In the Summer of 2020, the wind shifted in the outdoor community. Countless cooped up people were itching to get out and do something with their time. With bars, restaurants, venues, etc. still under heavy restrictions, droves of freshly-minted hikers hit the trail.
I imagine a fair few local officials looked at the newfound crowding on peaks and trails, pointed back at the pandemic restrictions and asked, “Could we try that here, too?”
When I launched Cole’s Climb, the balancing act between trail access and restriction was an interesting and critical issue for me. More than a third of the articles I wrote in my first month on this platform revolved around the topic. The more I researched, the more I found the public perception, media coverage, and official reasons why all this was necessary didn’t line up with reality.
I talked about this often with my friend Chris Tomer — an expert in meteorology and mountaineering. He encouraged me to pursue this story in long-form, which eventually turned into this documentary project.
There were many long, cold days hauling my camera equipment up mountains to get the footage you’re going to see. Countless hours researching, reviewing, writing, editing…
But Now the Project is Complete!
On November 3rd, “The Alpine Amusement Park,” will be available to my subscribers to watch, before anyone else. You’ll hear from trail builders, search and rescue teams, and county planners about the problem of trail crowding — and why conserving Colorado’s 14ers is a unique challenge.
There was also a lot of information I discovered that worked better as a written article, rather than film form. Following the documentary release, I will be publishing a handful of companion stories that expand on points the film touches on. Here’s what you have to look forward to:
I’m sharing this schedule in advance because I don’t want to give off the impression I’m suddenly switching to a daily publishing schedule. This is only done rarely, for special events (like the time Substack made Cole’s Climb a Featured Publication.)
Next Thursday, I’ll be releasing a “Top 5” list of my favorite articles on trail access and recreation. It’s a way to give myself a bit more breathing room as we close in on the finish line. Editing this thing has been like a second job, and I haven’t had the time to write a fresh article of the caliber I’m comfortable sending to you all.
For those of you who aren’t already signed up, consider subscribing for free to support independent journalism, and get first-access to “The Alpine Amusement Park” upon release.
WATCH NOW: "The Alpine Amusement Park" First Official Trailer