#mountainsociety

[stokelabintern]

Crested Butte #cb #co #colorado #mountaintown #mountainsociety (at Crested Butte, CO)

[stokelabintern]

Tales From the Tent #2

Tales from the Tent #2

      So I got kicked out of my campground in Gunnison.  If I could give you a reason as to why I was kicked out well I’d say, but unfortunately I was asked to leave without a reason.  Though frustrating I was able to find a campground in the Gunnison National Forest along the Slate River up in Crested Butte.  I have know wifi, spotty cell service, know hot showers oh and pit toilets but, I’m much more happier up here. 

      I currently reside at 10,000 beautiful feet in a valley named Paradise.  At the end of the valley there is a range of mountains and so I’ve been told have snow year round.  Unfortunately as I found out, it is not skiable snow in late June.  My realization that it wasn’t skiable was an adventure in itself.  It involved a treacherous river crossing and an even more treacherous road.  I was eventually stopped about a half mile from the snow when I encountered a fairly deep puddle that took over the ‘trail’.  Being in my subie and the fact that I had know cell service halted my drive any further.  At least what I could surmise from my viewpoint and a nice camera with a macro zoom lens was that when a 100+ft waterfall is roaring down a mountain but is starting below the snowpack that skiing was not advisable unless I really, really, really wanted to trigger a slab avalanche.  So using what I had researched in my undergrad thesis ‘Human Factors in Avalanches’ I decided not to hike out to the snow line. 

      On another note it didn’t take long for me to fit in within the town of Crested Butte(CB).  I learned quickly that a laid back attitude, a multi-day hiking pack and a bike pretty much makes everyone think you’re a local.  I went to Teocalli Tomali on my first day in CB and it is by far the best burrito joint I’ve ever been to.  Though it was ten bucks for lunch I had food for three meals after that. At checkout I remember the cashier giving me a look up and down and saying, “One Burrito plus Local Discount…” Ok, I thought to myself and got maybe two bucks off my meal.  

      But in all seriousness Crested Butte is a cool town. It is obvious that people gather at this place to be close to nature.  Whether you’re a skier, snowboarder, mountaineer, artist or musician, this sub culture of people share one thing in common, peace and finding themselves. 

      So here I sit waiting patiently for the snow to return to the mountains.   I keep telling myself as I wait that I need to stop watching ‘snow porn’ videos but the ski addict in me keeps telling me otherwise.  Until next time…. 

"Are not the mountains, waves and skies, a part Of me and of my soul, as I of them?" Lord Byron

* I’d like to thank all the Vermont back woods redneck boys I met in my time in Vermont.  With out you and your mudding rigs I would have not been able to navigate the treacherous jeep trail I drove my subie up