Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Radical Hill Trail

Radical Hill Trail

August 29, 2010

Along the Happy Trails

This Story is About How to Experience One of Your Best Days… While Having A Really Bad One

By Jerry Smith

With trails like Radical Hill, Webster Pass, Red Cone, and others in mind, Mike Click and I had planned to go on the Grand Mesa Jeep Club trip to Frisco, Colorado for several weeks. The club trip was scheduled for August 28 & 29, 2010 - (Sat, Sun). We planned to add some extra days because it is a long walk from Grand Junction to the Frisco/ Silverthorn area.

We figured to be able to do Radical Hill, Webster Pass, and Red Cone on the first day.

Radical Hill as seen from Webster Pass.

Friday, August 27^th, we met a little before our scheduled 8 AM time and jumped on I-70 eastbound with thoughts of doing some Jeeping that afternoon and meeting with whoever showed up for the weekend the next morning.

Radical Hill from Red Cone through Webster Pass. The Radical Hill road is visible at the top of the ridge about ⅓ of the way from the left side.

After a quick lunch and a fuel stop in Frisco, we headed for Montezuma. From there we planned to go over Radical Hill and Webster Pass and return by way of 12,801 ft. Red Cone Mountain.

Montezuma is one of those small, sleepy Colorado mountain mining towns that you drive through with little memory of having done so. You can find it mentioned in some Colorado “Ghost Town” type books. The Ghosts were not out haunting… Friday being their day of rest.

One of Montezuma's "Odd Houses"

Lead and silver mining were responsible for Montezuma’s beginnings in about 1865. Most of the major buildings have succumbed to fires over the years, but some still remain from that time. There are several occupied older looking homes.

They have a 20 MPH speed limit that is quite unnecessary. The road through town is so full of deep potholes, you can’t do the speed limit without some serious undercarriage damage. It is my guess that the locals cultivate those potholes to keep the dust down… and trust me, it definitely works.

A short way out of town, we turned on FR5 (Forest Road #5) that takes you up the beautiful Deer Creek valley and up to the rim of Radical Hill. You have a grand look at the Webster Pass road across the valley with Red Cone reaching skyward above it. This view is worth the trip alone!

This is Mike going down the first steep slope of Radical Hill with Webster Pass and Red Cone in the distance.

From Goat to “Goat Whisperer”

Breaking over the ridge and dropping down Radical Hill is typical of many high mountain roads. Steep, rocky, and slow is the word.

Mike was leading the way down Radical Hill and made his way out of sight around the first switchback. As I rounded that switchback, the view of Mike going down the road below was definitely a “Kodak Moment”.

Happy Trails laying on Radical Hill.

I steered diagonally up on the bank on the high side of the road like I’ve done hundreds of times to be able to take a picture out the driver’s side window. It was a steep bank but looked like many I’ve climbed for this purpose.

As I reached across the passenger seat to get one of my cameras, I may have eased up on the brake pedal or the bank gave way because as I started sitting up to take a picture, I noticed the view had changed. The Radical Hill mountainside had disappeared.

From this angle, you could swear this roll-over was impossible.

What should have been a view of Mike going down Radical Hill out of the driver’s side window was in reality of the road surface coming into an extreme close-up.

How to become “the Goat”

Yep, I had just experienced my first rollover. The really bad part was it happened without my participation until the very last quarter second. What a wasted experience! But “Radical Hill” had just taken on a new meaning.

The rocks just off the road surface left nothing unscathed.

I do remember the thump and grind on the rocks and the sound of the side window of the top exploding at about the time a load of camera gear dumped all over me.

Shortly, I hear Mike asking if I am all right on the CB. It took a few moments to gather up the situation mentally as I turned off the ignition and began looking for the CB microphone, which was at my feet.

I told him “I have a situation here.” What I didn’t know at the time was that my CB antennae had been broken off so he couldn’t hear me. I saw him turning around, so I knew he was aware of my predicament.

