The Gray Hares are a group of 35+ individuals known for their interest in staying in shape, their love of Nordic skiing, and their desire to meet other people and have fun in the prime of their lives. They combine this zest for life with activities that are designed to give back to the community. They meet 9:30 am every Wednesday at the Center, starting in December .
Contact: Contact: Cathy Frank, 349-6146, cfrank@hydrogeo.com
______________________________________________________
THE GRAY HARES
WHO? We are the Gray Hares of Crested Butte, a diverse and informal group of retired or semi-retired professionals and amateur athletes. We range in age from the fifties to the mid-seventies–and have no mandatory retirement age. Five of us started getting together in the winter of 1994-95; now we number three dozen or more. Our backgrounds range from academia and business through diplomacy to child care. Our earlier homes are located from Hawaii and Alaska to Maine and Florida. We believe that our talents, including athletic ones, have matured and blossomed with experience and age. A visitor to Crested Butte is welcome in our ranks and we do not require proof of age; we accept courtesy but not currency.
WHAT, WHEN, WHERE? We meet at 9:30 on winter Wednesday mornings at the Nordic Center in Crested Butte, do some warmup exercises, and then go out to snowshoe or ski crosscountry, either on the Center’s groomed trails or along the beautiful backcountry routes outside Crested Butte. Cathy Frank and Charley Dumas provide us expert instruction. We go on occasional overnight cross-country trips, and we meet occasionally for social events throughout the year. In summer, some of us play on the Gray Hares softball team that competes with younger teams in town; some members hike, bike, and trek together. We try to be a driving force in volunteer, non-profit activities including, not least, crosscountry races like Crested Butte’s annual Alley Loop.
WHY? We like to have fun together. We believe in breaking barriers and crushing myths, and in the adage “a sound mind in a sound body.” We hope our spirit is infectious. We love the serenity and beauty of nature and the outdoors, especially these Elk Mountains. Our outings help us to challenge ourselves and improve our techniques, and help the more serious-minded among us to train for races. For some of us, our Wednesdays together are a pleasant break from skiing the double-black trails high on Mt. Crested Butte. For others, a couple of miles on groomed trails may suffice for a day’s exercise. For all of us, these are chances to make new friends and enjoy old ones.
