Local walks 61 mile vertical length of Chaffee County line
Sue Price - Mail Staff Writer
He's bagged numerous 14ers and hiked many local trails, but since arriving in Chaffee County in 2005, Steve Garufi, 38, had a unique goal in mind.
He recently walked the 61-mile vertical length of Chaffee County in seven consecutive days.
"I had some time and I always wanted to do it," Garufi, said.
He began one mile north of Granite at the Lake/Chaffee County line and headed south.
Mostly he stayed near the railroad tracks and along the Arkansas River as he trekked through Granite, Buena Vista, Johnson Village, Nathrop, Salida and Poncha Springs, ending at the 9,010-foot summit of Poncha Pass and Saguache County line.
An aspiring writer, Garufi did the walk partly as a "literary adventure" and partly as a stress reliever. He is working on a book chronicling his participation in the 2008 Bike Across America and said he often finds the physical adventures easier than the literary ones.
"The more I write, the more I learn and the more I know I need to learn. I have a professional editor and I read a lot of other writers' blogs," Garufi said.
A licensed professional counselor by vocation, Garufi has been a champion of Chaffee County since "mountain fever" plucked him out of city life in the Colorado Springs area.
As a hobby he established several Web sites - chaffeecounty.net, mtprinceton.org and coloradoguy.com. Each is devoted to Chaffee County "charms," he said.
Garufi documents his county-line trip in a photo journal that includes his personal experiences and insights in addition to some history and heritage. He posted about 25-30 pictures per day, along with commentary.
"Mostly it felt like an ordinary hike. I felt a lot of peace, solitude," Garufi said. "Sometimes, though, I was battling fierce wind and cold and it was not much fun.
"But the perseverance was part of the adventure."
Camping was not part of the deal. Garufi returned to the comfort of his home every evening by coordinating friends who helped transport him from his daily stopping point then back to his start site the next day.
Inclement weather brought insights as he pondered whether to change his schedule to await better cooperation from Mother Nature.
"Waiting for perfect conditions is fake," Garufi decided. "Because life isn't like that. It's messy. It's surprising. It's uncontrollable. And there's a great amount of suffering (and hopefully) overcoming.
"It's life's ups and downs that make our personal stories interesting, and this journey was no different."
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