Exploring Twin Lakes Below and Climbing Elbert Above

Mt. Elbert from the shores of Twin Lakes.

By Nate Van Noord (RO Staff)

In the Fall of 2022, two buddies - Daniel and Joel (who I wrote about hiking the Great Sand Dunes with here) - and myself ventured to Twin Lakes for the weekend. Daniel wanted to see the Fall colors, Joel to hike Mt. Elbert nearby, and me to explore anywhere new in CO.  

Joel and Daniel

We left the The Springs on a Friday morning, and after the 2.5 hour drive west, saw our first glimpse of Twin Lakes nestled directly below Elbert - Colorado’s highest peak at 14,440 ft. We had to pull over for a picture!

When we arrived in the town of Twin Lakes - population like 36 in the summer - we stopped at the General Store. The gentleman behind the counter notified us our ‘first come, first serve’ campsite was closed for the season. But, he informed us of his favorite ‘dispersed’ campsite. He explained that dispersed camping requires no reservation or money, but has no bathrooms or running water either. It sounded like my kind of camping! He showed us on the map where to go and made us swear not to tell anyone else where it was. 

After exploring the abandoned resort, Joel found a fishing spot and caught two Greenback Trout.

After setting up our camp, we drove 20 minutes to The Interlaken Trailhead. Our guy at the General Store also told us about a centuries old, abandoned resort two miles from the trailhead. Our hike hugged the lakeshore and Daniel soaked in all the golden leafed aspens. We explored some of the resort’s open buildings and walked along the beach.

The next morning, we woke up at 4 am and drove 45 minutes to the North Mt. Elbert Trailhead. With a dozen cars already in the parking lot, we embarked on the 10.4 mile round trip with our headlamps. After walking through the forest for a half hour, we were surprised to spot the first traces of snow. The steady rain at our campsite the night before was snow at the higher elevation of Elbert. After crossing the treeline, the snow deepened to 4-6 inches. 

The ascent

Eventually, we came to the bottom of a false summit, where the trail narrowed and fell off steeply to one side. A couple hikers decided it looked too risky and turned back. Joel, Daniel, and myself stood there for ten minutes debating whether it was worth it. We had no yaktrax for our boots, no hiking poles - didn’t even have gloves. This was Daniel’s first 14er and said he really wanted to summit. Joel has done many 14ers, said he didn’t have anything to prove, and voted to turn around. They both looked at me. I glanced up at the dark clouds and swirling snow looming above. I looked back down at the trail thinking it could get icy by the time we returned.

Mt. Massive across the way.

A few hikers caught up to us, excused themselves as they scooted past, and slowly made their way up this sketchy section. One of the dudes was rocking basketball high tops. I thought, alright, if this dude is going to do it… 

So we pressed on. 

After the false summit, we had another mile to go. The winds whipped, the snow swirled, and visibility was low. After we reached the summit, we stayed for about 90 seconds. 

The descent

We descended quickly and I felt anxious about our sketchy section down below. I started to have flashbacks to the time my foot slipped and I fell off a cliff in Mexico. I wasn’t found by search and rescue until the next day (told at the NPR StorySlam here). But, with careful foot placements and hand grips, we made it through. We cruised back down to the treeline - where it started snowing, then hailing, and then raining. Once back to our car, we were soaked from top to bottom. 

We drove 20 minutes to Leadville and had lunch. Neither Daniel nor I brought a change of clothes for the weekend. So after lunch, we decided to foregore our second night at our ‘secret’ campsite. We drove back, packed up all our stuff, and headed back to the Springs. Daniel was exhausted but happy for bagging his first 14er, Joel glad to have crossed another one of his list, and me still wondering if we made the right decision.

Medicine Wheel: Trail Advocates

Cory, near Garden of the Gods

Cory Sutela, director of Medicine Wheel Trail Advocates, stopped by Routes the other day. Medicine Wheel is a non-profit organization of “mountain bikers who build, protect, and share inspiring trail experiences” in the Pikes Peak Region.  

Cory shared that Medicine Wheel was originally started by Brian Gravestock in 1991. Brian found mental and physical healing from being on the region’s trails. Inspired by the native american tradition of the Medicine Wheel, he created MedWheel as a way to encourage people to connect with nature and to improve cooperation among trail users. Brian wanted to provide a way to let trail users heal themselves as well as the trails. This work has led to the vision of creating a world class network of mountain biking trails in the Pikes Peak region. Read more about this history here.

