Aspen Weekend; July 20 and 21

[rvrats2]

I think there are going to be a 40 an fj and my 100 going pearl out of aspen to schofield back to aspen Sunday. 7-21. Hopefully leaving quite early.

 

[Fitzgerald]

Cool. Hopefully we can meet up. It would be nice to cruise with another 100 for a change. And, we might outnumber the J**ps.

 

[rvrats2]

Cool. Hopefully we can meet up. It would be nice to cruise with another 100 for a change. And, we might outnumber the J**ps.

My license plate is my user name. Hope to see you. Jxxps nothing. Watch out for the sxs/rzrs.

 

[Fitzgerald]

Good Times!

First off, thanks to everyone (and especially to Sam for leading this one). It wouldn’t have been the same trip if even one of you hadn’t come along.

Here are the details:


SATURDAY:
Woodland Park > Buena Vista > Cottonwood Pass > Crested Butte for Lunch > Slate River Road > Oh Be Joyful (side trip off Slate River Road) > Poverty Gulch (another side trip off Side River Road) > Schofield Pass > Camping site just above the Devil’s Punchbowl.


SUNDAY:
Down Devil’s Punchbowl > Crystal Mill > (group splits here: ½ over independence Pass ½ back the way we came [sorta] {I’ll continue on the ½ I went with}) > Lead King Basin > up Devil’s Punchbowl > Schofield Pass > Gothic Road > Crested Butte > Cottonwood Pass > Buena Vista > Woodland Park > home to shower.


Pics to follow.

 

[Fitzgerald]

We're all lined up on top of Cottonwood Pass.

 

[Fitzgerald]

1. My poser shot just outside of Crested Butte (airing down just before the "Oh Be Joyful" side trip).

2. An oxymoron?

 

[Fitzgerald]

1. I think this shot was from "Oh Be Joyful", but it might of been on "Poverty Gulch" (someone remind me and I'll update)

We were all glad we decided to take this side trip. Beautiful scenes the whole way and plenty of mud holes to splash in (well, at least for those of us that didn't mind getting our rigs dirty [Greg and I ]).

2. "Poverty Gulch"

3. "Poverty Gulch" - Purdy waterfalls were everywhere you looked on this trip.

 

[Fitzgerald]

1. "Poverty Gulch" - The gang hanging out at the trailhead of "Daisy Hiking Trail". A hiking trail that I will do some day. Just gorgeous.

2. "Poverty Gulch" - Creek crossing back to Slate River Road.

3. "Slate River Road" on our way to Schofield Pass.

 

[Fitzgerald]

The Campsite!

1. Yet another waterfall we passed just before our campsite.

By this point, I had camera fatigue for the day. We found a nice campsite just before Devil's Punchbowl. We were setting up camp and a few people we're coming up from the Punchbowl and warned us that a few of our rigs wouldn't be able to make it. A few of us were a bit freaked out about the Punchbowl and some of the stories we were hearing weren't helping calm those fears.

An older couple in a CJ-6 from the Moab area that claimed that they had wheeled "everywhere" said it was on of the hairiest trails they had done. The guy ranked it a 12 on a scale of 10. Told us that there was no way Heather's Jeep could make it.

So to calm our fears, Luke loaded some of us up and we ran most of it that evening. It was like nothing I've ever been on (or even seen). I thought "great Luke can do it in his Kick-%ss Jeep, but what about me in my bloated lowrider and mediocre wheeling skills???" Only time would tell. But, the trip did help. I went from worry about dieing to worrying about body damage.

 

[Fitzgerald]

THE DEVIL'S PUNCHBOWL

NOTE: I did not attempt to get any picture of the freaky section of the trail. I was too busy trying to not get my self added to the trails fatality list (including the worst in CO history) and I don't think the photos could have illustrated the to nature of the trail.

Since we REALLY didn't want to met anyone coming up as we were going down, Sam headed down first to stop traffic. Thanks Sam!

1. Greg finishing up, just before the bridge.

2. Luke and Heather, just before the bridge.

3. Cool 80!

 

[Fitzgerald]

THE DEVIL'S PUNCHBOWL

1. Jeep Alert!

2. Our tail gunners finishing up the Punchbowl. I loved the immensity of that rock slab to the right.

FUNNY NOTE: We were warning of a washout by a few guys wheeling the evening before and when we say a little one on our scouting trip, we thought
"That's what they were warning us about?!?!?!" We were not concerned.

Then, when we thought we were done with the Devil's Punchbowl, we ran into a HUGE washout. It looked as though Sam had pulled up to 12 foot high rock pile wall. It proved (to a few of us) to be the most "interesting" park of the trail.

3. S&S cruising a tame section of the trail headed to the township of Crystal.

 

[Fitzgerald]

1. In the town of Crystal (all happy to be alive and body damage free).

2. A rock gnome in Crystal left me a nice gift.

3. The Crystal Mill lived up to the hype. Beautiful area.

 

[Fitzgerald]

After a few more miles of wheelin', half of us went to cross Independence Pass and the other half headed to Lead King Basin.

1. "Lead King Basin" - A very entertaining trail. And flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers...

2. "Lead King Basin" - ...flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, , flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, JEEP, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers... flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers...

3. "Lead King Basin" - ... flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers...


2nd Gear!!!!

 

[Fitzgerald]

1. "Lead King Basin" - ...flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, JEEP, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers, flowers...

2. Another poser shot for me!

Here, camera fatigue returned.

There are some nice camping spots along the second half of Lead King Basin for anyone interested in checking out this area.

Going up the Punchbowl was just as exciting as going down. I followed Heather up and she's a hell of a driver (you know, for a girl ).

The passed the campsite from the night before and headed to Schofield pass and decided to take "Gothic" back to Crested Butte instead of "Slate River Road".

On Gothic, we gave a few hippie hikers a ride back to their campsite. They had been hiking all day and were glad to hitch a ride for the last five miles or so. They were from Crested Butte and were really good people.

We also stopped in the town of Gothic for some ice cream and a little history. Interesting little semi-restored mountain mining/biological research town.

 

[Fitzgerald]

SO.......

Thanks again to everyone for making this such a fun time. This is EXACTLY why I moved to Colorado.

For those of you who haven't been to this area north of Crested Butte, you must put it on your "to do soon" list. These pictures (while taken by an almost professional photographer) can't do justice to what we experienced.

Until next time!!!

 

[Fitzgerald]

BONUS PIC!!!

Luke's going GREEN!!!!!

 

[Grimeless]

Travis,

Thanks for the photo journalism commentary!! It let me take a quick trip back to Schofield at break time today. WOW, WHAT A WEEKND!!!! sg

 

[black95]

I have found an aftermarket solution that allows the DRIVER in a Cherokee to determine when to stay locked in either first or second gear.... Imagine that...

After driving around these steep trails all weekend, this will be ordered IMMEDIATELY!

 

[CO_Hunter]

Looks like a good time, thanks for the trip report and pics.

 

[PWCO70crusier]

I will definitely have to make it up there! Glad you guys had a great time!