Click on photos to enlarge
|
|
|
Colorado aspens at their peak during Aspencades 99'... |
On Sunday morning Sept 25th of Aspencades 99', we all awoke to find everything hadn't blown away overnight. A warm sunny morning turned suddenly foggy and cold in a matter of an hour. So much for going topless, as the top went back on my jeep. The Hobos had planned a Sunday September 26th trip if an Aspencades trip was not run. Since rumors around the campfire the night before of the Caribou Flats Trail being graded and mostly closed by the Mine operators, we opted for an Aspen Loop Trail up and around the east side of Kingston Peak. This days group consisted of myself (and my sidekick Molly), Hobo Paul Weisz, Scott Maxwell and his family, Kevin and the "coffin", Heather and her hubby, Bob Goble in his CJ, while his daughter and friend were in the early Bronco.
|
|
|
A quick 10-100 while we regrouped, just in time for the fog to lift... |
|
|
|
Golden aspens lined most of the Aspen Loop Trail... |
The game plan was to find some good jeepin, and groves of yellow aspens, while making a big loop up and around and back to camp. We headed up Clear Creek and up past lots of really old dead people in the cemeteries above Central City, and into the beautiful yellow groves of aspens everywhere!
|
|
|
The sun comes out just in time! |
|
|
|
The trail is basically 2WD along here, but the scenery is excellent! |
The fog also lifted just in time to see the aspen colors with a rocky mountain blue sky in the background and golden aspens along both sides of the trail (a definite Kodak moment). We jeeped up some side trails, and up to the ridgeline with great views of Mt. Evans framed by aspens. We pressed up the ridge heading northwest past Pisgah Lake, and found ourselves on a really small tree-lined rocky jeep trail (actually I was lost, except I didn't tell anyone ;). After that nifty little trail section, we stopped for lunch in a meadow overlooking a view of the valley to the north.
|
|
|
Hobo Paul with more aspen color everywhere... |
|
|
|
We stopped for a break and views from the ridge line... |
After lunch, we headed west up to almost Yankee Hill, then backtracked down a steep hill. We eventually found the tree-lined trail we ran during the 1st Annual, 2nd Annual, and 3rd Annual Hobo Runs, and followed it along the east side of Kingston Peak. The trail was nothing to technical, but a nice tight tree-lined trail just the same. Tight enough to avoid "rocky mountain pinstripes" if you care.
|
|
|
Kingston's tree-lined section |
We made it over to the north side of Pile Hill, and ran into a motor "mosquito" cyclist out of gas. After we got him going, we followed a jeep trail from Apex around Oregon Hill, and down Pickle Gulch and back to camp. Most of us picked up our RVs, and headed back down to the big city below. The aspens were at their full peak and the weekend long fall event was a lot of fun!! On behalf of the HoboJeepers, thanks again to all who put it on!
Bill Hallinan HOBOJEEPERS
