Argentine Pass - June 22

nakman · Jun 22, 2024

We did it! thanks so much to everyone who came out today. I counted 23 vehicles and at least 50 people, meeting quite a few for the first time. Camping on Friday worked out great, we had a little rain but still found a way to get to know a few folks a little better. Heck, the campsite was so good that a few chose to stay up there a second night.

I was in the "upper trail" group today and our tasks mainly consisted of burying a culvert and cleaning out bird houses... turned out some of those houses still had people living in them, so that task sorta turned into just leave the bird houses alone. At any rate, was great to get out on this trail again, remind myself why I like it so much, and have an awesome time with so may other folks. Thanks again everyone for your participation today, and great attitudes throughout.

On to the pics..

up at Waldorf...

headed back down..

Curly · Jun 22, 2024

Great day! Thanks everyone for all the help and answers for this new member and the nerds I brought with me.
Quite literally, every part of the day was enjoyable!

Jasonwak · Jun 23, 2024

Thanks to those who organized this service project and run up Argentine Pass.

MountainGoat · Jun 23, 2024

It was nice meeting you both, Alex and Jason. So cool to see all the new folks coming out and pitching in! :thumb:

Awesome day and the weather couldn't have been better.

AimCOTaco · Jun 23, 2024

L43DB

tangobravogarage · Jun 23, 2024

Great to meet ya’ll! Looking forward to more trail runs in the near future.
Tom

Crash · Jun 23, 2024

AimCOTaco said:
View attachment 131716
L43DB

So very cool!! Great to see the truck on the trail living its best life. I can imagine the smiles it brings to you, Nancy and Dan. Rock on!! I remember driving the old beast on Argentine up to the pass before Dean had the carb tuned in and it was still able to make it to the top without problem. Good times.

rushthezeppelin · Jun 23, 2024

Super fun day, was nice to put the Sequoia through it's paces. Ended up doing the upper part of the lower road on the way out. The rock garden at the top of the lower road seems to have gotten harder, there were a lot of diff catchers to avoid.

Jasonwak · Jun 23, 2024

so I had the goPro running yesterday, captured a timelapse of the upper trail on the way up and part of the lower trail on the way back. @nakman ,@rushthezeppelin , @tangobravogarage you can see your rigs in the timelapse video as well as a few others in the parking area. In the title of the timelapse, I mentioned the club. If sharing this video is not allowed by the club, totally understand. Don’t want to cause any trouble.
View: https://youtu.be/nB9n760rFHA

Cruisertrash · Jun 23, 2024

Thanks @nakman and the USFS folks for organizing this. Had a blast and picked up a ton of trash.

Saw a moose from about 200 yards. Photo is through @Polinter really nice glass.

Also saw some linemen get heli-dropped to the power line poles at the top of the basin this morning. The helicopter came in, scouted, left, then came back about an hour later and set down where we ate lunch yesterday. There was a ~100’ rope below that the linemen took a ride on (no thanks for me), and the helicopter flew them over and dropped them off on the top of a pole to work. They did this a few times and then took off. Pretty cool.

I’m also glad the trip exposed yet more issues. Seems like I either have a bad birf or a bad front u-joint. I ended up doing the whole trail in 2Low - no weird noises that way.

PVCsnorkel · Jun 23, 2024

Great Trail, Great Friends, Great Times

Yarn Cruiser · Jun 23, 2024

I only took a few pictures this trip

SaintAgatha · Jun 24, 2024

At the campsite

Dan & Jimmy

Birdboxes with the ranger

Andy looked cool so I snapped a Pic

SaintAgatha · Jun 24, 2024

The 40 looking cute

@DomOfTheDead and I'm not sure who the white truck is

Just me

@MonPetiteShoe

SaintAgatha · Jun 24, 2024

😍

His & Hers

After the big water crossing on the lower road

Paul @SlowNSteady

DomOfTheDead · Jun 24, 2024

Great day with some good people and cool trucks. @Yarn Cruiser drove the OffRoadAcado and I got to stretch the Taco's legs for the first time in a while. We took the lower route, 6 trucks in our group, we found most campsites looked good with only minimal trash to pick up and a few sites already occupied by friendly folks. Water levels were typical runoff depth and we didn't encounter a lot of trail traffic. I was busy rowing through the gears, trying to keep up with the wife, so I only fired off a few pics 😁

DanS · Jun 24, 2024

Crash said:
So very cool!! Great to see the truck on the trail living its best life. I can imagine the smiles it brings to you, Nancy and Dan. Rock on!! I remember driving the old beast on Argentine up to the pass before Dean had the carb tuned in and it was still able to make it to the top without problem. Good times.

