The Collegiate Peaks Wilderness Area comprises 168,000 acres of the Sawatch Range, including nine of the 14,000 foot peaks in Colorado. Fifty miles south of Copper Mountain, Missouri Gulch Trail ascends south from a trailhead parking area west of Clear Creek Reservoir. In winter, parking on one of several turn-outs along the road may be prudent due to steep, ice-covered grades before the trailhead parking area. Four hours of climbing out of Missouri Gulch to the summit of Mount Belford, 14,197 feet, revealed the broad, sharp-toothed ridge of Missouri Mountain forming the western wall of the valley. The summit is nearly four miles from the trailhead. West of the summit, Elkhead Pass created a rounded rib of wind-blasted tundra from Mount Belford over to the summit of Missouri Mountain, 14,074 feet.  I sat below the rocky rooster crest at the summit of Mount Belford, protected from a harsh wind from the north, and renewed my strength with slabs cut from a wheel of brie, a few rice chips, and a bottle of water. Then, I studied the slightly steep descent east on the snow-packed trail across the saddle to Mount Oxford.  An hour later, I reached the flat, rock-strewn tundra at the summit of Mount Oxford, 14,197 feet. North of the summit, Leadville rests in the valley of the Arkansas River, east of Mount Massive and Mount Elbert. In the foreground, a portion of the eastern side of Twin Lakes Reservoir is visible at junction of Highway 82 and Highway 24, below Mount La Plata. Southwest of the summit, the broad, steep face of Mount Harvard forms part of a prickly horizon. I hiked down to the cairn that marks the saddle crossing of Missouri Gulch Trail at 13,220 feet.  Then, I walked along bits of trail, obscured most of the distance by large patches of hardened snow. Since the entire western half of the valley was buried under a deep snowfield, I picked my own way down a steep tundra slope before crossing over to the trail below the northern ridge of Missouri Mountain. The trail resumed through a field of boot high willow. A thousand feet below Elkhead Pass, the trail vanished into a thicket of willow that nearly touched my waist. With sunset a few minutes away, I hoped to reach the packed trail near tree line before dark. I quickly surveyed the features below me, observing the steep cut of Missouri Gulch Creek, high-rolling tundra beyond the willows, a rough boulder field at the base of steep chutes on the west side of the valley, and the northwest ridge of Mount Belford meeting the eastern valley a half mile across a snarled wetland. I captured reference points that would be visible after dark and devised my strategy for an unmarked descent to my base camp. I decided to ascend to high ground on a few plates of tundra meadow separated by dips covered in willow tangles. Crossing hardened snow plates, I took small steps to keep my feet close together. The crusted snow gave way many times, swallowing me to my thighs in a conglomerate of loose powder and sticky branches. Reaching a grassy knoll, I tracked a few scattered footprints and found brief traces of the trail. The moon rose over the summit of Mount Belford and the sky glowed brilliantly pink in alpenglow. I descended through a few more patches of powder-buried willow, crossed turtle shells of hardened snow, and caught a switchback of trail over a shallow ledge. Then, I crossed the wetland to the eastern side of the valley and found the merger between the Missouri Gulch Trail and the switchbacks ascending Mount Belford from the northwest. My odometer clicked over to ten miles from the trailhead.  The alpenglow darkened to shades of purple as the skylight diminished enough for me to mount a headlamp. A half-mile down the trail, I found my base camp, stuffed my gear, guzzled my last bottle of water, and dropped down to the trailhead. The loop was complete after twelve easy miles of hiking. Finally, I strolled the final mile down the hilly, snow-coated road to where I left my vehicle pointed downward toward the highway on a dry patch of gravel.

via Summit County Citizens Voice

Walking 40 miles in Jesus' shoes

Founders David Landis and Maoz Inon offer guided hiking tours and a colorful tour book for the region, the best resource available for trekking in the steps of Jesus. Inon also founded a backpacking hostel in Nazareth. The new Gospel Trail,

We Care: Youth, families with behavioral health service need coats, more

An 11-year-old boy is in need of hiking-style insulated winter boots size 10-10 1/2 men's and black winter gloves size mens medium. A 10-year-old boy is in need of hiking-style insulated winter boots size 9 1/2, black winter gloves size men's medium

Toronto: A vintage heaven

There is so much of it:rows of cowboy boots and racks of dresses, jeans and jumpsuits, but also on-trend hiking boots. What sets these Toronto vintage shops apart is their boutique atmosphere. 'Here it's not glaringly obvious that you're shopping in a

Walking 40 miles in Jesus' shoes

Founders David Landis and Maoz Inon offer guided hiking tours and a colorful tour book for the region, the best resource available for trekking in the steps of Jesus. Inon also founded a backpacking hostel in Nazareth. The new Gospel Trail,

Park City's Wasatch 360TV heading to Fox

"We've developed a relationship with Cole Sport for a segment called 'What's Hot' that will focus on new items in powder skis or carving skis or boots and poles and helmets each week." Jessica Kunzer of Ski Utah has been signed on to help with host

In the aftermath of the piece, Bertin, the time's largest beef processor, saw its $90 million credit from the Universal Back Corporation private, while BNDES, Brazil's condition bank that funds many activities that propel Amazon deforestation, announced it will anon want processors to record the launching of beef back to the ranch where it was produced in neatness to prepared for loans. Marfrig, the elated's fourth largest beef distributor and one of the firms named in the write-up, said last month it will no longer buy oxen raised in newly deforested areas within the Brazilian Amazon. Meanwhile a Brazilian federal prosecutor has filed a billion dollar law request against the oxen trade for environmental spoil. Firms that exchange rainforest-tainted chow may be case to fines of 500 reais ($260) per kilo.

Steers ranching accounts for 80 percent of Amazon deforestation and is therefore one of the largest drivers of wide-ranging forest diminution.





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