Loveland Mountain Club members Jane Davis, right, and Tonya Russell read a map for a summer hike to The Loch in Rocky Mountain National Park.
By SHELLEY WIDHALM
PUBLISHED: October 26, 2016 at 8:50 p.m.
If you go
- What: The Loveland Mountain Club.
- When: Meetings are at 7 p.m. the first Monday of the month. The next meeting is Nov. 7.
- Where: Pulliam Community Building, 545 N. Cleveland Ave., Loveland.
- Cost: Dues are $20 year, $30 for a family.
- Note: Guests are welcome to club meetings and can attend up to two hikes a year as a guest.
- More info: Visit www.lovelandmountainclub.org.
Loveland native Jim Disney launched the Loveland Mountain Club in 1978 because he didn’t want to join another hiking club.
Disney, club president, wanted to bring together people interested in hiking and environmental conservation — he’s a member of the Sierra Club — but in a way that was more casual and local than what was already available.
“The club is an opportunity to share the mountains and share my love of the outdoors,” said Disney, an artist who served as a Larimer County commissioner from 1993 to 2001 and has hiked 1,021 summit climbs including all of Colorado’s 54 fourteeners. “It’s fun to be around people who have the same passion.”
Disney wants to share this passion with beginners and experienced climbers alike, but he’s hoping a few younger members will join the club.
“The membership is getting older,” Disney said. “We want to attract members who are younger. I think they’re interested, but they like to do it on their own with their friends. The younger generation is connected with social media rather than belonging with an organization and that kind of stuff.”
The Club’s Start
The Loveland Mountain Club started with about 20 members and now has 175 members that meet the first Monday of the month and go on hikes together.
“A lot of the growth has been in the last four to five years,” said Ron Tuttle, vice-president of the Loveland Mountain Club. “People got more interested in outdoor activities, and the convenience of living in Loveland is ideal for good destination hikes.”
The club meets at the Pulliam Community Building to discuss upcoming hikes and hear presentations from speakers. The presentations can be on specific climbs or a variety of topics, such as forecasting the weather, viewing the night sky, providing first aid in the backcountry and seeing wildlife.
Two times a year, members volunteer to share their favorite hikes with an accompanying slide show. Plus, there are three social events, a salad supper in February, a club picnic in July and a Christmas breakfast in December.
Over the years, the club has seen several changes, including where it meets and its activities. The members have met at various locations, including a couple of local churches and for the past six to seven years at the Pulliam Building.
The club initially focused on more difficult hikes and techniques of rock climbing to prepare for fourteeners, but as it evolved added easier hikes to fit more interest levels, Tuttle said. The programs also were added at a later date, likely in the mid- to late 1980s, he said.
“We were primarily a hard core group of people who liked to do serious climbing,” Tuttle said.
The Club’s Hikes
The hikes are primarily in Rocky Mountain National Park and along the Front Range with a few in Wyoming, varying in length, typically from four to 12 miles. They involve more than walking and climbing, but also include things like snowshoeing, cross county skiing, backpacking, hiking with dog companions and bicycling.
A core of 20 club members organize the hikes, which are offered Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, of varying levels of difficulty from easy flower hikes to mountaineering climbs.
Initially, the hikes were on weekends only but weekdays were added about 10 to 15 years ago, Disney said.
The hikes are rated 1-5, varying from walking a flat trail to needing ropes and a high level of skill, but most rate 2-4. Hikes rated 3-4 require the use of hands and feet up a slope and those rated at 4 have some risk of injury.
“The more you do it, the more you want to do it,” Tuttle said. “There are so many possible places to go.”
The hike leaders individually organize each hike, writing up a description and checking weather conditions. Their write-ups are published in the club’s newsletter and website.
During the hike, the leaders share their experience and what they know about the hike and the area with the other hikers. They pick one of the hikers as a sweep to tail the line of hikers to make sure everyone stays in the group.
The hikes the leaders organize consist of club members and guests, who are required to be physically able and prepared to do the hike. Each hike typically has six to 12 participants with the minimum at four and maximum at 15 participants, Tuttle said.
The club could use more hike leaders, Disney said.
Adventure Hikes
The leaders also can lead hikes to places they haven’t been to before in what are called adventure hikes. Participants may have to bushwhack or find themselves off trail or lost a couple of times before they find their way again, Disney said.
“I just enjoy sharing with people that nature really is a great joy,” Disney said.
The club also gets involved in volunteering. The members provide trail maintenance every spring and fall to maintain all five miles of the Round Mountain trail system for the city of Loveland and U.S. Forest Service. They donate part of their dues to local nonprofits.
“I just like the challenge, getting out and seeing the beauty of the outside world,” Tuttle said about going on the club hikes.
Shelley Widhalm: 970-699-5408, swidhalm@reporter-herald.com, twitter.com/ShelleyWidhalm