‘Old Broads’ group assists with Hidden Gems wilderness inventory
Aron Ralston, right, with the Wilderness Workshop, gives instructions to the Great Old Broads before taking to the trail Friday morning. Ralston is the author of Between a Rock and a Hard Place. Glenwood Springs Post Independent photo
The Steamboat Springs resident and daughter of one of the original founders of the Great Old Broads for Wilderness advocacy group managed to cut loose from her busy life to join this weekend’s Colorado Hidden Gems “Broadwalk.” It’s her first Broadwalk in the six years since first joining the group.
About 30 members of the Great Old Broads for Wilderness, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, is working with members of the Hidden Gems Wilderness Campaign through Sunday to hike and help inventory areas west of the Crystal River Valley that are proposed for wilderness designation.
During their stay at the Bogan Flats Campground near Marble, their agenda also includes a variety of speakers from local organizations who are part of the wilderness campaign and related causes.
“I’ve always been an active hiker and involved with environmental issues,” said Harmon, who was with a group of about a half dozen hikers headed into the Thompson Creek area via the Perham Creek trail Friday morning. The group was all-female, except for their guide, noted outdoorsman/adventurist and author Aron Ralston.
“I wanted to experience first-hand the nurturing value of wilderness,” Harmon said. “Especially on the West Slope of Colorado, a lot of areas are under attack by oil and gas development.”
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