Trail Ridge Road and Old Fall River Road are Closed

Rocky Mountain National Park just posted this on their Twitter account:

Rangers are beginning to close Trail Ridge Road and Old Fall River Road due to ice and snow accumulation near Rock Cut (elevation 12,110 ft) Closures on Trail Ridge Road will be Many Parks Curve on the east side and Colorado River Trailhead on the west side.

Jeff
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Structural Fire At Glacier Creek Stables

Last week a structural fire was reported at the Glacier Creek Stables in Rocky Mountain National Park near Sprague Lake. Park rangers and interagency firefighting resources arrived on scene to find a large two-story metal hay barn burning. As structural firefighting resources battled the fire in the barn, park wildland fire resources laid hose downwind to help prevent a wildland fire in case embers were blown into the surrounding vegetation. Previous thinning and fire mitigation efforts have taken place in this area.

The metal building kept the fire contained and lessened the likelihood of the fire spreading to the surrounding wildland area. Thousands of gallons of water have been used. As the hay and building continued to burn, excavators pulled the building down to assist in extinguishing the fire. .

Bear Lake Road inbound traffic was temporarily closed for approximately three hours for emergency vehicle traffic. Bear Lake Road reopened at 7 p.m. but the access road to Sprague Lake remains closed.

Interagency resources from Estes Valley Fire Protection District, Allenspark Fire Protection District, Loveland Fire Rescue Authority, Glen Haven Area Volunteer Fire Department, Pinewood Springs Fire Protection District, US Forest Service and Big Elk Meadows Volunteer Fire Department were involved with the firefighting efforts.

There were no personal injuries and no horses were harmed. The cause of the fire is under investigation.


Jeff
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Annual Elk Fest in Estes Park is next weekend

To celebrate the annual elk rut and learn about the "wapiti," the Native American name for elk, the city of Estes Park will be hosting the annual Elk Fest next weekend, Oct. 2-3.

Elk Fest offers visitors a chance to safely view elk during the rutting season in the wild, as well as expand their knowledge of elk and its habitat.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife will have a booth to promote the message of how to view wildlife responsibly, will have a kids craft table, general showcases on elk and hunting information from CPW’s hunter outreach program.

Held in Bond Park, located in downtown Estes Park, the free festival will offer:

• Bugling competitions
• Elk exhibits and seminars
• Elk-inspired arts and crafts
• Education areas
• The Rocky Mountain Raptor Program
• Native American music
• Dancing and storytelling
• Children's area with elk-themed activities
• Craft beer garden

Vendors will display artwork, handmade elk-ivory jewelry and will offer distinctive elk cuisine. Mountain men from around the country will gather at the Mountain Man Rendezvous to sell their wares and demonstrate their skills.

Please note: due to ongoing COVID-19 restrictions, all events are subject to change. For a complete schedule of events, please click here.


Jeff
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com
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Who was Grandma Gatewood?

In 1955, after raising 11 children, Emma "Grandma" Gatewood became the first woman to solo thru-hike the Appalachian Trail - at the tender age of 67!  In September of that year, having survived a rattlesnake strike, two hurricanes, and a run-in with gangsters from Harlem, she stood atop Maine’s Mount Katahdin.

Then, in 1960, she hiked it again, becoming the first person to hike the Appalachian Trail twice. And, just to prove those first two weren't a fluke, she hiked it again in 1963 - at the age of 75! After that third adventure Emma became the first person to hike the 2,179-mile trail on three different occasions.

So who exactly was Grandma Gatewood? This short video, a trailer from a documentary film project called "Trail Magic", gives a few insights into Emma Gatewood's life, tribulations & achievements (you can also read her official biography):




Jeff
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U.S. Forest Service to close area around Williams Gulch, Sept. 13-17

Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) will be conducting a non-native fish removal project from Sept. 13-17 in the area around Williams Gulch on U.S. Forest Service (USFS) land. The USFS will be temporarily closing the area around Williams Gulch, located just north of Rocky Mountain N.P., to all uses as a result of the project. In addition to National Forest System lands, a small portion of CPW’s Bliss State Wildlife Area along Williams Gulch will also be impacted and have restricted use as a result of the project.

CPW is conducting the project to reintroduce greenback cutthroat trout to Williams Gulch, located on the Roosevelt National Forest in Larimer County. The removal of non-native species is being done in preparation for the reintroduction of greenback cutthroat trout to the creek. The greenback cutthroat trout is Colorado's State Fish and is listed as "Threatened" under the Endangered Species Act.

Williams Gulch was originally stocked with cutthroat trout in 1996. However, those cutthroat trout were not pure greenback cutthroat trout, which are the native trout to the South Platte River basin. For the re-establishment of pure greenbacks to succeed, all other cutthroat trout currently in the stream population must be removed. This removal is done using rotenone, an EPA-approved organic compound used for decades to control fish populations.

As part of the reintroduction project, the USFS will keep the area around Williams Gulch closed (from Sept. 13-17) for public health and safety during the non-native fish removal activities. The project area includes portions of Forest System Roads 319 (Green Ridge Road) and 177 (Green Ridge Cutoff), closing them to all uses.

After fish are successfully removed from the stream, pure greenback cutthroat trout will be stocked. In the end, this project will result in 2.5 miles of new greenback cutthroat trout habitat.


Jeff
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com
HikinginGlacier.com
TetonHikingTrails.com

Ramble On: A History of Hiking
Exploring Glacier National Park
Exploring Grand Teton National Park