Cory became the director of Medicine Wheel in 2019 after serving on the board of directors for many years. He originally moved to Colorado Springs from Canada in 2004 to work as a SRAM engineer. He first learned about Medicine Wheel when he volunteered at Red Rocks Canyon Open Space at a Medicine Wheel Trail of Love Dig Day - MedWheel’s volunteer building and maintenance program for the trails we all love. 

Ribbon cutting at Lake Morraine Trail

Medicine Wheel has had their hands in many of the trail projects around town in the last 30 years like Chutes and Ladders, Lion trail, Codell and many others. They spent 20 years bringing the Lake Morainne Trail to completion. They had to coordinate with State Senators, Colorado Springs Utilities, the State and National Railways, multiple landowners, and the Army Corps of Engineers. One of the most rewarding parts of this job for Cory was cutting the ribbon on the Lake Moraine Trail (and the recently opened Cresta Bike Park). 

Trail of Love Dig Day on Rattle Rocks at Ute Valley.

Cory mentioned during his visit to Routes that Medicine Wheel is in need of volunteers - not only for Trail Love Dig Days (which are posted regularly on their website) but also to attend public meetings, find sponsors, curate their social media, and in communications to help share Medicine Wheel’s story with the greater public. 

Additionally, Medicine Wheel partners with community organizations like Rocky Mountain Field Institute, Pikes Peak Outdoor Rec Alliance, Trails and Open Space Coalition, Concrete Couch, Upadowna, Friends groups in parks and open spaces across the region, schools, and businesses. MedWheel always seeks additional business, individual and organizational partners.

You can also follow them on Facebook  Instagram  Youtube  . 

Exploring Ft. Collins - Day Trip Series: Part 3

Skyler and Luna

By Nate Van Noord (RO Staff)

My niece, Ellie, and her husband, Skyler, moved from Colorado Springs to Ft. Collins in December of 2021. They met as students at Colorado State and moved to the Springs after college for work. But after five years, they decided to move back to Ft. Collins. They enjoy being in a college town and the cultural amenities it has to offer.

So in the summer of 2021, I made a day trip up to Ft. Collins to visit them. I met Skyler and their dog, Luna, for a hike at Arthur’s Rock Trailhead in Lory State Park. The trail was a moderate two mile hike to the top, gaining about a 1,000 ft. in elevation. The top overlooked Horsetooth Reservoir, Fort Collins, and the surrounding Front Range. With the Wyoming border about 30 miles away, I felt like I could almost see it.

After, we met Ellie for lunch at Little on Mountain and I had maybe the best burger of my life. It was infused with bone marrow and so juicy and flavorful. After lunch, we walked the surrounding historic neighborhood of Old Town and it’s Victorian homes from the 1800s. Then, we made our way downtown, dipping into different shops like Nuance Chocolate, before settling into Wolverine Farm Publick House for a drink, perusing the books, and admiring their gardens.

I’ve visited dozens of college towns through the years, and I must say, Ft. Collins is one of the best.

Trailblazers Field Trip

Lunching along the North Catamount Reservoir beach

This past July (2022), the Trailblazers Running and Hiking Group went on a field trip! We meet every Wednesday at Trails End Taproom for a 5 mile run through Red Rocks Canyon Open Space. However, we wanted to get out and explore a new area together. So we ventured to North and South Catamount Reservoir. Ten of us met at Routes in Old Colorado City for coffee, bagels, and fruit. We carpooled for the 40 minute drive - going through Manitou Springs to the Pikes Peak Highway. We paid the $5 toll/per person and made the beautiful and winding drive through the National Forest. 

Once we reached the reservoirs, we parked nearby and split up among runners and walkers. Each group followed the trail along the South reservoir - seeing fisherman, picnicking families, and kayakers along the way. We did a 6 mile out and back route, taking in the views of Pikes Peak throughout. After finishing, we walked 10 minutes to the North Reservoir and lunched along the beach. 

Afterward, some folks kept driving north to camp for the long 4th of July weekend, and a few of us drove back to Routes and stopped at the Pickle Shack along the way. Since it was someone’s birthday, we took pickle juice shots! 

