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Micah True (El Caballo Blanco’s) spirit is finally free
Apr 15th
When I first crossed paths in the early ‘80s with the man who eventually became known as Caballo Blanco, I was running down the Mount Sanitas trail and he was running up. We didn’t speak, maybe nodded.He was wearing thin nylon jogging shorts, running shoes and had a water bottle in his hand. He was tanned and lean and had unruly, long, dirty-blond hair.
In those days I was running 4-5 miles at a time and I would later learn that he was running 15-20. He had a nice-looking, tan, young woman with him. Every time I saw him in the passing years he was dressed the same. Forgive me if it gets fuzzy here because he always seemed a little ghost-like: he was there and then gone like he was barely tethered to the earth. Of course his hero and spirit guide was Geronimo of the Bedonkohe Apache tribe, who was thought to be able to appear and disappear at will. And of course, I wasn’t taking notes.
In 1989, I had been evicted from a mine cabin in James Canyon—the one with only a wood stove for utilities. The small creek passing by was my source of water and kerosene lamps were my only light. I typed my first news story for the Colorado Daily in that cabin under the ever- weakening illumination of those lamps. Micah was moving out of a small room appendaged onto a house on Magnolia Road that was renting for $110 dollars a month. He asked if I was interested. I said I was and rented it. He said he wanted to get out of the winters and was driving to Guatemala.
After that he visited me often when he came back in the summers and told me of running through the mountains and beaches, where camposinos would wave and yell “Caballo Blanco,” due, I guess, to his base skin color and shoulder length blond hair. Micah was a vegetarian and lived frugally by any standard, sleeping in a truck with a camper parked in a north Boulder industrial area. He bought another truck and made money in the summer with an under-the-table moving business—no liability insurance or regulatory approval. Many of his customers were friends. He told me one time he was driving a load of tightly arranged furniture to Colorado Springs but when he got there, a couch that was packed in the open back of the pickup had disappeared; probably popping out somewhere along I-25. He drove back and forth looking but never found it and ultimately had to pay for a replacement.
Each summer, he made enough money to go back to Guatemala. But there was a lot of violence in Guatemala at that time and in the summer of ’93 he met a group of Tarahumara Indios in the Leadville 100 and followed them back to Copper Canyon in the Mexican State of Chihuahua–a canyon larger, deeper and more complex than the U.S.’s Grand Canyon. The Tarahumara, who rejected assimilation with Spanish culture, had migrated thousands of miles from the south over the centuries before reaching that sanctuary. There were no roads, towns or utilities, and little water through much of the canyon so the Tarahumara were spread throughout the canyon.
So a subculture of runners known as Raramuri sprung up, running hundreds of miles in a few days carrying news to the widely spaced villages, or just for fun, and Micah knew he had found his physical if not his spiritual home. He would spend the nights and eat meals in Tarahumara stone huts for as little as two dollars.
He finally built a small adobe home for himself in the canyon. For several years he returned to the U.S. and Colorado particularly. One summer, while racing in the Hardrock 100 near Telluride, he got lost in a snow storm on one of the three passes the race course covered and had to be hauled out on a burro. When found he was wearing two large garbage bags over his shorts and T shirt. One summer, he took up bicycling to give his feet a rest and somehow crashed coming down Left Hand Canyon–knocking himself out. When found, he argued and lost against the ambulance ride, costing him $1,700. At the hospital, they told him he had severely dislocated his shoulder and it would cost $800 to reset it so he checked himself out of the hospital, walked across the parking lot to the office of a chiropractor/friend who set it right there without any sedation.
Micah was more of a philosophical survivalist than political activist but at the request of a Native American girlfriend he went to a large protest at the Nuclear Test Site in Nevada, where he broke through a gap in the security and headed off running into the desert. Seventeen hours later he gave himself up and they escorted him off the site without filing any charges against him.
By early 2000, his moving business was waning under the threats of regulation and sanctions so Micah began to envision—as a way of making a living–guiding “gringos” into Copper Canyon for running vacations. It started slowly but somehow he hung on and more and more people came down. In 2003 Micah organized the first Copper Canyon Ultra Marathon to aid the Raramuri, and invited world-class ultramarathoners to compete. The prizes were generally large amounts of corn. With that race, Micah become somewhat a legend in the distance running community, and Christopher McDougall’s book Born to Run brought Micah and the Tarahumara to the world’s attention. No longer was Micah True such a ghostly figure; connected as he was to the world by a best selling book and the internet. And the Tarahumara, their culture, their style of running and their dispossessed status in Mexico–had become a well-known topic internationally.
Given this new-found notoriety, Micah became much in demand as a speaker. He took only expenses and talked mainly about the Tarahumara. On his seasonal migration back to the U.S. this year he stopped in the Gila National Forest in SW New Mexico on his way to Phoenix and took off on a planned 12-mile run. He never returned and was found dead four days later in a ravine. No cause has been determined for his death as of this writing.
But I think it was just his time. He came to Earth as an unwilling Angel and found his cause with the people of Copper Canyon. He died doing what he loved and left a legacy: The ultramarathoner world has vowed to continue the races in Copper Canyon and keep the light shining on the people there. I think Micah’s work was done and his soul is now free from the bonds of gravity.
Boulder flood season a-comin' and it could be a bad mofo
Apr 13th
Colorado Severe Weather Week reminds community to be Flood Aware
Colorado Severe Weather Awareness Week is April 15 to April 22, and the City of Boulder, Boulder County and the University of Colorado would like to remind community members that along with severe weather comes flash floods. Flash floods in Boulder can happen at any time throughout the year.
