Colorado Fourteeners Initiative - Alex Hayes

I will match the first $1,500 raised through my fundraising page. 

Since 1994, CFI has been working to protect and preserve the natural integrity of Colorado's 14,000-foot peaks through active stewardship and public education. Today, CFI is the nation's leading high-altitude trail-building, terrain-restoration and visitor-education organization. CFI has built 39 sustainably located, designed, and constructed summit routes on 35 peaks, with its work garnering honors and awards from Congress, the US Forest Service, the Colorado Lottery, the National Forest Foundation and other organizations.

In 2023, CFI accomplished the following:

• Completed the third season of major trail reconstruction on Mount Elbert’s Northeast Ridge trail. The six-person CFI crew partner with a Rocky Mountain Youth Corps crew to construct 750 linear feet of new trail, build 1,890 square feet of retaining walls, maintain 2,000 linear feet of the upper ascent trail, and restore 7,375 square feet of eroded alpine tundra.
• Began the first season of a two-year trail reconstruction project on Mount Elbert’s Black Cloud route. A two-person CFI crew worked alongside a RMYC crew to build a more sustainable trail through a stable talus field located near 13,000’. The crew constructed 900 linear feet of new trail, built 3,422 square feet of various retaining walls, and cleared 5,280 linear feet of trail corridor. 
• CFI returned to Mount Shavano to continue a multi-year new trail construction project. The anticipated three phase, six-year project is expected to be CFI’s largest scale, most expensive, and most technically challenging project to date. Two separate fixed-site crews worked independently on the mountain to build a new trail that will stretch from the Colorado trail junction to the summit at 14,230’. The first lower bypass section was officially opened to the public in July and the upper crew made significant progress on new trail segments located high on the peak in steep and hazardous terrain.
• CFI’s Adopt-a-Peak crew performed high priority trail maintenance and restoration on 12 summit routes and engaged 594 individuals who contributed more than 1,186 days of volunteer service.
• CFI staff placed 23 infrared trail counters in the field to track 14er hiking use.
• Volunteer Peak Stewards travelled to 14er trailheads and outreach events throughout the state where they contacted more than 8,321 people about Leave No Trace ethics and responsible recreation practices.

To learn more about CFI's accomplishments, head to: https://www.14ers.org/2023-field-season-recap/