Being with good people in such a beautiful place made for a great field trip!

The view from the trail along South Catamount Reservoir

Double Dating in the Wilderness

By Jake Timmons and Juli Williams, friends of Routes, and part of the local Trailblazers hiking group.

Our June (2022) trip around the Buffalo Peaks Wilderness Loop outside of Fairplay - about 2 hours west of Colorado Springs - started as a surreptitious call from our friend Sarah. She asked Juli if we’d would be interested in a “double date overnight” backpacking trip. Juli quickly agreed and she and Sarah started planning before clueing in the husbands. Eventually, the heads up was pretty much - “Hey, we’re going backpacking this weekend”.

Since Juli loves both backpacking and date night…and Jake also loves date night (but loves golf), this seemed like a reasonable compromise for us. 

Juli and Jake filtering water…or at least one filtering water and one watching gleefully.

Juli met Sarah first at a networking event for her job in software and then again four days later at a Saturday run club. Two encounters that quickly meant they should probably just be friends…and the rest is history - including being a part of each other’s weddings. 

The Buffalo Peaks Loop is just under twelve miles and makes for a nice intro or weekend backpack loop. Since we were dispersed camping, no permit was required. The four of us met at the trailhead and set off around 10 am. Sarah brought quick reference cards of Colorado Flowers so several conversations focused on the diversity of the wilderness that is Colorado.

We ended up hiking 6.5 miles the first day. Taking our time, it took just over three hours to reach our campsite. We saw several other folks camping but the trail wasn’t crowded. 

Day 2: Camp all packed up and ready to head home.

We set up camp in a stand of trees overlooking a meadow with a creek for filtering water. After a fancy dinner of Tasty Bites Madras Lentils and Veggie Tikka Masala, courtesy of Juli and her jet boil stove, we enjoyed a cup of hot chocolate (and maybe a splash of whiskey).

After dinner, we spotted deer in the meadow and heard coyotes nearby. We were told elk or moose could be sighted - if you were lucky. We were not lucky.

No campfire that evening due to a fire ban but the cool night was made comfortable in a cozy two-person tent.

The next morning, we enjoyed a relaxing breakfast at camp of oatmeal and instant coffee from Trader Joe’s - accompanied by a gorgeous sunrise over the meadow and creek.

On the 5.3 mile hike back to the trailhead, Juli and Sarah both mentioned how much they loved the trip. Jake admitted he actually loved it too - being with his wife and good friends in the outdoors was a great and meaningful time…

…even if it wasn’t golf.

Trekking for Elk in the 'Blood of Christ' Mountains

Luke climbing in Eleven Mile Canyon

Luke Perez, RO staff, is an avid mountain biker and rock climber. In 2014, he started climbing regularly at The Springs Climbing Center (SCC). Luke met many people there he now rides and climbs with weekly. He eventually met a couple fellows at SCC named Mitchell and Bryce, who both shared an affinity for elk hunting.

Mitchell and Bryce spent nine days back in September of 2022 elk hunting in the Sangre de Cristo (Blood of Christ) Mountains. On their 3rd day, Bryce shot and killed an elk. By their 9th and last day together, Mitchell still hadn’t got himself the beast he so wanted to bag. They woke up that final morning together and packed all their gear with the intent to hunt their way back to the trucks. On their way back, they heard a bull and his cows. Bryce bugled and raked a tree to pose as a threatening bull. The bull and cows moved away and Mitchell and Bryce tracked them for an hour and a half. Eventually, they saw the bull fifty yards away. Mitchell drew his bow and pierced the magnificent elk. When they found the blood trail, tears filled Mitchell’s eyes. After waiting for an hour, they tracked the bull’s blood trail and eventually found him lying in some brush moaning deeply. With a heavy heart, Mitchell shot another arrow in his vitals and the bull’s labored breathing stopped. 

Mitchell and his elk.

By this point, Mitchell and Bryce were out of food, had little water, and were low on energy. So Mitchell decided to message his buddies from The Springs Climbing Center - including Luke - to ask for some help. 

After receiving Mitchell’s text, Luke sat in his living room with a decision to make. It would be a three hour drive to the trailhead. Then, the two hour hike to get to Mitchell and Bryce would be steep and rocky with heavy packs and 1,300 ft. in elevation gain.

