The Flatirons post-flood

OSMP:
> 10/3/13: Sage Trail Restoration - Flood Damage Project Click on the link below for information, and click "sign up" to register:
> volunteer.unitedwayfoothill…
>
> 10/5/13: Two Parks and Recreation projects have been posted at Coot Lake and the Boulder Reservoir for this Saturday, October 5th. Click on the link below for information, and click "sign up" to register.
> ow.ly/pfF4Y
And OSMP also has news relevant to climbing, as they have been working with the Flatirons Climbing Council. The FCC has put out this notice:

"Flatirons land manager, City of Boulder-OSMP, has assessed all designated trails in the system but needs to assess climbing-access trails. A group of approx 10 volunteer climbers will gather data and images beginning next week for OSMP’s assessment needs. Once OSMP reviews all the data the FCC, with input from the climbing community, will provide suggestions as to priorities.

Although climbing-access trails may get a clean bill, the larger, designated trails below them may need restoration before OSMP allows access.

We’re building a volunteer-list so when the call comes, we’ll be ready with trailworkers. If you're interested please send an email to news@flatironsclimbing.org with 'volunteer' in the subject line.

OSMP understands our frustration and that this is a great time of the year to be in the Flatirons – raptor closures are lifted and the temps are right. They’re working feverishly to restore access."

In case you are curious, they are indeed assembling that team, weve got official word of that through the FCC. Which reminds me... go "like" the FCC on Facebook at:
facebook.com/pages/FCC-Flat…
All of your friends are doing it... or at least the cool ones!

ELDO:
As for Eldo, work continues on the main road and the gas and electrical lines. They intend to open up for volunteer work as soon as they can get the heavy machinery work done. Real progress is being made and they are documenting it. This park has been incredibly climber-friendly! Updates can be found here and there on FB, MP and on the FCC/Eldo web pages.
You can find Eldo on FB at:
facebook.com/pages/Colorado…

Boulder County Parks and open Space:
The County has recently been in touch with us. We invited them to "take the mic" for a moment and here is what they gave us. As details of the mentioned projects for climbers trails become available, we'll try to get them out to you in real time.
" ...our volunteer events are starting as well and we plan on having something every weekend through at least Thanksgiving with various partners, members of the public and groups that had September projects cancelled. These are not only trail projects of course. We’ve also been asked to take a large role in clean-up efforts on some of our agriculture properties which has been the focus of our first few projects. We will have our first plains trail project on Saturday to try and get some of the regional trail connections reopened soon.

The main issue with planning more projects is the lack of access to our properties. The Boulder County Sheriff has kept mountain roads closed to all nonessential traffic to focus on rebuilding the area's infrastructure and letting residents focus on their clean-up. We’ve been asked to follow this guideline as well for the near future and not schedule events there. We don’t have a timeline for when access will begin for those areas.

We have been given approval to start taking up a few BCPOS vans at a time to Walker Ranch starting soon. We will be looking at weekday projects as well as a few weekend dates we have available. I’ll begin scheduling projects accordingly on that smaller scale with some of our partners and members of the public. Interested volunteers can sign up for the flood clean-up projects we have listed here: bouldercountywildwork.event…. Future volunteer projects will hopefully be posted to that site soon.

As always, we appreciate BCC’s support and look forward to working with you soon. Don’t hesitate to contact me with any questions. It’s a little crazy here right now but I’m happy to share info as we get it with status of trails. Thanks again"

CJC, please, read my post again with your thinking cap on.

Brenta, CJC's comment still stands. Ten people to manage 150 miles of trail is actually a fairly small crew- especially for a network that sees heavy use and is severely damaged. Have you ever worked on a trail crew? If you have, you know that even a mile of damaged trail can take considerable time to survey and assess. The people who work these trails are under pressure not just from climbers, but from several different use groups. Taking this in to consideration- among other issues faced by OSMP that we are probably not aware of- this time frame should not seem so unreasonable.

The FCC met with OSMP yesterday to divide the Flatirons into a dozen zones for comprehensive assessment needs. Beginning Oct 10 approx 15 volunteers will fan-out and assess climbing access from Mickey Mouse Wall in the south to The Dome in Boulder Canyon on the north and deliver data to OSMP. Assessment should take no more than 5 days. OSMP will need approx 7-10 days to digest the data, prioritize and schedule projects before we can get volunteers on climber-access projects, provided the lower, designated trails are in good repair. If the lower trails need work, then we’ll start there.

