narrowest points could be measured in inches. There, hik- ers clip to cables so that if they falter, they don’t fall far. At the appropriately named Main Event, the ledge tem-
porarily disappears, requiring hikers to spider across a sheer cliff on rungs bolted to the rock. With a skyscraper- worthy drop down, this is not the place for the acrophobic. “Some people get really spooked,” admits Joe Eppler of
Telluride Mountain Guides (970-728-6481, telluride
mountainguiding.com). “On the way back they’re a bit more comfortable.”
Vail
Forage for fungus Vail’s AAA Four Diamond Four Seasons Resort
(970-477-8610,
fourseasons.com/vail) offers mushroom hunting in style. In August, they bring in Fungal Jungle expert Larry Evans to host Mushrooms and Mercedes experiences. After morning slideshows, participants ride in Mercedes SUVs to nearby Shrine Pass where they scat- ter through the forest searching for 'shrooms. “The variety we have in Colorado is really amazing,”
Larry assures everyone. “There are about 10 different spe- cies of mushroom for each species of plant.” After lunch, participants retreat back to hotel’s Flame
Restaurant where chefs sauté some of the wild gatherings. A mushroom-rich dinner follows.
Inhabit a hut For anyone worried about having too much
luxury in their lives, the AAA Three Diamond Manor Vail Lodge (800-950-8245,
manorvail.com) offers their Backcountry Experience Package. Guests spend three nights at the resort with a fourth night coming in a 10th Mountain Division backcountry hut. Accessed by trail, the huts are shared by 16 people
and come equipped with wood burning stoves, propane burners, mattresses, pillows, cooking and eating utensils. Guests bring their own sleeping bags and food. “It’s an opportunity to experience both the mountains
and a great mountain town destination,” explains spokes- woman Nicole Whitaker.
Kayak the Colorado Kayaking comes in two basic fl avors—sea kayak-
ing and whitewater. Alpine Quest Sports (970-926-3867,
alpinequestsports.com) serves up the latter. “We do both group and private lessons,” says Sean
Glackin. “We take you to a nice calm lake, go over the basics and get you comfortable with your equipment. We follow that up with a full day on the Colorado River.” The river day includes Class I and II rapids where stu-
dents practice paddle strokes, bracing techniques and how to read currents and recognize hazards. The waves aren’t
large, but for whitewater neophytes, they're big enough to get the adrenaline pumping.
Winter Park
Slide Colorado’s longest slide The snow may be gone, but it’s still possible to slide
the slopes of Winter Park (970-726-1564, winterpark
resort.com), this time on Colorado’s longest Alpine Slide. Riders pilot wheeled carts down a pair of 3,000-foot-long concrete chutes that snake down the mountainside. One is a slow lane for poke-alongs and parents with small chil- dren. The other is Ferrari fast, where the fearless and fool- ish attempt to scream down without touching the brakes. “We don’t recommend that,” warns spokeswoman
Rachel Anderson, “It’s just up to how big of a thrill you're looking for.”
Play disc golf Mark Twain allegedly declared conventional golf
to be “a good walk spoiled.” Maybe if he’d tried disc golf at Winter Park (303-316-7564,
winterparkresort.com), he would have found it to be a fi ne excuse for a good hike. Disc golf is like the Tiger Woods variety except that instead of whacking balls toward holes in the ground, disc golfers toss Frisbee-like discs toward elevated targets. The player with the fewest strokes/throws wins. “It’s a great workout because you're walking and
running all over the place,” says Winter Park’s Rachel Anderson.
Pedal the Trestle Winter Park and the Fraser Valley long ago declared
itself to be Mountain Bike Capital USA. For riders craving purpose-built thrills, Winter Park Resort offers its Trestle Bike Park (970-726-1564,
trestlebikepark.com). “We’ve been the fastest growing bike park in North
America for the past three years,” says manager Bob Holme. “We’re second only to Whistler.” One of its signature hard-core rides is the Trestle
Downhill, a single-track race course that’s rocky, rooty, narrow, fast and steep. Another is Cruel and Unusual, a single-track trail with a combination of jumps and elevat- ed wooden berm turns. Both promise to test bravado.
Writer/photographer Dan Leeth is a lifelong adventurer who has hiked, camped, backpacked, skied, slid, fl oated, crawled, climbed and dangled over canyons, deserts and mountains around the world. He lives in Aurora with his equally adventurous wife and their two stuffed rattlesnakes. A collec- tion of his work can be found at
lookingfortheworld.com.
EnCompassMag.com EnCompass May/June 2013 31
© Dianne 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