Fee collectors haunt Ashcroft

If you have enough money for shuttles and parking and the foresight to plan six months ahead you might be able to visit the Maroon Bells, or Hanging Lake, add Ashcroft to the list of beloved but inaccessible in our overpopulated world.

The other day I watched two different “hosts” confront … yes, the right word is “confront”… visitors walking towards the pathway to the ghost town of Ashcroft. One host fell down at least three different times as he hurried to meet people getting out of their cars to let them know they had to pay. Another ran down the path, bumping into people on the path ( who had dutifully paid) shouting at a couple who were crossing up another path towards the site from the river trail, yelling that the trail along the river was free, but if they crossed the site at any point to get to the road they must pay the $5 fee.

If they can’t find a more welcoming way to charge admission, perhaps they should just string barbed wire around the site and meet people at the entrance with six guns on their hips like the good old days.

Carolyn Jemison

Carbondale