Luke wanted to relax before heading to work the next day, but Mitchell and Bryce were his buddies and a part of his community of his friends. Plus, Mitchell is a competent and athletic dude and Luke knew he wouldn’t ask for help unless he needed it. Luke texted back and said he was on his way. 

A month later, Mitchell invited Luke and friends over for elk steak and gave each one 30 pounds of meat.

Mitchell sent his longitude and latitude marker and Luke and two other friends carpooled to the location. They arrived at 7:45 pm and hiked in the dark to where Mitchell and Bryce were waiting. The two of them had processed the whole elk and were keeping the meat cool having wrapped it all in game bags and placed it in a creek nearby. Luke and friends arrived with sandwiches and cookies and the five of them packed 300 lbs of meat into their packs. Although Mitchell’s pack was heavy and his body hurt, it felt like a victory lap. They hiked the six miles back to the trucks with his heart full of gratitude and love - for both the elk and his friends.

Hiking The Crags - Day Trip Series: Part 1

The Crags Trailhead

By Nate Van Noord (RO Staff)

Since our cold-season hours have changed at Routes, and we are closed on Mondays, I have been taking day trips from The Springs.

Both friends and folks online recommended a 5 mile hike called The Crags. It is also known for being a trailhead leading up to Pikes Peak. So, I made the 45 minute drive from Old Colorado City to the trailhead in Divide, just past Mueller State Park.

The trail meandered past aspen groves in the last stages of yellow, wound along 4 Mile Creek, and was well marked with signage.

The dictionary defines a ‘crag’ as a steep or rugged cliff or rock face - which fits this trail perfectly. The granite found throughout the area erodes horizontally into monumental slabs or vertically into colossal cusps.

At the top of The Crags.

It was 800 feet in elevation gain to the top, where I soaked in a view of the Catamount Reservoirs and the Rampart Range. All the twisted conifers shaped by the wind also caught my eye. On a Monday morning, there were only few other hikers at the summit.

On my way back home, I stopped at Hungry Bear in Woodland Park for a brunch of buckwheat pancakes. A favorite of locals and tourists alike, the diner has hundreds of teddy bears hanging from the walls.

I’ve been told The Crags is a good spot to snowshoe, so I will have to return this Winter.

Forest Therapy: Restoring Connections with Ourselves, Others, and Nature

By Nate Van Noord (RO Staff)

“In every walk in nature one receives far more than he seeks.” John Muir

My brother taught English in Japan in the late 1980s, when the country was booming economically. He walked to school every morning in awe of the beautifully landscaped streets and parks and centuries old architecture. But he also saw plenty of businessmen rushing to work early in the morning and napping on the subway late at night on their commute home. The general population was working longer and longer hours - usually indoors in sterile office environments.

Consequently, a movement called Shinrin-yoku started to encourage folks to immerse themselves in the forest as a way to improve their mental and physical health and find a renewed connection to themselves, others, and the natural world. As this movement spread around the globe in recent decades, it also became known as ‘forest therapy’ or ‘forest bathing’.  

L to R: My sister, Janna, and Serena, and Autumn

A few months ago, I walked into Mountain Equipment Recyclers with a $5 coupon burning a hole in my pocket. I walked past the front counter and saw a brochure for Restoring Connections Forest Therapy. Serena Vogel, a retired school teacher and certified forest therapy guide, was advertising a 2-3 hour forest walk with the intention of connecting others with nature in a healing way. 

Later that afternoon, I gave Serena a call and found she recently finished her 125 hours of training through the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy (ANFT). She first discovered forest therapy when she met ANFT’s founder, Amos Clifford, at a conference. Growing up, Serena had a troubled childhood and regularly escaped into nature to cope. Hearing Clifford’s vision of helping participants disconnect from the stress of life to uncover the joy and peace of the forest sounded very appealing to her. 

It sounded appealing to me too. So we set up a time for a walk. 

The next week, my sister and I met Serena at Cheyenne Mountain State Park on a Wednesday morning. Accompanying Serena was Autumn, one of Serena’s former middle school students, who 25 years later is now a massage therapist in Manitou Springs. We walked for a mile into the forest to a spot Serena already had scouted out. 

My tree.

