Earlier this week, Great Outdoors Colorado (“GOCO”) officially approved funding that will help Crested Butte Land Trust purchase the northern portion of Promontory Ranch.  With this purchase, set to close in mid-January, Crested Butte Land Trust will be preserving a 108-acre parcel that is has significance not just for wildlife and scenic views, but also for the local community that uses it for hiking, mountain biking, and backcountry skiing on Snodgrass Mountain.  Crested Butte Land Trust’s tireless fundraising efforts and creative thinking have created one of those rare situations that is a win-win-win for conservation, the local community, and the local government.

To learn more about it, and to read a recent Denver Post article about the funding, head over the Mirr Ranch Group blog:

Promontory Ranch Receives GOCO Funding

To learn more about Crested Butte Land Trust, their efforts to conserve this land, and the remaining funds needed, head over to their Saving the Snodgrass Trailhead webpage.

Back in 1995, I was sent to Colorado with a number of my high school classmates for a leadership retreat that took place at a camp located just west of Buena Vista. Despite my obsession with camping, climbing, fly fishing, and mountains, this was the first time I’d ever ventured into the Rockies, the “real mountains.”

After landing in Colorado Springs, the retreat leaders picked us up and drove west along Highway 24 – Pikes Peak to the south, up and over Wilkerson Pass, and down into South Park. That wide-open basin – expansive grasslands surrounded by 14,000-foot snowcapped peaks – was my first real taste of The West. I’d never seen anything like it and had no context to compare it to other valleys or mountain ranges, but I knew it was a special place.

If someone had told me back in ’95, that 19 years later I’d be spending a huge portion of my time exploring, studying, and photographing South Park as part of my job as a ranch broker, my first response would’ve been “A ranch broker is a real job?,” followed by “That sounds too good to be true… Who the hell are you, anyway?  Leave me alone please.”

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Now that you have the back-story on my almost-20-year fascination with South Park, you’ll understand why I picked up a copy of Bayou Salado, Virginia McConnell Simmons’ definitive history of the region. The book, written in 1966, details the history of the high altitude basin from the days before white men arrived, to Simmons’ present day when the area was just beginning to feel the early effects of development pressure encroaching from the Front Range.

Although the book at times reads like a laundry list of specific names of homesteaders, miners, and other characters, the overall information and themes of the book are fascinating. It is tempting for me to try and recount all of interesting anecdotes from the book, but that would be a huge waste of your time – Simmons does a (sometimes overly) thorough job of detailing everything from battles between the Utes and Comanches to the massive influx of miners in 1859 to the sprawling 100,000 acre ranch owned by Sam Hartsel in and around the town that now bears his name.

But here are a very few of the many tidbits from the book, just to whet your appetite:

• When Spaniards first visited South Park in the early 1800s, they named the area Valle Salado – Salt Valley – because of the salt springs located on the western side of the basin. French trappers and explorer called it Bayou Salade – Salt Marshes. American Mountain men combined the two names and called it Bayou Salado. Still sounds a little too French for my taste, but we’ll go with it.
• In the 1840s hunters began calling the area South Park, along with the other huge Colorado valleys of Middle Park and North Park. The word “Park” comes from the French word parc, which means “game preserve.”
• South Park has always attracted rugged individuals seeking their fortune – first beaver trappers, followed by gold miners, silver miners, back to gold miners, salt miners, and finally ranchers. If Ms. Simmons were around today, it would be interesting to hear her take on the current iteration of fortune seekers – individuals, funds, and Front Range municipalities that are buying up South Park’s water at an alarming rate.
• Even in the early days, South Park could be a rough and tumble kind of place. In 1880, a Fairplay saloonkeeper shot and killed a young man out of anger (and probably drunkenness). The saloonkeeper was found guilty of manslaughter, not murder, which did not sit well with some of the Fairplay locals. So, the angry gang of locals cruised down to the town jail, beat up the guards, and dragged ol’ barkeep out of his cell. He was promptly escorted to the town square and up to the second story of the Courthouse.  After fitting him with a well-tied noose, the mob simply threw him out of the window.  A classic South Park “necktie party.” The crazy part is that the courthouse is still there (pictured below) and is now the Fairplay library.

