8/9/16

Nature’s Spirit

113 E 7th St,
Leadville, Colorado 80461

 Wapiti

Main Street Leadville is lined with historic buildings like the Tabor Opera House and The Sliver Dollar Saloon. Indeed, its name is born from another rush, the Sliver Rush; the surrounding hills in the sky bear the marks of that past. They are carved and etched like it is a giant sandbox. In that sandbox are the remnants of another time. The old mining equipment blends excavated piles of excavated rust among patches of golding aspen leaves and the stodgy evergreens.

These hills are famous for Doc Holliday’s last days and whiskey stills in the woods during alcohol prohibition. They have seen our hunger for money reach rabid proportions before busting the entire economy. Dreams have died in a pool of piss and alcohol on these streets. They have also grown to dominate Main Streets everywhere. Indeed, the James May Stores evolved to captivate the imagination of millions as massive helium balloons take over Manhattan, Americas Busiest Main Street, every Thanksgiving morning.

The Green Rush has not dominated this photogenic town yet. Leadville is not situated off of the interstate and thus barely on the radar of most travelers. Indeed, Leadville seems stuck in time. They only have two shops, and that seems about right.

But then again, that is the mystique of this area. The stills never shut down during prohibition and the local saloons now champion that past. The ganja farms almost certainly dotted this part of the country pre-cannabis prohibition. There are probably many more places to get your herbs here; I’m just not local enough to know. These hills are old and Leadville is at the center of it all.

Nature’s Spirit is just off of the main road in a little shed. It’s nothing special, and it takes up all the space that it needs. They have a good variety and often run specials, according to the budtender. Their sale strain was called Pb, but I went with “Wapiti” because it is the Shawnee word for Elk.

Wapiti literally means “White Rump”, but an Elk has a white rump, so there’s your connection. I ended up with Wapiti because I love it when American culture embraces the influences of our first nations ancestors. The owners took a conscious step to exhume the cultural layer just below Pbville and reintroduced a local word back into the local lexicon when they named this strain. The only way to really make change in your world is with your pocketbook. So my pocketbook threw down on the Wapiti. Give me some o dat white rump!

It was at the bottom of the bag (surprise!), but there were still some nice nugs stashed in there. These nugs were a nice, light, lime green color that absolutely glimmered in crystals. Sure, the red hairs stuck out like the hair on the world’s ugliest dog, but sparkly things are nice. It is hard to get over the sparkle.

The Wapiti smelled milder than mild. Massively mild. To be clear, it did not lack smell. It has a great aroma. She smelled more like fresh cut grass. Her aroma filled my nostrils but did not dominate them.

The smoke is nice and white. It is smooth and does not burn. They have been in business for 8 years now, and it really shows in the smoke that my mouth blows. It is a tasty treat too.

The owner said that they are always tinkering with their genetics. They pollinate and harvest seeds roughly every nine months. He was bummed when his genetics became limited to Colorado in 2013.

He picked the right town to plant these roots in. At two miles up, Nature’s Spirit is located in the highest city in the world. It is second only to Alma in vertical atmospheric proficiency. Leadville has a ton of things to do too. From ghost towns to old time mining bars, there is plenty to explore. They even have a hostel to rest your haunches and Chinese food for that pit in your stomach.