Kite Lake 14ers Reopening

[BillMiddlebrook]

From Lloyd Athearn, Executive Director at the Colorado Fourteeners Initiative (CFI):

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Access to Mounts Democrat and Lincoln will be temporarily reopened this Friday (7/28/2023) for the remainder of the 2023 hiking season under an electronic waiver program offered by the landowner. Pay attention to all the details, which are complex. And, be sure to read to the end regarding how you can help with the longer-term solution to privately owned 14ers.

1. Electronic Waiver. You must use the attached QR code to access the electronic waiver while you have internet service. There is NO cell service at the trailhead, so do this before you leave town. The form autofills to the date you are completing it, so be sure to put in the date you will be climbing, if you are filling it out in advance. Enter your personal details and electronically sign. You will receive an emailed waiver from the landowner. Don't climb the peaks without a waiver!
2. Not Bross. The waiver only provides access to Mounts Democrat and Lincoln, which are private. The summit of Cameron is public, but is accessed by private lands. The summit of Bross remains closed. You can complete the Decalibron loop using the Bross bypass trail. Don't mess up access by tagging the summit of Bross!
3. Longer Term Solution. CFI is a leader in the "Fix CRUS Coalition" (fixcrus.org), which worked with and includes landowner John Reiber. The Coalition is working to amend the Colorado Recreational Use Statute to provide more lasting protection. More areas are requiring waivers or being put off limits entirely due to landowner liability concerns. We need your help to build pressure on the Colorado Legislature to approve a much-needed change in state law in 2024 to better protect landowners (like CFI, which owns the summit of Mount Shavano) from lawsuits for allowing free access to their lands for recreation. Go to the website and sign the petition.
4. Stopgap measure for Decalibron Loop. This electronic waiver system is a short-term solution for 2023 only. Failure to fix CRUS next year likely means these peaks are put off limits for a long time. Reiber is a good guy and has been working with those of us in the recreational community, the Town of Alma and the Forest Service to allow access. But, this is becoming a costly pain. Don't plan on the peaks being open next year under a waiver system.
5. Mount Lindsey not included. The electronic waiver does not work for Mount Lindsey. CFI believes that fixing CRUS will be a key part of restoring access to Lindsey in the future. That will take more time and effort.
Thanks to everyone who has been abiding by the closures. We know the uncertainty of access to all these peaks is a pain. Given that more than 10% of 14ers are on private land, it will be an ongoing issue that CFI and others are working hard to resolve. If you want to be a part of resolving these issues, give do CFI and/or Fix CRUS. Thanks!

2023_kitelake14ers_qrcode.jpg (21.04 KiB) Viewed 12840 times

Web Link...

[madmattd]

I assume that the implication is that without a waiver, one is considered trespassing (as has been the case since the closure in March or whenever it was)?

Kudos to John and the others involved in finding a solution for the rest of this season.

[amderr22]

One additional note: There is a Kiosk at the trailhead too for people to use to fill out the waiver in case they do not have a signal. That said, it's advised to do it online beforehand to save yourself time and ensure you do not forget.

[jkharris27]

Bross bypass. Thinking about doing the almost decalibron and am somewhat concerned about not messing up. Is the bypass what is currently shown on the map? Does it really come within just a few feet of the summit?

[MaryinColorado]

Bross bypass. Thinking about doing the almost decalibron and am somewhat concerned about not messing up. Is the bypass what is currently shown on the map? Does it really come within just a few feet of the summit?

So good of you to ask! The bypass is what's on the map. You'll also see a hook-shaped line that protrudes from the junction, and the "hook" just illustrates junction to summit. If you are starting with Bross, to my knowledge there is still a sign near or at the junction (i.e., the high up junction) indicating which way to go (left). If you are ending with Bross, it's also pretty obvious that you're going to head to the right.

Not sure your definition of a "few feet", but it's pretty darn close. It's close enough that people who are still trespassing to the summit are doing so inexplicably, i.e., they don't gain any benefit from doing so but are certainly not helping the property problem, either. It's really awesome that you are wanting to make sure you do this the right way!

[andrewhamilton]

Does anyone know when the next attempt to get the changes made to CRUS will occur? Is that next year? Is there any reason to believe the committee that blocked the bill moving forward would make a different decision?

Just wondering if there is any reason for optimism on the issue…

[ekalina]

Does anyone know when the next attempt to get the changes made to CRUS will occur? Is that next year? Is there any reason to believe the committee that blocked the bill moving forward would make a different decision?

Just wondering if there is any reason for optimism on the issue…

My understanding is the next chance is during the 2024 Colorado legislative session (January - May).

I encourage anyone who wants to climb these peaks to get it done this year, because the landowner has stated he is going to close access (for a long time/permanently) if the CRUS reform fails in 2024.

