The comment might have originated from any one of the dozen men trading sturdy hiking shoes for flip-flops at the trail’s eastern terminus. Already nursing sore muscles and swollen feet from the previous day’s climb of nearby 14,150- foot Mount Sneffels, the group followed up with an early summer ascent of 14,017-foot Wilson Peak over a less-traveled route spanning nearly 15 miles and 5,000 vertical feet.

So the words carried an additional element of satisfaction coming from Bowers, a mountain guide by trade working with the Ouray- based and highly regarded San Juan Mountain Guides. Reaching the summit of one of Colorado’s 14,000-foot peaks is always gratifying. But sharing the associated sting of 10 hours on the trail with a hardened pro somehow sweetens the deal.

“For a lot of the peaks in our area, it’s pretty common for people to get a guide,” said Clint Cook, who owns and operates San Juan Mountain Guides with his wife, Ryan. “As people start getting down ‘The List’ to the last seven or eight technical ones, it’s a pretty big step up. The Wilsons, El Diente, Wetterhorn, Crestone and some of the peaks in the Aspen area definitely offer some exposed scrambling. They aren’t just hikes.”

“The List,” as most Colorado outdoors types are aware, refers to the elite peaks of the Rocky Mountain chain rising above 14,000 feet. By most accounts — including the U.S. Geological Survey and the Colorado Mountain Club — there are 54 such mountains within Colorado’s borders, interspersed among more than 1,500 points rising above 12,000 feet and 637 separate summits higher than 13,000 feet.

Colorado is the undeniable apex of America, containing nearly 80 percent of the 68 fourteeners in the contiguous United States.

California rankssecond with 13. Washington offers 14,411-foot Mount Rainier.
Mountains, of course, constitute only a portion of Colorado’s diverse geography, but since Zebulon Pike’s 1806 attempt at achieving the first recorded summit of the fourteener near Colorado Springs bearing his name, it has been the snowcapped Rockies that first come to mind whenever the state is mentioned. And now that the vast majority of the mountain snowpack has melted, the season for fourteener climbing is in its prime.

“June through September is pretty much the prime season,” said Cook, a year-round guide who is among the few Americans to have achieved full international certification through the International Federation of Mountain Guides Association (IFMGA). “Once we get into the main summer season, we stay pretty busy every day. It’s as popular now for people to climb all those fourteeners as it has ever been, really.”

Reasons for climbing mountains are as varied as the peaks themselves. For some, it’s the challenge of achieving a set goal — be it a single summit or 54 of them. Others are focused on the fitness found through mountaineering. Still more are drawn to the isolation and allure of nature, with almost all the state’s fourteeners residing within established Wilderness Areas.

“I think a huge part of the appeal is that it’s such a great way to be a part of the natural environment, to get away from the hassles of everyday life,” Cook said. “It’s a great relief for the average person in society, and it offers both a physical and mental challenge.”

The fourteeners sprawling the state vary considerably.

Ranging from Colorado’s highest mountain range — the Sawatch Range concentrated in Lake and Chaffee counties — to the technically challenging Sangre de Cristo Range spanning the New Mexico border and the Elk Mountains near Aspen, all offer their own personalities.

Yet it may be the steep and dramatic San Juans bulging into the southwestern portion of the state that offer the greatest appeal to fourteener seekers. Second only to the Sawatch Range in concentration of the state’s tallest peaks, the San Juan Range offers an entire season’s worth of mountain climbing in relatively close proximity.

Among the most alluring summits is Mount Sneffels, accessed via the Yankee Boy Basin, just south of Ouray. Sometimes called the “Queen of the San Juans,” Sneffels’ towering summit stands prominent among the grandiose alpine walls greeting visitors approaching the range from the north. A 6-mile, round-trip route can typically be completed in less than six hours and can include some moderately difficult scrambling near the summit, varying with route selection.

“This is one of the classic fourteeners,” guide Cory Jackson said. “It’s a pretty chossy ridge, so it’s fairly hands-on. But you don’t get climbs like this in a lot of places.”

The reward for those who complete the scramble to the summit is a rarified view of surrounding San Juan peaks including Tea Kettle, Dallas and Kismet, valley views of the stunning Blue Lakes and the Telluride ski area.

