To all the participants in the 2015 Vision Quest and Counting Coup participants:

There is some confusion regarding the cancellation of this year’s events.

If you are a participant you have the choice of either transferring your spot to the 2016 event, to be held on Saturday, October 22, 2016 or a refund, which must be requested by October 24th (next month).

Regarding our new event “Lone Wolf’s Challenge,” to be held on Saturday, April 9th 2016, we are not transferring anyone’s 2015 Vision Quest or Counting Coup entry to this event. It is a separate event, which will be initially open only to those Vision Quest riders who transfer their cancelled 2015 entries over to the 2016 event.

I have had several Counting Coup riders ask why we are not allowing them into this event. Our concern is the Los Pinos Trail is a very isolated, difficult, technical trail with steep climbs and drops with a lot of hike-a-bike – it is not a nice trail.

In addition, the climb back up via the San Juan Trail, Long Canyon Road and the South Main Divide is a very long and challenging climb, which includes a portion of the Main Divide called “THE WALL,” which needs no explanation (one person who emailed me in regards to the course describes it as “brutal”). We will have our most accomplished club riders riding sag behind the last riders on each portion of the course but they can’t carry you out, and we’d rather not have you helicoptered out.

If you are a Counting Coup rider who wishes to participate in this new event I suggest you try riding it, then get back to me about entering the event. I’ll save any openings not taken by the transferring Vision Quest riders for those Counting Coup riders who are transferring to the 2016 before I open it up to past Vision Quest riders.

This has been a very difficult year for both our organization and the Forest Service, which has had to pull personnel from many forests to fight the fires across the nation. We very much appreciate the support you have shown for us and for them.

Chris “Dances With Hornets” Vargas
Co-Executive Director

Sherry “Stands Her Ground” Panttaja
Co-Exective Director

Ned “Lone Wolf” Reynolds
Trails Director / Brutal Course Designer