2013 Archive Stories

CHAFEE COUNTY - This rapid is called "Canyon Doors." River features were named ages ago by the thrill seekers who first ran them, with a touch of practicality and a touch of humor. On this stretch of the Arkansas River, you'll pass rapids named "Widowmaker," "Raft Ripper" and "The Graveyard." The imaginative river rat likes to thi

Kit Carson Peak is named for the famous explorer, guide and scout Christopher "Kit" Carson. Carson, who helped map out large portions of the Western United States, has a controversial reputation. He was a strong advocate for Native Americans and their rights. However as an officer in the Army, he carried out many violent acts agai

Combine short stretches on three trails to make a loop just west of Colorado Springs that makes a great spring and early summer jaunt, with seclusion and rocky outcroppings with fine views. To get there Turn left (south) onto 26th Street from U.S. Highway 24. Drive the winding hill to a four-way stop at Lower Gold Camp Roa

You live in Colorado - a state known for its collection of 14,000-foot peaks. Now is the perfect time to begin preparations for climbing one. Plenty of snow remains in the mountains, but it's melting quickly. If you take some easy steps now, you'll be ready when the trails dry. Your first order of business is picking a mountain a

DECKERS - On a drizzly May afternoon, I hurled the gaudy streamer through the air, 50 feet across the river, with the help of an 11-foot, two-handed fly rod. This wasn't a steelhead run in the Pacific Northwest. This was our very own South Platte River. Two-handed switch rods on the Platte? Isn't that against the r

Huron Peak is the mountain I most often recommend as a first fourteener. It's not the shortest or the easiest with a route that is just less than 7 miles and an elevation gain of 3,500 feet. The trail is

Humboldt Peak is the easiest fourteener in the Sangre de Cristo Range. Technically, Culebra Peak is easier, but you have to part with $100 to hike Culebra, and that makes it harder in my mind. A great first climb in the area, Humboldt offers a chance to scope out some of the more difficult peaks in Colorado. The route passes Sout

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s Run to the Shrine attracted nearly 1,200 people this year, and the race offered a few surprises for everyone, from a slight change in the course, to a young child who more than held her own. The run to the Will Rogers Shrine spans nearly 1,400 feet in elevation, and Saturday morning participants were enthusi

Whether you prefer your exhilaration on two wheels or on white water, June is a great time to visit Chaffee County for two of the region’s larger festivals for outdoors lovers. For its 15th year, the Buena Vista Bike Fest was moved back two weeks, to June 1, after bad weather the past three years. Sponsored by the Colorado Springs

Mount of the Holy Cross is named for a prominent feature on its eastern face. A large couloir runs through the center of this face and about three-quarters of the way up is a large horizontal ledge. From the right location — and in the right snow conditions — you can see a 1,000-foot cross of snow. Unfortunately, this view is

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — Bees stung five hikers on a trail heading into a Catalina Mountains wilderness area over the weekend, including a 6-year-old boy who was hospitalized after showing symptoms of shock. Four men were stung more than 150 times, and the boy was stung more than 100 times du

CASCADE LOCKS, Ore. (AP) — Bill Hawley of Washougal started the field session of his class on water crossings at the Columbia Cascades Trail Skills College with an introduction of the tools and a safety chat. Hawley picked up a six-tined rake, of sorts, called a "McLeod." Rule No. 1: Put the McLeod a safe distance aw

The first team that surveyed this mountain consisted almost entirely of Harvard professors and Harvard students. They chose the name in honor of their school, starting a tradition that would result in the Collegiate Peaks. Falling only 13 feet short of Mount Elbert and a mere 12 inches shy of Mount Massive, Harvard is the state’s t

Adah Bakalinsky says there are more than 650 public stairways in San Francisco. She knows because she's climbed them all, except the newest ones. And at age 90, she still climbs them with friends. "At the spur of the moment we might decide to walk, to check out something interesting about an area. It's a way of being in touch with

BROOMFIELD — Vail Resorts Inc. is adding Arlberg, Austria, to the list of places where holders of its Epic Pass can ski. The company says that thanks to a new partnership, its Epic Pass next season will include five consecutive days of access to the mountains of Arlberg. It previously said the pass would include five days at

CRESTED BUTTE — The calendar says it's spring, but it's still snowing in parts of the Colorado mountains. The Colorado Avalanche Information Center reported 6 inches of snow in the past 24 hours in Gunnison County near Gothic on Tuesday morning. The National Weather Service has issued a "winter" storm warning for Wed

SANTA ANA, Calif. — Two teen hikers lost for days in a California forest might have to pay for part or all of the $160,000 search after a small amount of drugs was found in their car, authorities said. Officials initially said Nicolas Cendoya, 19, and Kyndall Jack, 18, wouldn't be responsible. But Cendoya was charged this we

Pikes Peak is much more than a 14,115-foot heap of uplifted granite. While appearing monolithic from a patio in town, it's an amazingly complex mountain, with long sloping valleys, pine-studded hills, forbidding cliffs, hidden hollows and miles of wind-swept tundra and rocky spires, with views from the 'purple mountain majesties '

GRAND JUNCTION — The public has until May 29 to comment on a proposed land trade involving the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and Limited Brands Inc. founder Leslie Wexner. The proposal would let Wexner acquire about 1,200 acres dividing his 4,700-acre Two Shoes Ranch near Carbondale, with the newly acquired land subject to

NEW YORK — Monster Beverage is suing San Francisco's city attorney over demands that the company reduce the amount of caffeine in its energy drinks and stop marketing to minors. The company, based in Corona, Calif., says it's being unfairly singled out by City Attorney Dennis Herrera, who late last year had asked Monster to

GLENWOOD SPRINGS - The Glenwood Canyon bike and recreation path reopened on Friday for the season, nearly a month later than last year, after its usual wintertime closure. Last spring, the Colorado Department of T

PUEBLO — Whitewater rafters on the Arkansas River should have a good season due to plenty of water in the high country, even though southern Colorado is dealing with drought. According to KRDO-TV (http://tinyurl.com/d6nc8hx ), guides began their rafting season two weeks ago. Rafters a