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Photographing Evergreen

Photographing Evergreen

My Uncle John Troisi is coming to Evergreen next week on a picture-taking mission. He has traveled all over the USA over the past three or four decades to take photographs, which he turns into breathtaking slideshows set to music. He is a prominent local photographer in the Susquehanna Valley (PA) whose work has been displayed in art galleries in his hometown of Williamsport.

Uncle John has chosen the Colorado foothills because he loves the western United States – plus two of his nieces and their families live here in Evergreen, presenting the opportunity to combine “business” with a mini-family reunion. Uncle John’s idea of a vacation is to wake up at 4 or 5 am so he can be on-site and ready to capture the sunrise, shoot for hours, then do it again for the sunset. My cousin Cindy and I are hoping to catch a little time with him in the middle of the days, if we can tear him away from his camera. (It would be nice if he would shoot us, but people are not his specialty. Perhaps he’ll make an exception this time!)

But we also want to give Uncle John the best advice we can on where he can capture the most unique, spectacular pictures in his short time here. Evergreen Lake House, Red Rocks Park and Mt. Evans are obvious candidates, but this whole mountain area is so spectacular – where are the hidden gems? Where should Uncle John go to get the most unique and memorable shots? He is willing to travel a couple hours – and then wait more hours for the right light.

Please pass your suggestion on! And feel free to share some of your own photographs.

—The Hammster

 

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What Kind of Crazy Would Ride Mountain Passes?

Well … me.

When I first moved to Colorado, I was amazed to witness the things cyclists can make their bodies do here. Coming from a sea level community of rolling hills just outside New York City, I was not prepared for the concept of riding on big, steep mountains. They just looked impossible.

I lived in Denver for a couple months, where the riding is relatively high but flat, and really enjoyed it. When my family arrived, we lived for a few months in a cottage on the back side of Lookout Mountain, where we’d see these seeming gods whiz by on their bikes day after day. They would climb up the steep, daunting mountain from Golden, push through miles of relentless uphill, switchback after switchback, and make it to the top with what looked like little effort, then speed down the other side.

I thought their hearts must be the size of basketballs, their veins huge, their determination incredible, and their pain thresholds incredibly low. I could barely get my heavy aluminum Cannondale to the top from the relatively easy other side without succumbing to an asthma attack.

 Then I learned about mountain passes. Colorado is full of them, paved roads to the top of high mountains. And many Colorado cyclists spend their free hours riding up them – on purpose. I couldn’t understand how it was physically possible! Independence Pass — 12,103 feet. Fremont Pass — 11,318 feet. Kenosha Pass — 10,001 feet. Vail Pass — 10,666 feet. Up. On two wheels. Pedaling. What were they, crazy? Superhuman?

Then my husband Bob, a rabid cyclist, caught the bug, upgraded the gears on his bike, and started spending spring and summer weekends attacking passes. My daughters and I were with him for his first, at the end of a Fraser vacation. We dropped him off in Tabernash, went out for lunch, then drove to the top of Berthoud Pass (11,315 feet), where he arrived a few minutes later, sweaty but triumphant. (He made a major miscalculation, though. In his desire to get up, he failed to realize that the best part of climbing a pass is then getting to whiz DOWN! He never made that mistake again.

For me, just getting three-quarter miles up the hill to our house in Kittredge was impossible. A trip to Velo Swap (veloswap.competitor.com/ ) a year and a half changed that, when I emerged with a used-but-awesome carbon fiber Specialized Ruby Elite with a triple chain ring and upgrades galore. A week later, I made it up the hill home by pedaling instead of pushing. Triumph!

First Pass

Last summer, we went camping at the top of Kenosha Pass, south of Bailey, and I tried to ride it – up and back from Como. Holy mother of God, despite 65-mile-an-hour traffic whizzing by and brisk headwinds, I made it to the top. Ecstasy! I had ridden to the top of a mountain pass!

Over Labor Day, we went camping at Turquoise Lake, outside of Leadville, where I tried to ride around the lake but found its steep hills still daunting. I did ride up most of Tennessee Pass, but the lure of the lake pulled me back to the campsite.

New Attitude

This year, however, something has changed in me and Bob’s encouragement has had a lot to do with it. I have attacked more and more difficult hills here in Evergreen – Witter Gulch, the loop from Alderfer/3 Sisters to Brook Forest Road. My confidence is increasing. Bob took me up Lookout Mountain a couple weeks back – and it wasn’t difficult On the 4th of July I rode to the top of Loveland Pass. Now, instead of surviving the final hill up to my house, I am attacking it.

