Eldo reopening

Saw the post about Eldo being cleaned up this weekend. Anyone know when it will be reopened to climbing?

The rangers and the maintenance staff (me) had a meeting today and talked about it. No definitive answers. A few of the factors involved in opening some portions of the park:

• All the danger is still in play. A big exposed gas line, hot power lines ready to fall into the creek, the road next to the Bastille is iffy, and there may be slides still to come.
• The staff wants to be respectful of the residents of Eldorado Springs. There are a lot of people in town facing some very difficult situations; they might not enjoy caravans of gawking park visitors.
• The furthest vehicle access in the canyon is right where RMR sets up the Redgarden tyrolian - and there's no easy way to turn around emergency services vehicles when they arrive. If there's an accident on Peanuts, the West Ridge, Rincon, Cadillac, Shirt Tail, the victims and the rescuers will be hosed. I don't think adding a hard rescue to RMR's list right now is a good choice.

Thanks for the info man

The rock may be pretty unstable for a while as well. Over just a few days we got all the moisture we usually get in a year. Hard to say what that will have done to the routes.

Water running over the rock may have softened it to the point that those bolts will pull right out under body weight. Yeah. Definitely. That happens all the time.

Generic human wrote:Water running over the rock may have softened it to the point that those bolts will pull right out under body weight. Yeah. Definitely. That happens all the time.

Generic human wrote:Water running over the rock may have softened it to the point that those bolts will pull right out under body weight. Yeah. Definitely. That happens all the time.

Unfortunately, the hazards were more hazardous Monday morning. The wall at the Bastille tipped another inch towards the creek, there's more gas line exposed, the previously buried electrical line is under more stress.

And the hill west of the Bastille is unstable, dropping some little rocks.

I must be a big puss as I am NOT anxious to get out in any of these areas, while alot of folks seem to be chomping at the bit. Sure it's sunny now, but the water is just settling and I think it will be at least a week or so until we see the longer term damage. I would imagine the slopes above and below aren't safe, not to mention the condition of the rock. There are boulders falling and mudslides all up and down.

Just doesn't seem worth it to me.

Posted this before elsewhere, but will post again here.
There is going to be a lot of rebuilding to do in a lot of places after this storm. Some of this will fall into volunteer trail-building hands.

Eldo has a full crew for their first effort, this coming weekend, stabilizing and moving debris.
There will be many many more such events.

I have been coordinating volunteer crews for the BCC for a while (as in a few years), mostly for improvements. This will likely be more focused on regaining access and stabilizition for the foreseeable future.

I have a mailing list that I use to let people know when help is needed, and the park managers know to contact the BCC when they want help. The County has used us extensively (IE: rehabilitating Castle Rock). Eldo has been a regular place for our efforts since last fall (FAC afternoons 1x per month and the occasional Saturday) and the OSMP will be needing help soon, we think.

So if you are interested in helping out in the post-flood-a-geddon crag and trail restoration, please let me know by PM and I'll add you to the vol's list. You might get a few mails per month in all, maybe 1x per week in the busy season, letting you know where we are working next and inviting you to come help. If you can not shoulder a heavy load, that's OK. On larger events, we sometimes just need someone to help run the grill, as we provide food and drink for our volunteers.

Again, you can PM me from the link to my name here to be added to the list of people interested in helping get the parks and crags back open.

If you are interested in making a financial donation for trail building materials, consider making a fully qualified tax-deductible donation (501c3) here:
Trail repair fund

The parks and land managers are going to have a hard time pulling trail building materials out of a budget when they have competing demand for the roads that are washed out, no power, and buildings damaged. So we're trying to fill in when they can not and get the trails re-opened in sustainable condition.

Mike
I thought you were going to post that rock on the
road was all that's left of the Milton boulder. . .

hee hee hee. . .

a little levity couldn't hurt now. . .

Locker wrote:"Just doesn't seem worth it to me" "oh it's worth it" BINGO!

Generic human wrote:Water running over the rock may have softened it to the point that those bolts will pull right out under body weight. Yeah. Definitely. That happens all the time.

I live in eldorado springs, and Mike's point that people there are having a hard time, and do not need the traffic going through to the park is very valid, and I am grateful that we are being thought of in that way. Additionally, gas lines and power lines, concerns about responders to accidents, all valid. I'm homeless now - and I am more upset that I can't climb in eldo for a long time than being displaced from home. But that is what it is, let's all just love eldo even more because we can't get there, and just love the place more, just cause.

So sorry to hear what a hammering mother nature has been hurling down.

Hang in there, yall!

Any idea what access is like currently to the Flat Irons? Read an article that mentioned lots of debris near Chautauqua Park

Anyone know is Boulder Canyon as beat up as badly Eldo?

Boulder canyon is worse than Eldo, I'm up in Nederland as a refuge. Boulder Canyon is supposed to be closed for a month or more before traffic can go through (and then it will be one way). Boulder Open Space is no longer open space, it is closed space, all trails and trailheads. So there's no climbing in Boulder anymore.

Yo Tom sorry about your place. Let me know if you need a place to stay in eldo (and/or a belay). my place wasn't damaged (freakin' miracle...thursday night was SCARY!) Anyways 3 cheers for park staff.

About those tree anchors--this was in boulder canyon--> youtube.com/watch?v=eL06PWj…
I wouldn't trust any of them either!

Still horrified over the damage this flood has incurred. I have friends who are still trapped in Longmont. While I want our climbing areas to be back in business soon, seems to me that this should be a low priority given all of the people who have suffered the loss of their homes and the basic infrastructure of their community. Right now the best thing all of us can do is to stay out of the way of emergency personnel so they can do their jobs and to volunteer.

As for alternatives--just climbed in clear creek, and everything looks pretty good. Just watch out on the steep approaches, the ground is pretty soft.