CDOT Needs Expert Trundlers in Glenwood Canyon

Most folks have probably heard by now about the big rock slide in Glenwood Canyon late Sunday night. It has shut down the main interstate through Colorado, and is forcing a major detour. I’ve heard it’s taking some folks 10 hours to make the trip from Glenwood to Denver, ouch! Apparently the Colorado Department of Transportation can’t say when the highway will reopen, and part of the problem is another massive boulder that is perched on the hillside above the road.

From the Aspen Times:

“On Tuesday, a team of six hiked up the mountainside some 900 feet to remove loose rock with pry bars and other equipment until about 5:30 p.m., according to CDOT. The team reached the unstable rock that needs to come down and, losing daylight, attempted to pry sections loose and locate areas in which to effectively place and charge explosives, but were unable to do so.”

Alright CDOT, the 10 hour detour is probably a lot of fun, and I’m sure the Steamboat businesses are psyched about this surprise stimulus package, but it’s evident you need to bring in some experts to finish the job. Now, I know some fellas that are real handy with a prybar and a wall hammer, and I bet we’d do ok with some explosives as well. Send us up there, and we’ll have your big bad boulder down onto the road in no time. Then you can focus on getting everything fixed and back to running like normal.

Of course, the longer the closure is in place, the more likely it is that you’ll have a crowd-free climbing experience in western Colorado and southern Utah. The Creek will probably be noticeably quiet this weekend, and if it was Rifle season, the canyon would likely be dreamily empty.

But back to the work at hand, CDOT, you know where to find us. I’ll even bring my special prybar, the one I call WMD. Hasn’t failed me yet…