We put our bags down and Serena explained how this would work. She would give us a prompt, or invitation, to embrace the forest in some way. We would each wander a stones throw away with the freedom to sit, stand, lie down, walk around…whatever felt right. After 15-20 minutes we would reconvene, and share about it if we wanted to. 

After a few invitations, our last prompt was to experience a tree nearby. Stare at it, feel it, smell it, listen to it. So I meandered off and lied down under a 40-foot Oak.

I watched its tops gently sway and listened to the faint rustling of the wind moving its highest branches. The pace of movement contrasted sharply to a bird who swooped into the Oak, perched on a branch, and a moment later, fluttered away. 

I stood up and plucked a leaf. I rubbed its smooth surface in my hand and tried hard to smell it. I dropped the leaf and nestled my upright body into the tree. Like a bear, I scratched my back along the ridges of the bark. I took a deep breath, turned back around, and gripped a couple waist high branches. I shook the branches hard, hoping to release some pent up stress. 

Sharing tea, with the leaves often foraged nearby, is a tradition after a Forest Therapy walk.

I peered around the tree to see if Serena, my sister, or Autumn were in sight. They were not. So I wrapped my arms all the way around the trunk of my tree. I held my guy for a few minutes - soaking in his strength, his age, his wisdom. As a single person, I don’t receive much physical touch. My tree was providing, even if for a few moments, a love language I sorely lacked. 

A moment later, Serena gently gonged her Japanese bell and we strolled back. She had prepared tea and put out the homemade pumpkin bread she brought. We sat and debriefed and I felt a little weird sharing about the deep bond my tree and I had going on and that I straight up hugged him for a long time. But Serena nodded affirmingly like it was completely normal.

While my sister and Autumn shared, my mind wandered to a passage in the Old Testament about God’s people being stricken with poverty and despair and He raises them up to be Oaks of Righteousness - restoring places and people long devastated. Now, God had patiently watched as my tree grew from a small sapling to a flourishing staple of the forest - rooting itself deeply, providing shade for those below, and branches for the birds above. It had taken years, but my guy had fully matured and was nourishing all those around him - including me. I took a deep breathe, felt my body relax, and reveled in the bounty of the forest and all of Creation.

With Serena as my guide, my tree as my therapist, and God as my witness, I was ready to go home and take a long, deep nap.

Serena Vogel, MA, Certified Forest Therapy Guide, can be reached at natureheals622@gmail.com

A Spiritual Experience: Ascending Colorado's 14ers

Blanca Peak

People enter into the wilderness for different reasons. Some crave the solitude and slower pace. Others love being out there with friends and talking about life - with beauty as their backdrop. For Pastor Kevin Feldotto, it is a time to be with God - of prayer, meditation, and developing next week's sermon in his head. 

Originally from Nebraska, Kevin moved to Colorado Springs in 1989 to help start a church. A few years later, he started trail running and eventually did the Pikes Peak Marathon. And then, he did it eleven more times. 

Little Bear/Blanca Traverse

Even after all the trail running, it didn’t dawn on him to start climbing Fourteeners (a 14,000 ft. peak) until 2013. Nine years later, he’s done Pikes Peak 75 times.

As a pastor, he has Fridays off…and while his wife worked, he often would make a quick summit of Pikes. It is one of his favorite Fourteeners as he has met lots of interesting folks on Barr Trail and at Barr Camp.  

By summer of 2022, Kevin had completed 48 of the 58 Fourteeners.

At first, he did the easier ones - afraid of those with lots of exposure. But as he honed his skills as a rock climber, he gained more confidence to do the class 3 and 4 Fourteeners. Even as an experienced hiker now, he still does a ton of research on each Fourteener, is careful not to be overconfident, and always takes someone with him on the more difficult climbs. 

This Fall (2022), he is taking a sabbatical and hopes to do the rest of the Fourteeners, including the last one with his daughter and son who are in their 20s. When he hikes with others, it is still a rejuvenating time of introspection and enjoying God’s creation. At age 63, he will become one of roughly 1,400 people who have climbed all of Colorado’s Fourteeners. 

Northstar

Kevin is a campus pastor at Woodmen Valley Chapel Southwest.

Helping Her Peers Get Outside...

A brief spotlight on Routes Experience Associate - Hannah Brothers.