Wilson Peak — not to be confused with nearby Mount Wilson, another fourteener — offers a stout follow-up hike. The iconic peak featured on the Coors Light beer label is best approached from the Bilk Creek Basin near Telluride, since the traditional (and much shorter) route in the Silver Pick Basin has been closed to public access by a private landowner.

As a result, the lengthy trail sees somewhat light travel through a more pristine basin below Lizard Head Peak, but is probably best approached as an overnight trip.

“Bilk Creek is a bit longer but a lot more scenic,” said Cook, who once led actor Tom Cruise to the Wilson Peak summit. “It doesn’t take triathlete fitness or anything like that. Climbing fourteeners is a pretty open activity for people who can walk for a few hours. More than anything it just takes a good head, taking it slow and knowing your own personal boundaries. A good sense of adventure and positive attitude are most important.”

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Located inside the new Summer Adventure Center on the Starbucks plaza level in Beaver Creek Village, the hiking center is open daily from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and offers scheduled and private hikes and biking tours in Beaver Creek Resort, around the Vail Valley, and in the historic Leadville area, all within the White River and San Isabel National Forests.

Tours take hikers to pristine alpine lakes and Colorado’s 14,000-foot peaks.

Hiking options are varied and include a free, hour-long hike on the Spruce Saddle Loop for beginners and the full-day ascent of a Colorado 14er for an advanced hikers. For a complete list of Hiking Center offerings including international trips a new Monday Mixer hike to 12,000 and 13,000 peaks in the area visit www.BeaverCreek.com.

All hikes include transportation, a professional guide and the use of Salomon packs and boots, Leki hiking poles, and rain gear as well as snacks and beverages. Picnic lunches are available upon request, and additional hiking equipment is on hand to rent.

For more information on the Beaver Creek Hiking Center, call 970-754-5373.

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Geography and weather have made this state a Mecca for mountaineers, and 14 of the mountains that draw them are in the San Juans. The current proposal calls for fee access only to four peaks in the Sangre de Cristos in south Colorado.

The economic contributions of people who come to Colorado to bag fourteeners, plus their less lofty peers, are noticeable, and no one wants to risk losing them. On the other hand, their spending is noticeable partly because mountain-climbing is not a cheap sport. Good boots start at well more than $100 and wear out fast, and that is just the beginning of the gear. Although hiking is a human-powered endeavor, almost all hikes and climbs involve a drive to a trailhead. In other words, most serious mountain hikers are not broke; $10 or $20 per peak will not deter many of them.

Kitty Benzar, president of the Western Slope No Fee Coalition in Durango, told The Associated Press, “The Forest Service didn’t create the mountains, and they have no right to charge access to them.”

Benzar would have been on firmer ground if she had been able to say that the Forest Service did not spend any money on the mountains, but that is not true. The Forest Service is responsible for the management of the mountains, and that management does not come free. As elevation and pitch increase, so does the cost of resource management.

Forest Service officials say half a million hikers climb Colorado’s fourteeners each year. That is substantial traffic, and it does leave traces. That recreationists should be the ones to bear more of the costs associated with maintaining and protecting the places only they go is a policy in line with current popular anti-tax sentiment.

We would like to see a modified version of that sentiment. Because national forests belong to the public, they should be managed in a way that creates the fewest impediments to public use. That means no charges for a broad range of uses for typical low-impact visitors. Acquainting them with the beauty of public lands is the best way to ensure those lands will be protected. Millions of taxpaying Americans will never visit a national forest. At some point, though, the costs to the public of an individual’s intensive recreation become significantly disproportionate, and those users should expect to contribute more.

Mountain hikers will argue that math does not apply to them because they do not expect restrooms and trash collection at 14,000 feet. The coming debate should shed some light on whether they are right.

There is, however, another reason serious hikers might want to consider footing some of the bill: Respect. The biggest non-tax contributors to the Forest Service budget are extractive users, who do pay extra – although, in many cases, probably not enough. With relatively low fees, recreationists could buy some clout. That is an investment worth considering.

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New Zealand gear designer Aarn Tate claims to have found a solution to this problem: The Aarn FlowMo Bodypack wraps around a hiker, with front pouches front and back, designed to spread the weight of gear and put the burden on the hips.

A Colorado Springs company is the sole American importer of the packs.