This past Saturday, I spent the morning volunteering with the Evergreen Chorale group assisting riders on the Triple Bypass bike ride (www.teamevergreen.org/triple/). They were riding 120 miles, from Buchanan Park in Evergreen, over Squaw and Juniper Passes, then Loveland Pass, then Vail Pass, into Avon – and some were spending the night and riding back the next day. I helped last year and thought it was an unattainable goal for me. This year, something has shifted. As I watched riders go by – some of them lean and chiseled, but others flabby and big and heavy and, well, normal looking —  a new thought crossed my mind: “Hey, maybe I could do this.

Uh oh

When my shift ended I rode halfway up the mountain from which they came toward Echo Lake, and it wasn’t difficult at all. I do believe I am acquiring Colorado cycling legs. Who knew it was possible?

Looking for a Pass?

If you’re looking for a pass, there are a couple of excellent websites that can help you out.

See you on the roads!

 

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Berrian Mountain: A Hidden Gem in Evergreen South

I recently hiked up to the 9,147-foot peak of Berrian Mountain in Evergreen South with my daughter’s Girl Scout troop.

Berrian is a Denver Mountain Park reached by driving up, up, up through a winding, hillside neighborhood off Rte. 73 near Conifer. Despite driving through the area countless times, I never even knew it was there.

According to Wikipedia, Berrian Mountain was named after George, Dan and Ray Berrian, who came from Kansas to Colorado in 1887. Previously, it may have been called McIntyre Mountain after Duncan McIntyre, who owned property on the east side of the mountain.

According to one of the kids on our recent Girl Scout hike, there are nine geocaches hidden near the trail up to the peak of Berrian Mountain, so bring your caching equipment ad a pencil! (If you don’t know what geocaching is, watch this space – a blog about this fun 21st century activity is coming soon!)

Berrian Mountain is considered a “Conservation/Wilderness Park,” which means it’s one of a group of isolated Denver Mountain Parks parcels that were never intended to be developed. It’s not easy to access and has very little parking next to the trailhead. (Find it on this map of Denver Mountain Parks: http://www.denvergov.org/Portals/626/documents/DenverParkMap_2010_mountain_pg1.pdf. For driving access, use this map: http://goo.gl/maps/mqovf

The trip is worth it – in the two-hour hike to the summit and back, you’ll encounter prominent mountaintops, forested ridges, steep slopes, rocky outcrops, and narrow riparian corridors. You’ll sweat. Your jaw will drop in awe. Your kid will complain about the hard work of climbing. You’ll feel invigorated. At the summit, you’ll be rewarded with a steep, rocky ridge to climb on, an amazing view of south Evergreen, and the knowledge that it’s all downhill from here!

–The Hammster

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Join the new Evergreen Multisport Club!

I love to work out, but I haven’t found the right group in Evergreen. The Denver Road Runners are too far away. Team Evergreen is too intense – I don’t always want to ride 50 or 100 miles over mountain passes. The Foothills Running & Cycling Club, which I helped found, decided to focus on Golden. I don’t want to have to drive 30 or 45 minutes to find workout partners — I want friends here in the mountain community, and friends who are pursuing the same healthy lifestyle as me.

So after three years of solitary workouts, I have taken the plunge and founded the Evergreen Multisport Club. I used that great online “Meetup” tool, which allows you to start a group and get it up and running immediately!

The Evergreen Multisport Club brings together athletes looking for training partners for running, cycling and swimming in our beautiful mountain community.

All ages, ability levels (from super slow to fast) and commitment levels (from casual duffer to intense competitor) are welcome, whether you are new to a sport, seriously training for a biathlon or triathlon, or just looking for someone to ride 20 miles with, or run 4 miles with, on a Saturday morning or after work on a weeknight.

Is the Evergreen Multisport Club right for you?

  • If Team Evergreen is too intense for you but you’re looking for a good workout with companions, the Evergreen Multisport Club is the place for you.
  • If you want to work out hard and be pushed by a peer, the Evergreen Multisport Club is the place for you.
  • If you’re just getting in shape and want support from a group, the Evergreen Multisport Club is the place for you.
  • If you want relay partners in races or multisport events, or a team to compete with, the Evergreen Multisport Club is the place for you.
  • If you want to discover new people and new trails, the Evergreen Multisport Club is the place for you.
  • If you enjoy eating brunch or throwing back a beer or two with a friend post-workout, the Evergreen Multisport Club is the place for you.

