Buena Vista Real Estate » Colorado’s playground

Trail work – a passion

Mal Sillars — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 17:45:52 +0000

It’s almost summertime here in Buena Vista. The temperatures would indicate that it is summer here in the valley, but with all the snow in the high county…it is still late spring up there. The season in the high country is short, so trail building and maintenance is compressed into a short window of opportunity. I just finished my first trail building project of the season on the Continental Divide Trail near Winfield. This is part of the Mt. Elbert to Monarch Pass project, which will create about 90 miles of trail, all off road. Part of that 90 miles is the 8-mile section that I watch over…all above 12, 000 feet.

This last weekend about 20 of us created just over 500 feet of new trail by digging out rocks and roots and creating a crushed rock
and mineral-soil based trail. This is also a horse trail, so the base can not be spongy and a solid base also makes the trail longer lasting with less maintenance. This and all the Continent Divide Trail Alliance projects are the result of the passion of the CDTA volunteers as well as CDTA and National Forest Service staff, who show up clean and excited and leave grimy, tired, sore and happy. The pictures below show me “creating crushed rock” out of big rock and the trail in the process of of creation with a rock base, soon to be covered with mineral soil. These 500 feet of new trail are part of the 3,100 miles which make up the King of the Trails!

There are plenty of outdoor projects to work on here and that is part of the fun of living here, plus giving back is a big feature of enjoying the outdoors.

They’re here!

Mal Sillars — Fri, 06 May 2011 16:48:39 +0000

I hike as often as I can to stay in shape for summer climbing. Earlier this week I had a strong urge to climb Midland Hill. It is on the east side of Buena Vista and from the River Park, it is about a 4.5 miles round trip with a 1,600 ft assent. I use it for cardio training. Monday though, it was to go see the Pasque flowers. They are the early mountain flowers that, to me, are a signal of the new season. I knew it was early to look for them, but that urge got me out of the chair and onto the trail. I made it to the top in good time, but never saw any flowers. Deciding that I must have been over-hopeful, I started down and then, behold, there they were…where they always are. Not big groups yet, but a number of individual flowers, who also thought it was time to send the signal. So, with Pasque flowers out, it is time to work on the climbing list…there is a lot to climb and a rather short season at 13,000 feet.

Buena Vista Pace

Mal Sillars — Sun, 10 Apr 2011 00:38:43 +0000

One great aspect of the real estate business is helping buyers and sellers buy and sell their property with a minimum of fuss. But beyond that, practicing real estate in Buena Vista allows a pleasant pace. There is no frenetic driving all over territory, running here and running there, trying to meet deadlines and generally getting upset. For me there is a nice mix of business which includes paperwork, phone calls, general visiting and time for a hike or a home project. It’s sort of like ‘having a life.’ I’ve already had the job where I did not have a life.

I really like to hike the mountains and trails here. There is something special about prolonged times in elevated spaces. Getting up there is often the hardest thing I do. That’s probably why so many of us have chosen to live here. There are jobs or other things to do…but basically, we just want to be here. When one considers climate, weather, beauty, natural wonder, rugged terrain, high peaks, fast rivers and endless outdoor activities to pursue, there may not be a better place to live and play.

Oh, we still have some room left!

Springtime in the Rockies

Mal Sillars — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 17:51:55 +0000

Well, it may not be Springtime yet, but it is starting to feel and look like it. The temperature is mild, kayakers are in the river, and the real signal is that the Continental Divide Trail Alliance summer trail project catalog is out. This means we can start reading over the project descriptions and deciding which ones to sign up for.

The CDT is long, but in our neck of the woods there is about a 90-mile section, from Mount Elbert, Colorado’s highest 14er at 14,440 feet, to Monarch Pass, that is being reconstructed to be all off-road. The section that heads south from Cottonwood Pass is largely above 12,000 feet. The good news is, that we are nearing completion of this new segment and a large group of volunteers could make a big difference. Here is the URL for the CDTA Project Schedule. See you on the Trail!

Great time on the Continental Divide Trail

Mal Sillars — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 17:20:51 +0000

One of the great gifts of living in this part of the country is having the Rocky Mountains in your backyard. For years I have worked with the Continental Divide Trail Alliance on trail work as they raise money to complete this trail. Congress created the trail but never funded it…so there is a lot of volunteer effort to get it completed. That is what every community does for their local projects.