Hannah, left, and two students from The Lewis Palmer High School Outdoor Club

Hannah Brothers joined the Routes staff in Spring of 2022. She had known a few of the folks at Routes through her years of riding and racing in the youth cycling scene in Colorado Springs. She’s simply an awesome person, killer rider, and super kind spirit.

Hannah absolutely loves being outdoors, and has been an influence in the outdoor industry as well! Her general love for the outdoors has grown over the years from her experience as a Girl Scout since kindergarten.

Entering her senior year of high school in Fall of ‘21, she was well on her way to completing the Girl Scouts’ highest award - the Gold Award. This award is for those who seek to tangibly address a community need both locally and beyond.

Since she had a long history of, and passion for, being in the mountains - she decided to start the Lewis Palmer High School Outdoor Club back in the Spring of ‘21. She realized a lot of her classmates didn’t have many of the opportunities to get outside and connect with nature the same way she had - even in Colorado. In many ways it seemed to her that they had no one to help them. This chance to help her peers in something she loved became the foundation for her project.

Hannah secured free cross country ski rentals for The Club.

Over the course of her senior year, Hannah led the Outdoor Club on hikes around Monument’s most popular mountainous areas. Mt. Herman and Palmer Reservoir were a couple of favorites. She also organized days for geocaching and hammocking, brought in guest speakers to share about hiking all of Colorado’s 14ers, avalanche safety, map and compass skills, and cross country skiing. These were all incredible and diverse opportunities.

She designed the club to be accessible with no fees and did her best to ensure the events were doable for beginners. On top of it all, Hannah even wrote a handbook to pass down to the next generation of students leading The Club.

This awesome effort eventually did land her the award…and it was well deserved.

What an accomplishment! And what an awesome privilege to have her on the Routes team.

This Fall, Hannah is a freshman at CU - Boulder, studying Aerospace Engineering and doing Air Force ROTC. While she’s not around the shop these days…we can’t wait to have her back during breaks.

We’re impressed by all Hannah has done in her young life so far. We anticipate she’ll continue to do great things in the lives of others and in her community for many years to come too!

Hannah’s pins and patches.

FINDING A PASSION: FROM HATING TO LOVING RUNNING

By Jamison Brandenburg (Friend of Routes and part of Trailblazers Running Group)

As a kid I abhorred any activity that included cardio. I played baseball from the coach pitch level all the way up until my freshman year in high school, and as anyone familiar with the sport knows, it requires a minimal amount of running. Whenever we had to run during practice, I always referred to it as the ”devil’s exercise” (maybe being just a tad dramatic). 

During high school I got heavily involved in band, another activity that doesn’t require a high level of physical fitness but kept me active. Now I wasn’t a lazy kid growing up. I loved being outdoors hiking, backpacking, fishing, and disc golf. But still no high intensity cardio.

Flash forward to my junior year of college and meeting Emily, my partner. Emily grew up with an active family, her dad walked onto the track team at Texas Tech and she ran cross country in high school. After falling out of running regularly Emily and one of her close friends decided to train for the Niagara Marathon in New York. 

To avoid the Texas summer heat Emily would run during the evening in the small town we lived in. I didn’t love the idea of her running alone at night, so I’d go with her kicking and screaming the entire way. “I hate this”. “This is stupid”. “Why are we even out here”. These were all common phrases I uttered on our runs together. Emily was a great sport and tolerated me for the most part. 

During the spring of 2020 I landed a job based out of Woodland Park, Colorado, just northwest of Colorado Springs. I had embraced running as an exercise that allowed me to eat whatever I wanted and maintain a fairly healthy weight. Knowing that I needed some encouragement to continue running once I moved up to Colorado, I signed up for a race called the Pikes Peak Ascent, not fully grasping what I signed up for. 

I soon started running on trails and quickly came to realize that trail running was basically hiking but faster, and I already loved hiking. Things started clicking for me and soon a local trail runner out of Woodland Park reached out via Strava and we became friends. Through Rachel, my new trail running friend, I met a whole community of like-minded people who enjoyed spending time outside just as much as I did. 

All of a sudden running became more than just a way to eat whatever I wanted. Trail running became community, friends, belonging, and acceptance. Trail running became a way for me to explore my new backyard and spend even more time outside. Trail running became a way to test new limits, challenge myself mentally and physically, and spend time with people I love.