Dean's 40 did just great. I feel like I might need to tinker a bit with the carb someday, but that's certainly not today! @J1000 heard it start up in the morning (at 11,310 feet, after a below freezing night): maybe a full crank. Maybe. Such a grand little cruiser.

And, on the way out along the lower road we stopped here:

Just any old campsite along the trail. But this is a spot that @L43dean and I spent a few hours at more than a decade ago cleaning up a whole lot of broken TVs and such. Literally filled the back of the Faux-Lux with that junk, because he and I were lallygagging behind everyone in their 80s and 100s in our Hiluxes taking it slow, so when we found that mess we were the only ones left. Still a great day then, even if picking up shot up TVs is the absolute worst.

I think I need to attach some videos @SlowNSteady took of @SaintAgatha and I on the lower water crossing.

Dan

Crash · Jun 24, 2024

DanS said:
Dean's 40 did just great. I feel like I might need to tinker a bit with the carb someday, but that's certainly not today! @J1000 heard it start up in the morning (at 11,310 feet, after a below freezing night): maybe a full crank. Maybe. Such a grand little cruiser.

And, on the way out along the lower road we stopped here:

View attachment 131809

Just any old campsite along the trail. But this is a spot that @L43dean and I spent a few hours at more than a decade ago cleaning up a whole lot of broken TVs and such. Literally filled the back of the Faux-Lux with that junk, because he and I were lallygagging behind everyone in their 80s and 100s in our Hiluxes taking it slow, so when we found that mess we were the only ones left. Still a great day then, even if picking up shot up TVs is the absolute worst.

I think I need to attach some videos @SlowNSteady took of @SaintAgatha and I on the lower water crossing.

Dan

I’m sure you were flooded with memories and emotions. Right on.

J1000 · Jun 24, 2024

DanS said:
Dean's 40 did just great. I feel like I might need to tinker a bit with the carb someday, but that's certainly not today! @J1000 heard it start up in the morning (at 11,310 feet, after a below freezing night): maybe a full crank. Maybe. Such a grand little cruiser.

Not only did it fire up in the first crank, the phrase "runs like a sewing machine" came to mind. It was super smooth and especially quiet.

Here are some of my photos and drone shots. Who says electricity and water don't mix??

@MeatPopsicle

@Yarn Cruiser

@DomOfTheDead

bh4rnnr · Jun 28, 2024

Had a really great time Saturday on Argentine. Thanks to everyone who came out for the clean up day.

Trying to remember, but think it was 2004 when I got this trail adopted with Clear Creek- Brant was the Ranger we worked with then. @Yarn Cruiser & @DomOfTheDead thanks for the ride up in the morning and the burrito! @AimCOTaco thanks for the ride down and coming and checking out the new digs after. This is probably one of my favorite trails close to Denver. Great views, mild wheeling and lots of great history.

Got more pics posted up on the blog: www.wanderinthewest.org

Morning meeting with the Clear Creek Rangers. Patrick had nothing but good things to say about Rising Sun.

Making our way up the trail. Good to see the sign we installed many years ago is holding up.

On the lower road, Andy and I buzzed down the first side road to check things out. No trash in site, we dipped our hands in the cool water then cached back up with the group. On one of the clean up days many years ago, @nuclearlemon found an old FJ40 frame on this side road.

At another campsite on the lower road picking up trash.

Phillip making his way through one of the deeper crossing of Leavenworth Creek.

Darin climbing out of tree line.

At the old town site of Waldorf ( once claimed to have the highest post office in the US- 11,600+ ft). we checked in on the bird feeders. Some were occupied. I then followed the new drainage ditch back to Waldorf.