“I‘ve seen many people with completely overpacked, overstuffed backpacks doing that forward lean,” said Dana Adoretti of Aarn North America, who learned about the packs through a relative in New Zealand.

“It balances the weight a little better. You’ve got some on the front, some on the back. You can stand more upright, with better posture,” he said.

Adoretti received his first shipment of the packs in November and recently expanded the inventory to 10 packs, including ultralight and mountaineering models. Cost $135 to $360 and carrying capacity is 22 to 75 liters.

For best results, hikers should put their heavier gear, food and water in the front pouches, for maximum balance.

Reviews have been largely positive of the design. The Out There staff found the pack lived up to its claim of providing good balance and cutting down on back and shoulder fatigue. Still, it felt and looked a little awkward having bulk on the chest.

Like some other reviewers, we noted how complicated the pack is to get on and off, with many small adjustments required.

“There are some more customizable aspects of the pack that do take some time, but once you get it dialed in to your body and your fit, it really pays off.

“It’s not just a pull-it-off-the-wall, cinch-up-a-couple-straps-and-go pack,” Adoretti said.

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Our five-day stay at Yellowstone, the country’s first national park, was full of vibrant vistas and wildlife encounters that made for some indelible memories, memories maximized by a balance of planned activities and spontaneity.

Yellowstone National Park spans more than 2 million acres in Wyoming, Montana and Idaho and contains more than half of the world’s active geothermal features from small puddles of warm, bubbling, oozing mud to the iconic Old Faithful geyser. Those features and the abundance of wildlife attracted a record 3.3 million visitors in 2009, President Barack Obama and his family among them, making it the park service’s fourth most-visited site. Keeping all that in mind, I don’t advise you to jump in your car and head West without some forethought.

Before you go

Spring is the best time to spot baby bison and elk; while in the fall you’re likely to spy animal mating rituals. But hey, we don’t call it summer vacation for nothing. The weeks from late June to early August are when most families visit the park, and we found ourselves here in late July 2009.

Reservations for tent and RV sites at seven of the park’s 12 campgrounds open May 1 and are handled through Xanterra Parks and Resorts, a contracted firm that charges no service fees. Because some of the campgrounds can’t handle large campers (hairpin turns and the like), if you’re driving or pulling anything longer than 30 feet, advance reservations are recommended. The 300-plus sites at Fishing Bridge are exclusively for RVs and other hard-sided campers. The remaining campgrounds are first-come, first-serve.

We ended up at Bay Bridge, the largest campground at roughly 425 tent and RV sites, situated in the central part of the park at the north end of Yellowstone Lake. My Grizzly Adams-esque husband would have preferred a more intimate campground (the smallest, Slough Creek, has just 29 sites), but our plans were to meet up with my father and his wife who were pulling a camper from Northern California.

Bay Bridge had its amenities: a nice amphitheater with ranger-led evening programs and bathrooms with flush toilets (though no showers). Plus, plenty of families with kids camped here, so our sons had the opportunity to share animals stories and s’mores with their new friends.

The hum of RV generators and bustle of activity wasn’t enough to deter mule deer from ambling through camp or a lone bison from making himself right at home in between two campers (more on bison later).

Bay Bridge served as our base for five days, but plenty of people stay one or two nights at the other campgrounds around the park, allowing them quicker access to features like Lewis Falls or the park’s 1,100-plus miles of hiking trails.

If a soft bed and hot water is more your thing, Yellowstone has nine lodges, including the grand and historic Old Faithful Inn and Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel. Lodge reservations opened in February, but don’t think a lodge room is out of the question.

When searching the website for rooms, don’t plug in a block of four nights, for example. Rick Hoeninghausen, director of sales and marketing for Xanterra, says if three of those four nights are available, the search will come back as unavailable. Instead, he suggests searching for individual nights and being open to the idea of staying at more than one lodge in the park during your visit.

A Colorado family we met had a brilliant idea: two nights in a tent followed by one in a cabin then two more tent nights.

If you can be flexible, traveling in the spring and fall will give you a greater choice of lodging and camping sites.

