Sheridan Broe

Through-the wilderness

I still cant believe it. Its been 40 or so years since that fateful summer. My pals Steve and Larry and I were around 1-2 years old when we were dropped off early in your day on a wet, dull little path of a street off Highway 135 north of Gunnison, Colorado up toward Kebler Pass.

The mission: follow tracks up Pass Creek through the West Elk Wilderness Area, cross Swampy and Castle Passes at 11,086 feet, eventually coming out o-n the other side following Little Robinson Creek down coming at Coal Creek just up in the Paonia Reservior and Anthracite Creek.

I wonder and wonder even today, what were these guys parents thinking? What could induce them to turn 3 twelve-year olds loose for a journey through the West Elk Wilderness? We were on the trail long ago inside the back-country of Colorado for 3-days and nights, creating camps, carrying and fixing meals, fishing, chopping wood and fretting about bears and being lost. I and people I know with children that age now are not sure we would even consider dropping them off over a wilderness trail, seeing them 3-days later in survivable issue in the other end.

On the years Ive asked family and friends and the response often returns - its another world to-day than it was 40 or 50 years ago. Kids are different. At that age, we were outside all the time, leaving your house in the morning and just to arrive when we were hungry or it was sleeping. On our bikes, we explored the entire area, the river bottom on the North Fork of the Gunnixon, brings, mountains and near-by creeks around Paonia, Colorado, day after day. We learned about everest base camp trek by searching books in the library. Our parents seldom had a definite idea where we were. It had been a different world absent concern with kidnappings, only the beginnings of awareness of the problems of games, only occasional records of kids dying in accidents and etc. An even more naive world perhaps, with less media hype of every single event.

Needless to say, Steve was a seasoned backpacker (at age 12?), experienced in navigating tracks, campsites and etc. The parents obviously thought we'd be fine. Or they worried themselves sick and just never told us.

The three-day trip began to the right foot. Both legs in reality were soaked as were the jeans up to above the knees since the trail led through t