Hiking Colorado's Sangre de Cristos and Great Sand Dunes


Book Description

Lace up your boots and head into Colorado's rugged Sangre de Cristo Mountains to explore this spine of soaring peaks that stand more than a mile above the San Luis and Wet Mountain Valleys. Here you'll discover plunging creeks, gorges cut from chunky conglomerate, and valleys where elk, bighorn sheep, coyote, and cougar live. Climb Kit Carson Mountain, Crestone Needle, or Blanca Peak; hike Black Canyon or Wild Cherry Creek. Wander the Great Sand Dunes National Park, which has the tallest dunes in North America. Local hiker and outdoor writer Lee Hart will introduce you to these trails and many more. Inside you'll find: up-to-date trail information; accurate directions to wilderness trails; difficulty ratings; topographic trail maps; zero-impact tips. Whether you are planning a day hike or an extended backpacking trip, you'll find trails suited to every ability and interest in one of the most beautiful regions of Colorado.







Colorado 14er Disasters


Book Description

Fourteener mania, the phenomena characterized by a seemingly obsessive drive to summit The List of all fifty-four of Colorado¿s 14,000-foot peaks, is an older tradition than many may realize. Along with intensely positive experiences in climbing is the possibility of the opposite extreme¿to become stranded, severely injured, or even killed, in disturbingly easy ways. This book explores this dark side of climbing. When an accident happens on a 14er, the victim is far from help and in an environment where rescue is difficult at best. The book is full of hair-raising stories of these disasters and resue attempts and also aids in avoiding such disasters.




The Big One


Book Description

When a small airplane carrying four men vanished in 1968 over the vast skies of Albuquerque, New Mexico a massive official search was launched in the rugged American Rocky Mountains. That official search was called off within two weeks with few leads. That plane and those four men had disappeared off the planet. This spellbinding saga follows the men's wives, families, and friends after they realized it was now up to them and them alone to find their loved ones. These amazing women were joined in their search by a cast of characters as diverse as the New Mexico landscape, including a group of Apollo space program engineers, a bar owner, a stunt pilot, a minister, some of the world's most renowned psychics, and an army of complete strangers. Along the way, they get help from President Lyndon Johnson, a U-2 spy plane, and an American Indian Tribe. The entire search effort ranks as one of the largest in State history, lasting nearly five years. An incredible, true story of how two young hikers in the remote mountains of New Mexico stumbled on the greatest discovery of not only their lives but the lives of hundreds of others. That discovery would change everything, forever, for everyone involved.










Search & Rescue in Colorado's Sangre de Cristos


Book Description

An exciting collection of stories by Kevin Wright, detailing Search & Rescue in the Sangre de Cristos, one of the most extreme mountain groups in the state.




Western State College


Book Description

Western State College is located on Colorados Western Slope, deep in the Rocky Mountains. It began as Colorado State Normal School, which was a two-year institution in 1911. Twelve years later, Colorado Normal became a four-year schoolWestern State College. Sitting at an altitude of 7,723 feet, it is the highest college or university in the nation. The elevation, the Rocky Mountains, two nearby ski areas, world-class mountain bike trails, stunning scenery, and the nearby Blue Mesa Reservoir (which is Colorados second-largest tourist attraction) all combine to make Western State College an outdoor mecca, attracting students from all over the nation.




Hiking Colorado


Book Description

Lace up your boots and sample fifty of the finest trails Colorado has to offer. This hiker's paradise offers not only rugged peaks and crystal clear alpine lakes, but also historic ruins and magnificent canyons. View the Continental Divide in Rocky Mountain National Park, journey to Colorado's highest point at the top of Mount Elbert, hike beneath immense sandstone cliffs in Devils Canyon, or step back in time to North America's largest dinosaur track site. Veteran hiker, Master of Leave No Trace, and outdoor writer Maryann Gaug will introduce you to these trails and more. Inside you'll find: detailed shaded relief maps, GPS waypoint coordinates for each hike, accurate route profiles showing the ups and downs of each hike, tips on equipment, trip planning, and hiking with dogs and children, accurate directions, difficulty ratings, trail contacts, and more. Whether you are a day-tripper or long-distance hiker, old hand or novice, come explore the wonders of our nation's highest state -- on foot!




Tales, Trails, and Tommyknockers


Book Description

Presents a potpourri of historical information and legends about Colorado.