2008 Tentative Schedule |  |
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January 1 - New Year's Day Trip to Yankee Hill. We'll go up York Gulch to Yankee Hill and see how far toward St. Mary's we can get before the snow becomes too deep. Dress warmly and bring your chains. Meet at the ranger station in Idaho Spring at 10:30 a.m.
January 26 - Join us at Calvary Church for our Annual Meeting and Pot Luck. We’ll gather in the Fellowship Hall on the east side of the Worship Center for some food, fellowship and fun. We’ll take a look back at 2007 and a look forward to 2008. Meet at 6:00 p.m.
February 16 - Snow ‘Wheeling at Fall River Reservoir. This normally easy trail above Idaho Springs becomes much more difficult when covered in snow. Tire chains are strongly recommended. It’s hard to tell what we’ll find. It could be anywhere from a couple inches of light powder to impassibly deep drifts. Beginners will be challenged. Meet at Calvary Church at 8:30 a.m. or the ranger station in Idaho Springs about 9:30 a.m.
March 2 - Bonus Trip to Switzerland Trail. Matt, a UCORA member from Michigan, was in town so we decided to show him a little bit of our beautiful state.
March 15 - Early Spring Run to Bunce School Road. This was supposed to be planned as a moderate warm-up trip not a major snow-bashing trip but we've had so much snow there doesn't seem to be anything clear. We'll give Bunce School Road a try, it will probably still be pretty snowy. Chains are highly recommended. Beginners should be OK but may be challenged. Meet at Calvary Church at 8:30a.m. or at the Diamond Shamrock in Lyons about 9:45a.m.
March 26 to 30 - Spring Break Trek to Moab, UT. Our tentative schedule:
Thursday: Rainbow Terrace/Dellunbaugh Tunnel/Secret Spire
Friday: Seven Mile Rim/Couthouse Pasture
Saturday: Challenge group: Golden Spike. Moderate group: Top of the World.
Sunday: "Church" at Lyons Park and head home
April 12 - Easy trip for Beginners to the Central City Network. (note: change of venue) With as much snow as we've had this year we think Caribou will still be snowed in so we’ll head up above Central City instead. We'll explore the lower part of the network below Yankee Hill including some of the old cemetaries. Beginners are encouraged to attend. Meet at Calvary Church at 8:30a.m. or at the cemetaries above Central City about 9:30a.m.
April 26 - Spring Fling to Metberry Gulch. This moderate trail near Deckers is the first of the gulches to reopen after the Hayman Fire devastated the area several years ago. It will be interesting to see how the area is recovering as we make our way down to the Platt River a little upstream from Cheesman reservoir. Beginners should be OK. Meet at Calvary Church or Arvada Covenant Church at 8:00a.m. or at the Conoco in Sedalia about 9:30a.m.
May 3 - “4-Wheeling 101" at Calvary Church (note corrected date and location). This clinic is designed to help you develop and improve your basic 4-wheeling skills. The afternoon will be divided between some “classroom” time some “lab” time. James will talk about vehicle maintenace and modifications, Bill will cover Trail Ettiquette and general principles, Ken will talk about recovery and winching and Loren will take driving techniques and spotting. The "lab" will include Crush the Can (weave in and out of the construction cones crushing as many pop cans as possible with your tires without touching any cones), Railroad Bridge (cross the railroad ties lengthwise without falling off), Pick-a-Line (mini rock course), and several more stations to help practice off-road driving skills and techniques.
The schedule for the day looks like:
May 4 - Bonus Trip to Left Hand Canyon. Charlie got a few guys together for an impromtu trip up Left Hand Canyon.
May 10 - Easy/Moderate Trip to Loch Lomand. When we got to the ranger station we found out Loch Lomand was still gated so we went up Ute Creek until we ran into too much snow and then did the same on Spring Gulch (not Spring Creek).
May 18 - Sunday Drive to Switzerland Trail Side Roads. We’ll open our expanded Sunday Drive series with a quick trip to the Switzerland Trail above Boulder but with a twist. Instead of heading down the familiar and easy main trail we’ll travel many of the moderate to slightly challenging side roads in the area. Beginners should be OK but may be challenged a little. Meet at Calvary Church after Worship (about 11:45a.m.) or at McDonalds in Boulder between 1:00p.m. and 1:30p.m. We’ll plan to depart from McDonalds about 1:40p.m.
May 24 - Challenge Trip to Carnage Canyon, Boulder. This branch of the Left Hand Canyon trail system has earned its name. Many of the hardest obstacles do have bypasses but there is still a risk of damage. This is a trip designed to test your driving skills and the limits of your rig. If there is enough interest, a parallel run up the more moderate Left Hand Canyon could be arranged in conjunction with this trip. Beginners are not recommended on Carnage Canyon but should be OK on Left Hand if that run pans out. Meet at Calvary Church at 8:30a.m. or at McDonalds in Boulder about 9:30p.m.
May 29 - Bill and Charlie's Excellent Adventure to Left Hand Canyon & Castle Gulch. Charlie talked Bill into an impromtu bonus trip up Left Hand canyon and down Castle Gulch.
