Fourteener Controversy: Rock Cairns Dismantled
Volunteer Group Had Permission To Place The Cairns
POSTED: 7:23 a.m. MDT September 19, 2001
BUENA VISTA, Colo. -- A battle over large piles of rocks used to mark popular hiking trails on two Colorado fourteeners may make it harder for hikers to find routes to their summits.
The conical rock piles called "cairns" that mark trails up two 14,000-foot mountains have been dismantled, and an outdoor group suspects it was done by climbers determined to
restore the natural appearance of the mountains and make it harder to find the trails.
"Basically, they destroyed all the work we did above timberline," said Bruce Morrow of the Colorado Fourteeners Initiative, which recruited volunteer work crews to build the 5-foot-tall structures.
On Mount Harvard, a 14,420-foot peak northwest of Buena Vista that is the third-highest in the state, volunteers have rebuilt the rock cairns in a slightly smaller size, Morrow said. But no steps have yet been taken to replace those on 14,064-foot Humboldt, which is part of the Sange de Christo group northeast of Alamosa.
Morrow estimated the value of the demolished cairns at $500 apiece, or several thousand dollars in total, based on the volunteer effort needed to erect them. But he said that his group was more concerned about potential damage to the surrounding tundra.
"These cairns were not constructed to make it easier for hikers to climb the peaks. Their sole purpose was to limit further resource damage by confining climbers to one travel corridor," he said. "Moreover, the decision to build them was made as part of a multiyear planning process with input from mountaineers, geologists, biologists, botanists and wilderness managers, and the projects were all subject to the requirements of the national Environmental Protection Act."
Mike Rowan, wilderness program manager for the Pike-San Isabel National Forest, which encompasses both peaks, said the cairns also were put in to keep people from getting lost, especially when parts of the standard routes may be covered by snow.
"It's real frustrating to do all that work and have it ruined," he said. "We consider it important not only to protect the resource, but as a safety feature."
Rowan said that the vandals, if caught, could be ticketed for destroying federal property, a violation normally settled with a $75 mail-in fine. But in an aggravated case, he added, the charge would be malicious mischief, requiring a court appearance and carrying a penalty of up $5,000 and six months in jail.
The conical rock piles called "cairns" that mark trails up two 14,000-foot mountains have been dismantled, and an outdoor group suspects it was done by climbers determined to
restore the natural appearance of the mountains and make it harder to find the trails.
"Basically, they destroyed all the work we did above timberline," said Bruce Morrow of the Colorado Fourteeners Initiative, which recruited volunteer work crews to build the 5-foot-tall structures.
On Mount Harvard, a 14,420-foot peak northwest of Buena Vista that is the third-highest in the state, volunteers have rebuilt the rock cairns in a slightly smaller size, Morrow said. But no steps have yet been taken to replace those on 14,064-foot Humboldt, which is part of the Sange de Christo group northeast of Alamosa.
Morrow estimated the value of the demolished cairns at $500 apiece, or several thousand dollars in total, based on the volunteer effort needed to erect them. But he said that his group was more concerned about potential damage to the surrounding tundra.
"These cairns were not constructed to make it easier for hikers to climb the peaks. Their sole purpose was to limit further resource damage by confining climbers to one travel corridor," he said. "Moreover, the decision to build them was made as part of a multiyear planning process with input from mountaineers, geologists, biologists, botanists and wilderness managers, and the projects were all subject to the requirements of the national Environmental Protection Act."
Mike Rowan, wilderness program manager for the Pike-San Isabel National Forest, which encompasses both peaks, said the cairns also were put in to keep people from getting lost, especially when parts of the standard routes may be covered by snow.
"It's real frustrating to do all that work and have it ruined," he said. "We consider it important not only to protect the resource, but as a safety feature."
Rowan said that the vandals, if caught, could be ticketed for destroying federal property, a violation normally settled with a $75 mail-in fine. But in an aggravated case, he added, the charge would be malicious mischief, requiring a court appearance and carrying a penalty of up $5,000 and six months in jail.
Related Story:
Additional Resource:- September 4, 2001: Climbing Fourteeners: Maroon Bells
Copyright 2002 by TheDenverChannel.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
