Tread Lines Newsletter
Tread Lines is the newsletter of The Colorado Trail Foundation. It is published twice a year and distributed to the Friends of The Colorado Trail in printed format. Click here if you’d like to be added to the CTF mailing list.
Past Editions
Spring 2018 – Field Operations Center Open for Business
A little more than two years ago, the idea of a permanent facility to house the vast array of equipment used to maintain and improve The Colorado Trail was just a dream…
Fall 2017 – Field Operations Center Nearing Completion
It’s not much to look at – yet. Just a couple of concrete slabs and some red steel framework. But soon – perhaps as early as the end of November – the two buildings going up on the industrial lot in Poncha Springs will transform the way The Colorado Trail Foundation continues its work to maintain and improve The Colorado Trail…
Spring 2017 – Foundations Respond to the Call
Bob Benson was beaming. Standing next to a giant check for $40,000 he’d just presented to The Colorado Trail Foundation on behalf of the Benson Family Foundation, he was awash in applause from more than 300 people attending the CTF’s annual Holiday Party on Dec. 8 in Golden…
Winter 2016 – Gudy Gaskill – Newspapers Pay Tribute
Newspapers from one end of The Colorado Trail to the other paid tribute to Gudy Gaskill after her passing in July. Here are exerpts from the Denver Post and Durango Herald. ““Hikers along the 567-mile Colorado Trail cross the South Platte River a few miles from metro Denver…
Spring 2016 – Plans Moving Forward on Field Operations Center
As hikers, bikers and riders gear up for summer adventures on The Colorado Trail, the Foundation itself is making great strides toward the construction of a planned Field Operations Center in Poncha Springs, including a fund-raising effort unlike anything…
Fall 2015 – A “Base Camp” to Build On
The Colorado Trail Foundation has taken some big steps to ensure the Trail will be well taken care of far into the future. The first was the hiring this spring of the CTF’s first full-time field operations manager…
Spring 2015 – George Miller – Volunteer Extraordinaire
A multitude of volunteers have helped build and maintain The Colorado Trail over its first 40 years, but very few have dedicated more time and effort than George Miller, who is “retiring” this years as operations manager…
Winter 2014 – Four Decades of The Colorado Trail
The year was 1974. Richard Nixon resigned the presidency in the wake of the Watergate Scandal; Congress reduces the highway speed limit to 55 mph in response to a Middle East oil embargo. Hank Aaron beat Babe Ruth’s longstanding…
Spring 2014 – The Call of the “High 23”
The Colorado Trail’s new “High 23” beckons hikers, backpackers and horse riders this summer not only with its breath-taking vistas and superb tread, but also with the opportunity of being among the first to walk its path…
Fall 2013 – Crew Volunteer Has a Lucky Feeling
To paraphrase an old saying, if you’re lucky enough to be on The Colorado Trail, then you’re lucky enough. A lot of trail maintenance volunteers feel that way, too. Each summer, an army of people generously donate their time…
Spring 2013 – New Data, Map Books
Nearly every thru-hiker or segment-bagger carries one. Even some Colorado Trail day-hikers won’t leave home without it. A dog-eared, notated copy is a mark of pride to many…
Winter 2012 – The New Collegiate West
A major expansion of The Colorado Trail is underway: 80 miles of the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail in the Collegiate Peaks area, previously built and maintained by the Continental Divide Trail Alliance and affiliates, have been officially added to the CT…
Summer 2012 – Epic Horseplay
What do you call a 50 pound empty pack, 300 pounds of granola, 20 wool blankets, a gallon of bug spray 140 protein bars, eight leather “handcuffs,” nine extra shoes, a set of hammer and nails, and two adult diapers…
Winter 2011 – Bikepacking the CT
I first heard about the mother of all ultra-endurance mountain bike races, the Colorado Trail Race (CTR) in 2009. My initial impression … that’s NUTS. But then the wheels started turning. And I’m not talking about the 29 inchers on my Black Sheep singlespeed…
Summer 2011 – Sore Feet, Happy Camper
Even for Colorado’s outdoor enthusiasts, the phrase, “I’m going for a hike,” probably means, at most, a several hour trip out and back in a single day. When Brian Jackson goes out for a hike, he’ll see you in two months…
Fall 2010 – The New CT Guidebook
The eagerly awaited Eighth Edition of The Colorado Trail Guidebook – the first full revision of the guide in five years – is set for release early next year in time for the 2011 trekking season…
Fall 2009 – Trail Crew Roundup
It was another successful season of Trail building and repair, thanks to the hard work of our crew leaders and volunteers. Fourteen weeklong crews and two weekend crews, a total of 275 different volunteers from 27 states and 4 countries, worked to improve 25.9 miles of Trail between June 13 and Sept. 19…
Spring 2009 – Energies In Year 35
Spring is underway and bits of warm weather have gotten us all excited about summer activities. Trail season is right around the corner. We’ve begun to hear that some of The Colorado Trail segments near Denver are melted off and there are portions already passable…
Fall 2008 – The Trail Needed Help
2008 was a good year for the CT. Our volunteer Adopters worked hard at their annual maintenance, clearing the entire Trail corridor and reporting their findings. Trail crew volunteers worked to improve sections where there were major problems….
Spring 2008 – Support from the U.S. Forest Service
With The Colorado Trail almost entirely on Federal lands and most administered by the U.S. Forest Service, it’s natural that the CTF and USFS should work together. We’ve been partners for more than 30 years…
Fall 2007 – CTF Position on Proposed Rules for the Continental Divide Trail
The Forest Service has proposed a new policy for managing the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail, the Congressionally mandated trail that runs from Canada to Mexico through the Rocky Mountains…
Spring 2007 – Join Us on a Trail Crew at Clear Creek
This summer a number of our trail crews will work in the beautiful Clear Creek Valley surrounded by magnificent scenery with many 14,000-foot peaks. We’ll be camped beside the sparkling waters of Clear Creek in a nice flat meadow…
Fall 2006 – Rerouting the Trail on Cataract Ridge To Provide Spectacular Views
Rerouting the Trail above tree line on Cataract Ridge began this summer when three CTF volunteer trail crews started construction of the new tread near Stony Pass. The new 17-mile segment closely follows the crest…
Summer 2006 – The New CT Guidebook Is Here!
The new Official Guidebook of The Colorado Trail Foundation has been delivered from the printer and is available for purchase from a number of places. About 100 were mailed out from the CTF office in mid-May…
Spring 2006 – Bill Manning Welcomed As CTF Managing Director
Bill Manning, formerly of Durango, has been named to fill the new position of Managing Director of the Colorado Trail Foundation. Beginning February 1, Bill is responsible for overall management…
Fall 2005 – A Good Summer for the Trail!
This has been a busy summer for the Colorado Trail Foundation. On July 8 we signed a new, updated Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Forest Service that we had been working with Greg Warren on for more than a year…
Summer 2005 – Sharp Cuts Expected in U.S. Forest Service Budgets for Trails and Recreation
A front-page story in the April 19, 2005, Rocky Mountain News reported the U.S. Forest Service expects drastic reductions in agency budgets for trails and recreation…
Spring 2005 – Snowshoeing into Summer
I went snowshoeing recently and the weather was so great that it made me think of summer and The Colorado Trail. The CT Foundation had its annual Board of Directors meeting in January where we elected new board members…
Fall 2004 – CT 30th Birthday Party in Buena Vista
If you missed it, you missed a sellout! The 30-year Celebration in Buena Vista on September 25 was a fun sociable evening and a chance to meet the CTF board members, office staff and our many volunteers….