Review by Ed Quillen
Recreation – July 2002 – Colorado Central Magazine
The Geezer’s Guide to Colorado Hikes
by Stuart A. Schneck and Ida I. Nakashima
Published in 2002 by University Press of Colorado
ISBN 0-87081-655-1
This book is based on a useful idea — suggested hikes for people over 60 in a state where the terrain and altitude can be challenging for well-conditioned twenty-somethings.
The idea is executed well, with clear driving instructions to the trailheads and detailed descriptions of the hikes that include much history and lore, as well as good maps.
But it won’t help if you’re looking for some “geezer hikes” in Central Colorado. Of the 56 hikes listed, 45 are in or near the metro area (including Rocky Mountain National Park), and the other 11 are in Aspen or Vail. Geezer’s Guide offers nothing to the south — not even Colorado Springs or Pueblo, let alone our part of the world.
The introductory material is informative and concise, explaining the effects of altitude along with the usual cautions about water and weather. The authors can speak with authority — they’re both physicians, and their combined age exceeds 150.
As for the target audience, “This book is aimed primarily at the older day hiker rather than the hardy backpacker and overnight camper. It will also be of value to the unacclimatized visitor to Colorado. We prefer day hikes because one of us, who grew up on a farm, had quite enough of lantern light and outdoor privies as a child. We both believe firmly that the warmth of home (or a motel or hotel), a hot bath and a massage, a good mattress, and a satisfying meal — preferably prepared and served by others — are the best means of rejuvenating a tired old body for the next day’s hike.”
The older I get, the more I agree with that attitude — a night in a sleeping bag just isn’t as restful as it used to be.
As for the authors’ route selection, “We have chosen hikes specifically for seniors, deliberately leaving out several excellent routes that we deemed too difficult or even dangerous. Other hikes have been discarded because they were simply not very interesting. Hikes that we considered too high (above 12,000 feet) or too long (10 or more miles) have also been eliminated.”
There must be a few hikes around here that fit those criteria. The entire 12-mile Leadville Mineral Belt Trail might be too much, but there are segments that would qualify — and it’s interesting with relatively gentle grades. Some local segments of the Colorado Trail, like around Blank’s Cabin, should fit, as well as the Montville Nature Trail at Great Sand Dunes.
For general guidance, and for specifics if you’re in the metro area, this is a fine book. But geezers in Central Colorado (as well as us 50-somethings who aren’t really into climbing 14ers any more) will need to find their own trails.
— Ed Quillen