It’s big

Yellowstone’s grand size – it’s as big as Delaware and Rhode Island combined – means getting from Point A to Point B, or from Tower Fall in the north to the east side’s Lower Geyser Basin is going to take time. Keep the kids busy by picking up a copy of “Who Pooped in the Park” by Gary D. Robson (a fun guide to identifying wildlife and their scat), or a Junior Ranger Kit ($3) at any of the visitor centers. If you’ve checked out nps.gov/yell before your trip, you can print out a number of coloring and activity sheets.

Of course the most interactive drive-time activity is wildlife spotting.

The famous grizzlies of Yellowstone eluded us – we apparently slept too late to catch the mama bear and her cubs in Hayden Valley, but not a day went by when we did not see bison, and a lot of them.

Bison are the largest mammals in Yellowstone, the male bulls weigh in at 1,800 pounds while the females cows seem demure at 1,000 pounds. Through protection and breeding efforts, the bison population has grown from 50 in 1902 to 3,500.

Bison may look like gentle beasts, what with their big brown eyes, but posters throughout the park warn that they are the cause of more visitor injuries than bears. They also are the cause of the majority of traffic jams. During an evening ride from the west entrance, we witnessed a several-mile backup of oncoming traffic caused by a furry fellow who decided to rest in the middle of the road. And on our final day, we were quite literally caught in the middle of small herd of bison crossing the road. If we had put our windows down, we could have touched the mangy creatures.

Traffic jams are common as well as people pullovers – not always at the designated viewing spots – to snap photos of young elk resting alongside their mothers or the sun fading behind the Gallatin Range.

These slowdowns also can change your plans. Instead of heading for a picnic near Sheepeater Cliff, you might detour north toward Mammoth Hot Springs and find yourself, as we did, at the Boiling River. For these spontaneous adventures, always have your bathing suits handy. The Boiling River, near the park’s north entrance in Montana, is the area where hot springs flow into the icy Gardner River creating natural hot tubs where you can soak muscles strained from a four-mile, 800-foot vertical ramble along the Elephant Back Loop Trail. Keep in mind there are no changing rooms and it’s a brief, level walk to the bubbling pools.

No matter what your day’s itinerary holds, keep binoculars and fishing poles close by as well. The former will help you spot a bald eagle in the Swan Lake Flats or big horn sheep ascending Little Quadrant Mountain, while the later (a three-day fishing license is required for anglers older than 15 costs $15) will allow you to tempt rainbow trout along a meandering meadow stretch of the Nez Percé Creek if the mood strikes.

Natural wonder

No trip to the park is complete without watching Old Faithful do its stuff.

In recent years, the park service had installed wooden walkways and benches along one edge to accommodate the crowds who watch the geyser expel a powerful jet of 3,700-plus gallons of steamy water some 130 feet into the air every 94 minutes or so.

The show is so impressive the boys and I stopped to see it a second day while my husband fly-fished the nearby Firehole River. The second time we viewed the eruption from a trail on the back side of Old Faithful; a perspective I found made for dramatic pictures.

Should you arrive after Old Faithful’s display, take the opportunity to hike some of the nearby trails to see smaller geysers in the basin (and still within sight of Old Faithful). It’s also worthwhile to stop in the visitor center and gift shop for a short, informative film about geysers or grab an ice cream cone and roam the antlered halls at Old Faithful Inn.

There are plenty of organized activities in the park: scenic cruises on Yellowstone Lake, photographic safaris and stagecoach rides through sagebrush flats, a full-day interpretive coach tour of the park’s most popular vistas and geysers and ranger-led hikes.

Fight the urge to do it all in one visit to the park – better to pick a few options, and use a first trip to scout out others. For your next trip to Yellowstone, of course.

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What to bring

A warm sleeping bag, sturdy tent Even during the summer, the night air can get chilly, Mueller said. Having good shelter and warm covering is important. “Don’t sacrifice a good night’s sleep when you’re out there with kids,” Mueller said. “You need to have your wits about you when you’re making decisions in the outdoors.”

A first-aid kit Cuts and splinters can easily happen out in the woods, so be prepared, Mueller said. A first-aid kit can prevent an infection. Be sure to include sunscreen and bug spray as well.

Clothes that breathe “There’s an old saying that ‘cotton kills,’” Mueller said. Any physical activity that causes perspiration can make cotton clothing detrimental in the heat or cold. Visit your local sporting goods store for some items made of moisture-wicking material; it will dry faster than cotton, meaning better comfort and less chance of a rash.

