Meet Telluride Hiking Guide author Susan Kees

28 Apr Meet Telluride Hiking Guide author Susan Kees

[click “Play” to hear Susan Kees talk about her book “Telluride Hiking Guide.”]

By D. Dion

Susan Kees moved to Telluride in 1972, and immediately fell in love with hiking. She was fascinated by the high country and the mining history that took place in it, and had a great time exploring the beautiful trails around town.

Well, most of the time she had a great time; sometimes, she got lost. The trails were not as well trodden back then, and there was no definitive guide to finding the high alpine routes. Kees, a writer, decided to create a hiking guide and incorporate not just the trail information but the history and lore of the region. The Telluride Hiking Guide has been the bestselling trail guide for the area ever since.

This year, Kees, in her late 60s, is still at it. She is writing a third edition of the book and has developed a new website for up-to-date trail information. This edition will include new hikes as well as new connections between existing routes, GPS coordinates and maps. Avid hikers have probably run into her on the trails, scribbling notes or giving directions, or pausing for a snack in some impossibly gorgeous high-altitude basin—but if you haven’t met her, you can learn more about the author and the local trails  at www.telluridehikingguide.com.