The San Luis Valley Outdoor Report for the week of Sept. 3, 2025
It was baby’s first podcast. With the welcoming of their new baby, Angela Lee and Wes O’Rourke of the San Luis Valley Climber’s Alliance are just getting back into the swing of reality. It was a family affair at the south side studio of Alamosa Citizen. When you tune into the latest episode of the Outdoor Citizen you might hear the coo or sneeze of little Skyeler who was rocked in his stroller during the recording of this episode.
It’s almost time for the Fifth Annual True Penitence Climbing Festival happening Oct. 3-5 at Penitente Canyon. It’s a rock climbing festival and competition unlike anything else and it’s right here in our backyard in some of the best rock to climb in the early winter. It’s a festival for spectators and experts alike, and it’s family friendly. Find more on how to get tickets, how to volunteer, and what kind of events you can expect at SLVClimb.org.
Tune in here, or wherever you get your podcasts. We hope you enjoy.
OUTDOOR CONDITIONS
Fall colors will start appearing earlier this year due to ongoing drought throughout Colorado. Much of western Colorado is under drought conditions, with areas in the Western Slope under severe drought conditions.
According to NOAA, July 2025 was the third hottest July on record, while global land surface temperatures in July were the seventh hottest on record.
NOAA is also urging for advanced preparations for an above-average Atlantic hurricane season. They are predicting a 50 percent chance of above-average storms. 2025 also marks 20 years since Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans.
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
LOBATOS BRIDGE COMMEMORATION
Celebrate the completion of the Outdoor Classroom & Recreation Enhancement at Lobatos Bridge on Friday, Sept. 26, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Years in the making, the project to increase user-friendliness and educational opportunities at the historic site is fully realized. The Lobatos Iron Bridge is the southernmost bridge in Colorado that spans the Rio Grande. A place of great significance, you can find the bridge on County Road G in Costilla County.
TRUE PENITENCE CLIMBING FEST
The 5th Annual True Penitence Climbing Festival is Oct. 3-5 at Penitente Canyon. The annual climbing festival and competition is hosted by the SLV Climbers Alliance and put on every year when the sun hits the rocks walls at Penitente just right. You can find more information on event details, how to sign up, how to volunteer and what routes the competition will take place on at SLVClimb.org.
A TRIFECTA CELEBRATION
San Luis Valley Ecosystem Council has a “Trifecta Celebration” planned for Saturday, Nov. 8. It’s been 25 years since the passage of the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve Act; 25 years since the creation of a category of public lands called National Conservation Lands; and 25 years of council leadership by Christine Canaly. Now that’s a trifecta worth celebrating. The event on Nov. 8 is from 4-8 p.m. at Dunes Valley Distillery in Mosca. Let SLV Ecosystem Council know you’re coming by registering here.
OUTDOOR NEWS
MORE WOLF MOVEMENT IN THE VALLEY
The most recent wolf activity map released by Colorado Parks and Wildlife shows more wolf movement in the Rio Grande drainage. Mineral, Rio Grande, and Saguache Counties all saw GPS activity throughout July. Although the map shows the presence of wolves within the watershed areas, it doesn’t necessarily mean they are habitating in the area. Wolves are a prey-dependent species, meaning they follow prey.
There are an estimated 30 wolves in Colorado, which does not include a count of pups born from newly established packs this year. There are at least six pups in the One Ear Pack in Jackson County.
CLIMBER STUCK AT 23,000 FEET
The nearly two-week search for 47-year old Russian climber Natalia Nagovitsyna on Kyrgyzstan’s 24,000 foot Jengish Chokusu was called off this past week after rescue officials found no signs of life with the aid of a thermal imaging drone. Nagovitsyna was attempting to summit Jengish Chokusu, also known as Victory Peak, the highest mountain in the Tian Shan mountain range on the China-Kyrgyzstan border, when she fell and broke her leg. She was able to self-rescue and set up her tent at more than 23,000 feet in elevation, where she endured wind and cold for at least 12 days.
Multiple attempts to rescue her were unsuccessful due to dangerous weather conditions. An Italian climber, Luca Sinigaglia, died attempting to deliver supplies to her. A helicopter crashed and other search efforts were called off. The window to summit Jengish Chokusu is very short and provides climbers with only a limited time every year to scale the peak.
She had just completed the Snow Leopard challenge with the successful summit of Jengish Chokusu, the mountain that killed her. The Snow Leopard challenge was started by Soviet climbers attempting to scale the five giant peaks within the Tian Shan range. Nagovitsyna was one of a handful of women to complete all five 7,000 meter peaks.
Nagovitsyna’s husband Sergei died of a stroke in 2021 while climbing Kazakhstan’s tallest peak, Khan Tengri. Nagovitsyna made the news at the time for refusing to leave her husband on the mountain.
FIRE FIGHTERS ARRESTED BY ICE DURING WILDFIRE
Two firefighters working to support suppression efforts of the Bear Gulch Fire in Washington state were arrested by U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agents last week. The firefighters were part of a group contracted by the Bureau of Land Management. Both men are being held at an ICE facility near Tacoma, Washington. Their names and causes for detention have not been released, but an attorney for one of the men arrested said he was awaiting a response on his visa application. He had come to the United States as a four-year old, the attorney said.
According to the U.S. Rep. Emily Randall, who represents the area where the fire is burning and the two men were detained by ICE, attempts to visit and contact with the two men have been unsuccessful. She was denied entry into the ICE facility but was able to confirm they were being held there.
A release from the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol last Thursday noted that the BLM had worked in close collaboration with ICE in order to terminate the two contracts for the companies working to support fire crews after a criminal investigation. Officials did not release any information on the nature of the investigation.
ICE claims the men detained were here illegally and were not actively fighting the fire but were working in active support roles.
Randall said, “What’s really troubling to me this week is the unprecedented coordination between BLM and Border Patrol to raid an active response site. This 9,000-acre fire has yet to burn a home or kill anyone, but that is because of the incredible work of fire crews who are managing timber, who are cutting firebreaks to ensure that the fire doesn’t spread into more populated areas.”
LEE FIRE UPDATE
The Lee Fire burning near the town of Meeker in Rio Blanco County, the fifth-largest wildfire in Colorado history, is nearly 100 percent contained after weeks of intense firefighting. The fire has burned more than 137,000 acres and forced the evacuation of more than 1,000 people in the area.
The FDNY Incident Management team assisted local teams with incident command.
Crews will now work on clearing debris and do restoration work as the fire lines are contained and suppression efforts continue to clear the area.