Boulder is the number one flash flood risk community in Colorado due to its location at the mouth of Boulder Canyon, the number of people who live and work within the Boulder Creek floodplain, and the numerous other drainage basins running through the city. Therefore, flood safety and preparation is always a high priority for the community.
Since the Fourmile Canyon Fire occurred in 2010, the flood risk to Boulder Creek and Fourmile Canyon Creek has increased due to a lack of vegetation and permeable soil in the burn area. If a severe storm were to occur over the burn area, rain runoff and flooding would be greater than in the past. This increased flood potential could last anywhere from 2 to 10 years until the landscape starts to recover.
The City of Boulder and its partners are working together to prepare for the season and to educate community members on how to prepare.
What can you do?
Be alert. It can be raining in the mountains and burn area but be dry in Boulder. Rainfall in the burn area could result in:
- Muddy or murky creek water downstream.
- Creek levels rising more quickly.
- Higher frequency of flooded underpasses.
- Increased possibility of flash flooding.
If it is raining, avoid seeking shelter in underpasses. Many of Boulder’s underpasses serve the double purpose of conveying flood waters and will flood when creeks overflow.
Remember, flash floods can literally occur IN A FLASH during a severe storm. In 2011, several people went to Boulder Creek to try to witness flooding as it was occurring. This is unwise and dangerous. People should NOT go to the creek when flood waters are rising. Flash floods are not like floods in other parts of the country that rise gradually. A significant flash flood could sweep down a creek in a matter of minutes, leaving little time to get to safety.
It’s important that residents and people who work in Boulder keep track of the weather and know the dangers. Here are some steps residents and employees can take to increase their safety if a flood event should occur in Boulder:
Before a flood – Be ready:
- Have a plan for where to meet in an emergency and make sure children know where to go when they are at school or away from home.
- Keep an emergency kit accessible. Include a battery-powered radio, extra batteries, flashlights, rubber boots and gloves, first-aid supplies, medicines, water stored in tightly-sealed containers and food that requires no cooking or refrigeration.
- If you’re concerned about your property being flooded or are in a floodplain, purchase flood insurance. A homeowner’s insurance policy will NOT cover flood damage. There is a 30-day waiting period before new coverage goes into effect.
- Fill out a Family Flood Action Plan and post it in your home. Visit www.boulderfloodinfo.net to print one or pick one up at one of the Boulder Public Library or at the city’s Municipal Building at 1777 Broadway.
- Sign up to get emergency alerts sent to you on your phone, email or Twitter account atwww.BoCo911Alert.com. CU students, faculty and staff can sign up for CU Alerts athttp://www.colorado.edu/alerts.
During a flood:
- Move to higher ground immediately.
- Stay out of flowing waters. Swift moving waters may sweep people away.
- Avoid driving through flooded areas. Cars float in 18 inches of water, and half of all flood fatalities are auto related.
- Stay away from power lines and electrical wires. Electrocution is the number two killer in floods.
- If time allows, turn off electricity and gas.
- When an emergency warning is issued by sirens, radio or other media, seek information immediately. Tune radios and televisions to local news stations.
There is no way to predict whether flooding will occur. It is dependent on many variables including intensity, duration and location of storms as well as existing soil conditions. The best course of action is to be alert and be prepared. The city maintains a flood information website that can help residents prepare before, during and after a flood event. For more information about personal preparedness, visit www.boulderfloodinfo.net.
More Boulder County seniors may be eligible for food, heating cost assistance
Apr 12th
Eligibility expansions now in effect
Boulder County, Colo. – Boulder County seniors age 60 and older who may not have previously qualified for help with food and heating costs may now be eligible for assistance. Boulder County’s Department of Housing and Human Services is overseeing local expansions of both the Food Assistance and Low-income Energy Assistance Programs.
Theresa Kullen, eligibility program manager with the Community Assistance and Resource Services program at Boulder County Housing and Human Services, says the changes are welcome. “These expansions will help more low-income Boulder County seniors meet the rising costs of heating their homes and buying groceries,” she said. “We know the need is there, so our hope is to spread the word about these new opportunities.”
Food assistance is now available to seniors whose gross monthly income is less than $1,816 for an individual or $2,452 for a couple. Deductions from income can be made for mortgage, rent, and utility and medical expenses. The “asset test” is no longer used to determine eligibility for food assistance. This test previously made seniors ineligible for food assistance if the value of bank accounts, life insurance policies, or IRAs exceeded a certain amount. Qualification is now based only on income.
Approved applicants receive a debit card that can be used to buy produce, meat, dairy items, and boxed, frozen, and canned goods. The Food Assistance application is simple and short, and processing takes just two to three days. Seniors are encouraged to apply for this expansion now or find out more by contacting Shaula Lee at Boulder County Housing and Human Services at 303-678-6336 orslee@bouldercounty.org.
In addition, Boulder County residents age 60 and older who were previously ineligible for LEAP (the Low-income Energy Assistance Program) due to income limit reductions may now be able to get help with winter heating bills through the Senior Heat + program. This new program has gross monthly income limits of $1,670 for an individual or $2,246 for a couple.
The application deadline for Senior Heat + is April 30. Seniors who may be eligible should apply immediately or find out more by contacting Amy Armstrong at Boulder County Housing and Human Services at 303-678-6007 or aarmstrong@bouldercounty.org.