  

• The local Methodist minster, Father John Dyer, was also the South Park mailman and would carry mail, even in the dead of winter, up and over 13,185-foot Mosquito Pass. He wore 10-foot long wooden skis to traverse the high altitude pass, crossing back and forth between South Park and Leadville mining camps. No matter how many mountains I climb or 100 mile runs I complete, stories like this that make me feel like a complete softy and wimp.
• Mount Silverheels, the 13,829-foot mountain that looms over Red Hill Ranch, was named for a beautiful “dancer” who went by the name Silver Heels and worked some of the saloons and dancehalls around South Park mining camps. According to legend, she contracted small pox and ruined her looks, so the local miners named the mountain for her. (I’d love to know the real story behind the quote “Her fame and popularity as a dancer became unmatched.” Sorry Mrs. Simmons, you’re not fooling anyone with your “dancer” code word.)

  

The book is a perfect combination of crazy anecdotes and interesting historical facts, and it’s well written enough for easy and quick reading. In the few parts where the story bogs down with too many details, the reader can skim along until it picks back up. For anyone interested in South Park or its history, I highly recommend spending a few days with Bayou Salado.

2014 has been a very busy year for Rocky Mountain ski resorts, with Park City, Durango Mountain Resort, Solitude, and Snowbird all changing ownership.  Click though to the press release below to see how Crested Butte, with the help of Mirr Ranch Group, is working to benifit from this surge in activity:

Amid Flurry of Ski Resort Sales, Crested Butte Makes Rare Offering

The folks over at Mountain Khakis just posted my newest blog, a quick overview of four recommended 14er hikes throughout Colorado.

While I think some people’s obsession with 14ers and “peakbagging” can sometimes get a little out of control, I do love the fact that Colorado has a huge selection of big mountains with varying degrees of difficulty, spread over multiple mountain ranges and a huge geographic area.  In the majority of the mountainous areas of the state, you easily find a big mountain to hike/run/climb up, with routes that take anywhere from a couple of hours to multiple days.  Whether you’re a complete novice or an experienced high altitude mountaineer, there will always be a handful of 14ers that offer fun and adventure.  Check out the post here:

Climbing Colorado 14ers – Four Recommended Hikes

I just published a new post on the Mirr Ranch Group blog regarding the Centaur Meadows Ranch’s rural cluster plan.  As explained in the post, the rural cluster creates a win-win scenario for both conservationists and developers by preserving 2/3 of the land, while allowing for increased development density on the remaining 1/3.  With its newly reduced price, the ranch could be an attractive acquisition for conservationists, developers, or end users.

Centaur Meadows’ Rural Cluster Plan Explained

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After a busy and productive week on the road that included three ranch tours and 750+ miles of driving, I decided to wrap up the trip with some much needed exercise and adventure.

After finishing my last appointment in Eagle County late afternoon on Thursday, I pointed the truck south, headed up and over Tennessee pass, then down into the Upper Arkansas River Valley, home of the Sawatch Range and fourteen 14,000-foot mountains. After stopping in Leadville to grab some dinner and a few snacks for the hike (i.e. Skittles), I made it to a nice camping spot on the bank of Halfmoon Creek just as the sun was setting behind Colorado’s highest peak, Mt Elbert. I crawled into my bag, enjoyed some pages of the very entertaining and informative Salt: A World History, then crashed hard for 10+ hours.

The next morning was cold and clear, making for perfect conditions for a quick jaunt up Mount Elbert’s northeast ridge. While there did appear to be some snow up high above timberline, the first half of the hike promised to be snow-free and fast. This particular route is straightforward and well marked, but very steep – 4,700 feet of vertical gain in the 4.5 miles from the trailhead to the summit. Other than a few short runs and one hike in Indian Peaks, this would be the first real test I’ve given my legs since my 100-miler back in mid-September.

Conditions were ideal for most of the hike, especially compared to the last time I slogged up this route in early May when I was postholing most of way to timberline. Other than a few patches here and there, the entire trail to timberline was snow-free, and I was able to cruise.  Above the trees there was snow along the trail, mostly of the windblown, hardpacked, icy variety.  About halfway up the ridge, the wind started picking up, and by the time I closed in on the summit it was ripping.  Surprisingly, the air temperature didn’t feel all that cold, so with protection provided by my new favorite piece of gear – Patagonia Houdini Jacket – I was able to comfortably enjoy the last few hundred yards to the 14,433-foot summit.

