A 58-year-old man from Grand Forks, North Dakota, spent an unplanned night in the backcountry of Rocky Mountain National Park after he became lost over the weekend while hiking. He was found in deep snow approximately 300 yards off the North Longs Peak Trail, south of Alberta Falls. It was extremely fortunate that he was discovered on the morning of January 21st by two visitors who were skiing in the drainage.
Park rangers reached the man and provided advanced medical care. He was suffering from hypothermia and additional injuries related to exposure. He was evacuated via a toboggan litter to Glacier Gorge Trailhead where he was taken by an Estes Park Medical Center ambulance to the Park and Ride area along Bear Lake Road. He was then flown by Flight For Life to University of Colorado Hospital.
Rocky Mountain National Park’s Search and Rescue team was assisted by Larimer County Search and Rescue in the carry-out operation. Over fifteen people were involved in the rescue operation.
Jeff
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com
TetonHikingTrails.com
HikinginGlacier.com
HikingintheSmokys.com
Tuesday, January 24, 2017
Thursday, January 19, 2017
Take a Tour of Glacier National Park on an Historic Red Bus
Modern day visitors to Glacier National Park can step back in time by taking a tour of the park on one of the historic Red Buses. These historic open-air buses have been taking visitors through the park since 1936, and are widely considered to be the oldest fleet of touring vehicles anywhere. While the historic Going-to-the-Sun Road travels across precipitous cliffs and hair-pin turns, the Red Buses allow visitors to soak in Glacier's magnificent scenery - instead of worrying about having to keep their cars on the road.
In this short video below, Finley-Holiday Films gives you an idea of what it's like to cruise through the park in one of these wonderful old vehicles:
In addition to cruising the Going-to-the-Sun Road, one of the best ways to see Glacier National Park is to take a hike along one of the many hiking trails that meander throughout the park. Prospective visitors may also want to note that our hiking website also offers a wide variety of accommodation listings and other things to do to help with all your vacation planning.
Jeff
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com
TetonHikingTrails.com
HikinginGlacier.com
HikingintheSmokys.com
In this short video below, Finley-Holiday Films gives you an idea of what it's like to cruise through the park in one of these wonderful old vehicles:
In addition to cruising the Going-to-the-Sun Road, one of the best ways to see Glacier National Park is to take a hike along one of the many hiking trails that meander throughout the park. Prospective visitors may also want to note that our hiking website also offers a wide variety of accommodation listings and other things to do to help with all your vacation planning.
Jeff
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com
TetonHikingTrails.com
HikinginGlacier.com
HikingintheSmokys.com
Friday, January 13, 2017
Forest Service finalizes Magnolia Trails decision
The U.S. Forest Service has released its final decision for the Magnolia Non-Motorized Trails Project.
The decision finalizes all elements in the draft decision, including a 44-mile, non-motorized trail system across about 6,000 acres branching out from the Peak to Peak Highway in areas known as East Magnolia and West Magnolia. Currently there are about 60 miles of trail on the ground in that area, including 14 miles of National Forest system trails and about 46 miles of non-system or “user-created” trails.
The project includes building new trail, adding some user-created trails to the system and obliterating all other user-created routes. A total of 29 miles of user-created trails identified in the final decision will be obliterated following this decision, as well as any additional user-created routes found during project implementation.
“The decision allows the Forest Service to optimize trail experiences to meet user demand,” said district recreation manager Matt Henry. “As the Front Range population continues to increase, people are going to seek places to recreate. By providing a sustainable, accessible and well-connected trail system, we can get ahead of that trend, and better protect wildlife and the environment in the process.“
The decision allows for new signage to help keep visitors on the system trails; improved trailheads –including bathrooms and expanded parking at West Magnolia and Front Range trailheads – and facilities for horse trailers at West Magnolia Trailhead.
The decision eliminates snowmobiles in the project area and restricts bikes and horses to designated trails. It also provides an opportunity to groom non-motorized trails in winter for Nordic skiing and fat tire biking – a sport that has seen a remarkable increase in popularity in recent years.
The decision also facilitates access from the trail system to the community of Nederland through connecting trails that don’t currently exist, allowing trail users to easily visit businesses downtown.
Other regional trail connections outlined in the decision include connecting the Magnolia Trail System to the Toll Conservation Easement Trail to Jenny Creek Trail, which would allow non-motorized connection all the way to the Continental Divide on trails; and providing connectivity to Boulder County Open Space’s Reynolds Ranch as that trail system develops over time. However, this decision applies to management on National Forest lands only.
The Forest Service’s regional office reviewed 17 objection letters over the past month, which highlighted concerns over wildlife, law enforcement, camping, trash, monitoring, social trails and funding. The review team found that both the analysis and decision are consistent with Forest Service regulation, policy and law.
