{"id":807138,"date":"2020-05-05T19:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-05-06T01:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/?p=382763"},"modified":"2020-05-05T19:00:00","modified_gmt":"2020-05-06T01:00:00","slug":"longtime-summit-county-locals-compare-mud-season-to-how-it-was-40-years-ago","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/local-news\/longtime-summit-county-locals-compare-mud-season-to-how-it-was-40-years-ago\/","title":{"rendered":"Longtime Summit County locals compare mud season to how it was 40 years ago"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure class=\"wp-block-image p402_hide\">\n<div class=\"caption-container\">\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/05\/Mud-SDN-050620-1-1024x683.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-post-image\" alt srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/05\/Mud-SDN-050620-1-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/05\/Mud-SDN-050620-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/05\/Mud-SDN-050620-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/05\/Mud-SDN-050620-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/05\/Mud-SDN-050620-1-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"><\/p><figcaption><strong>Mud season looks slightly different this year, as pictured on Main Street in Breckenridge on April 29. Streets were largely empty during the stay-at-home order.<\/strong><br \/><em>Liz Copan \/ ecopan@summitdaily.com<\/em><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>DILLON \u2014 It\u2019s no secret that mud season isn\u2019t like it used to be.<\/p>\n<p>Some longtime locals remember it fondly while others remember the hardships of mud season. With the COVID-19 shutdown, locals who have been here for decades say this year\u2019s mud season bears similarities to those of the 1980s.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Larry Crispell has lived in Summit County since 1972. Back then, he said the economic driver of the community was the ski areas and that summertime was a small segment of the economic engine. Crispell said things started to close down in April. By May, most everyone was gone.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBack in the day, the town would shut down,\u201d Crispell said. \u201cI could go down to the main intersection of Ski Hill (Road) and Main (Street) and look south down Main Street, and there would not be a single car, human, dog or any sign of life.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col\" readability=\"6\">\n<div class=\"row sd-donation sd-donation-mobile p-0\" readability=\"7\">\n<div class=\"col-xl-4 p-2\">\n<div data-bg=\"url(https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/03\/SDN-logo-white-1.png)\" class=\"p-0 mt-2 mb-2 h-75 text-center rocket-lazyload\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/03\/SDN-logo-white-1.png\" class=\"logo m-0 p-0 invisible\"><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><h3 class=\"d-inline mr-3\">Support Local Journalism<\/h3>\n<p><button class=\"btn d-inline\" type=\"button\" onclick=\"handleDonationButtonClickMidArticle()\">Donate<\/button><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Crispell said mud season has \u201cdisappeared\u201d over the past few years.<\/p>\n<p>But even though things are different, they\u2019re better in some ways, he said. Despite the pandemic, he still sees local families out and about, hiking, walking, fishing and generally living their lives. And he said people are more committed to a year-round existence in Summit County.<\/p>\n<p>In the past, Crispell said he would often find himself working on construction projects or taking off for Utah and the Grand Canyon during mud season. He recalled a summer day in 1980 when he was at the rugby field. Crispell watched three cars driving down Colorado Highway 9 and wondered what was going on that three cars in a row were coming into town. He laughed at how unusual such a sight was at the time.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe biggest change, for better or worse, is the success of the marketing of the town,\u201d Crispell said. \u201cOur incredible community has so much to offer that we\u2019ve been discovered.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Crispell said he doesn\u2019t miss \u201cthe good old days\u201d and that the town has turned into a better place to raise families, for kids to engage in recreational activities and for kids to come back to the community and start their own lives in a more diversified economy. Overall, he said it has become more of a \u201creal town.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>This year, things feel similar to mud seasons past as things are quiet and traffic is down, but he said there are many more families with kids, which he views as a positive.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have an incredible community, and there\u2019s so many opportunities,\u201d Crispell said. \u201cAnd in a way, the community is much, much stronger, and the community will get through this COVID-19 thing.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"p402_hide\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\n<div class=\"caption-container\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/05\/Mud-SDN-050620-2-1024x683.jpg\" alt class=\"wp-image-382778\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/05\/Mud-SDN-050620-2-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/05\/Mud-SDN-050620-2-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/05\/Mud-SDN-050620-2-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/05\/Mud-SDN-050620-2-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/05\/Mud-SDN-050620-2-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"><\/p><figcaption><strong>A man and his dog stroll Main Street in Frisco on April 30. This year\u2019s COVID-19 mud season is hitting businesses particularly hard because of operation restrictions.<\/strong><br \/><em>Liz Copan \/ <a href=\"mailto:ecopan@summitdaily.com\">ecopan@summitdaily.com<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Leigh Girvin grew up in Summit County and has lived here for over 48 years. She said one of the biggest similarities between mud seasons of the past and this year is the lack of traffic.