This was my second time climbing vertically out of a Jeep passenger door window.

This is what a Mountain Goat looks like about 50-yards above you.

The first time was back in the ‘70s in my CJ5 when I had slipped off a steep road bank. That time only required my Ramsey winch to recover us from the ditch. This time, being above the tree line, there were no trees for a very long mile or so from which to winch from.

The other disqualifier was the hydraulically driven Mile Marker winch on the front would require the engine running to operate. Running your engine while on your side isn’t recommended, so the winch was just as handy as a rudder for a duck.

Mike had no winch “mounted”. His winch has resided in his garage for years. Being downhill from me with no way to pass made that a non-issue anyway. Any winching to set Happy Trails back on her tires would have to come from above. With few exceptions, you always want to roll a vehicle back on its wheels in the up-hill direction.

After some Radical Hill pictures, (yes, I had the wherewithal to grab a camera on the way out) we assessed the situation. Not good!

It was decided that I would stay with Happy Trails on Radical Hill while Mike went down to the campground where Dave McCollough should be. Dave has a Ramsey winch on his TJ.

Now I had what I estimated would be about three hours to think about this whole experience. One of the first sensations turned out to be my right knee hurting. The longer I waited, the more it ached.

This Nanny was easy to identify with one deformed horn.

As we were well above tree line, sunburn, even through the thin cloudy skies, was an issue to consider. Standing there in a tee shirt, I looked for some shade to set in but found it in very short supply at about 2:30 PM on Radical Hill.

Eventually, I found that if I stood on the front driver side tire, I could have some shade and a great view of the surrounding valley rim on the skyline. “Wow” is the only word that comes to mind.

This large high mountain half bowl above treeline was really something to see. I had the time to study intensely.

After a little while, one of the reasons for coming up to this area came walking over the rim above Radical Hill.

A wild Mountain Goat in its habitat is something you have to experience to understand the deeply spiritual feelings involved.

Watching this goat feed its way down the steep and rocky mountainside about four hundred yards from me was a real thrill. The experience got a little better when straight up the hill near the Radical Hill road, another goat and her kid began a stare down with me.

From Goat to “Goat Whisperer”

She stood on the skyline for about 45 minutes just measuring the danger I posed to her and her kid. She would look at the first goat to see if any warnings were being sent. Apparently, none were so she began coming down the steepest part of the Radical Hill road toward me. This I found to be really strange behavior.

Just moments after she began coming down the road, I heard footsteps behind me. Many thoughts ran through my mind.

Thoughts like… what could be sneaking up on me? Is it friendly? Is it not friendly?

In order not to scare "it", I made a very slow turn of my head to see five more Mountain Goats staring at me from just a few feet away. That explained why the other one was coming down the road.

This kid was one of my first photos taken of the Goats that became "MY friends".

Well, here I am, standing on the front tire of my pride and joy laying on its side on Radical Hill, surrounded by wild Mountain Goats closer than I ever dreamed possible, and my camera is on the rear bumper… can this be happening?

Standing as still as possible, I watched as one of the kids walked up to the rear tire while trying to figure me out. This was too unreal. Wild animals don’t normally walk this close to you on an exposed mountainside like this. There was nowhere to hide for hundreds of yards.

Soon, the need to take pictures outweighed the need to stay still, so I began a very slow move to the back of the Jeep. Surprise! No mass panic on the part of the goats. Yes, they did move off a few steps.

Now the next realization hit me. Mounted on the only camera not in the Jeep was the super wide-angle lens. A 10mm to 22mm lens is for very close up picture taking. Long distance shots are not very detailed normally. Bummer you might think.

I am told that few TJs have this suspension on the front. A Teraflex triangulated front and rear long-arm suspension has proven to be extremely flexible and very reliable. Seldom needed ARB lockers replaced the unreliable stock Rubicon lockers. With the tires always firmly on the ground, lockers are a luxury not needed often.

As it turned out, the lens was a good choice. These goats became almost family in the next hour or so. I actually began identifying individuals and practically naming them.

