the hiring of Brent Adams building,” he explained. “Other features may be added as “Plans are still in as our new field operations manager,” said Steve Staley, needs are identified.” development, but chairman of the CTF Board of Directors. Cost of the project is expected to total $250,000- the facility will The idea to create a centralized “base camp” gained $300,000. The board hopes to cover most of those costs impetus following the retirement earlier this year of through a fund-raising effort targeting large foundations likely include one longtime volunteer Operations Manager George Miller. and corporate givers. The potential sale of The Colorado or more buildings During his 20-plus-year tenure, Miller maintained Trail Foundation cabin near Lake City (see story on page to house the trail and stored some of the equipment, including trailers 3) may also help in covering the added expenses. containing the tools, kitchen tents, stoves and utensils, “The foundation is fortunate to have the solid financial crew equipment and other items needed to provision summer trail crews, footing necessary to make this land purchase possible,” and water trailers, at his home in Manitou Springs. The rest was kept at Staley said. “That’s thanks to hundreds of small annual other locations, often creating logistical problems in donors, a few large contributors, and a carefully managed which are currently shuttling equipment to and from crew work sites along investment portfolio. Most of all, though, it’s due to stored outside year the Trail. our many, many volunteers who enable us to keep our round, a workshop The Poncha Springs site, just outside Salida, proved operating costs low. Our thanks to all of them.” for drying and working on field equipment, storage facilities, and a A HOLIDAY HIT It may be a little early to start celebrating the holidays, but it’s not too early to mark your calendar for this year’s Colorado Trail Holiday Reception on small office.” Thursday, Dec. 3. Last year’s event drew a record 340 guests, including both longtime and new friends of the CT. Please join us between 4:00-7:00 p.m. at the American Mountaineering Center in Golden and enjoy the wine, beer, food, slideshow, prizes and, best of all, the camaraderie. Invitations will be forthcoming soon. See you there. Tread Lines is the newsletter of The Colorado Trail Foundation. It is published twice a year. The Colorado Trail® is 567 miles long Executive Director’s in the Rocky Mountains between Denver and Update Durango. It has been described as one of the we’ve alternated publishing the two books, each best trails anywhere, one of the most scenic and among the best maintained. The Trail is disagreeing with the other in some fashion. For instance, a favorite of enthusiasts who hike, mountain the 5th edition of the Databook, which came out in bike and ride horseback. The Colorado Trail Foundation is a 501(c)(3) 2013, contains the Collegiate West route as it stood at nonprofit corporation funded almost entirely that time. The 8th edition of the Guidebook, which was by private sector individuals and companies. Our mission is to keep The Colorado Trail in published in 2011, does not. good condition, maintaining and improving it with the help of many volunteers. We recruit Furthermore, even as the current Databook was being and train volunteers, provide leadership, published, it was already out of date. The following year organize The Colorado Trail (“CT”) work crews, supply and support the crews, and 23 miles of new trail in the Collegiate West were opened manage the Adopt-A-Trail program to to users, moving those miles off road – and rendering accomplish annual maintenance on the entire It’s always a big deal when The Colorado Trail Trail. We also conduct week-long supported useless the descriptions of those miles in the Databook. Foundation and its publisher, the Colorado treks on the CT and distribute information As we prepare the new publication, trail crews about The Colorado Trail and Trail Crews. Mountain Club Press, put out a new Colorado Trail We work in cooperation with public agencies are in the process of moving more trail off roads and Guidebook or Databook, as we plan to do in time for and acknowledge great support from the U.S. motorcycle trails. Do we include the new routes in Forest Service, Department of Agriculture, the next trail season. Rocky Mountain Region. Donations are anticipation that they will be open by the time the books needed, much appreciated and tax deductible. But this go-round it’s even more significant because are published, or do we leave in the current alignments, Non-profit ID #84-1057336. for the first time both the officialGuidebook and which we know are open? That’s just one of dozens of Databook will be published in the same year and be decisions that have to be made to improve clarity and Board of Directors: totally aligned with each other. Steve Staley, Centennial, minimize confusion. Chairman The map of The Colorado Trail is constantly Jerry Brown, Durango, It’s a never-ending quest, but we know that when the changing. New single-track is built to move the trail off Vice Chair new books come out, they will be the most up-to-date Carol Foster, Estes Park, road and motor routes. Existing tread is realigned for Treasurer and accurate as possible. We’re also making refinements various reasons, causing waypoints to shift and maps Tim Burroughs, Lakewood to the elevation profiles and campsite information that Secretary to become outdated. Improvements in GPS and other Diana Bristol, Bayfield users find so handy. Bill Cartwright, Durango mapping devices require tweaks to current descriptions. Meanwhile, other CTF publications are also being Dan Cohen, Golden Most dramatically, new trail is added – as the CTF did Bob Hoban, Evergreen brought up to date, including the CT Mapbook, the George Miller, Manitou Springs in 2013, when it added 80 miles of the Continental Collegiate Loop Map Book and the Colorado Trail Hiker Mal Sillars, Buena Vista Divide National Scenic Trail on the west side of the Steve Stadler, Colorado Springs phone apps. Blake Welch, Louisville Collegiate Range to the official CT route. Now known as Each will be available in time to plan your 2016 the Collegiate West, the route features some of the most Gudy Gaskill, Golden, Colorado Trail adventure, though specific dates are still President Emeritus spectacular terrain on the entire CT. And in conjunction elusive. The excitement is building. Staff: with the original trail on the east side of the Collegiates, Executive Director: Bill Manning now called the Collegiate East, it forms a 160-mile loop WooHoo!! Office Manager: Victoria Klinger that has become a premier multi-day backpack. Tread Lines: But with every trail change, the current Guidebook Content: Tim Burroughs Design: WelchCreativeGroup.com and Databook become more outdated. In the past, BE CLASSY, BUY COASTERS You know that set of four Colorado Trail pint glasses you bought last year from the CTF’s online store to impress your friends and family? Well, you wouldn’t want to leave 710 10th St., Room 210 a ring behind while enjoying your favorite quaff, would you? Of course not – CT users are much too Golden, CO 80401 civilized for that. Phone: 303-384-3729 The solution – also now available at the online store – is a set of hand-stitched leather coasters (24-hour voice mail) bearing the CT logo. A set of four, enclosed in a reusable, muslin drawstring bag, is available for Email: [email protected] www.ColoradoTrail.org $19.95. Proceeds go to support The Colorado Trail. Other commemorative items, as well as guidebooks, tools, T-shirts, hats, and other items, can be found at ColoradoTrail.org. Click on CT Store on the left side of the home page. Meet Field Operations Manager BRENT ADAMS Facing the impending retirement of longtime volunteer on the trail as much operations manager George Miller, The Colorado Trail as possible, meeting Foundation knew it had some big shoes to fill.