Dispatches from Western Kansas.

“The mountains are calling and I must go…to Western Kansas”

John Muir

For me Summertime is precious.I wish I could collect all the warmth, wildflowers and long days and preserve them in a Ball jar. This is why I make a concerted effort to maximize my above tree line hikes/camping trips with Sanctuary Too to the towering mountains of Western Kansas. 

Here’s some photos to entice you to the alpine basecamp towns of Sharon Springs, St. Francis or Tribune, KS. 

From what those Kansas visitor bureaus are saying hotel rooms are going fast so you better book NOW!

Pssss! That’s Fake News, the other “BIG LIE” and just plain BS. Of course there’s no mountains in Western Kansas (unless you count 4,039 foot Mount Sunflower, which I ascended in 2009 with supplemental oxygen). I talked smack to throw off the scent of wannabe out of Colorado state tourists.

Our National Forests have been discovered. People who never knew their was such a thing as “Outside” found it in the throes of Covid. According to our beloved Durango Herald (June 7, 2021). “ The public escaped to the outdoors during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, so much so that the U.S. Forest Service recorded 18 million additional visits in national forests and grasslands last year.”

Too many of those 18 million extra visitors found their way into our nearby San Juan National Forest. Unfortunately some of those folks turned out to be guests from Hell. Consider the iconically beautiful Ice Lake Basin. Jed Botsford, (Recreation staff officer for the San Juan NF) described the 2020 summer scene in gross detail.

“This summer it was 400-600 hikers a day, every day of the week,” Botsford said. ”That high alpine environment up there cannot handle that amount of people walking off-trail, and that’s what was happening. We were seeing camping not only in the lower basin but actually at the lake itself. And, of course, camping above treeline, you don’t have very much cover, so people were going to the bathroom literally right next to their tents, which they set up right next to the lake. We had human waste all over, between the rocks at the edge of the lake and 100 yards back.”

Source: Denver Post

Of course, I wrote a blog about Ice Lakes visitation as well.

https://jeffsambur.blogspot.com/2020/08/i-mentally-prepared-myself-for.html

Dear visitors, 

Coloradoans know you are coming. We understand tourism is a significant part of our state's economy: ( 86.9 million visitors spent $24.2 billion in 2019. Source. Denver.org.) 

During your time in the Centennial State, let’s all be good neighbors. The seven principles of “Leave No Trace.” ethics are a good place to start. Please take a moment to digest its content. 

That covers land stewardship in wild and scenic places. 

Here’s a few more thoughts: Many Coloradoan’s wouldn’t mind if you donned a backpack and left your OHV/ATV behind. It’s a lot less polluting and quieter too. 

Be nice, smile at the locals, leave your NRA themed T-shirts/sidearms at home, and don’t forget to tip those busy service workers. Please try and be a low maintenance guest. 

Special note to the Texans. We don’t care if you are from the Lone Star State. If it’s that great, why did you leave!

Can’t we all just get along?