“I realize not all people will like all components of my decision,” said District Ranger Sylvia Clark. “This is why I have included a collaborative approach to trail layout in the design criteria, utilizing input from user groups, landowners and other agencies. In this way, we will be able to design great trails for recreation while taking into account landowner needs and wildlife concerns. Furthermore, an adaptive management approach written into the decision allows us to adjust the system based on social and environmental concerns as they arise in the future.”
The project will be implemented in phases over the next 5-10 years by working with partners on both fundraising and implementation, starting on the West Magnolia side of the Peak to Peak Highway.
The final decision, maps and final environmental assessment are available online at www.fs.usda.gov/goto/arp/MagnoliaTrails. This web page will be updated as implementation progresses over the coming years.
Jeff
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com
TetonHikingTrails.com
HikinginGlacier.com
HikingintheSmokys.com
The decision finalizes all elements in the draft decision, including a 44-mile, non-motorized trail system across about 6,000 acres branching out from the Peak to Peak Highway in areas known as East Magnolia and West Magnolia. Currently there are about 60 miles of trail on the ground in that area, including 14 miles of National Forest system trails and about 46 miles of non-system or “user-created” trails.
The project includes building new trail, adding some user-created trails to the system and obliterating all other user-created routes. A total of 29 miles of user-created trails identified in the final decision will be obliterated following this decision, as well as any additional user-created routes found during project implementation.
“The decision allows the Forest Service to optimize trail experiences to meet user demand,” said district recreation manager Matt Henry. “As the Front Range population continues to increase, people are going to seek places to recreate. By providing a sustainable, accessible and well-connected trail system, we can get ahead of that trend, and better protect wildlife and the environment in the process.“
The decision allows for new signage to help keep visitors on the system trails; improved trailheads –including bathrooms and expanded parking at West Magnolia and Front Range trailheads – and facilities for horse trailers at West Magnolia Trailhead.
The decision eliminates snowmobiles in the project area and restricts bikes and horses to designated trails. It also provides an opportunity to groom non-motorized trails in winter for Nordic skiing and fat tire biking – a sport that has seen a remarkable increase in popularity in recent years.
The decision also facilitates access from the trail system to the community of Nederland through connecting trails that don’t currently exist, allowing trail users to easily visit businesses downtown.
Other regional trail connections outlined in the decision include connecting the Magnolia Trail System to the Toll Conservation Easement Trail to Jenny Creek Trail, which would allow non-motorized connection all the way to the Continental Divide on trails; and providing connectivity to Boulder County Open Space’s Reynolds Ranch as that trail system develops over time. However, this decision applies to management on National Forest lands only.
The Forest Service’s regional office reviewed 17 objection letters over the past month, which highlighted concerns over wildlife, law enforcement, camping, trash, monitoring, social trails and funding. The review team found that both the analysis and decision are consistent with Forest Service regulation, policy and law.
“I realize not all people will like all components of my decision,” said District Ranger Sylvia Clark. “This is why I have included a collaborative approach to trail layout in the design criteria, utilizing input from user groups, landowners and other agencies. In this way, we will be able to design great trails for recreation while taking into account landowner needs and wildlife concerns. Furthermore, an adaptive management approach written into the decision allows us to adjust the system based on social and environmental concerns as they arise in the future.”
The project will be implemented in phases over the next 5-10 years by working with partners on both fundraising and implementation, starting on the West Magnolia side of the Peak to Peak Highway.
The final decision, maps and final environmental assessment are available online at www.fs.usda.gov/goto/arp/MagnoliaTrails. This web page will be updated as implementation progresses over the coming years.
Jeff
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com
TetonHikingTrails.com
HikinginGlacier.com
HikingintheSmokys.com
Tuesday, January 10, 2017
Lynx Made Famous on Facebook Found Dead at Purgatory
A lynx that was spotted walking across a ski slope two weeks ago at the Purgatory Ski Resort in southwest Colorado was found dead at the area on Sunday.
Purgatory ski patrol members found the animal on a ski slope on the west side of the resort in the Chairlift 8 area. Colorado Parks and Wildlife has retrieved the carcass and it will be sent to the agency’s lab in Fort Collins for a necropsy – the animal equivalent of an autopsy.
A video of the animal walking slowly across a ski run was viewed nearly a million times on social media.
CPW’s veterinarians will do a complete evaluation of the animal. It will include an examination of stomach contents, a check for parasites and injuries, an assessment of its internal organs, and blood tests. Results might not be known for a few weeks. A cursory examination of the carcass by wildlife managers in Durango showed the lynx to be emaciated.