As usual this time of year, I had the entire place to myself, not another soul to be seen anywhere on the mountain. As would be expected at the highest point in the state, the view were spectacular – snowcapped peaks of the entire Sawatch Range to south, the Gore Range to the north, the Arkansas River valley directly below to the east, and the rust colored Elk Mountains far off on the western horizon.  Near the summit I also saw a short-tailed weasel, completely decked out in his winter coat – all white except for a small black tip at the end of his tail.  Despite all my days high in the mountains, this was the first time I’d seen one of these guys.

Unfortunately, there was not enough snow cover to allow for glissading down, so I picked my way down through the scree and hardpacked snow, donning my Kahtoola Microspikes (highly recommended for winter hiking and running) for about a quarter mile through one of the steep icier sections. Once back below timberline, I was able to hike and run down the relatively smooth trail all the way back to my truck.  After a quick bite to eat, a change of clothes, and a few phone calls and emails, I hit the road to make it home in time to greet the neighborhood trick-or-treaters.

This particular route has found its way into my regular rotation of quick and easy 14er adventures that I can easily tack on to the end of a work trip. Due to it’s steepness, the route does require a little more of a time commitment than some other easy-access 14ers (Quandary, Grays, Torreys, Sherman, etc), but there’s something satisfying about being able to knock off the highest peak in Colorado before lunch.

For more information on this route and well as other routes up Mt. Elbert, check out the 14ers.com, the most thorough resource for all things Colorado 14ers.  If you’d like to donate to an organization that supports the protection and preservation of 14ers, consider a donation to the Colorado Fourteeners Initiative.

Follow the link below to read an interesting and positive article from today’s Wall Street Journal about the strengthening high-value ranch market:

“The market for large ranches is on the rebound. The recession and droughts dampened demand for wide swaths of ranch land in recent years. Dry conditions forced ranchers to sell off their herds, creating a glut that drove down cattle prices. Now, with easing drought conditions across much of the country and higher cattle prices, ranches that had been sitting on the market have started to sell. A boom in the oil and gas industry and current 2% interest rates on ranch mortgages are also fueling big land grabs.”

Billionaire Businessmen Buying Up Mega-Ranches

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A few weeks ago, I finished up my six part series: Ranch Broker Essential Characteristics.  Click over to the Mirr Ranch Group blog for Part 4, Part 5, and Part 6.

If you only read one, make sure it is Part 4.  It drills down into the fundamentals of valuing a ranch and explains why ranch values must be based on data, not on emotion or pie-in-the-sky hunches.  It’s an important subject that many in the ranch brokerage world do not (or choose not to) fully understand.

This past weekend, my wife and I spent a classic Colorado weekend in one of my favorite valleys in all of the American West – The Upper Arkansas River Valley.

On Saturday night, we attended the Colorado Cattlemen’s Agricultural Land Trust’s (“CCALT”) annual Sunset BBQ.  This year the event was held on the historic Hutchinson Ranch, just outside of Salida, CO.  The Hutchinson Ranch has been owned by the same family since the 1860s (seven generations!) and was recently preserved by a CCALT conservation easement, ensuring that it will remain a rural working landscape in perpetuity.  Great people, excellent food, in a wonderful western setting.  For more info, head to the Mirr Ranch Group blog: Ranch Brokers Attend Conservation Events

After the BBQ, we drove up the valley past Buena Vista, took a right up into the Sawatch Range via the Clear Creek drainage, and camped out for the night on the banks of Clear Creek.  The next morning, we began hiking up Missouri Gulch with the goal of summiting the 14,197-foot Mt. Belford.  Fall was definitely in the air as we ascended toward timberline, with some of the aspens already beginning to change.  There was some fresh snow above 13,000 feet, and it was chilly enough up top that we had to wear gloves, warm hats, and light jackets on the summit.  Despite the cooling temperatures, the valley floor was still green and lush with grass and wildflowers.

Another perfect Colorado weekend that combined conservation, ranches, and time up high in the big mountains!

Follow the link below to check out an album of some of my new photos from Crested Butte’s Promontory Ranch:

Promontory Ranch – Late Summer

Be sure to check out my latest post on the Mountain Khakis blog, a description of spring calf branding and how the tradition has remained mostly unchanged for the past 150 years:

Rocky Mountain Springtime Tradition

Head over to the Mirr Ranch Group blog for Part 2 and Part 3 of my continuing series on Ranch Broker Essential Characteristics.  Parts 4 through 6 are coming up soon!

Be sure to check out part one of my six part series on the Six Essential Characteristics to look for in a ranch broker.  Part One discusses the indispensable importance of experience.