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn terms of mud season and the coronavirus, certainly the similarity with just fewer people and traffic and just a sense of quiet, stillness now,\u201d Girvin said. \u201cIt kind of reminds me of 20, 30, 40 years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She noted that the season used to be muddier and more true to its name. This year, the weather has been warmer, and there are more paved roads than there used to be.<\/p>\n<p>Another similarity is that lodging facilities are currently shut down. Nowadays, lodging facilities encourage visitors to come in May. She said that over the past few years, there have been more people coming during mud season, using the bike paths and visiting restaurants \u2014 until this year of course.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe comparisons are very similar to the \u201980s, so really we\u2019re talking 35 years ago, in terms of just the quietness in town: businesses aren\u2019t open, people didn\u2019t come in May, Girvin said. \u201c\u2026 Two weeks ago reminded me very much of the mid-\u201980s, and that\u2019s a long time ago in terms of the history of the town.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Girvin said it\u2019s nostalgic for her as she looks back on the old mud seasons fondly. She typically worked during mud season running various nonprofits around the community, but she recalled that others would take a break and head to the desert, go on river trips or head to Florida while others would find odd jobs, often in construction.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think mud season is still really special,\u201d Girvin said. \u201cOne of the things about living in a resort community is we get our breaks, and that\u2019s what makes May special. \u2026 I think we all really cherish this time.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"p402_hide\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\n<div class=\"caption-container\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/05\/Mud-SDN-050620-3-1024x683.jpg\" alt class=\"wp-image-382779\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/05\/Mud-SDN-050620-3-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/05\/Mud-SDN-050620-3-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/05\/Mud-SDN-050620-3-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/05\/Mud-SDN-050620-3-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/05\/Mud-SDN-050620-3-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"><\/p><figcaption><strong>Skateboarders glide over the Blue River on the recpath in Breckenridge on Tuesday, May 5.<\/strong><br \/><em>Liz Copan \/ <a href=\"mailto:ecopan@summitdaily.com\">ecopan@summitdaily.com<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>John Warner, a Summit County resident since 1980, also compared this year\u2019s mud season to those in decades past.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI used to make a joke that you could walk across Main Street with your eyes closed, and you wouldn\u2019t get hit by a car,\u201d Warner said.&nbsp;\u201cAnd that\u2019s my barometer. I think you can do that now.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Warner also noted that there seemed to be more mud back in the 1980s. He said the town looks similar to how it did then in terms of closures, with maybe one or two restaurants that stayed open. Warner said there was great spring skiing back then, which still exists today in the backcountry.<\/p>\n<p>Warner recalled that there wasn\u2019t much of a summer tourism market in the 1980s and that one didn\u2019t start to take shape until the late 1990s. Like Crispell, Warner also said there is a much larger local population now with a lot more families and children living in established local neighborhoods.<\/p>\n<p>Businesses that are open today remind Warner of what typically would be open back then, which was mainly grocery stores, the doctor\u2019s office and the hospital.<\/p>\n<p>While Warner was fairly neutral on whether he prefers the \u201cold days\u201d of Summit County or the present, he pointed out that the nonprofits that exist today weren\u2019t around in decades past to offer services to locals.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe other thing that I would say is amazing about this community is the proliferation of nonprofit organizations that have turned into essential services like (the Family &amp; Intercultural Resource Center), the Community Care Clinic, Building Hope,\u201d Warner said. \u201cThose things did not exist in the \u201980s or \u201990s, and they have done great work for the community. So in many ways, there\u2019s a better safety net for people now than there was back in the 1980s.\u201d<\/p>\n<p> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/news\/longtime-summit-county-locals-compare-mud-season-to-how-it-was-40-years-ago\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">via:: Summit Daily<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Mud season looks slightly different this year, as pictured on Main Street in Breckenridge on April 29. Streets were largely empty during the stay-at-home order.Liz Copan \/ ecopan@summitdaily.com DILLON \u2014 It\u2019s no secret that mud season isn\u2019t like it used to be. Some longtime locals remember it fondly while others remember the hardships of mud [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[99],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-807138","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-local-news"},"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-07-12 00:21:05","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSMT The Mountain","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/807138","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=807138"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/807138\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=807138"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=807138"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=807138"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}