Carbondale resident has made dozens of multiday visits to Mount Sopris

By John Gardner Glenwood Springs, CO Colorado Rick Warner/Special to the Post Independent CARBONDALE, Colorado — In his own words, the west summit of Mount Sopris is only three horizontal miles from Rick Warner’s Avalanche Ranch home in Carbondale. However, in that relatively short distance, the summit stretches 6,200 vertical feet from the valley floor. When Warner, 61, feels the need of some alone time, he hikes up to about 1,200 feet below the snow-capped summit and pitches his tent at high camp. It’s his idea of heaven. “It’s my perfect place to go for a vacation,” Warner said just days after he’d returned from his 50-somethingth multiday trip to the majestic peak. Owning his own custom furniture shop, in Silt, provides him the luxury to make these trips. Warner is a soloist, and we’re not talking about fiddles. Most... [read full story]