June 7 - Easy Trip for Beginners to Boreas Pass. We got the official word from the Summit County Highway Department: Boreas Pass will not be open by June 7. Instead we will go to Gordon Gulch. This is the correct name for the area I had been calling "South Sugarloaf". It is an easy trail near Nederland featuring some interesting remnants of the mining era and some recent logging operations. It ends up on Sugarloaf Mountain Road which we will take to the Sugarloaf Trail Head. If there is time and interest, we may also run all or part of the Switzerland Trail. Meet at Calvary Church at 8:30 or McDonalds in Boulder about 9:30.
June 12 - Bonus Trip to Castle Gulch (Bill and Charlie's Excellent Adventure, Part II). Charlie talked Bill into another impromtu run up in the Left Hand Canyon area. [Trip Pics]
June 14 - Bonus Trip to Spring Creek. Since the Father's Day trip was cancelled, James led a bonus trip to Spring Creek.
June 15 - Father’s Day Sunday Drive to St. Mary’s Lake. ***Cancelled***The Forest Service confirms that the trail up to the lake is not a legal route and too many people have other plans for Father's Day.
June 21 - Moderately Challenging Trip to Saran Wrap and Eagle Rock. We haven’t done these two connecting trails outside Colorado Springs before. Reports are they are on the high side of moderate with optional obstacles that can be very difficult. They are in a beautiful area off Gold Camp Road between Colorado Springs and Cripple Creek. Bill has reservations at the Colorado Campground (Pike NF) outside of Woodland Park. Meet in the Home Depot parking lot at 2250 Southgate Rd, Colorado Springs at 10:00.
July 4 to 6 - Independence Getaway to South Park. Bill has a favorite camp site just south of Jefferson that he hasn’t been to in years. It is a dispersed camping area with no facilities along CR 39 north of Mud Hill. Bill will go up the 2nd or early on the 3rd to stake out a claim. Most of the group with arrive the evening of the 3rd. For those that prefer developed campgrounds, Aspen, Lodgepole and Jefferson Creek campgrounds are not too far away on the north side of Jefferson.
Friday July 4: Somewhat challenging Wheeler Lake. Beginners will be challenged. Fireworks in Como that evening.
Saturday July 5: Easy to moderate Mosquito Pass to Leadville, return via easy Weston Pass,(plan B if Mosquito isn't open: Browns Pass and Breakneck Pass) probable dinner in Fairplay. Beginners will be fine.
Sunday July 6: Quick trip up Twin Cone Peak, then return home. The trail up Twin Cone is easy for the first half and then somewhat challenging from there up. Beginners could drive the easy part and then ride with someone for the rest of the trail or turn around and go back down from there. Meet at the camp site each day at 9:00a.m. or in Jefferson about 9:30a.m. July 19 - Full Moon Night Run to Waldorf/Leavenworth Creek. Nestled at the foot of the 13,000+ ft. Argentine Pass, the old town site of Waldorf at 11,666 ft. should offer some spectacular star gazing on this full-moon night run. There are two options for reaching the town site. Those not wanting a challenge can take the easier Waldorf Road following the old railroad bed. Those wanting something more difficult can take the rough and harder Leavenworth Creek trail. Both trails begin and end in the same places and parallel each other up the valley. Beginners will be challenged on the more difficult Leavenworth Creek but should be fine on Waldorf Road. Some of us will probably shorten the drive home by camping somewhere in the area. Meet at the Visitors Center in Georgetown at 8:00 p.m. July 26 - Challenge trip to Spring Creek with moderate option to Ute Creek. Our excursion to Crested Butte fell through. For the alternative, we have set up a dual run near Idaho Springs. For those with well-built rigs who want a challenge, James will lead a run up Spring Creek. This is a very difficult trail and not recommended for beginners. For those with stock or mildly built rigs I will lead a group up the more moderate Ute Creek trail. This trail is OK for beginners with a couple spots that might be slightly challenging for a true newbie. These two trail parallel each other and connect at the top. The two groups might be able to join back up at the top, although we’ve had mixed success when attempting this in the past. If there is a large number wanting to do Spring Creek we may split that group as well to help things go more smoothly and quickly. Everybody meet at the Ranger Station in Idaho Springs at 9:45 a.m. August 9 - Difficult Challenge trip to Jenny Creek with easy option to Rollins Pass East. This challenging trail west of Rollinsville is rough and rocky with several sections running right in the creek. It winds its way through the Jenny Creek basin before a hard, steep climb up to Yankee Doodle Lake. Those not wanting the challenge can simply stay on the easy Rollins Pass Road and meet the rest at the lake. We’ll take a quick side trip up to the now-closed Needle Eye tunnel before heading back down. If there is time on the way down some of us may explore the West Magnolia trail near the Moffit Tunnel. Beginners are not recommended on Jenny Creek but will be fine on Rollins Pass Road. Meet at Calvary Church at 8:30a.m. or in Rollinsville about 10:00a.m. August 10 - Sunday Drive to Caribou Creek. This beautiful trail paralleling the Peak-to-Peak highway near Nederland is a perennial favorite. It is mostly easy with a couple of slightly harder spots. It offers beautiful views of