Meet Arleen Richter, Alpenglow’s Gregarious Site Visit Coordinator
By Abby Killey
If you’ve come to Ridgway to check out Alpenglow, you’ve probably had the pleasure of meeting Arleen Richter, one of our eight local members. Arleen uses her background as a tour guide in Washington, D.C., as well as the results of her substantial and energetic investigation into all things Colorado, to host visitors and orient them to all the wonderful benefits of living in Ridgway. At the time of my interview with Arleen, she had just come back from car camping at McClure Pass with the Colorado Mountain Club, and she was about to go backpacking with burros, with an old timer from Ouray.
After growing up in southern California, lots of traveling, and earning degrees in sociology and social work, Arleen found herself in Washington, D.C. for the 40 years prior to moving to Ridgway. In the District of Columbia, Arleen provided a variety of social services with the Jewish Social Service Agency, as well as county and court-related agencies. Some of those experiences as well as her studies in anthropology clued her into the way humans were designed to live. That and city life set her on a trail of investigating cohousing communities. She visited several, and loved the communities and the concept, but wasn’t quite satisfied with the locations until she found one set in a place she loved: Ridgway!
In addition to her passion for cohousing, Arleen has a passion for hiking, traveling and music. Arleen moved to Ridgway in 2020, and there aren’t too many trails she hasn’t already hiked in the area. Not only that, but she conducts trail reconnaissance for the Ouray Trail Group, and does solitude monitoring for the Grand Old Broads of the Wilderness to help planners ensure that the wilderness experience does indeed provide intended peace and quiet.
Arleen has traveled and continues to travel the world. She has gone scuba diving throughout Indonesia and the west Pacific Islands, and adventured in many exotic places. She is a member of the International Ecotourism Society, and highlighted sleigh riding with Sami reindeer drivers in Sweden, horseback riding in Africa, and educational tours in Russia and China with an exchange group. Next on her list is a visit to the Carpathian Mountains in Romania, the homeland of her grandparents.
Arleen has scoped out tons of music opportunities around Ridgway as well. She attends Ridgway’s Music in the Park every Thursday in July, often frequents the Chipeta Sky Bar and the Wright Opera House in Ouray for music offerings, and is delighted that the newly restored Sherbino Theatre in Ridgway is opening its doors once again for music and movies.
Maybe to balance out all that activity, Arleen also participates in two meditation groups, one of which includes a silent walk at the Top Of the Pines recreation area. Though she is a highly social person, she does also love and need her peace and quiet.
So if you plan to come to Ridgway, as we hope many will, check in with Arleen. She’ll make sure you are welcomed by several of “the gang” who will help answer technical questions. If the stars line up, you’ll enjoy a good meal or coffee and a nice walk around town in addition to visiting the site.