Regular workouts

The club’s first event, a 4-mile run in Lair o’ the Bear Park in Idledale on a recent Saturday morning, was marred by hail, pouring rain, and cancellations, but I went there anyway and ended up having a wonderful run and brunch with Julie S., another Evergreen athlete seeking friends in her community. We had four cyclists show up for our second event, a road ride in Ken Caryl; through fabulous red rocks.

The club is set up so anyone can post a workout and invite people to join them. We are having a social event on June 1 to get to know each other and talk about what we want the club to “be.” Join us!

Find the Evergreen Multisport Club online at http://www.meetup.com/EvergreenMultisportClub/.

— The Hammster

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Running 50 Miles for Fun and Firefighters

Believe it or not, there are people who think a marathon is short. There are people who love to run ridiculously long distances on a regular basis – 20 miles, 30, 50, even 100! I admit, I am not one of them. For me, a four or five mile run is just right. But I know a few crazies who revel in the “ultra” lifestyle.

One of them in our area is Janice O’Grady, a 60-something retired attorney from Conifer who looks 20 years younger. Her cheeks are pink, her eyes are bright, her step is spry, and I attribute it to her active lifestyle. Going out for a 20-mile run in a windstorm is no problem for her, though her porcelain doll beauty doesn’t hint to such inner steel.

“I’ve been running ultras since 1987,” she says. “I’ve done 110 of them now.”

In 2010, Janice pioneered a 50K (30.1 miles) and 50-mile trail run down in Pine to raise money for the North Fork Volunteer Fire Department. She started the race simply because “there was a need. When we moved here from California, I discovered that there weren’t any true Front Range mountain ultras. There was really a need and I knew how to do it so I did it!”

The first North Fork Trail Race attracted 110 ultra-runners. Last year, 150 people ran, and this June 30, she’s adding the Evergreen Chorale as a beneficiary and expecting 175 runners, coming in from all over the United States and even Italy.

“It’s an amazing number that are just local – Conifer and Evergreen,” Janice says. “We also see a bunch from Colorado Springs, Boulder, and all over the Denver metro area.”  Janice says the race is getting close to full, so sign up soon if you want to do it, at northfork50.com.

Volunteers Needed

Don’t want to run 30 or 50 miles? Completely understandable! Volunteers are also needed – to set up the course, give out water, help at the aid station at the halfway point, set up the BBQ, help with parking, register runners and more. Volunteers get a T-shirt with the race logo, all they care to eat at the l barbecue, and a day of fun and inspiration.  Please email northfork50@live.com to volunteer.

The Course

The North Fork Trail Race is run entirely on trails in the beautiful Buffalo Creek Recreation Area in the Pike National Forest. It starts and finishes at Pine Valley Ranch Park.  The course is hilly and it is very challenging for those who are not experienced mountain trail runners, but speedsters who are used to altitude enjoy the course.  The friendly aid stations, beautiful scenery and generous time limits make North Fork an excellent choice for a first trail ultramarathon. Runners get unique finisher awards, a high-quality gender-specific tech shirt, and a fabulous post-race barbecue.

North Fork Volunteer Fire Department

The North Fork Volunteer Fire Department protects the area where the race is run.  These firefighters have valiantly battled a number of fires in recent years that have changed the landscape. Learn more about them at www.northforkfire.org/.

The course winds through some of the burn areas, as well as through pristine forests of ponderosa and lodgepole pines dotted with fields of wildflowers.  It is 100% trails, mostly single track and some double track, with mostly good footing, at altitude ranging from 6,700 to 8,100 feet.  Elevation gain is about  4,500 feet for 50K and 7,200 feet for 50 miles.

Evergreen Chorale

Part of this year’s proceeds will also go to the Evergreen Chorale, members of which will be volunteering on race day.  Janice has appeared in a number of their theatrical and choral productions, most recently in a leading role in the musical Quilters. Learn about the Chorale at www.evergreenchorale.org/.

Contact Janice for more info about how you can get involved in the North Fork ultra race, at (303) 903-3533 or northfork50@live.com.

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Safe Cycling Tips, Evergreen Style

As I was riding on the bike path along I-470 this morning, the wind whizzing through the vents in my my helmet as I labored uphill toward Golden, I passed a cyclist plummeting downhill at top speed with a bare head. “What an idiot!” I thought.