the Indian Peaks, interesting remnants of the mining era and serene meadows filled with wild flowers. Beginners should be OK. Meet at Calvary Church after Worship (about 11:45a.m.) or at McDonalds in Boulder between 1:00p.m. and 1:30p.m. We’ll plan to depart from McDonalds about 1:40p.m. August 16 - Easy to moderate trip to Castle Gulch. This run will be in conjunction with the Calvary Family Camp at Glacier View Ranch. This network of easy to moderate trails near Jamestown connects to the top of the Lefthand Canyon system. We'll stay on the Castle Gulch side exploring the many side roads and spurs. I haven’t done the entire system so I'm not sure what we'll find on some of these side trails but the trip is planned to accommodate beginners with possible options for those wanting more challenge. I'm still working on scheduling with those planning the campout so meeting times and places with be announced soon. August 23 - Ghost town hunting at Peru Creek. This is an area near Montezuma that we have never done before (although Bill and Missy XC skied Peru Creek many years ago). Peru Creek is where you would come out if you could still drive over Argentine Pass from Waldorf. Reports are it is an easy road up to the Argentine Pass Trail Head and then is moderate on up to Horseshoe Basin. The area also includes 3 side spurs, Chihuahua Gulch, Warden Gulch and Cinnamon Gulch. These are all reported to be slightly harder than Peru Creek itself but not terribly difficult. The entire area is full of old mining ruins and building as well as some spectacular views along the back side of Grays Peak and Torreys Peak. Beginners should be OK. Meet at Calvary Church at 8:30a.m. or at the Visitor’s Center in Georgetown about 9:45a.m. August 30 to September 1 - Labor Day Weekend Trip to Olive Ridge. High gas prices and a lack of affordable lodging have forced us to forgo the trip to Ellis Jeep Trail this year. Instead we will be camping at Olive Ridge near Allenspark with tentative plans to run Middle St. Vrain/Coney Creek on Saturday and Johnny Park after "church" on Sunday. Beginners should be OK but will be challenged on Coney Creek. If you want to camp at Olive Ridge we suggest making reservations ASAP. If you can't make it for the whole weekend join us for one or both of the trail runs. Meet us Saturday at the Camp Dick trail head at 10:00a.m. Sunday, meet us at Olive Ridge, 10:00a.m. for "church," 12:00 noon for the trail run. September 14 - Sunday Drive to Bunce School Road. There are a couple of side roads off of the Bunce School Road that we have never run. We’ll see how much of the area we can explore before we run out of daylight. The main Bunce School Road is easy, the side roads tend to be moderate. Beginners should be OK but may be challenged in places. Meet at Calvary Church after Worship (about 11:45a.m.) or at the Diamond Shamrock in Lyons about 1:00p.m. September 20 - Aspen Viewing trip to Brown’s Pass and Breakneck Pass. Our annual search for fall color will take us to Fairplay this year. Brown’s Pass goes west from Warm Springs, just south of Fairplay, into the area around Sheep Mountain. We’ll explore the beautiful valley below Sheep Ridge before climbing over Breakneck Pass to connect with the Weston Pass Road. Beginners are encouraged to join us for these fairly easy but very scenic passes. Meet at Calvary Church at 8:00a.m. or at the Shell station in Fairplay about 10:00a.m. October 4 - Difficult Challenge Trip to Old Chinaman’s Gulch with easy/moderate option to 4-Mile Recreation Area. We had so much fun on Chinaman’s Gulch last year that we just had to come back. This difficult trail just south of Buena Vista is known for its tight corners and large rocks as it makes its loop through the lower hills southwest of Trout Creek Pass. It can be done driving up and back all in one day if you don’t mind starting early and getting back late but, since it’s about a 3 hour drive each way, we recommend spending Friday night, Saturday night or both in Johnson Village or Buena Vista. Some of us may try to get in a late season camping trip in conjunction with this run. Beginners are not recommended on Chinaman’s Gulch but, if there is enough interest, we could also arrange a run to the nearby, easy-to-moderate 4 Mile Recreation Area. Meet in Johnson Village at 10:00a.m. (remember, if you’re driving up from Denver, it’s about 3 hours). October 25 - Late Season Moderate trip, Destination TBA. We’ll wait and see how conditions are and what’s still open before choosing a trail for this late season trip. The intention is to try to find something that won’t be major snow-bashing and easy enough for beginners to be OK while still providing a little challenge for old pros. November 15 - End of the Season trip to Seven Mile Trail. This easy trail up the Poudre Canyon from Ft. Collins will likely have a little snow this late in the season making it slightly harder. It is a popular winter trail as it doesn’t get gated and it’s easy enough not to become impassible in snow. Beginners should be OK but chains are recommended. Meet at Wagon Road Park-n-Ride at 8:00a.m. December 2008 & January 2009 - Snow ‘Wheeling trips. Dates and trails to be announced.
Bonus Trips In addition to the regularly scheduled trips, there will be some last-minute, unofficial, bonus trips. Bill will email those on the list to set these up. Destinations and difficulty will vary. They probably won’t get announced at church. Email Bill Andrews if you want to be added to the list. |
