Metberry Gulch, Volunteer day, and Schubarth Road - July 2015

Because of all the rain, our club took a little hiatus from some of our nearby trails. Fortunately, things have  dried out enough for us to get back to our favorite trails. 

On 7/18 we ran Metberry Gulch. The trail was more washed out than it had been this winter, but was still a lot of fun. We had 10 rigs go with us, and two atv's joined us too. Everyone had a good time, although one of the younger drivers had a little difficulty coming down the rock. It sure looks like a close call, but he was able to turn correctly and give it a little gas to avoid tipping over. 

We had a nice lunch break down by the river, then headed back out. After the group shot! 

On 7/24, four volunteers joined Stay the Trail and the Forest Service to put up some kiosks in high use areas. The Forest Service has plans to develop these areas into safer recreational areas for multipurpose use. Our involvement hopefully helped to foster a relationship with the FS and STT so that we can work on our trail, China Wall. We will have a second work day on 8/15/15. 

Finally, on 7/26/15, we revisited Schubarth road. Many of our prospective members were on the trail with us early this year when there were new feet of snow; it was a memorable trip, to say the least. It was icy, and our President who was leading had to use his winch multiple times just to turn around. And then he did this:

This redemption run was awesome. The weather was pretty nice except for a brief rain shower. We had 18 rigs roll out with us. It was a nice mix of Jeeps, a couple of Toyotas, and two Broncos!

We took lunch just before the rain and then headed off to one of the dead ends that has a cool rock outcropping. One of the guys forgot to set his brake and his Jeep apparently came out of gear and decided to take itself for a roll. Good thing there was a tree to stop it! 

Fortunately, not much damage occurred, but it was still pretty spooky. 

Despite this, we enjoyed the views and the ability to hang out with friends. 

On the way out, some got the chance to do a little flexin. And waving. 

Ultimately, the day was finished under beautiful Colorado sunshine. It was a great redemption trip, and a fun day!! 

Hermit Pass trail run 7/11/15

Hello blog fans! You may have noticed a distinct lack of posts in the past couple of months. Our club, with all the recent rain, has been laying low. We are communicating with the Forest Service to construct a plan to work on our adopted trail - China Wall. In the meantime, we haven't wanted to go out in all the mud and damage other trails. 

Today was one of the first summer trails we have run. A couple of us met up in Colorado Springs and then the group all met at the Coyote's Coffee Den in Penrose. After a quick breakfast, we headed southwest, off by the towns of Wetmore and Westcliffe. Fortunately, it was a sunny day, but not too hot in that area. 

The trail winds up the mountain, with a small stream often in sight. It is an easy trail, suitable for stock suv's, but it is quite rocky. Airing down made the day a whole lot more comfortable. 

We took a hike, to what we thought was a waterfall, but soon realized that the trail was heading away from the creek. So it ended up just being a nice hike "to nowhere," as Judy M. described it. 

We made it up to nearly the top of the pass, but the snow buried the trail, so we had to park and have some snacks and take in the vistas. 

Although we were a little disappointed not to have been able to reach the top of the trail, everyone had a good time and thoroughly enjoyed the trip. 

Here are a few more photos!