RACING THE ROYAL GORGE

Cy Knowles joined Routes staff in the summer of 2021, and will be a Junior at Palmer Ridge High School this Fall. He moved here from Minnesota a couple years ago where he did his first downhill mountain bike race in 7th grade. This was only the beginning of Cy’s love for MTB and racing.

Cy Knowles and Ethan Werschky on top of the podium! And to be clear…the other podium finishers didn’t stick around to claim their spots. Ha! So they did in fact win in a field of other riders within their division.

Cy recently completed The Royal Gorge Groove - an XC mountain bike race. Despite the very windy conditions and 1,700 feet in elevation gain, he and his relay-mate, Ethan Werschky, took first place in the U18 division. (Ethan also just started working at Routes!)

It took the pair just over three hours to complete the 24-mile course. 

Cy had only hiked in the Royal Gorge prior to this race. After biking it, he said he would, “100% do this race again”. His general sentiment? It wasn’t too “techy”, the atmosphere & vibe was great, and the views were simply amazing. To boot, he enjoyed a post-race burger at Happy Endings Caboose Cafe in Canon City.

He did this race as a warmup for his XC season, and also plans on doing the Revolution Enduro Race in Snowmass at the end of the summer.

We love having Cy on staff at Routes! He’s growing his skills as a bike mechanic like crazy, and he continues to bring the kind spirit we value to both the community and his fellow staff.

If you see Cy at the shop, on the trails around town, or getting a post ride burrito at El Rincon, be sure to say “what’s up”!

KEEPING IT FRESH: RIDING TO RIVENDELL ON A RIVENDELL

By Nils Eng (local schoolteacher and friend of Routes Outfitter)

“Yet the deeds will not be less valiant because they are un-praised." –J. R. R. Tolkien

The most current event poster on my garage wall is the 2017 Tommyknocker 10, a mountain biking endurance event in Silver City, NM, almost five years ago.  As the first day of Spring drew closer, I found myself searching the internet in vain for an event that interested me. 

If I’m honest, I craved a new experience and some new “swag”—something tangible to look at or hold and remember the fun of an event, just like my aging poster. I also desperately needed a goal to give my riding some direction--some focus as winter drew to an end. 

The problem is, I don’t enjoy racing any more.  I ride my bike to explore now, and I don’t think I ever want to make another visit to the Pain Cave.  The thought of riding my bike in circles around the same course over and over as fast as I can just isn’t appealing anymore.  I want to explore!  I want to see new things!  …and I want to drink coffee while I do it.  Thus, the Ride to Rivendell was born.  

To back up a little, I’m not a winter person.  I know that’s blasphemy in Colorado, but being from New Mexico, and a non-skier to boot, winter in Colorado is something I’m still coming to terms with.  To get me through this past winter, I decided to try to read The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings trilogy, and The Silmarillion by the first day of spring.  With the epic journeys of Bilbo, Frodo, and Sam reverberating in my mind, I decided to make my own event—a challenge inspired by Bilbo’s journey to Rivendell.  The touring bicycle I happen to have is made by a California company called Rivendell.

I decided that I would ride my Rivendell to “Rivendell.”  Doing a little digging, I found that it took Bilbo and company 39 days to walk the 397 miles from his home in Bag End to Elrond’s house in Rivendell.  That would be my goal.

As for the swag, when I reached Bree and The Inn of the Prancing Pony (at 85 miles) I’d treat myself to a Prancing Pony pint glass.  If I finished the challenge, I’d buy myself a Green Dragon Pub “event” T-shirt (for you non-hobbit nerds, The Green Dragon is Biblo’s home pub).  Along the way, to make it more interesting, I’d create a list of challenges I had to complete. 

By the end of the 397 miles, I’d try to visit at least three regional parks, have tea three times, coffee three times, visit three ponds, ride three regional trails, and ride in all four cardinal directions from my house.  

Over the next thirty-nine days, I did just that.  I rode early in the morning to work, seeing deer, skunks, rabbits, and nearly colliding with a turkey.  I rode in the snow, I rode in the rain, and I rode in the sun.  I created new and interesting multi-surface loops, connecting single track with bike paths and open roads as I tied many of our amazing city’s parks and open spaces together, stopping frequently for tea and coffee.  In short, I had a blast, and I learned that, for me, I just need a little creativity to keep my riding life fresh.  