Personally, I think the chances are grim. This is based on nothing but a bad feeling about how hard it is for your cause to prevail when special interests (i.e., Colorado Trial Lawyers Association in this case) are aligned against it.

I hope I am wrong. I signed the petition and am going to write the senators who said they don't support changes.

Petition:
https://www.change.org/p/help-us-keep-1 ... 40af38c10c

[andrewhamilton]

Does anyone know when the next attempt to get the changes made to CRUS will occur? Is that next year? Is there any reason to believe the committee that blocked the bill moving forward would make a different decision?

Just wondering if there is any reason for optimism on the issue…

My understanding is the next chance is during the 2024 Colorado legislative session (January - May).

I encourage anyone who wants to climb these peaks to get it done this year, because the landowner has stated he is going to close access (for a long time/permanently) if the CRUS reform fails in 2024.

Personally, I think the chances are grim. This is based on nothing but a bad feeling about how hard it is for your cause to prevail when special interests (i.e., Colorado Trial Lawyers Association in this case) are aligned against it.

I hope I am wrong. I signed the petition and am going to write the senators who said they don't support changes.

Petition:
https://www.change.org/p/help-us-keep-1 ... 40af38c10c

Thanks for the info i will sign the petition and try to spread the word. I don’t know anybody who thinks the law shouldn’t be changed.

[Trotter]

Does anyone know when the next attempt to get the changes made to CRUS will occur? Is that next year? Is there any reason to believe the committee that blocked the bill moving forward would make a different decision?

Just wondering if there is any reason for optimism on the issue…

My understanding is the next chance is during the 2024 Colorado legislative session (January - May).

I encourage anyone who wants to climb these peaks to get it done this year, because the landowner has stated he is going to close access (for a long time/permanently) if the CRUS reform fails in 2024.

Personally, I think the chances are grim. This is based on nothing but a bad feeling about how hard it is for your cause to prevail when special interests (i.e., Colorado Trial Lawyers Association in this case) are aligned against it.

I hope I am wrong. I signed the petition and am going to write the senators who said they don't support changes.

Petition:
https://www.change.org/p/help-us-keep-1 ... 40af38c10c

I don’t know anybody who thinks the law shouldn’t be changed.

Lawyers with dreams of big court cases...

[amderr22]

Does anyone know when the next attempt to get the changes made to CRUS will occur? Is that next year? Is there any reason to believe the committee that blocked the bill moving forward would make a different decision?

Just wondering if there is any reason for optimism on the issue…

Great question Andrew! The current plan is to re-introduce a bill making changes to fix the CRUS next legislative session, which runs from mid-January through early May. We do have good reason to believe this time will be more successful, for a couple reasons:
1. Last session, the process was very last minute, and we were essentially building a plane while flying it. This time, we have a coalition of of 38 organizations and 3,500+ individuals who have expressed support and pledged to take action next winter to apply pressure on lawmakers through lobbying, public action, events, etc.
2. We've made changes to our language, and while it is still in the works, it makes a lot fewer changes than the bill would've last year. This has helped us win over at least one of the legislators who voted no originally, and we already have others who have expressed they might support it yet once the final language is shared publicly.
3. With more lead time, we are able to take a more strategic approach this time: The Decalibron closures made the need for this change real and tangible for legislators, along with hundreds of angry calls and emails from hikers furious with their failure to prevent it.
4. We have a lot more resources this time with which to fight. Numerous member organizations in the coalition are lending their time, lobbyists, funding, and connections to make this happen, and we learned a lot from last time that we can use to do better.

While I've always been an optimist, I seriously think we have a 75% chance of success, so long as the hiking and climbing community engages fully, petitions their representatives, donates to support our public awareness/education campaign, and helps maintain our working relationship with landowners by respecting the closures that remain in place.

Ironically, I've been meaning to reach otu to you, Andrew, to see if you'd be willing to pen a note of support or otherwise work with us - I know a lot of people have followed your mountain pursuits closely and I think you could be a great help in getting our community to take action and learn about this all. Let me know - alexmderr@gmail.com

[kiranks]

I really appreciate all the effort to get recreational access to these peaks. I also appreciate the detailed information provided here.
Question - is there a way to get permission from the appropriate land owners to go to the actual Mt. Bross summit?

[Bill G]

Does anyone know when the next attempt to get the changes made to CRUS will occur? Is that next year? Is there any reason to believe the committee that blocked the bill moving forward would make a different decision?

Just wondering if there is any reason for optimism on the issue…

I signed the petition. But, as stated above, it's an uphill battle. Politics vs. the will of the people. If it fails in 2024, the best path forward is a constitutional amendment. That would almost certainly succeed. Let's hope the grassroots petitions succeed and make the amendment process unnecessary. Write your state senators, representatives and the governor. This has gone on long enough.