get a fair workout, especially when friends decide to race each other.


Paddle a kayak Along the shoreline of Dillon Reservoir, fl at-water


sea kayaks maneuvering quietly over the surface give paddlers intimate views of the local bird and animal life. One- and two-person kayaks can be rented from the Frisco Marina (970-668-4334, townoffrisco.com/frisco- bay-marina/canoes-kayaks) with reservations strongly recommended. They also rent canoes. For those who prefer guided trips, Kayak Lake Dillon


(970-281-2234, kayaklakedillon.com) offers 2½- and 4-hour family-oriented journeys on the water from the Frisco Bay Marina.


Pedal the park The sign cautions “Mandatory Air Required,” and


it’s not referring to oxygen. It’s a warning about the drops to be found on some of Keystone Bike Park’s (800-354- 4386, keystoneresort.com) gnarliest routes. “Our black- and double-black-diamond trails are really


what has driven our reputation as a bike park,” brags park supervisor Lloyd Morsett. Perhaps the best known of the park’s 55 miles of moun-


tain bike pathways come in the Drop Zone, a series of ridge-descending alleys with free falls that can launch rid- ers up to 22 feet. Bikers preferring jump trails to big drops will fi nd that Keystone offers plenty of those, too.


William Barney rides a Diggler Mountain Scooter at Purgatory at Durango Mountain Resort.


Purgatory at Durango Mountain Resort


Drift down in duckies Nicknamed “duckies,” infl atable kayaks provide a


splashy way to cool down on a hot summer day with no previous paddle experience required. “If you’re comfortable around water, we put you out


there with a guide-instructor who teaches you all about it and helps you out if you fall into the river,” explains Alex Mickel of Mild to Wild Rafting (800-567-6745, mild2 wildrafting.com). The craft offer the stability of a raft and maneuverability


of a kayak, ideal for low and medium water runs down the Animas, which can include rides through several Class II and one Class III rapid en route.


Scoot down in Digglers It looks like a skateboard mated with a mountain


bike. Called Digglers, these heavy-duty scooters have front shocks, disk brakes and knobby tires. Instead of a seat, there’s a skateboard-like platform to stand on. “We found it’s best to take a wide, snowboard-style


stance on it,” Dane Hunsworth of Durango Mountain Resort (970-385-2183, durangomountainresort.com) explains. “That way you get even weight on both tires.” Lifts haul scooters and riders up to where a designated


Diggler trail awaits. Riding down, fl exed knees absorb shock, brakes control speed and if things get totally out of control, no seat post makes bailing out a breeze.


Backpack to Chicago Basin Perhaps psychoanalysts can explain why some folks


willingly trade resort comfort for the opportunity to lug loads to campsites high in the San Juans. Maybe it’s the grandeur of places like Chicago Basin. There are two trails to this high altitude Nirvana. One leads up Vallecito and Johnson Creeks to Columbine Pass. The other begins at Needleton, a whistle-stop on the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad (888-872-4607, durangotrain. com). Either way, the endpoint is a lush vale where fl ow- ers speckle meadows, deer, elk and mountain goats roam hillsides and a trio of 14,000+ foot peaks refl ect sunsets at day's end.


Steamboat


Indulge an uplifting experience If there’s a problem with hot air ballooning, it’s that


fl ights take place at the crack of dawn. “We meet right after the sun comes up,” says Ian Cox of


Wild West Balloon Adventures (970-879-7219, wildwest ballooning.com). “We put heat into the balloon and take off.”


EnCompassMag.com EnCompass May/June 2013 29


© Dan Leeth


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60