Correction
The Aug. 26 article, “Roaring Fork Valley local becomes first woman to complete Elks Traverse,” reported that Carly Valerious was the first woman to complete the Elks Traverse on Aug. 20, 2025.
Upon publishing the article, “The Aspen Times” learned that two other women had completed the traverse just days before Valerious completed her attempt. Marion Krogh of Aspen completed the traverse on Aug. 17, without support, with a time of 30 hours and 40 minutes. Melissa Kelley of Fruita completed the traverse on Aug. 13, with support, with a time of 48 hours and 26 minutes.
“After I did it, I was really hoping that this could have a banister effect, and next year a whole bunch of strong women go out and try it,” Krogh said. “People have said for so long that a woman has never done it, and now it’s really clear that women can do it. That would be the best thing to see.”
Kelley could not be reached for this update, but wrote a blog post about her experience, “Mel’s Musings,” which can be found at https://melissakelley.blogspot.com/.
The online article has been updated to reflect the accomplishments of the two other women who completed the traverse in the weeks before Valerious.
White River National Forest seeks public comment for proposed pipeline replacement
The White River National Forest is seeking public comments on a proposal to upgrade 2.9 miles of pipeline in the Wolf Creek Storage Field in Pitkin County, approximately 10 miles to the southeast of Carbondale.
