Indian Peaks March Newsletter, Page 2 of 2

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*(Gaiters cont.)* brushed the snow off the tent and I saw that there was close to six inches, making it quite beautiful - and I still wasn't worried. The pass would be fine if we had to leave, and by the next day it should stop. It was the Fourth of July, for heaven's sake! But no, all day Sunday it snowed, and other backpackers made a bee-line for the pass. For safety's sake we stayed because it was impossible by this time to see more than a few feet ahead. There was at least three feet of snow! After two nights and a full day inside our tent, we saw a break in the clouds on Monday and decided to break camp and go for it. Our tent, by this time, was invisible because of the snow barrier around it. We had no gaiters and used plastic bags inside our boots to keep some of the snow out and had to make our way through snow that at times was more than waist deep! There was another couple who broke trail for us and we watched their ascent up the pass. It was quite an adventure. I learned that it ’s important to carry cold weather gear, including gaiters and a snow shovel, even in July. We used our camp stove shield as a shovel instead. When we got to our car, at 10,500 feet, the sun wasout, the snow was melting, and all was "normal "again. My husband now looks like a pack mule when we go camping, because as a former California hiker, he won ’t venture into the Indian Peaks without everything but the kitchen sink!	To volunteer this summer, please call Jeff Charlebois at (303) 443-4543 OR sign up Online! Share Your Experience! Send us a story of an experience you had while hosting in the Indian Peaks and we will publish it in a future edition. Please submit your tale to the editor in "Plain text" or " MS Word" if possible. (Bears, continued from page 1) It is also a good idea to watch for signs of bear activity. People should be able to recognize the difference between black bear and grizzly bear droppings: Black bear droppings are smaller and contain berries and possibly squirrel fur. Grizzly bear droppings have bells in them and smell like pepper spray! © March 2001, IPWA	Your Donations Help! $20 Annual Membership $50 Supports a trail host $75 Provides a restoration project. $100 Assists the Scholarship Fund $500 Corporate Sponsor I can help with a donation amount of: $________________ Name_________________ Address_______________ City___________State___ Phone#( ) _____-______ Email____________________ Would you like us to add your name to our mailing list to keep you informed! Yes? No? Please print* this page, fill in your donation information and mail your tax deductible contribution to: "Indian Peaks Wilderness Alliance" P.O. Box 2214 Boulder, CO 80306-2214 Thank you for your generous support! * Tip: (This works on most printers) To save printer ink, select just the text in the "Donation" area on this page, then in your "Print" Options choose "print selection". *Return to Page 1*
Send any comments or suggestions to our Editor/Publisher: Gordy Blair


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