Rainbow Gathering picks Routt County

Jim Anderson said:
www.steamboatpilot.com

Rainbow Family Gathering will be in Routt County

The 50th anniversary of the annual Rainbow Family Gathering of the Tribes is expected to be in Routt County, according to a Facebook post from the group. The group boasts being the largest non-organization of...
www.steamboatpilot.com www.steamboatpilot.com

Buckle up!
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They had one of their gatherings near Big Red Park 10-15 years ago. That place still isn’t back to normal.
 
I had no idea this was a thing... I just spent like 20 minutes reading about this whole deal. Seems like a Cult type following to me. I just cant imagine the destruction this puts on that forest system from the foot traffic to the shitters as they call them. Where they all park and just the sheer number of them. What I nightmare for the local sheriff and and park rangers.
 
I do not understand how this is even possible? Hell we can’t set up 3D targets and shoot archery without a permit! Who has the permit for this? Why is it allowed? The human waste the destruction to the plants and ground is not acceptable.

It is clearly an organized even and as such they should have to have all the permits and mitigation…
 
First responders in that area better get some rest before these people arrive. Wait until you see the mess and destruction after they leave.
 
cur dog said:
They had one of their gatherings near Big Red Park 10-15 years ago. That place still isn’t back to normal.
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Well, to be fair, a lot of Big Red burned in ‘17.

but yes, these are always a goat Rodeo. I‘m thankful my daughters wedding in S Routt is before this and even more so that i drew WY this year.
 
They were here in Oregon back in 2017 on the Malheur National Forest. Guess it was 15-20,000 of them and the Flagtail Meadow area has never looked the same. Side note, a buddy of mines brother went one day just for grins. Said it looked like Woodstock gone bad…sans any decent music. Also said they had a “shitting area” in the woods (no portapotties) and we’re using candy bars as a form of currency🤦🏼 Strange group indeed!
 
Can you imagine the chaos that would ensue if they were trapped by a fire? Seriously 10,000 plus with only one decent way into and out. I hate to wish harm on anyone, but the easiest way to end this BS would be a massive fire that traps them in... It is sickening what they do the land and to wildlife.
 
I had no idea they had this big of a group. Even if it was 5,000 people, that's too many in my opinion to inhabit one trailhead system. I ran into a group of them in 2017 at a TH in northern CO. I had been to this TH and scouted for the archery elk opener. When I got there I found people walking up the road and cars parked anywhere they could find room. It was a small trailhead and I would guess there was 20 cars/vans/pickups and 2 busses. I stopped along the road and asked a young lady what was going on? She said it was a rainbow gathering. I asked whats that? She explained they are just a bunch of friendly people that all support each other and live on the road. I reluctantly spent the night at the TH in the back of my truck, under the tonneau cover with one eye open and one hand on my pistol. The next day I visited with some of them and they assured me that they were just there to hang out and have fun and that my new 2016 truck would be fine while I was gone hunting. oh boy was I nervous. I returned to my truck 3 days later with a load of cow elk to put in my coolers. I slept in the truck again and went back for 3 more trips of meat and camp. I overheard them talking about going to the homeless shelter in town and getting some food to share with everyone. They also told me that they had a bad reputation but they were correcting that and the TH would look the same when they left as when they got there. I noticed in the garbage sacks by the TH signs there were Hostess cupcake wrappers, Mt. Dew bottles, beer cans, etc. etc. - so they weren't starving or living off the land. On my way out with all of my camp, meat, gear and truck I stopped by a couple old boys that were playing chess by their van. I offered them a big elk roast and they were thrilled beyond words. I figured well, they didn't wreck my hunt, they didn't break into my truck, the least I could do was show my gratitude and wish them well. I'm sure they are like many other groups of people, some bad, some good, most in-between. I hope they don't destroy the steamboat area with a huge gathering. Best wishes!
 
Whether you're a hippie, a brap-brapper (our name for 4wheel / dirtbikers), a climber, or a hunter - pick up your f*kin trash.

We're friends with a community that organized a large (1000+) camping/hippie festival in Southern Colorado a few weeks ago. I toyed with the idea of going but ended up rock climbing instead. That particular festival is an offshoot of burning man and the LNT policies on their 47-page PDF document are taken extremely seriously. They don't allow people to wear feathers or glitter lest they generate 'MOOP' (matter-out-of-place) or micro-trash. An entire day of the fest was dedicated to clean up.

To Muskeez's point, there are good and bad folks in any group. The amount of trash I have found from brap-brappers at our favorite local climbing spot PLUS still burning untended campfires has been unreal. The amount of trash that has been 'left' from hunting camps in the middle of the wilderness is unreal. The amount of poop from alpine cattle grazing here in CO is upsetting. The sheer number of balloons that I find when I'm in the backcountry is infuriating. Single use plastic is depressing. Anyway!

I agree that a month-long festival for 5000+ people with no regard for the land with a poor track record for LNT is a bad idea.

In general everyone needs to do better. Sending good thoughts to my Routt County folks who have to deal with this.
 
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