Healthy foods and plenty of water Outdoor activities can be taxing, so it’s important to eat well while camping. Staying hydrated also is important. And if canned food is on the menu, don’t forget the can opener!

A latching cooler Many animals – raccoons in particular – can easily get into a flip-top cooler, Mueller said. Bring one with an extra latch, and store it in the car overnight or when out hiking to keep critters out of food.

What not to bring

Your electronics Leave the iPods, electronic games and, yes, parents, even the BlackBerrys, at home. Those distractions can take away from family together time and the enjoyment of nature. “In many families, this is the only time they all unplug,” Peter said. Bring one cell phone just in case, but be aware that out in the woods, it may be hard to get a signal.

Packaging Some parks don’t allow any refuse to be left behind, requesting that campers take it home before throwing it away, so don’t take anything that won’t be used on the trip, Peter said.

Firewood While bringing firewood may seem like a good idea, many parks advise against it. Insects that live in wood may get into the wood at the campground and cause problems that didn’t exist before. Most parks will have a list of local firewood vendors.

Sandals A pair of flip-flops for the shower isn’t a bad idea, but for outdoor recreation, wear sturdy shoes or hiking boots only. Sandals won’t protect your feet from rocks and other things on the ground, and they won’t keep you warm when the sun goes down.

What else to remember

Call ahead Check the park’s Web site for rules and regulations. Rangers may have some additional recommendations on dos and don’ts for their campsites. And don’t forget to find out what else is in the area, just in case weather interferes. A rained-out day of hiking and swimming would be much better spent at a museum than holed up in a tent, Peter said.

Safety first The outdoors can be tricky for those who aren’t used to it. When hiking, follow marked trails, and swim only in a park’s designated swimming area. Use the buddy system; no one ventures out alone. And just in case, know where the nearest hospitals are located.

Respect fellow campers Be mindful of the noise you make, Peter advised. If you want to listen to a radio, keep it at low volume; nearby campers may be listening for animal sounds or simply enjoying the quiet of nature.

Respect the land “When you’re gone from your campsite, there should be no sign that you were ever there,” Mueller said. Dispose of all trash properly. When disposing of dishwater, do so at least 200 feet away from the nearest water source to avoid contamination. The Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics has more tips at www.lnt.org.

Campfire activities

1. Download a star chart and look for constellations. A campground is a great place to stargaze.

2. Listen for animal sounds. Try to identify what kind of wildlife lives in the woods around you.

3. Make snacks. S’mores are a camping staple, but so many great treats can be cooked over a fire. For example, try mountain pies. Buy a pie iron at the local sporting goods store, add bread and whatever filling you like, then cook over a fire till you have a toasty sandwich.

4. Play games. Try “Two Truths and a Lie,” in which one person makes three statements — two that are true and one that is false. The others have to guess which one is false.

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Being outdoors is a healthier way to live — it’s good for the body and mind.
In the past 10 years, child obesity rates have risen at an alarming rate. Because of technology like television and video games, childhood has been taken from the outdoors to the indoors. Many children, as well as adults, no longer have an interest in the outdoors, resulting in an increase in obesity and a decrease in concentration and attention spans.

Spending time outdoors is a healthier way to live. Activities such as hiking, biking, hunting, fishing, and camping are all fun ways to get outside and live a healthy, active lifestyle. By getting outdoors, one gets fresh air and exercise while having a good time. If more people began spending more time outdoors, there would be an increase in physical health in this country.

The outdoors is not only good for physical health, but mental health as well. It’s a time to relax, recharge or reflect on one’s situation. Nothing quite clears a person’s mind like getting away from all the electronics and distractions to just enjoy the peace, quiet and beauty the wilderness has to offer. Everyone needs a break from everyday life now and then, and the outdoors is the place to experience it.

Studies have shown that spending more time outdoors helps increase concentration. This is especially important for children. By getting them outdoors they are forced to think about things, rather than getting regurgitated information from the Internet or television. By spending time in the woods, they also learn basic survival skills and experience the power and beauty of nature firsthand. These experiences will lead to people with well-rounded social skills as well as a greater appreciation for the outdoors.

The outdoors can also bring people together. Without the distractions of modern technology, people are forced to interact with one other in a more personal way. Nothing quite brings the family together like an outing in the wilderness. It’s a chance to spend quality time with each other without the stress, problems and distractions of everyday life.

