DaveInDenver
Rising Sun Ham Guru
Peter (Basaltfj40) posted he wanted to run Pearl Pass over to Crested Butte for tacos. I tagged along. I apologize for the late start, overslept and didn't get myself in gear anywhere like I should have, ended up leaving the house about 8:30AM and did the hammer-down on I-70, finally meeting Peter about 2 hours later at the Home Team BBQ parking lot near Buttermilk Ski Area.
Peter was driving his in-process-of-rebuilding triple locked FZJ80 with Dobinsons and 285 Coopers and me in my Tacoma with 235 KO2.
Started up Castle Creek Road from Aspen about 11AM, clouds already starting to build. We did eventually get some light drizzle a few times, but no lightning and nothing heavy the whole day. Once we crossed Pearl Pass the clouds cleared for the most part.
No major drama, the trail is called difficult by Charles Wells and it's not an easy trail mainly because there is one section that takes some concentration and crossing the scree fields is a little butt clinching if your truck (like my Taco) is made with its pillars cosmetically oversized and you have to trust the occasional bush as trail delimiters.
The crux took spotting. It had rained the day before so things were a little damp. Peter took two attempts mainly due to his right front tire not wanting to grab and I had to back off and try a couple of times since I killed the engine mid climb.
Had a Ben Ashcraft sighting on the Crested Butte side, all four wheels firmly planted at the time. Congrats on the new job!
Got into Crested Butte about 4PM finally. Post trail bull session at Bonez. Made it in time for happy hour. I took Kebler Pass over to Paonia, back down into Delta and home about 9PM.
I can't believe we used to combine Pearl with Schofield and Taylor in one day. I only have good memories of the Millers' Triple Bypasses but, man, what a day of suffering they must have been at the time.
Peter was driving his in-process-of-rebuilding triple locked FZJ80 with Dobinsons and 285 Coopers and me in my Tacoma with 235 KO2.
Started up Castle Creek Road from Aspen about 11AM, clouds already starting to build. We did eventually get some light drizzle a few times, but no lightning and nothing heavy the whole day. Once we crossed Pearl Pass the clouds cleared for the most part.
No major drama, the trail is called difficult by Charles Wells and it's not an easy trail mainly because there is one section that takes some concentration and crossing the scree fields is a little butt clinching if your truck (like my Taco) is made with its pillars cosmetically oversized and you have to trust the occasional bush as trail delimiters.
The crux took spotting. It had rained the day before so things were a little damp. Peter took two attempts mainly due to his right front tire not wanting to grab and I had to back off and try a couple of times since I killed the engine mid climb.
Had a Ben Ashcraft sighting on the Crested Butte side, all four wheels firmly planted at the time. Congrats on the new job!
Got into Crested Butte about 4PM finally. Post trail bull session at Bonez. Made it in time for happy hour. I took Kebler Pass over to Paonia, back down into Delta and home about 9PM.
I can't believe we used to combine Pearl with Schofield and Taylor in one day. I only have good memories of the Millers' Triple Bypasses but, man, what a day of suffering they must have been at the time.
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