The OFFICIAL Lincoln/Bross/Democrat Thread

by **BillMiddlebrook** » 29 Apr 2007, 08:24

After a rather frustrating Mosquito Range Heritage Initiative (MRHI) meeting last night, I have some information to pass on to the public...

In a nutshell, the only route that will initially be opened is the "loop" route from Kite Lake. To get it reopened, some signage must be installed where the trail crosses private land, and some trail restoration must be performed. At this point, the Colorado Fourteeners Initiative (CFI) is scheduling to do this work late this summer. So, there will be no "official" reopening of these peaks before this fall. It saddens me that this process is taking so long, and after the meeting with MRHI officials and the Forest Service last night, it seems that the focus of MRHI has shifted dramatically to non-14er issues and that they are content with the path and timeframe that is in place for attempting to reopen the 14ers. Personally, I feel that all I can do at this point is see what happens with the signage and restoration projects this summer and hope nothing else delays the process. I must tell you that this most recent meeting was rather discouraging and I got the feeling that the economic aspect of drawing hikers to the 14ers was not understood by the local officials.

Here are some points that will likely be in future press releases:
- Mts. Bross, Cameron, Democrat and Lincoln in Park County are not now ready for public access across private mining land.
- Some of the miners owning property on Mts. Bross, Cameron, Democrat and Lincoln in Park County have teamed with the town of Alma to allow the town to lease some of the private land to help assuage the burden of liability on these mountains.
- In order for the town's insurance to cover the public, trails must be identified and marked across private land.
- The mountains have the potential for extreme danger unless climbers use approved trails.
- Because of the extensive mining on the peaks of these Fourteeners, the ground is riddled with partially collapsed mining prospect holes, shafts and tunnels (stopes) that run underground, sometimes only inches from the surface and pose a danger to anyone crossing them, especially in loose or unstable surfaces.
- While much work has already been achieved toward identifying, maintenance, and signing the trails, there is more work to be done before the trails can be opened.
- It is expected that there may be access to at least some of the trails on Democrat, Cameron and Lincoln by the fall of 2007. Not all mine owners on Bross have entered the agreement with the town of Alma or given permission to cross their land, so access to the summit of Mt. Bross is still uncertain.
- The many partners working on the trails are interested in making access to these Fourteeners available as soon as it is safe to do so.
- These Park County Fourteeners will never be wide open. Access will always be limited to the marked trails, anyone leaving the trail will be committing trespass and could endanger not only their own safety, but may threaten the agreement to allow access on the trails.
- While all parties have worked diligently to make access to these mountains available to the public, it remains a privilege to be preserved and protected by all who are granted access, not a right. By staying on the trails and respecting the historic structures and private property, the public may be able to continue to enjoy the adventure and views of these mountains.

As I mentioned previously, the key landowners that initiated this are taking a subtle approach by not blocking roads, posting no-trespassing signs or enforcing the closure. Hundreds, maybe thousands of people have hiked these peaks since this began and I don't think one person has been hit with a trespassing charge. I could be wrong. There's a don't ask, don't tell thing going on. So, you won't hear me raising a stink when conscientious hikers quietly take to these peaks and tread lightly. I'm not telling anyone it's "ok" to hike these peaks, but if you have to do it, do it right. Stay away from all mine structures, stay on the trail, and don't get hurt.

Previous posts and more information

by **GBH64** » 29 Apr 2007, 10:15

I discovered that the Colorado Fourteeners Initiative Spring 2007 newsletter shows a "Mts. Lincoln, Democrat, and Bross Kickoff Project" scheduled for September 8th. It states that they are cooperating with the landowners and USFS to design and construct a route up these peaks which respects the needs of landowners, etc. http://www.coloradofourteeners.org/site/static/pdfs/newsletter_spring_07.pdf

If this project in fact represents a key part of the plan to establish a trail acceptable to the landowners, it may be 2008 before such a trail is complete.

Does anyone have any direct knowledge of this CFI project and how its fits in with the negotiations discussed in this thread?

(And whatever happened to the previous ~1 year of posts in the thread?)

-Ben

by **BillMiddlebrook** » 29 Apr 2007, 11:25

Ben, I'm familiar with the details of CFI's September trail project on these peaks. The signage and restoration areas in question were reviewed in the MRHI meetings.

I shortened this thread by splitting out all of the previous posts and providing one update that will be easier to find. The old thread can be found here.

by **KevinK** » 30 Apr 2007, 19:52

Ooh, Aah, behold the awesome, blistering pace of bureaucracy!!! #-o

This could have been so easy. If they would just give Bill the damn signs and GPS coordinates he could delegate the work out to us and those peaks would be open like last week!

P.S. - Thanks for all the hard work and time you've spent on this project Bill!

by **BillMiddlebrook** » 30 Apr 2007, 21:24

It's been interesting. You're right, we could have had this done by now. But the landowner decided that an official organization (CFI) had to put together a plan and execute. I did all of the GPSing for the project last May (2006) and I'm a bit frustrated that a year has gone by and not one sign or any trail work has been done.

As a said before, now that the wheels are turning (in ultra-low gear, on ice, with a bad transmission), I think the local participants are ok with the plan and want to focus on other issues...

by **MPMILLER** » 30 Apr 2007, 22:28

Thank you Bill for the MRHI update.Depressional news indeed.Wanted to expore last year when in the area but local news in breckenridge discouraged me about an attempt at BROSS. Tradegy that these mountains have been hollowed out to the potential for collapse. Maybe a Crown would help. But I
digress. Promotion of trail etiquette is is most prudent.Thank you again.

by **colopilot2002** » 09 May 2007, 16:51

Bill, has there been any more info on this yet? I was kind of hoping to complete the Mosquito Range this summer but might look to be a next summer goal or fall 2007 one at least.

by **BillMiddlebrook** » 25 May 2007, 07:15

Nope. There will be no formal re-opening until at least this fall, and I doubt it will even be that early. Nothing else is happening on this issue until the CFI starts trail restoration in September.

by **colopilot2002** » 25 May 2007, 09:23

Thanks Bill, for keeping us posted on this.

by **michaelverdone** » 31 May 2007, 14:35

I recently read a study which suggests the closure of these peaks costs the local economy 35 jobs. Moreover, the Colorado economy loses the equivilent of 10 jobs (excluding the previously mentioned 35 jobs). These numbers are calculated annually, so the impact of the closures, from start date to end date, is much more pronounced than these figures suggests. If you are interested in seeing the research email me and I will share.

by **KeithK** » 14 Jun 2007, 22:07

Duplicating from another thread, but tonight at the REI 14ers class, the guy opened up by announcing that these mtns are now OPEN. I did not have a chance to ask him more, but I figure if anyone will know for sure, Bill will!

by **BillMiddlebrook** » 15 Jun 2007, 10:19

KeithK wrote:Duplicating from another thread, but tonight at the REI 14ers class, the guy opened up by announcing that these mtns are now OPEN. I did not have a chance to ask him more, but I figure if anyone will know for sure, Bill will!

Not true. Trail work and signage installation doesn't begin until later this summer. Still, many people continue to hike the peaks without incident.

The OFFICIAL Lincoln/Bross/Democrat Thread

The OFFICIAL Lincoln/Bross/Democrat Thread

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