When a father wants to go fishing, maybe he’s not just asking for a fishing trip, but a chance to spend quality time with his son.
Whether it be a hike with a friend, a family camping trip or a romantic night underneath the stars, the outdoors have a way of bringing people closer together.

For those who are looking to get more exercise, clear their head, or just live healthier, the outdoors is a good place to start.

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Located in the Black Forest, Castlewood Canyon State Park offers visitors hiking, rock climbing, with walls up to 60 feet, and unique sightseeing opportunities in a desert-like setting.

The ruins of the century-old Castlewood Canyon Dam form the centerpiece of the park and leads visitors to hiking trails that wind their way into the deepest regions of the canyon, one of which runs alongside Cherry Creek. Dramatic canyon walls and the unique ruins make up some of the park’s attractions.

Castlewood Canyon State Park is open daily from 8 a.m. to sunset for sightseeing, picnicking, hiking, nature study and technical rock climbing. The park is also popular for bird watching and photography. Castlewood Canyon is a day-use park only and does not offer camping.

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Drink lots of water to ward off heat exhaustion. Wear long pants to protect your legs from thorns and cacti. Secure your food to pre vent nocturnal visits from black bears or the cute little desert peccaries known as javelinas.

But you won’t be told a thing about the burros — domesticated donkeys — that wander across the Mexico-U.S. border into the largest and most spectacular national park in Texas.

So shortly after dawn on New Year’s Day, when a trio of four-legged illegal aliens wandered up to my campsite overlooking the Rio Grande, I thought it was a bright idea to stick my head outside my tent and say hello.

The burros weren’t impressed. Steam escaped from nostrils as they snorted aggressively and made pawing motions you typically associate with territorial stallions, not comically cute donkeys that nonetheless stand almost as tall.

Since I’d been charged by large mammals before — once by a feral horse and another time by a bison — I knew enough to retreat into my tent. I sat and listened to my heart pound in my chest until the clip-clop of retreating hooves signalled the end to this unlikely donkey terror.

“Nobody warned us about burros,” muttered my wife as we packed up our gear in record time, donned our backpacks and began our trek out of Boquillas Canyon, a 250-metre deep valley that encloses the Rio Grande in the southeastern corner of If you’ve never heard of this park, you’re in good company. Only about 350,000 people visit Big Bend every year, which means an average of less than 1,000 people a day are present in a park that’s larger than the state of Rhode Island but easily rivals better-known southwestern destinations such as Grand Canyon, Zion and Death Valley National Parks.

Located in a relatively isolated corner of West Texas, along a large curve in the Rio Grande, Big Bend National Park offers hikers, paddlers and wildlife watchers not just solitude, but a surprisingly diverse array of desert, mountain and canyon scenery. The park is basically three wilderness destinations wrapped into one.

Big Bend’s outskirts are dominated by the stark beauty of the Chihuahuan Desert, the driest of North America’s four true deserts, where yucca stalks, prickly-pear cacti, creosote bushes and the claw-like lechuguilla plant poke out of the otherwise rocky landscape.

But in the centre of the park, the tree-covered Chisos Mountains rise out of the desert to a height of almost 2,500 metres, which is comparable to smaller peaks in the Rockies. The pinyon-and-juniper forests near the top of the citadel-like Chisos are home to mountain lions, white-tailed deer and a spectacular network of hiking trails.

The third component of the park is the Rio Grande itself, which passes through impressive chasms such as the Boquillas Canyon and the Santa Elena Canyon, the latter easily reached on a short trail in the southwest corner of the park. Even though the river serves as an international border, paddling trips can be arranged, and you can camp along the banks without ever noticing a border patrol. While burros cross the river with impunity, the desert terrain is too treacherous for most human interlopers.

Most actual tourists who visit Big Bend head straight for the Chisos Mountains, home to both easy walks and relatively strenuous climbs. If you’re in decent shape, you must make the 20-kilometre return trek to the South Rim of the mountains, where a nearly sheer face drops 800 metres to the desert below. From the rim, you can see the entire southern half of the park and well into Mexico, if the smog that wafts in from the twin border cities of Ciudad Juarez and El Paso — 400 kilometres to the northwest — isn’t too thick.