Thanks to everyone who has signed-up to volunteer. OSMP is posting trail and climbing access updates on this page.

Flatirons Climbing Council wrote:The FCC met with OSMP yesterday to divide the Flatirons into a dozen zones for comprehensive assessment needs. Beginning Oct 10 approx 15 volunteers will fan-out and assess climbing access from Mickey Mouse Wall in the south to The Dome in Boulder Canyon on the north and deliver data to OSMP. Assessment should take no more than 5 days. OSMP will need approx 7-10 days to digest the data, prioritize and schedule projects before we can get volunteers on climber-access projects, provided the lower, designated trails are in good repair. If the lower trails need work, then we’ll start there. Thanks to everyone who has signed-up to volunteer. OSMP is posting trail and climbing access updates on this page.

Excellent news! Thanks for posting!

The 3rd is open. On a limited basis.

https://twitter.com/boulderosmp/status/386257724951891968

The East Face of the Third Flatiron is open from the East Bench upward. (East Bench is the start for the Standard E Face Route.) The north and west faces are also open. The south side of the Third, including the climbing and hiking terrain, remains closed.

Royal Arch Trail remains closed.

Patrick McHeyser wrote:Ten people to manage 150 miles of trail is actually a fairly small crew- especially for a network that sees heavy use and is severely damaged. Have you ever worked on a trail crew? If you have, you know that even a mile of damaged trail can take considerable time to survey and assess.

It depends. If you are trying to determine what segments are not damaged and can be promptly reopened, it's a quick process.

Patrick McHeyser wrote:The people who work these trails are under pressure not just from climbers, but from several different use groups.

Few things have been clearer to me for the last several years: see my first post in this thread. Consider moreover that the heavily damaged trails near Chautauqua were among the first to be reopened.

Patrick McHeyser wrote:Taking this in to consideration- among other issues faced by OSMP that we are probably not aware of- this time frame should not seem so unreasonable.

Let me offer a paraphrase. Taking into consideration issues like synchronization with the election calendar, this time frame was easily predictable.

Something tells me Brenta's math is a wee bit superior to most people's. OSMP is very rapidly becoming anti access. 1 mile per day is slow. I'd guess they will use this as an excuse to close more trails.

Flatirons Climbing Council wrote:The East Face of the Third Flatiron is open from the East Bench upward. (East Bench is the start for the Standard E Face Route.) The north and west faces are also open. The south side of the Third, including the climbing and hiking terrain, remains closed. Royal Arch Trail remains closed.

What about the satellite boulders?

Lower Satellites are open. Upper Satellites remain closed.

Third Flatiron soloists downclimbing the SW Chimney must climb the ramp back up to the West Bench and descend via the north side of the Third.

Drainage that starts near the 2nd Flatiron south side. This is the trail leading to the 3rd and 2nd just after you go by the Blue Bell shelter. The damage is big. Very wet and muddy on the lower trails.

A better photo of the small drainage from the 2nd Flatiron very destructive. One of the reasons trails are slow to open.

So let me get this straight...OSMP has their panties all in a bunch over hikers/climbers creating a bit of trail damage when one week of rain did more damage than 50+ years of hiking ever could? I don't get it.

Safety: If one were to hike up there and determine the washed out trail is too difficult for you to use...ok go home. Climbers are used to bushwacking and can deal with a few rocks and mud.

And still not a single MTB descent on the ENTIRE east face of the mountains from Eldo all the way to Sanitas (and further in both directions really). PATHETIC!!!

Sorry I love the open space and it is a huge reason I live in Boulder, but I'm voting NO in future tax requests until OSMP and the old money bags that run the show either chill out a bit, move out of town, or eventually die off. Makes me want to go up and grid bolt the Flatirons or ride my bike down the Mesa trail every Sat. in protest.

Please City of Boulder officials save me from myself! Nature was so dangerous until you fixed it up for me. I'm so glad Open Space is totally protected...from actually doing anything with it. Thanks for posting those photos, because if I had gone up there this weekend I certainly would have been totally hosed and probably would have just died upon reaching that patch of scary dirt and rock.

You know, I get frustrated at OSMP a lot. But the truth is, that even though I really dont personally need some of what they do, like perfect trails, or areas inspected for safety, there are always enough stupid people who view all the outdoors as a park that they have little choice. If they open places without checking them out and doing minimal cleanup, people will assume there is nothing to fear. They do that now. Evidence the woman in hiking boots asking where the first flatiron is because she wants to climb it in the moonlight... My point is that though I think I should be allowed to take my own chances and be responsible for myself, the reality is that others see these areas differently. They are viewed by some as big parks with everything but the swingsets and that perception needs to be taken into account. Be patient, and enjoy when everything reopens.

