Time Lapse on the Continental Divide

In this case the time lapse is 5 years, which is the difference between when these two photos were taken. The one on the top is from the top of Paywell Mtn. It was taken a few weeks ago, and it's looking north toward the western portal of the Alpine Tunnel.
The lower photo is looking south at Paywell Mtn. taken in 2005 from above the Alpine Tunnel, which sits squarely on the Continental Divide. You can see the turntable where the locomotives were turned around in the lower right. If you look really close, you can see Durango Doug standing right next to the turntable. I can't tell if he has his shirt on.

Matson map updated

Well, it was a little slow in arriving, but the map of the new trail at Matson Hill is finally here! The best thing to report is the current distance of 4.9 miles, up from 2.8. There's a lot more to come, and Matson has 2 workdays scheduled for this year, so come out and help add even more trail. The pdf version of the map should be up on the GORC Trails page soon, and you will be able to find it here.

Withered and melted on MiddleFork

I managed to convince a few foolhardy souls to make an attempt at an out-n-back of Middlefork on the 19th of July. The heat seemed like it might become an issue (heat indices well into the 100's F) but some extra measures were taken by the group to stave off instant death by dehydration or melting: electrolyte tabs, a water filter for refilling bottles and bladders, and I personally went for the full-on, double CamelBak maneuver...

The trail was in pretty good shape and its signature sustained benchcut downhills were as awesome as always. There was quite a bit of thorny veg to force your way through which made for some bloody raw arms and legs.

We hit Barton Fen and took a break... I think my tires were starting to smolder anyway. After refilling some bottles and plotting our next move, the smart guy in the group suggested perhaps a little turn-around-and-start-backing might be in order for safety's sake... because it was unbelievably hot and all. I'm not naming names, but his name starts with "C" and ends with "-raig"... And I'd probably be a dessicated pile of withered, leathery flesh on the side of the trail if I hadn't listened to his good sense.