An upcoming event in Rifle will share the history of 10th Mountain Division soldiers and connect their legacy to present-day wilderness therapy programs for veterans.
Journalist, alpinist and climbing historian Christian Beckwith will speak at the Ute Theater on Friday at 7 p.m.
He’s the host of the “Ninety-Pound Rucksack” podcast, an in-depth look at the history of the 10th Mountain Division, which fought during World War II. Those American soldiers developed skills in skiing, climbing and mountaineering at Camp Hale, near Leadville, and they helped usher in the “democratization of the outdoors” after the war ended, Beckwith said.
“What the 10th Mountain Division did, and in particular did this at Camp Hale, was introduce thousands, tens of thousands of Americans to the art of self sufficiency in the backcountry,” Beckwith said.
Plus, a lot of the gear that had been developed for 10th Mountain soldiers became “army surplus” after the war, making these sports more accessible to the masses.
“They got back home, and they were able to go and buy the stuff for pennies on the dollar, and take their families outside,” Beckwith said. “And so it really catalyzed and supercharged this movement in the country to get outside and enjoy, as John Muir called it, ‘the good tidings of the mountains.’”
Beckwith’s talk is a benefit for the nonprofit “Huts for Vets,” a local wilderness therapy program. The organization leads veterans on guided backcountry trips through the hut system that was named in honor of the 10th Mountain Division soldiers.
Beckwith sees some connections between these initiatives and the ways past veterans coped with the traumas of war. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD, wasn’t part of the lexicon back in the mid-20th century, but there was the concept of “shell shock.”
And while some veterans turned to alcohol, others zeroed in on mountain adventure and recreation when they got back to the U.S. Beckwith said it was a way to heal — and it applies just as much now as it did then.
“This was a much healthier way to recover a sense of your identity and a sense of yourself,” Beckwith said. “And I believe there is a very clear connection between them going back into these mountain communities, and the work that's being done in the outdoor rec space (today) by veteran-based initiatives like Huts for Vets.”
Erik Villaseñor, the executive director of Huts for Vets, has felt the impact firsthand. He’s an Army veteran himself, and was first introduced to the organization as a participant nearly a decade ago.
“It really was a turning point in my life,” Villaseñor said.
“It just rekindled this camaraderie of brotherhood,” he added. “And it established a connection with nature that I didn't really have before — and a relationship, if you will.”
Villaseñor had learned about the 10th Mountain Division through his own Army training at Fort Carson, near Colorado Springs, where he trained for combat in Afghanistan. He’s now come “full circle,” leading an organization that uses the 10th Mountain Division hut system, and he appreciates the ability to “connect the dots” for other participants now.
“I thought it was an honor just to share that legacy with the veterans,” Villaseñor said.
Friday’s talk is titled “Mountain Warriors: The Story of the 10th Mountain Division and the Power of Wilderness Therapy.” Tickets are available through the Ute Theater website.
