New Flag Goes Up on Mt. Garfield

There's a new flag flying high at the summit of Western Colorado's Mt. Garfield. The next chance you get, be sure to take a look.

You may recall a group of intrepid volunteers raised a new flag pole at the peak of Mt. Garfield back in May of this year. Their original flag has since seen considerable wear and tear. It was time to replace it.

In case you're wondering, the new flagpole does include a light fixture at the top. Code requires the flag be illuminated at night. This solar powered light performs that function well.

As you can imagine, the wind is strong and constant at the top of Mt. Garfield. Even a high quality "wind resistant" flag can't last long at this site.

Sunday morning, October 15, at precisely 7:00, the person responsible for placing the new flagpole on Mt. Garfield invited me to join him for a climb to the top to replace the worn flag. I was in possession of a large flag which had been donated to me some years ago.

This time of year, it is still fairly dark, cold, and in this case, windy, at 7:00 in the morning. Before long we had some daylight and a little bit of a break with the weather.

Upon reaching the flagpole, it took only a few minutes to make the adjustments and raise the new flag.

It seems the typical flag will last about four months under these conditions. The person behind this project has two more flags for use at this site. Between the one we just put up, along with those two, we have a year before more flags have to be purchased. A Go-Fund-Me account has been established to buy replacement flags. I'll keep you posted on that when more information comes my way.

The next time you're driving down I-70, take a look at the southernmost projection of Mt. Garfield. You can easily see the flag and the pole. If you get a chance, make the hike up Mt. Garfield. It will take you the better part of two hours to make the climb. You'll be glad you did.