Black bears and mountain lions are occasionally spotted in the Chisos. But the animals you’re most likely to see in Big Bend are white-tailed deer in the mountains, roadrunners and kangaroo rats on the desert floor and the pig-like javelinas near the Rio Grande.

Wildflowers are in bloom in March and April, which is one of the busiest times of year in the park, in terms of tourist traffic. But “busy” is a relative term in such a big place: The early spring is still the best time to visit, as the midday sun isn’t too brutal and nighttime temperatures are more than bearable, especially for winter-hardened Winnipeggers.

Midsummer hiking, on the other hand, is dangerous in Big Bend due to the extreme heat, lack of shade and absence of water. And the dead of winter, when I visited, will require you to prepare for sub-zero nighttime temperatures and the possibility of snow.

But the amazing array of scenery more than compensates for the extremes of the desert climate. Laurence Parent’s Hiking Big Bend National Park lists 47 trails in and around the park, ranging from easy day hikes and to gruelling multi-day treks.

If you have a tent, backpack and a good pair of hiking boots, I strongly recommend the Marufo Vega trail, a 22-kilometre loop in the southwest corner of the park. This overnight trip, which includes a couple of extremely steep sections, takes you up from the desert floor, over the Dead Horse Mountains and down to the Boquillas Canyon, where you may camp along the Rio Grande, in the shadow of the Sierra del Carmens. You can purchase a detailed Marufo Vega trail map at one of the park’s four ranger stations.

If you encounter any burros along this trail, keep quiet and you should be OK. And I don’t just mean in the presence of the donkeys.

On my way out of the park, when I told a ranger about my encounter with aggressive asses, he couldn’t help but chuckle. “I’ve never heard of burros behaving like that,” he said. “They usually run away as soon as you approach them.”

IF YOU GO

Big Bend National Park: Open year-round. Entrance fees, good for seven days, are $20 per vehicle. Official park info: www.nps.gov/bibe. Also consider Hiking Big Bend National Park (Falcon, US$14.95) and Trails Illustrated Big Bend National Park (National Geographic, US$11.95).

Get there: After flying from Winnipeg to either Austin or San Antonio, you’ll need a day to make the road trip to Big Bend. From Austin, drive west on State 290 and Interstate 10 to Fort Stockton, then head south to the park on State 385. Give yourself eight hours. From San Antonio, head west on State 90 to Marathon and then head south on State 385. Give yourself seven hours and keep an eye on your fuel gauge. You may also combine these routes to make a round trip.

Camping: Big Bend National Park has three developed campgrounds, at Chisos Basin (at 1,700 metres above sea level, the best staging ground for mountain hikes), Cottonwood (near Santa Elena Canyon in the southwestern section of the park) and Rio Grande Village (in the southeast, near Boquillas Canyon). Nightly fees for all three are $14 per site.

Backcountry campsites are $10 per night and require a permit, obtainable at one of the park’s four visitor centres. In the busy Chisos Mountains, you must camp at designated sites. You can camp almost anywhere you like in other areas of the park, provided you keep away from roads, trails, water sources and historic sites.

Hotels: The only hotel in the park is the 72-room Chisos Mountains Lodge (chisosmountainslodge.com, 877-386-4383). Rooms and cottages run from US$108 to $137 per night. There are motels outside the park in the towns of Terlingua, Marathon and Alpine. The most upscale is the historic Gage Hotel (www.gagehotel.com, 432-386-4205) in Marathon, which has 36 rooms (US$90 to $291), three detached houses (US$320 to $381), 10 hectares of gardens and a bar menu that includes smoked brisket sliders.

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It turned dangerous when escalating winds forced Mark Thomas and Thomas Bennett, both 26, to spend Saturday night above 14,000 feet in subfreezing temperatures and howling winds.

Thomas hiked to safety Sunday and Monday, leaving an unresponsive Bennett in a snow cave. On Tuesday, rescuers waited for the weather to break so they could send up a helicopter. They clung to the slimmest hope that Bennett might be found alive.

“Until we know, we operate as if there is some hope,” said Dan Towner, a lead climbing ranger on Mount Shasta for the U.S. Forest Service.

