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View Full Version : Raising a RUCKus in the Rockies



Mags
02-27-2006, 15:33
<tt><tt>Here's a report from this past weekend. About time we
have something like this in the Rockies area!
Leadville itself has THREE trails nearby (Colorado
Trail, Continental Divide Trail and the American
Discovery Trail.). Wild Bill and Kathy said to say hi
Ken and Marcia who stopped by on their recent ADT
trek.

Anyway..here is the report:


On the weekend of Feb 24th - 26th, 25+ long distance
hikers gathered at the Leadville Hostel
(www.leadvillehostel.com) for the second consecutive
Rockies Ruck. For many years, there have been hiker
get togethers on the East and West coasts. All of us
in the Rockies love to meet our fellow hiker trash,
but can not always fly or drive many miles to see our
friends.

This weekend can be described in one simple phrase: It
was a success!

The Rockies Ruck had hikers not only from Colorado,
but also from Wyoming, Montana and Kansas. The
weather was beautiful. The company was great. Bill and
Kathy were wonderful hosts and hope to have us again
next year.

Activities for the weekend included eating (of
course), snowshoeing and cross country skiing on the
nearby trails (we are outdoors people afterall), slide
shows, a wonderful tent demo from Bob Molen of Big Sky
Product (new toys are always fun to look at!), and the
best part of the weekend: seeing friends - both old
and new.

It was a also an exciting weekend for those about to
do their upcoming hikes. Information was exchanged on
the PCT, the CDT and of course the AT.

Nira Duvan, a 2006 AT hopeful, had her gear poked,
prodded and examined. It was a funny experience
not only for Nira, but for everyone involved. You get
about twenty-five people together wtih thousands and
thousands of miles of collective hiking experience and
you get a few different opinions to say the least!
Nira wanted a sip of water from the well...we poured
it on with a fire hose. :-)

So that was the Rockies Ruck weekend: part information
exchange, part film fest and part family reunion.

There will be another Rockies Ruck in Leadville for
2007. And hopefully for years to come!

Photos will be posted tomorrow.


</tt></tt></pre>

Sly
02-27-2006, 15:39
Sounds like a great time Mags, can't wait for the pics.

Leadville is an awesome town and the hostel one of the best on any trail. I'll have to check into flights for next years Rockies Ruck or maybe do a road trip!

Mags
02-28-2006, 14:29
If anyone is curious about we exactly do at a Ruck, I
posted the pics:

http://www.pmags.com/rockies_ruck_pics.htm


Safe to say, we will be back next year.

Enjoy!</pre>

Sly
03-01-2006, 12:14
Hey Mags, great pics. What's with the beard. A little pre-trail conditioning?

How many does the Leadville Hostel hold anyway? Who, from Colorado had the ATHiker plate?

Sly
03-01-2006, 12:16
Hey, I have a another question. How do the words Rockies and Ruck get red? Troll at it again?

Sly
03-01-2006, 12:17
Hmmm, not red this time... :-?

Sly
03-01-2006, 12:19
Never mind, I figured it out. I was using the search function. More coffee!!!!

Mags
03-01-2006, 12:41
Hey Mags, great pics. What's with the beard. A little pre-trail conditioning?

How many does the Leadville Hostel hold anyway? Who, from Colorado had the ATHiker plate?

Yep, I am getting back into hiker trash mode. I have my "English Professor" beard going right now. In a few months, it will turn into the hiker trash/hassidic/pirate/taliban beard. :)

The hostel hold ~60 people if people crash on the floor. There are 44 bed spaces all together. The ATHIKER plate is Tatoo Granny. Her and her husband work the last firetower in Colorado! How cool is that?

Sly
03-01-2006, 12:59
Cool, room for a little growth. I need a Rockies Ruck/vacation!

Where is the last working firetower in Colorado?

I know there a couple in NM. We got invited up in one and talked a while, it was great. They had a nice set-up in the tower itself and a small travel trailer to sleep in. Gave us some much needed water too. If I recall correctly it's someplace south of the Gila before you cross the road to Tadpole Ridge on the CDTS route.

Which route are you taking? If you're going southbound, you'll have lots of time to think about it. But do yourself a favor, don't try to end the hike prematurely or diminish it by the tempting road walks in NM whether it's "official" trail or not.

Mags
03-01-2006, 13:41
Cool, room for a little growth. I need a Rockies Ruck/vacation!

Where is the last working firetower in Colorado?

I know there a couple in NM. We got invited up in one and talked a while, it was great. They had a nice set-up in the tower itself and a small travel trailer to sleep in. Gave us some much needed water too. If I recall correctly it's someplace south of the Gila before you cross the road to Tadpole Ridge on the CDTS route.

Which route are you taking? If you're going southbound, you'll have lots of time to think about it. But do yourself a favor, don't try to end the hike prematurely or diminish it by the tempting road walks in NM whether it's "official" trail or not.

It is in the Rampart Range outside of Denver. Bill and Tatoo Granny (Margaret) actually helped report the infamous Hayman fire of 2002.

The local NBC affiliate did an emmy award winning story about them. It was a 5 minute short that we saw at the Ruck.

I plan on going SoBo using the "Mags is going damn well where he pleases" route. :-)

A mix of cross-country travel, trails that look good, CDTA/CDTS and Ley routes. I plan on ending in the bootheel. Tentatively my brother and some friends may be meeting me there as well (flying into El Paso).

I told my Dad (finally) I am doing the CDT. I don't think he quite understands that I am doing a multi-month hike again. His reaction was "Oh...so are you still visiting in May". Sheesh. No wonder I had to move from RI. :)

Sly
03-01-2006, 13:49
I plan on going SoBo using the "Mags is going damn well where he pleases" route. :-)

It's a great trail to get lost on.

<!--StartFragment -->I only went out for a walk, and finally concluded to stay out till <LAYER id=google-toolbar-hilite-0 style="COLOR: black; BACKGROUND-COLOR: yellow">sundown</LAYER>, for going out, I found, was really going in. -John Muir

Spirit Walker
03-01-2006, 15:36
Sly - the firetower you're thinking of is probably Signal Peak.

Sly
03-01-2006, 16:17
Signal Peak. Yeah, that's it!

It you're going that way, make sure to stop by and say hi.

Now that I think of it it was after Mimbres (heading north) and near or along the CDTS and "official" routes going in the opposite directions, but both heading north!