KIDS ON BIKES - CREATING COMMUNITY THROUGH CYCLING

By Nate Van Noord (RO Staff)

Back in Detroit, where I moved from in the summer of 2021, there is an organization, Back Alley Bikes, that gives kids the opportunity to work on bikes and eventually earn a bike. They empower kids to get on the road for fun and for transportation. They have been very influential in changing the transportation culture of Detroit beyond being just the “Motor City”. 

When I moved there in 2006, there was one bike shop in the whole city. When I left, there were seven. That same year, I rode in a Critical Mass bike ride event…and there were seven of us total. Now, Critical Mass ride events in Detroit regularly have over 10,000 riders.

After moving to Colorado Springs, I immediately was struck by our access to the trails around town and was hyped to see all the folks out there riding for recreation. I was disappointed though, to see so few peeps riding the roads for transportation. 

Where were the bikes carrying commuters each day on our city streets? Where were the kids cruising across town to their friends’ houses? Where was the population that carried a mindset and torch…to promote alternate forms of transportation as a great and positive community dimension?

Fast forward about a year later, a community influencer named Mark Schenberger stopped by our south COS Routes location one day to visit with me, and I was encouraged to hear that he and all the good people over at Kids on Bikes are trying to change that.

Mark rode his Surly over to Routes from the Kids on Bikes office a few miles away. He recently rode this same bike solo from Denmark to Turkey for four months.

Mark first shared a little bit about his story.

He attended The Ohio State University (Go Wolverines!) and studied abroad in Copenhagen - the mecca of bicycle commuting (where you see businessmen riding to work in suits and moms dropping their kids off for school on cargo bikes). His time in Europe inspired him to contribute to the growing movement of alternative forms of transportation back in the States. After graduating, he took an Americorps position at Kids on Bikes.

Mark explained that Kids on Bikes started in 2005 and originally gave bikes away to kids who reached academic goals. They soon realized they wanted to do more….  

Through the years, they have provided opportunities for hundreds of kids to learn the fundamentals of operating a bike, everything from which side of the road to ride on to fixing a flat, and eventually giving them the chance of earning their own bike. Once they do, they help the kids pick a safe route in their neighborhood to ride and they ride it with them. 

They also set up bicycle libraries in different neighborhoods around town. Kids and adults in the community can access the tools inside these shipping containers for free.

In addition to all of that…they organize rides to school! How cool is that! A couple weeks ago, they had three different rides of 30-40 kids and their parents pedaling to three different elementary schools. They were even led by a 3-time Paralympian, Tyler Carter.

In 2016, Kids on Bikes launched a very cool new part of their organization - the Pedal Station. They have been operating the Pedal Station as an integral part of their strategies for long term sustainability since then. The Station operates as a bicycling community center and sells used bicycles to fit any budget through its retail store. They also offer a wide assortment of new and used parts and accessories. They accept bikes for donations and folks can volunteer as well!

Organizing family bicycle rides called “PopCycle Rides” is yet another very cool angle of what they do. These rides are on Sundays from 1-3 at America the Beautiful Park throughout the summer. They are a great way to celebrate bicycling cross-generationally, and give families really fun and easy activities to engage in together.

This summer, they will host their annual “Great Bicycle Carnival” and their weekly camps with hundreds of kids attending throughout the warm months.

One last notable activity to mention for this great organization - Kids on Bikes is in the midst of building the Cresta Pump Track at Cresta Open Space. They are hoping to complete it by summer of 2022. It will be a learning opportunity space to build skills for riding the Cheyenne Canyon trails nearby.

This organization does so much!! And they do it with lots of support from the communities around them.

The mission of Kids on Bikes is to empower kids to live healthy, active, and happy lives. They are doing just that…as they bring joy and freedom to kids and families in our community one bike, one ride, and one mile at a time.

If you would like to support all the great work Kids on Bikes is doing, check out a few of their website pages for volunteer and giving opportunities below.

Learn more about Kids on Bikes!

Volunteer with KOB and the Pedal Station!

Donate to Cresta Pump Track!

Join the Kids on Bikes Newsletter!

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