The trail is about 3100 miles from Canada to Mexico and follows the Continental Divide. When first started, the trail consisted of walking trails, game trails, logging and mining roads and whatever was present to create a path from one end to the other. In recent years, the effort has been to refine that network, into a “proper” trail from top to bottom. In our area, we are working on a 90-mile section from Mt. Elbert, 14,440 feet, the highest mountain in the Rocky Mountains and the second highest in the lower 48, south to Monarch Pass on US 50. Some sections are being re-worked and some are being moved so that this entire length will be “off-road.”

In 2005, ’06, and ’07, I and others spent many days surveying and siting a large section of this new trail. A couple of years ago, I adopted an eight mile section, mainly above 12,000 feet, to watch over, monitor and maintain. This past weekend I walked it again for the fall inspection and more trail had been completed. It is a spectacular walk. With the completion of about 1,500 feet of trail, my section will be complete and with the completion of another 2.5 miles to the south in Morgan’s Gulch…where I spent many happy days working…the path from Cottonwood Pass to Tin Cup Pass, 17 miles, will be complete. I think that ‘sky-walk’, mainly above 12,000 feet, will be one of the jewels of the CDT and it is fun being part of that effort.

Autumn in the Rockies

Mal Sillars — Sun, 26 Sep 2010 16:24:15 +0000

While not record setting, it was a warm summer. There were many days with highs in the 80s…I would have preferred the 60s. At this elevation, 8,000 feet, the sun is so direct that you can feel warm even though the temperature might seem cool. Now we are heading into autumn and the outlook is for above normal temperatures and below normal precipitation. At this point in the game, above normal means 70s and that will be OK. Nighttime lows are already in the 30s. We just had our first snow in the high country and that put the frosting on a beautiful mountain scene. Below is Mt. Columbia, one of our 14ers, with a light cover of snow above the colored trees.

Autumn in our part of the state brings traffic to see the changing colors and this year it is bringing some welcome traffic to my real estate office. It’s a nice change!

It’s climbin’ time!

Mal Sillars — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 01:04:58 +0000

I’m itching to get the climbing season underway. This past week was a great week weather-wise, but it has been raining all weekend. When the weather breaks, the first thing I need to do is to take a day or so and inspect the portion of the Continental Divide Trail that I have adopted. That is about 8 miles all above 12,000 feet, although a small portion is not yet complete. Once that is done, Casco Peak is the first on the climbing list. I got up high enough last week to spot the route, but the south ridge was still snow covered; however, that should be pretty much snow free now. Once I get that done, there is a long list to take me through the summer. So many peaks…so little summer! (Here in the Sawatch Range there are about 130 peaks 13,000 feet or higher)

Casco Peak - 13,908 feet

Christmas Wonderland

Mal Sillars — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 22:53:18 +0000

I was sitting here in the kitchen this morning looking out the window and the thought came to me that the view reminded me of Switzerland. Then I realized, this view that I see everyday, is really my Buena Vista view. The sky was clear Colorado blue; the air was a crisp 11 degrees; the new snow on Mt. Princeton just made that massif stand out as if it were pasted on the sky. One is just compelled to stare.

There are days when there is not enough hustle and bustle here in this town for me, but when I stop and look at the surroundings, I am always awed at the majesty of this valley. There are other impressive views that I have seen in my travels, but these are particularly so. I finally realized that views here are different because I have hiked the trails and climbed the peaks and know the back country. Elsewhere, a view is a view, but each one here has a memory or two for me.

If ever there was a little town, nestled in a valley, surrounded by snow covered peaks, that made you think of a Colorado Christmas, Buena Vista could be the one.

Come live where you play!

Mal Sillars — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 17:31:09 +0000

There is just something about Buena Vista. For me, it is not quite big or busy enough, but the front range is a bit too busy. Yesterday I went to Denver, where there was snow on the ground and the temperature was in the 20s. When I got back to BV, it was sunny, windy and 60ish; the mountains were looking great..with peaks some 6,000 feet above our 8,000 ft valley floor.

When taking trips to the Front Range on the weekends, one thing is notable, heavy traffic is headed west on Saturday morning and headed back east on Sunday afternoon…so for me the slow traffic is usually in the other lane. I get it! We have more 14ers and better whitewater than anywhere else in the lower 48, along with great family skiing areas. This is where Coloradans come to play. Perhaps it is time for me to ignore the slowness here and just play more…after all…how great is it to live on the playground!