+1 Chin

Brenta, if you feel that OSMP is only responsive during election years, could you provide some evidence? Ie. past instances in which OSMP has been unresponsive until an election? It would help the rest of us inform our debate.
Returning to trails, concern over safety for our particular user group does seem absurd. I see no reason why the satellites haven't reopened. That stinks of over caution.
With the broader picture in mind however, I think safety is less a concern and more exacerbating existing damage. Trails are not just about "safety" but about limiting harm to the surrounding landscape. In certain areas allowing access is going to create wide swaths of social trails as the masses try to keep their feet dry, step around obstacles, and generally follow the path of least resistance off the trail. This is not trivial, as these trails will begin to erode and widen further, making them more difficult to maintain. I prefer not to see small highways in the middle of the forest which will be there for the rest of that trails lifetime.
As to the time frame. Brenta, it is a simple process to see what can be opened immediately. OSMP has opened those trails, have they not? The rest are probably fine in some areas and not in others. Even one severely damaged section warrants closure of the whole thing. Sorry to those of you who would prefer immediate access to long term preservation.
A final thought. I'm not totally on the side of OSMP. They clearly could manage this better. But yelling about conspiracy and how not everything is open is getting nowhere. We just had a giant fucking flood. Things are going to take some time to reopen.

This is interesting: The 2nd Flatiron is not open because it is not an open "trail" per the ranger cottage desk person. But there is no trail on the 2nd nor he 1st or 3rd Flatirons and they are open. The 2nd has a trail to the start and at the finish. I also saw a note at the ranger cottage that said the 3 rd was closed, but at the Bluebell shelter trailhead ther was a big sign with pics saying the 3rd flatiron was open with limits on access. One would assume the 2nd would be open as well. Climbing is inherently dangerous so let us climb and we can figure out how to get there safely.

Regarding the Satellites, I was told that by OSMP that they are not open, but it appears via Twitter that has changed. It would be great if there was clearer official notice about climbing access at this page.

bouldercolorado.gov/pages/o…

None of the (confusing) news about the Third is here or anything separating out bouldering areas.

Ok in some sections "social" trails to avoid flood damaged areas of trail will be created. Eventually the real trail will be fixed or rerouted. OSMP can put some sticks to close off the social trail that developed and grass, plants, etc. will eventually cover it back up. There is absolutely no reason not to have all the trails open right now. Government just assumes the world can stop, since they are still getting their paychecks. OSMP closes the trails to everyone, Boulder County issues a 45 day moratorium on building permits, the federal gov't just closes shop? WTF?

How are the trails any less safe than during winter conditions? They aren't. My point was that the flood rendered total obsession over trail conditions and damage futile, as one week of rain did more damage than 50-100 years of foot and bike traffic. I'm not saying we should just let everyone hike all over everywhere, but most hikers will be able to navigate these areas. The obsessive level of control and oversight in Boulder is so over the top.

Will there be some fool who goes up there and gets hurt in as a result of "unsafe" trail conditions? Probably. How is that any different than any week on the first Flatiron? How many ridiculous rescues have their been? I got lost in the Flatirons and activated a Spot beacon...how can you get lost up there? I went to climb the first in a thunderstorm and need a rescue FROM THE TOP OF THE FIRST PITCH...seriously? I hiked to the top of Bear Peak and now it is dark and I can't get down...HELP!

If you are worried about this type of behavior then you should just close the entire range 24/7 365.

I get that it was closed for a while so that it could be evaluated and broken bridges and other really dangerous stuff could be taped off. We don't need to wait until it is all fixed again. Just lets us recreate and put up a "Pardon the dust while we are under construction" sign on the trail.

Personally I don't think it is about trail damage, liability (well it might be that), or rebuilding. I think it is someone at the top who likes CONTROL. OSMP could have closed for a few days or a week to evaluate and then just issued the warning RMNP has up now:

"Backcountry travelers will encounter different conditions than they have experienced in the past... Hikers should be prepared to take responsibility for their own actions; search and rescue may be delayed... Expect missing foot bridges, uneven trail surfaces, unstable slopes, falling trees due to soil moisture, rutted trails, damaged water bars and steps, standing water, difficult water crossings, and missing directional signs. Be prepared; hike at your own risk."

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