Author: R. Scott Rappold
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Fred Barr: The life of the ‘Trailmaster of the Rockies’
n Christmas Eve in 1918, Fred Barr stood triumphantly on top of Pikes Peak. He had done what was thought impossible. He surveyed a trail route up the steep east face of the mountain. Then he broke into the Summit House – not for the last time – and returned the next day with his…
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Colorado’s fall aspens display is behind schedule
If you’re hoping to see some of Colorado’s legendary aspen trees in all of their golden splendor this weekend, be ready for a long drive. The last weekend of September is usually a reliable time for a cruise to Cripple Creek or a hike in Mueller State Park to experience the peak of fall colors.…
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COLORADO TO DO LIST: Manitou Incline fundraiser
Admit it. You love the Incline. You love every wind-sucking, quad-busting step on the trail that runs up a former railroad line above Manitou Springs. Well, the trail needs some love back. In an effort to raise $200,000 to match state grants, the Incline Friends group will hold a fundraiser at 6 p.m. Friday at…
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Where to see fall colors this weekend
Colorado’s fall color display should be at its peak in many places this weekend, though many popular areas are off-limits to the public due to flooding. The aspens on Pikes Peak were about one-third changed last weekend and should make for an impressive display, whether along the Pikes Peak Highway or Barr Trail on the…
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Five trails near Bear Creek closed due to flooding
The U.S. Forest Service has closed five trails west of Colorado Springs near Bear Creek because of damage from last month’s heavy rains. The agency announced Monday, the day before federal employees were sent home on furlough, that trails 665, 667, 668, 701 and 720. from the junction with 701 to 668, are closed to…
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Work day Saturday to spruce up Garden of the Gods
Trail advocates will hold a work day Saturday to spruce up Garden of the Gods park.The day kicks off at 8:30 a.m. at High Point parking lot or lot no. 10 and runs to 3 p.m. Colorado Springs Mayor Steve Bach and his wife will be on-hand to pitch in.Volunteers must be 16 years old,…
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The best pairing with beer? Football! Here’s a beer for every NFL fan AFC West AFC East AFC North AFC South NFC West NFC East NFC North NFC South
Beer and football go together like ham and burger. But so much of the sport’s connection with the drink seems to be about mass-produced domestic swill, either on television commercials during the game or sold for $8 in plastic cups at the game. It’s time to bring a little beer diversity to the gridiron. So…
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Call of the wildCall of the wild
Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument – We’ve been hiking in silence through pine forests and rolling meadows for two hours when a question comes to mind. Is this an elk hunt or a wild goose chase? “Everybody doing OK, except for not seeing or hearing any elk?” asks our guide, ranger Scott Harper. Somewhere in…
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COLORADO SPRINGS TO DO: 16th Annual Rocky Mountain OktoberfestPlus
Head to Woodland Park, where the hills will be alive with colors of fall and the sounds of German music, at the long-running Oktoberfest celebration, sponsored by the Greater Woodland Park Chamber of Commerce. There will be stuff for the kids, including a climbing wall, obstacle course and face-painting, and stuff for adults, including beer,…
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Popularity takes toll on Incline; group seeks to raise money for trail work
As if the crowds and parking headaches in Manitou Springs weren’t enough evidence, supporters of the Manitou Incline now have hard numbers to show it is the most-hiked trail in the region, if not all of Colorado. A pressure-activated counter buried across the trail registered 57,599 hikers from the time it came online July 20…