It sounds simple and obvious, but you’d be surprised at how many times I come across residential real estate agents with absolutely no experience in ranch or land brokerage trying to represent landowners or buyers of multi-million ranches.

Given the ridiculously low barrier to entrance into the real estate brokerage business, the market is filled with clowns who generally have no idea what they are doing and bring no value to (or deduct value from) the sales process.

The bottom line is simple – Make sure your ranch broker has verifiable, applicable experience!

Click over to the Mirr Ranch Group site for information on my newest listings, Centaur Meadows Ranch.  Located just 30 miles from downtown Denver, the 456-acre property is one of the largest undivided ranches in Colorado’s Front Range.  It has abundant elk and deer, panoramic views of Mt. Evans, conserved open space, and county-approved, developable homesites.

I came across the following passage last week while reading TR’s The Wilderness Hunter.  It’s amazing how little spring cattle round-ups and brandings have changed in the 121+/- years since he wrote these words.  With the exception of a few small details, he could’ve been describing any of the spring roundups that are currently taking place throughout the American West:

“As soon as the herd was worked it was turned loose, while the cows and calves were driven over to a large corral, where the branding was done.  A fire was speedily kindled, and in it were laid the branding irons of the different outfits represented on the round-up.  Then two of the best ropers rode into the corral and began to rope the calves, round the hind legs by preference, but sometimes by the head.  The other men dismounted to “wrestle” and brand them.  Once roped, the calf, bawling and struggling, was swiftly dragged near the fire, where one or two of the calf-wrestlers grappled with and threw the kicking, plunging little beast, and held it while it was branded.  If the calf was large the wrestlers, had hard work; and one or two young maverick bulls, which had been passed by in the roundups of the preceding year-fought viciously, bellowing, and charging, and driving some of the men up the sides of the corral, to the boisterous delight of the others.”  – The Wilderness Hunter by Theodore Roosevelt.

As we enter Memorial Day weekend and the unofficial beginning of summer, I wanted to offer up a few book recommendations for your summer reading list.  I love reading, particularly non-fiction, and I try to read at least 40 substantial books per year.  I’m fortunate that many of the subjects that interest me are also directly related to my work as a ranch broker in the American West… I guess I’d be out of luck if I were an I.P. attorney or a corporate finance cubicle jockey.

Here are five book recommendations that are interesting, entertaining, and will hopefully provide some new insights into and appreciation for life in the American West:

Theodore Roosevelt in the Badlands, by Roger Di Silvestro – If there’s been a book written about or by TR, chances are that I’ve read it.  TR in the Badlands is one of my favorites.  It focuses exclusively on the time he spent ranching, hunting, and living in the Dakota Territories during the mid to late 1880s.  On Valentine’s Day 1884, both TR’s mother and wife died within hours of each other, from unrelated causes.  This tragic event led the young TR to take a break from political life and devote his time to “the strenuous life” of the American West.  There’s no question that TR’s time in the Badlands shaped his views on conservation, hard work, and love of the western landscapes and people.  Great book, easy read.

The Worst Hard Time, by Timothy Egan – Anyone who’s spent time in southeast Colorado, western Oklahoma, or northwest Texas needs to read this book.  It’s the story of the Dust Bowl of the 1930s, and it describes the settlement of the Great Plains, the boom and bust of the wheat markets, and the eventual drought that destroyed the land and the people who were trying their best to homestead the area.  It is truly unbelievable what these people went through, and it’s shocking to learn about the huckster businessmen and government crooks who lured hardworking people into this disaster.  It’s definitely a cautionary tale about speculation and disrespect for the land.  (I’d also recommend Ken Burns’ documentary The Dust Bowl, but be forewarned that it’s depressing!)

For the Love of Land, by Jim Howell – On the cover, this book bills itself as a compilation of “cases studies of grazing,” but it is a far cry from some dry, boring, academic discussion of cows eating grass.  The book starts with an overview of North American natural history, describing the way grazing herbivores and grasses evolved together and formed a symbiotic relationship.  These grasses evolved to depend on large grazing animals to remove old growth, stimulate new growth, and plant their seeds.  Howell argues that even though the large herds of grazing animals have disappeared, modern day ranches can use their livestock to mimic this pattern of grazing in “nature’s image.”  It’s a compelling and necessary read, especially for those who may think that all grazing is bad or unnatural for our western landscapes. (Check out my post regarding this book over on the MRG Blog.)

