Category Archives: Wilderness

Wilderness and Access

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Hikers enjoying lunch in the Hoosier Ridge proposed wilderness.

I recently led a hike into the Hoosier Ridge proposed wilderness area near Breckenridge. It was an amazing hike into a beautiful area with abundant wildflowers, sweeping vistas and enchanting forests. But that’s not what I want to write about. I want to write about the hike participant who only had one leg. John Evans was a very nice fellow from Wales. He was in Breckenridge on vacation, saw our hike announcement in the local newspaper and thought it would be a great excursion for his family. When I asked the group: “Does anyone have any health conditions I should be aware of?” Mr. Evans piped up and said, “I only have one leg.” I had not noticed until then, and honestly probably would not have. He wore a prosthetic and wore it well. I came to find out that his daughter had never been on a hike before and he had done very little hiking himself, but both were excited to try it. Hoosier Ridge did not disappoint. We all (there were 10 of us total in the group) hiked through the meadows and forests, chatting all the way. Mr. Evans borrowed a walking pole from another hiker and did just fine.

In contrast, if you read the rhetoric from folks who oppose wilderness, typically dirt bike and all-terrain vehicle (ATV) enthusiasts, they will say over and over that wilderness areas block access to people with disabilities, the elderly and veterans. Now go visit the AARP (American Association of Retired Persons), American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) or the American Legion websites and see what they think about wilderness. I’ll save you the trouble — it’s not on their radar. Nevertheless, the ATV and dirt bike message about access is one of the biggest arguments we encounter about wilderness.

So why aren’t the AARP, AAPD and American Legion complaining about wilderness? Probably because their memberships are much like the general population. Most Americans love wilderness and want more of it protected. And they realize the value of having wilderness even if they themselves can’t or don’t visit it via foot, wheelchair or horseback. Many years ago when I was working on protecting Browns Canyon I met with an older man who was in a wheel chair and had various tubes going in and out. This gentleman was a strong wilderness supporter even though he was pretty much confined to his home. He supported wilderness because it gave him peace knowing that there are wild places out there and he wanted his grandchildren to be able to know those places.
Google “veterans wilderness” or “disabled wilderness” and you can find plenty of organizations and groups that are using experiences in wilderness to help our fine service men and women re-enter civilian life and organizations that facilitate wilderness trips for persons with disabilities.

Wilderness does not prevent access; wilderness areas are open to all. And the idea of wilderness can inspire us for our entire lives even if we personally are unable to set foot there. So the next time you hear someone say “Wilderness blocks access for the . . . “ tell them “No, we ALL need wilderness to recover, inspire, challenge and quiet ourselves!”

The Continuing Story of the Forbidden Dance

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When we left the lek—the grouse were dancing joyfully and then a beautiful predator crashed the party. The dancers were hunkered down awaiting their fate. Party guests were tense watching to learn if a dancer would die……

Female Harrier flying over and checking out male Greater Sage Grouse on lek in NW Colorado. By Todd Patrick

The beautiful yet menacing hawk stretched her wings wide, tilting them to slow her flight, seeming to hover a foot from the ground. She flexed her sharp talons, brushing her lethal weapons lightly through the feathers of the largest male grouse teasing him with her power, strength and beauty.

Hawk & Grouse by Todd Patrick

The grouse seemed to shudder or was that just the breeze in his full coat of feathers?

Then, seeing nothing she wished to take, the hawk lifted her wings and soared fast and true through the big bright blue sky.

A sigh went up from the crowd. The grouse couples arose with new life and commenced to shake their tail feathers as if in triumph. Yet, the moment of peace was brief as in one corner of the dance “floor” a scuffle ensued.

Two males drunk on survival, squared off, eying each other like prize fighters. They circled one another looking for weakness. Ducking and weaving, jabbing, with a right hook here and faint there.

Male Grouse Face-Off at the Lek By Todd Patrick

The tension mounted as the insults began to fly back and forth between the two cocky birds. Such fights often ended in blood-shed. Would the grouse survive the hawk only to be lethally injured in a dance room brawl?

Male Grouse Circling before a Fight. By Todd Patrick

Find out in the final installment of….The Forbidden Dance….

“The Forbidden Dance” is an extended metaphor with blatantly anthropomorphic perspectives of some of the events experienced during the 2012 Grouse Viewing Trips as recounted by CEC’s Northwest Organizer, head grouse wrangler, and abuser of metaphors Sasha Nelson. Her professors are seriously considering confiscation of her advanced degree in animal behavior and her colleague biologists at Rocky Mountain Wild are threatening to never speak to her again. In her defense Sasha states: “I was so sleep deprived I think I was channeling my Nature Writing in the West professor who used to say – a message doesn’t have to be scientifically accurate to be understood.”

Learn more about Greater Sage Grouse and CEC’s work in Northwest Colorado by visiting us!

Looking back and looking ahead at CEC’s Northwest Hiking Adventures

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For the past six months I have been working for CEC as their Conservation Advocate Fellow on the West Slope in the Northwest office located in Craig. Our office looks after Routt, Moffat, and Rio Blanco Counties and their conservation areas. One of the more exciting aspects of my position is to get folks from our region out into the areas we work to protect. This helps raise awareness of our public lands, Wilderness Study Areas, and other areas of special interest. The first week on the job I did a ride along with the Luke Schafer, West Slope – North Campaign Coordinator. He showed me some absolutely amazingly beautiful country in Moffat and Rio Blanco Counties. It got me excited to explore these new areas that were foreign to me.

Cross Mountain–In Dinosaur National Monument (CEC)

Our outings were first coined as a “Hiking Series” and it consisted of four locations. The first location was to hike Howelsen Hill and Emerald Mountain up to the quarry. The second was the south rim of Cross Mountain in Dinosaur National Monument. For the third hike, we selected Carpenter Ranch, specifically the Yampa River Preserve. The last hiking location was Duffy Mountain. Of the four hikes offered, two happened: Howelsen Hill/Emerald Mountain and Carpenter Ranch. On both hikes the participants were fantastic and everyone had a great experience. The Carpenter Ranch hike was especially fun as we bushwhacked through the brush to explore an old home, found bear prints in the dried mud, and saw a bald eagle soaring above us on the hike out. It was because of the success of this outing that we decided to rename the series from “Hiking Series” to “Adventure Series.”

Beautiful hillsides of Diamond Breaks (Mark Pearson)

The three outings I planned in the newly re-named “Adventure Series” started with Cross Mountain in hopes of getting some interest in exploring the area and observing the canyon from above. Followed by an outing into a Wilderness Study Area of Brown’s Park National Wildlife Refuge called Diamond Breaks, up through Choke Cherry Draw. This hike ends at an old homestead and has an interesting story on how the area got its name. Lastly, I planned an outing to head into Bull Canyon on the far western border of Colorado visiting another area of beautiful canyon country. Unfortunately, Bull Canyon was cancelled due to weather conditions and the trips to Diamond Breaks and Cross Mountain didn’t fill, so we did not go.

Due to the cancellations, the “Hiking/Adventure Series” was not as successful as we had hoped for 2011, but the groundwork has already been set for 2012. With the areas already chosen, and the descriptions and posters written up, weather permitting, we can start earlier this spring and hopefully get more folks involved in getting out and getting excited about where we live. If you are interested in joining CEC’s West Slope – Northwest 2012 Adventure Series, check the Get Involved page of our website at ourcolorado.org to see where we will be exploring this spring.