(2022) Artville Residency, CT Walk, Library Mural
I returned to Leadville again this year to spend September at Artville. This time my intention was to do some good solid thinking, and walk the Colorado Trail as much as could be accomplished given how my body coped with the task. Walking from Copper Mountain to Cottonwood Pass, approximately 90 miles, over the course of nine days, with a total ascent of 16,700 ft, and descent of 13,800 ft, was as much as I could handle. I was accompanied and guided by my friend and experienced through hiker Groucho, and the dog Bo Jackson. Along the walk there were many moments of peace, beauty, extremes, time in a geologic sense, stars, and the ache of my IT bands which I learned I need to stretch out quite a lot more if I’m going to go on longer walks like this in the future. I have known for some time that I very much love walking, and I am slowly learning that I very much like walking long trails in nature. As always the tiny community of Leadville is a joy in its weird beauty, the more time I spend there the more I feel a part of the community, and I’m thankful for this.
In between walking on the CT and resting, I had the opportunity to paint a mural at the Leadville Library with my walking companion Groucho. We chose an apt quote from Groucho Marx, “Outside of a dog a book is man’s best friend, inside of a dog it’s too dark to read”, it’s always an honor to leave art works in locations far from one’s usual stomping grounds.
I always try to do a few drawings of the places I find myself at, here is a drawing of the main street in Leadville.