The image of the animal sauntering calmly among skiers and snowboarders drew the attention of CPW biologists. Sightings of lynx are fairly common during the winter, said Scott Wait, senior terrestrial biologist for CPW’s southwest region. But after several Facebook videos appeared showing similar sightings of the animal he became concerned.
“The first time I saw it I wasn’t entirely surprised because we do get a lot of reports of lynx sightings,” Wait said. “But after I saw three more videos of the same animal behaving the same way in the same area I figured that something was wrong with the cat. Wild animals die of various causes just like people do.”
Two lynx, a mother and a kitten, were photographed on nearby Molas Pass a week before the sighting at the ski area. Those animals walked calmly along the road as a motorist took photographs.
“We don’t want people to think that a lynx is sick every time they see one,” Wait said. “Lynx are doing well in Colorado, but face the same challenges all wildlife does.”
In 1999, the Colorado Division of Wildlife started a lynx reintroduction program. A total of 218 lynx were transplanted from Canada and Alaska over the next seven years. Since then, multiple generations of lynx have been born. Surveys by CPW biologist show that the population of the large felines is stable.
At this point there's still no word as to whether the lynx is still in Purgatory, or has actually gone straight to Hell or Heaven....
Jeff
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com
TetonHikingTrails.com
HikinginGlacier.com
HikingintheSmokys.com
Purgatory ski patrol members found the animal on a ski slope on the west side of the resort in the Chairlift 8 area. Colorado Parks and Wildlife has retrieved the carcass and it will be sent to the agency’s lab in Fort Collins for a necropsy – the animal equivalent of an autopsy.
A video of the animal walking slowly across a ski run was viewed nearly a million times on social media.
CPW’s veterinarians will do a complete evaluation of the animal. It will include an examination of stomach contents, a check for parasites and injuries, an assessment of its internal organs, and blood tests. Results might not be known for a few weeks. A cursory examination of the carcass by wildlife managers in Durango showed the lynx to be emaciated.
The image of the animal sauntering calmly among skiers and snowboarders drew the attention of CPW biologists. Sightings of lynx are fairly common during the winter, said Scott Wait, senior terrestrial biologist for CPW’s southwest region. But after several Facebook videos appeared showing similar sightings of the animal he became concerned.
“The first time I saw it I wasn’t entirely surprised because we do get a lot of reports of lynx sightings,” Wait said. “But after I saw three more videos of the same animal behaving the same way in the same area I figured that something was wrong with the cat. Wild animals die of various causes just like people do.”
Two lynx, a mother and a kitten, were photographed on nearby Molas Pass a week before the sighting at the ski area. Those animals walked calmly along the road as a motorist took photographs.
“We don’t want people to think that a lynx is sick every time they see one,” Wait said. “Lynx are doing well in Colorado, but face the same challenges all wildlife does.”
In 1999, the Colorado Division of Wildlife started a lynx reintroduction program. A total of 218 lynx were transplanted from Canada and Alaska over the next seven years. Since then, multiple generations of lynx have been born. Surveys by CPW biologist show that the population of the large felines is stable.
At this point there's still no word as to whether the lynx is still in Purgatory, or has actually gone straight to Hell or Heaven....
Jeff
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com
TetonHikingTrails.com
HikinginGlacier.com
HikingintheSmokys.com
Friday, January 6, 2017
Mesa Verde Offers Free Guided Hike January 21
Park Rangers will be leading a guided hike focusing on winter survival strategies used by the Ancestral Pueblo people at Mesa Verde on Saturday, January 21, beginning at 11 a.m. The guided hike is free, but advance sign-up is required. Children should be at least 7 years old to join the hike. Participants will meet at the Chapin Mesa Archeological Museum, and then take part in a guided walk of approximately 3/4 of a mile. Be prepared to be outdoors for 2 to 3 hours with extra layers of clothing and water. There is a limit of 20 people.
To sign up for the hike, for weather conditions, and for more information on the hike, please call the Chapin Mesa Archeological Museum at 970-529-4631. The Chapin Mesa Archeological Museum is approximately a 45 minute drive from the park entrance.
More information and other upcoming hikes can be found at http://go.nps.gov/mvwgh.
Jeff
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com
TetonHikingTrails.com
HikinginGlacier.com
HikingintheSmokys.com
To sign up for the hike, for weather conditions, and for more information on the hike, please call the Chapin Mesa Archeological Museum at 970-529-4631. The Chapin Mesa Archeological Museum is approximately a 45 minute drive from the park entrance.
More information and other upcoming hikes can be found at http://go.nps.gov/mvwgh.
Jeff
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com
TetonHikingTrails.com
HikinginGlacier.com
HikingintheSmokys.com
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