Work on the trail to the summit of Mount Columbia, long considered one of the more miserable climbs in Coloradoâs repertoire of fourteeners, is nearly complete after five seasons of work, but for the time being the Colorado Fourteeners Initiative will be moving on to other projects.
âYou come up through Horn Fork Basin, you take a right as you start getting to the base of Columbia and you go through a talus field, and thatâs really where our work started,â said Lloyd Athearn, CFI executive director. âThatâs where the old social trail used to go straight up the mountain. You were going through this loose scree-filled nightmare that was horrible for hikers and also threatened some rare and sensitive plants that are in that area.â
Work on the trail to the summit of Mount Columbia, long considered one of the more miserable climbs in Coloradoâs repertoire of fourteeners, is nearly complete after five seasons of work, but for the time being the Colorado Fourteeners Initiative will be moving on to other projects.
âYou come up through Horn Fork Basin, you take a right as you start getting to the base of Columbia and you go through a talus field, and thatâs really where our work started,â said Lloyd Athearn, CFI executive director. âThatâs where the old social trail used to go straight up the mountain. You were going through this loose scree-filled nightmare that was horrible for hikers and also threatened some rare and sensitive plants that are in that area.â
Road trip loop: Soak in Colorado s best hot springs
Plan a healthy (and hot) road trip itinerary across Colorado Advertisement
Note from 10Best: Check with individual businesses and attractions before going, because of sporadic closures due to COVID-19.
Colorado is famous for its snow, but what many visitors may not realize is it’s also one of the best places in the world to get hot-hot-hot. Colorado is home to dozens of naturally occurring hot springs pools. These thermal waters bubble up throughout the mountains in western Colorado and are packed with healthy minerals.
A hot springs road trip is not just indulgent and scenic, but it’s also great for your health. Hot springs lovers may be familiar with the simple Colorado hot springs loop (between Buena Vista, Pagosa Springs, Steamboat Springs and Glenwood Springs), but it stops short of some of the best gems in southern Colorado.
A new special projects forester with extensive knowledge of forest ecosystems is now stationed in the Salida Field Office of the Colorado State Forest Service.Â
The new forester, Colorado resident Mercedes Siegle-Gaither, will support the local Chaffee Treats program in its goal of reducing fire risk across Chaffee County.Â
Through this program, Siegle-Gaitherâs primary focus will be helping private landowners navigate the forest management process.
âI canât wait to get involved with the community and local forests to increase stewardship in the area. We have such amazing forests here in the Upper Arkansas Valley of Colorado,â Siegle-Gaither said. âI feel that taking care of our forest ecosystems is something we can all be a part of. Healthy forests mean healthy communities.â
Hyoung Chang, The Denver Post
and is republished here by permission.
David Kelly has lived his whole life in Colorado’s Upper Arkansas River Valley, where his family has ranched since 1952. The community is committed to helping him and other ranchers there because of the benefits their lands produce for everyone.
Kelly’s ranch, about three miles south of Buena Vista, is one of nine enrolled in a 1-year-old program that pays people to not develop their land or sell their water rights. Chaffee County voters approved a sales tax increase of 0.25% in 2018 to address forest health, the impacts of growth and support working ranches, farms and rural landscapes.