The Wire Than Fenced the West, by Frances and Henry McCallum – Who would ever think that a book about nothing but the history of barbwire could be interesting?  I have to admit, I was skeptical, but since reading it, I’ve found myself thinking about this book on a weekly basis.  Yes, the first 25% is about the actual businessmen who patented and manufactured barbwire and can be a little tedious.  However, once you push through, there is the fascinating story of the settlement of the west, private property rights, the rise of the cattle industry, and how the west became an economically viable landscape.  Information gleaned from this book has given me a deeper understanding of some of the other history books I’ve read, and it gave me a new appreciation for barbwire – one of the most influential, game-changing, and highly underrated inventions of the last 200 years.

Lonesome Dove, by Larry McMurtry – At most, I read one fiction book for every thirty non-fiction books that I read – but this one is mandatory.  One of the best books I have ever, or will ever, read.  You should know this already, but it’s the story of a massive cattle drive from Texas to Montana during the late 1800s, and it describes the settlement of the American West in a way that no non-fiction book could ever do.  There’s no point in my trying to describe the plot, the characters, or anything about it, because I can’t do it justice.  Don’t watch the movie.  Go buy the book and read it immediately!

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Do you have any good recommendations? If so, contact me and let me know!

Shadow Wild Ranch + Circle Lazy R Ranch = One large, contiguous, private ranch, centrally located in Colorado’s Front Range.  Head over to the Mirr Ranch Group blog for more information:

Front Range Ranch Assemblage Opportunity

One of the many advantages of owning a ranch in Colorado is that  landowners can receive preference when applying for hunting tags for elk, deer, and pronghorn.  Colorado’s Priority Landowner Preference Program gives landowners a better chance of securing a big game tag, even in areas that are popular with the general public.  Head over to the Mirr Ranch Group blog for more information:

Landowner Hunting Preference on Colorado Ranches

Back in 2008 and 2009, I spent the months of May up in Alaska, doing my best to reach the summit of Denali (aka Mt. McKinley).  In 2008, terrible weather and sick teammates forced me to turn back just 1,000 feet from the summit.  In 2009, our rope team was strong, the weather (mostly) cooperated, and I was fortunate enough to finally make it to the top.  All told, I’ve spent somewhere around 47 days on that mountain; 47 of the most challenging and rewarding days of my life.

I just came across this well-produced video from the National Park Foundation about exploring Denali National Park, featuring many scenes of climbers making their way up the 20,320-foot mountain.  The Alaska Range is an awe-inspiring landscape, and this video does a great job showing the hard-to-comprehend scale of the glaciers, mountains, and weather.  Take four minutes to enjoy some scenes from the highest peak in North America:

(At the top of the page – My 2009 summit photo – From the top looking over Denali’s summit ridge, with Mt. Foraker in the background and the Kahiltna Glacier stretching out below.)

In the Rocky Mountain West, “whiskey is for drinking, and water is for fighting over.”  So, to avoid finding yourself on the receiving end of a cowboy beatdown, you should fully understand the wells and springs on Colorado ranches.  My new post on the Mirr Ranch Group blog shows you how:

How-To: Researching Well Permits on Colorado Ranches

I’m very excited to attend tomorrow’s “Ranching and a West That Works” conference at Colorado State University.  Mirr Ranch Group is sponsoring the event, and is free and open to the public.  The agenda looks extremely interesting, so anyone involved in northern Colorado’s ranching community should definitely plan on attending.  Be sure to RSVP.

Ranching and a West That Works

When researching ranches, I’m always suspicious of bold claims of “world-class fishing!” – “blue ribbon waters!” – “trophy elk!”  More times than not, the truth is being stretched, so I always make sure to verify any fishing or hunting claims with unbiased third parties such as guides, Parks & Wildlife officials, or local residents.  I’m sure other experienced outdoorsmen and landowners share some of my skepticism when it comes to these ever-present “fish tales.”

That’s why I was thrilled when Freestone Outfitters, an Orvis-endorsed fly fishing guide service, entered into a lease agreement to fish one of my current listings – Three Creek Ranch.  Freestone’s desire to bring paying clients to the property speaks volumes about the caliber of the fishing, and Freestone’s longterm commitment to fishery management ensures that the property will continue to remain an excellent, productive fishery for years to come.

Orvis-Endorsed Guides Choose Three Creek Ranch