Mark Thomas called his father, Jay Thomas, on his cell phone Monday night and described his ordeal. In an interview with The Bee, Jay Thomas, a psychologist in Salt Lake City, recalled their conversation.

He said his son, an engineer who graduated from UC Berkeley, and Bennett, a chemical engineer from Oakland, went to Mount Shasta late last week for a long weekend of hiking and climbing.

Both were careful and experienced mountaineers who had climbed together a number of times in the past year, he said. His son had climbed Mount Shasta 10 or 12 times before, he said.

After camping at about 10,000 feet, they decided to ascend the summit Saturday via a more difficult and technical northern route, which neither had tried before. They traveled light, intending to be back at camp before nightfall.

When they reached the 14,162-foot summit, however, it became apparent a storm was moving in. They’d checked the forecast before they left, Jay Thomas said, and it had predicted only cloudy skies and a slight chance of snow – not the major storm they saw coming.

Caught by surprise, they had to make a choice. Did they start down the exposed mountain face, with the likelihood of getting hit by high winds as night fell? Or did they take shelter behind rock outcroppings near the summit?

They chose the summit.

Hurricane-force wind on summit

Mark Thomas told his father they both had warm clothes and sleeping sacks that kept them comfortable through the night. The hurricane-force winds made sleeping difficult, but by morning they were in good spirits and ready to descend. As Bennett put his crampons on, he toppled over, apparently stricken with severe altitude sickness, Thomas told his father.

In less than an hour, he was unresponsive, and Mark Thomas’ efforts to revive him were unsuccessful, Jay Thomas said.

Mark Thomas called 911 Sunday morning and reported his friend’s condition. A rescue was impossible because of the weather, and after several hours Thomas realized he could do no more for Bennett, his father said.

He dug a snow cave, put Bennett inside and started down the mountain. Winds were so fierce they picked him up and tossed him around; he had to crawl at times until he reached the tree line, Jay Thomas said.

Mark Thomas spent the night in the forest; two rangers on snowmobiles found him Monday afternoon at about 7,000 feet.

Jay Thomas said his son had returned to his Berkeley home. He could not be reached Tuesday.

In the city of Mount Shasta, Towner said he was the ranger who gave Mark Thomas a ride to safety on his snowmobile.

“He had quite an ordeal up there,” the veteran ranger said. “It’s miraculous that he made it down.”

Weather can change quickly

Towner said he’s climbed Mount Shasta about 200 times. Weather near the summit can quickly turn ferocious, he said, with the wind accelerating as it strikes the mountain.

Towner said that when he was 26, the wind shredded his tent and he was forced to race down the mountain as night fell. That was 20 years ago, and now Towner urges the thousands who attempt Shasta’s summit each year to be prepared for the worst.

The main hiking season on Mount Shasta begins in April and lasts through July. It’s a popular mountain, even with inexperienced climbers.

Last year more than 9,000 climbers set out for the summit, Towner said. Many of them never made it.

“You need crampons and an ice ax and the knowledge of how to use them,” he said.

A helmet is essential protection from avalanches and falling rocks, he said. Other necessities: plenty of water, high-calorie foods, hats, gloves and windproof jackets and pants, even in summer, the ranger said.

“It’s a winter environment all year round. There are glaciers for a reason,” Towner said. “You can get a nice summer day, but high up, the air temperature will be around freezing.”

The sun can make it feel hot, but those caught in darkness or shade will suffer if not properly equipped, he said.

More than a half-dozen weather-related rescues are needed each year, he said. There have been dozens of fatalities on the mountain.

Towner has participated in numerous rescues, including one in 2000 in which a National Guard helicopter crashed at 11,800 feet. He likely will be among those who search for Bennett when the weather clears possibly today or Thursday.

Susan Gravenkamp, a spokeswoman for the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office, said Bennett’s family was traveling to the Mount Shasta area Tuesday.

Early reports that Thomas and Bennett had failed to take proper precautions were not entirely accurate, Gravenkamp said.

Mark Thomas had looked at National Weather Service forecasts before leaving home, she said.

The men were dressed warmly, had food and water, and carried a map and compass. They had let friends know their plans and were not required to fill out a wilderness permit because Mark Thomas held a seasonal pass, she said.

Gravenkamp said it would have been helpful if the men had checked in with rangers before climbing and looked at the latest forecast. It might have changed their plans, she said.