5280 Magazine – August 2019

30 | 5280 | AUGUST 2019

“SHEER BEAUTY”

June 2019

Deputy editor Lindsey B.

Koehler’s guide to Black

Canyon of the Gunnison

National Park recommends

trekking to the state’s least-

visited national park before

the crowds catch on to its

majesty. Our readers sec-

onded (and thirded and

fourthed) that endorse-

ment. “Some of the best

off-road open riding areas

in the country,” Patrick Es-

ser extolled. Bob Hansen

complimented the “great

camping and fishing.”

Meanwhile, Britt Martin

Jackson journeys to the

Black for the light shows:

“We love to visit in the

evening and catch the

sunset, then wait for

the stars to make their

appearance!” That

being said, the park’s

rocky terrain isn’t for

everyone—at least, that

was Bill Carmack’s self-

ish (we think) hope. “It’s

a horrible place and no

one should ever go there,”

Carmack wrote. “Avoid

this area at all costs.”

“WHAT A WASTE”

June 2019

Colorado’s recycling woes,

as reported by writer Haley

Gray, require big solutions—

though many can’t get past

the state’s myriad problems.

“So many inconsistencies,”

John Douglas commented.

“Douglas County picked

up yogurt cups, Denver

doesn’t.” Residents aren’t

free from blame, however.

“One thing to make this

easier: Learn what actu-

ally goes in the purple

bins,” Charles Bloyer

wrote. “Plastic bags don’t

go, for example.” Finally,

John Sather detailed his

recycling processes—heroic

actions that include tak-

ing his “e-waste to

Blue Star Recyclers in

Colorado Springs...old

Christmas lights to the

Colorado Springs Utili-

ties drop-off point (set

up every December)...

snow skis to a company

in Old Colorado City

(adjacent to Colorado

Springs)...athletic shoes

to the Boulder Running

Company store in Col-

orado Springs.” That is

just a sampling of the

lengths to which Sather

is forced to go, leading

him to conclude that

“the standard stuff

is easy. We need to

make it easier to

recycle the hard-to-

recycle stuff.”

“HOW THE COLORADO CAN-

DIDATES FARED IN THE FIRST

DEMOCRATIC DEBATE”

June 28, 2019

5280.com readers

were split about the

performances of for-

mer Governor John

Hickenlooper and

Senator Michael Ben-

net. “Bennet did a good

job,” Jason Gallardo

wrote. “Especially when

responding to the im-

migration crisis at the

border.” Amy Teufert

believes “Hicken-

looper needs to run

for [Cory] Gardner’s

Senate seat.” Kay

Rogness was more suc-

cinct in her analysis of

how Colorado’s presi-

dential candidates did

in their appearances:

“Two words...not well.”

“CAN PER-

SONALLY

AT TEST—

THIS IS TO

DIE FOR.”

@rachel

mbanderson,

providing her

stamp of ap-

proval for the

wagyu beef

tartare at

LeRoux, which

5280 featured in

the April issue

Fr

om

to

p:

Sa

rah

B

oy

um

;^ M

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t^ N

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er

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N

ot quite 20 years ago, I was on the final leg of a

three-day backpacking trip in Yosemite National

Park. In the Sierra Nevadas, summer weather is

more predictable than it is in the Rockies, and my

dad, my brother, and I had been sleeping without tents—

so we were surprised that morning when we awoke to

raindrops. We broke camp, and I set a brisk pace. But

my speed-hiking came to a full stop when I spotted

bear droppings right in the middle of the narrow trail.

I was excited, and a little frightened, at the prospect that what was most likely a black

bear had been nearby. After a brief pause, I continued on—and quickly came across more

scat. And then more. Right. In. The. Middle. Of. The. Trail. By that point, my anxiety

had been replaced with terror. It seemed clear this bear was trying to tell us something:

something like, This is my home. Beware. ¶ I was reminded of that day as I read Kelly

Bastone’s “Walking On The Wild Side” (page 106), which details the increasing scientific

evidence that recreational trails negatively affect wildlife. For those of us who spend time

in Colorado’s backcountry, this conclusion is troublesome. Bastone’s feature, however,

illustrates how savvy land managers are creating new policies not only for the ways in

which trails should be built but also for how they should be used by the public in order to

ensure our recreational activities have minimal impacts on wildlife. We didn’t encounter a

bear on that rainy day, and for that I’m grateful. But I’m just as happy that the bear didn’t

have to encounter us, which is the kind of scenario we should all hope for if we want to

keep our wildlands...wild.

GEOFF VAN DYKE

Wild Things

[ FROM THE EDITORIAL DIRECTOR ]