My husband has landed in the ER twice because of riding accidents – once he toppled headfirst when he hit a raised utility lid while riding downhill, and the second when he hit a dollop of tar that had been dropped onto a newly paved roadway. The second time, an examination of his helmet showed a long, deep ridge in the back, just to the right of where his brain stem would be

Fortunately for me, Bob isn’t a vegetable and I am not a widow for one important reason – he wears a helmet. He still suffered road rashes and mild concussions, but emerged to ride again, and again, and again.

So, with spring here and people stampeding outdoors to get the exercise many of us have foregone all winter, I now present, in no particular order, tips for keeping safe when cycling.

  1. Always, always, ALWAYS wear a helmet. I don’t care how hot it is. This rule is not negotiable. And make sure your kids are helmeted, too, even riding around the neighborhood. The helmet should fit and be worn snugly, so there is room for just two fingers between the strap and your neck.
  2. Always tell someone where you are going and when you expect to return.
  3. Ride what you can handle in terms of distance and terrain. Don’t try to do too much and risk finding yourself far from home and incapable of climbing the big hill you need to forge to get there.
  4. Ride on the right side of the road, but don’t feel forced onto a narrow shoulder. You are considered a vehicle and cars and trucks are required to pass you and give you plenty of space. When it’s congested, if you’re riding with someone, ride single file.
  5. Carry a patch kit and a spare tube, and make sure you know what to do with them.
  6. Carry a pump. Doesn’t do much good to be able to change a tire if you can’t pump it up!
  7. Carry ID – your driver’s license, or a Road ID device (http://www.roadid.com/) – in case something happens to you. A credit card and $20 cash are a good idea, too.
  8. Carry a phone. If it has Latitude on it, even better. This app can help your significant other find you if you don’t make it home.
  9.  Make sure your bike is maintained in good condition.
  10. Always carry a bottle of water or a sports drink. If you’re going more than 20 miles, carry two. It’s a good idea to carry an energy bar or two as well.
  11. Wear sunscreen.
  12. Take it slow on the way down, Yes, a fast descent is a real rush, but if the road is windy, make sure you can control your speed, especially if you hit a rock.
  13. Check the weather before you go out. Sometimes you should stay home – if it’s raining (slippery roads), or there’s thunder and lightning, or hailstorms in the area.
  14. Dress appropriately, and be prepared. Just because some idiots ride in shorts and short sleeves below 30 degrees doesn’t mean you should. Do you know how to spell “hypothermia?” Also, there’s a huge difference between how your body feels climbing up Squaw Pass (Whew! Sweat!) and how it feels whizzing down the other side (Brrr!). Carry extra gear, at least a wind vest or light jacket. If you’re doing a pass, check the weather at the TOP and prepare for it.
  15. Ride with friends! Team Evergreen is available for the intense and hardcore. For more moderate mountain cyclists, I just formed the Evergreen Multisport Club. The goal is to bring together cyclists, runners and swimmers for training partners, friends, and fellow competitors. Learn more at www.meetup.com/EvergreenMultisportClub.
  16. Got any other ideas? Please add them, or share your experiences!

See you on the roads!

The Hammster

Coming next week … Riding with kids when you live in the mountains.
 

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Cycling Season is Here … Want to Go for a Ride?

One of the big factors that lured me to Colorado was the divine road riding. I envisioned miles and miles of open road, surrounded by rocky ledges and ponderosa pines, warmed by the bright Colorado sun. And I was not disappointed.

Coming to Colorado three years ago from Westchester County, NY, where I had to ride 10 miles down the busy Boston Post Road, dodging cars and potholes and waiting at through countless traffic lights, before I arrived at any semblance of “open road,” the Foothills seemed like heaven on earth.

I’ll admit it took a full year and a half and the purchase of a carbon fiber bike with a triple chain ring before I acclimated to the altitude and stopped feeling as though I were drowning when I rode, and before I could finally make it up the three switchbacks to my hilltop home in the Kittredge corner of Evergreen, but it was worth it! The riding here is like nothing I have ever experienced. It’s rare I see more than one traffic light, even on a long ride. Yes, there’s a little congestion in downtown Evergreen, but that half a mile is nothing compared to the challenges I’m accustomed to back east.

The riding is literally heaven on wheels. Out Upper Bear Creek Road, past former vacation lodges that make me reminisce about Evergreen’s resort past as Mt. Evans looms into view. Up Buffalo Park past Alderfer/Three Sisters Park, encountering the sweet surprise of ridge top ranches. Out to the Brook Forest Inn. Twisting and turning on the North and South Turkey Creeks.  Soda Creek. Bear Creek Lake Park. Down the canyon road (74) to Morrison and back up (Ouch! Will the hill ever end?).

