‘Stop treating it as a joke’: As Colorado demolishes heat records this week, scientists say the influence of climate change hard to ignore

‘Stop treating it as a joke’: As Colorado demolishes heat records this week, scientists say the influence of climate change hard to ignore

As melting snow dripped from the roof of the Vail Pass Rest Center on Wednesday, March 18, Kevin Walsh and Sam Dees pulled off their sopping wet boots and felt the sun-warmed cement under their bare feet. The two visitors from St. Louis had stopped at the top of the 10,662-foot mountain pass along Interstate 70 around 10 a.m. that morning and decided, with little planning, to hike up into the national forest. With no snow gear other than hiking …