A freak hailstorm pelts me. A fast downhill freezes me, a jarring shock after the long, sweaty ascent. An elk jumps onto the road and almost knocks me down. A great blue heron flies beside me along Bear Creek, a twig in its beak. I’ve climbed Kenosha Pass, ridden around part of Turquoise Lake, enjoyed the freedom of the bike trail in Glenwood Canyon, explored Estes Park on two wheels. Once I left a piece of my knee on the bridge at Evergreen Lake (before they replaced it) when my skinny wheel went between two boards and I fell. But despite that mishap, which I considered my “baptism” to riding in Colorado, each ride has been more divine than the one before it.

But I have to admit one thing: I’m lonely. I miss having a partner or two, or four or five, to ride with. Team Evergreen is too intense for me. The Foothills Running & Cycling Club, which I helped found, decided to focus on Golden, leaving me high and dry (literally). I’m amazed that there’s no mid-level riding group in the mountain area for recreational riders like me, who just want to climb a few hills, pedal 10 or 20 or 30 miles or so.

Anyone interested in getting a group together for Saturday morning rides, or maybe Thursday evening, in Evergreen or Conifer or Kittredge or Morrison? Anyone want to sweat together up the big hills, then grab a beer and swap war stories? Anyone want to train for a biathlon or go on a road trip to bag a mountain pass? If so, email Lisa@HammsterMedia.com.  Let’s start a mountain area riding club, or even a multisport club. Join me on the roads — I’m ready to train with some company! Are you?

The Hammster

 

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Fire in the Back Yard

Yesterday I got an urgent text message in my cellphone through Reverse 911 that 100 homes were being evacuated near Pleasant Park Road in Conifer because of a wildfire.

Fire plume
View of the plume from a Kittredge hilltop

A fire? In CONIFER?? This is the sort of story I’m supposed to watch on 9News, riveted by the orange flames licking the edges of some distant canyon, not a few miles down Rte. 73 near the homes of a number of my friends. My husband and I ran outside and watched, openmouthed, as a giant plume of smoke billowed across the sparkling blue sky.

A few minutes later I discovered there was a second fire along Grapevine Road in Idledale, perhaps two miles away as the crow flies from our Kittredge house. I had driven right past that spot just two days earlier. Suddenly I felt incredibly vulnerable.

Natural Disasters

Everywhere that I have ever lived, there has been some sort of natural disaster to be wary of. Back east, where I lived two blocks from the Long Island Sound, we worried about floods, windstorms, and the torrential downpours that edged hurricanes. When I lived in Puerto Rico, a block from the ocean, we were also afraid of hurricanes, and a volcano erupted on the island of Montserrat. My husband lived in Tornado Alley for a while. I have felt the earth shake under my feet during an earthquake.

When we moved to Colorado, we thought we had found a home that didn’t seem to be a victim of Mother Nature’s irrational outbursts. No tornadoes, no earthquakes, certainly no hurricanes. But how wrong we were. Mother Nature is so erratic here – flooding us one season, parching us the next. (And of course, last year we did have a deviant earthquake.) We are at the mercy of the rain, the snow, the mercury – seesawing between abundance and famine. Those 330 days of sunshine a year that attracted us are also a curse!

As the fire rages in Conifer, a number of my friends have fled their homes, and many others live in the fire’s path. Friends and family from back east, who have seen our fire on the national news, call and email asking if we are OK.

A Fire Plan

Our family spent dinnertime tonight creating a fire plan. We prioritized what needed to be done if the Reverse 911 call came in about a fire in OUR neighborhood. Get US out safely, of course. Also the cats, important papers, hard drives, Grandpa’s violin, Great-Grandfather’s Revolutionary war epaulets, family photos, what else?

Our lovely cedar-and-stone house sits at the edge of 40 acres of beautiful ponderosa pines. There’s some comfort in the fire hydrant that sits at the edge of the front yard, but less comfort in the pine boughs you can reach from the back deck. Forget about “defensible space” — we chose this house because of the woods. We love the smell of the pine in the air, especially on windy days. But today, as I look at those pine trees, I see a threat.

So I’ll call my insurance company tomorrow, make sure I’m covered in case of fire, post the Family Fire Plan on the bulletin board — and pray I never need to use it. And then I’ll go help make sandwiches to help feed the firefighters in Conifer, and pray they get those flames stamped out soon.

Stay safe.

— The Hammster