I talked to them some and they began coming closer and closer while doing what wild goats do. Eating, coughing, sneezing, bleating, and butting the weaning kids away when they tried to suckle. This was nature in all its glory.

The thought occurred to me, “what a John Denver song this could have been if he had been here to experience this”.

During all this excitement, a cold front had moved in. Suddenly my tee shirt wasn’t very warm. As I became colder, my left hand found its way into my front pocket.

Shortly, one of the nannies walked right up to me, stretched out her nose to within about one inch from the hand in my pocket and took a smell. What an unexpected thrill…. and a serious dilemma.

Let me tell you, having a wild Mountain Goat that close is right up there with going directly to heaven. Looking into her eyes that close was both a mind warping thrill and a very scary time all in one package.

You see, just above those dark inquisitive and nervous eyes are two long horns with sharp points that could leave a man with either two serious bruises or very deep wounds depending on the animal’s reaction.

The desire to pet her was overcome by the fear of those horns. I didn’t even attempt a picture of this for fear of sparking the wrong reaction.

Just a few minutes after this life altering experience, another nanny walked by close enough for me to pluck a tuft of the wool being shed from her back.

The thoughts of this experience were ranging from “Awesome” to “how will anyone believe me when I tell them?”

Soon, I see a man standing on the rim above Radical Hill near where the first goat had been. He was nobody I knew, but I could tell he didn’t believe what he was seeing. After all, how many times do you see a Jeep lying on its side in the middle of a mountain road surrounded by 17 wild Mountain Goats?

Just minutes later, I no longer had to wonder how my story would be accepted.

Some of 17 Rocky Mountain Goats

Mike’s Jeep broke over the top of Radical Hill above with Dave a short way behind and another guy on an ATV behind him. As Mike got closer, some of the goats began slowly moving off, but some just watched while chewing a bite of grass.

This was definitely a surreal experience for the books. God was truly working overtime that day.

Next was the meeting to decide the best approach to putting Happy Trails on its feet.

This is not the recommended way to show your rear suspension.

I have been the one doing the recovering of others many times. From these experiences, I have learned to let others speak their views of the situation before making a decision as to how to proceed.

You often gain a new perspective of a problem that makes you re-evaluate your first impressions. Often too, the guy who is in the tough spot is not the best one to make the final decision. (that would be me in this instance).

Dave lined up to take a pull on our first thoughts. This proved to be a “no go”; Happy Trails had begun to roll up when Dave’s Jeep started skidding toward it, so we had some more brainstorming.

Dave came up with a great plan that I had not considered. We ran the winch cable to HT and then up to Mikes JK to provide a new angle of pull and to take some of the strain off of Dave’s Jeep.

Dave’s idea worked perfectly. Soon HT was up on her wheels and then dragged up the hill to a spot well off the Radical Hill trail.

After confirming that the engine was “hydraulically locked” with oil in the cylinders, Dave offered his help and some fluids he carries to get us back to running condition.

As it was close to dark, Dave left for his camp down beside the Dillon Reservoir and Mike and I set up camp for the night right on the Radical Hill road.

The next morning, the sun was upon us before the folks in Denver. At over 12,000 feet above sea level on the east side of the mountain, you get to see the sun before many people over a hundred miles to your east.

I pulled off all the necessary hardware required to remove the spark plugs to blow the oil out of the cylinders. Thinking we had the job done, all the parts were replaced and another attempt to start it was tried.

During all this activity, some of my new friends came back for another close encounter. We had about ten of the Radical Hill goats surrounding us while we worked on Happy Trails.

One fed on some grass about two steps from the driver’s side door the whole time we were getting in and out and cranking the engine. “Amazing” doesn’t quite say what I felt about this.

Still locked up… all the parts were removed and replaced one more time before we heard the engine cough and puke a fog of blue smoke. The smoke was more than the goats could deal with and they moved away. It was time to leave Radical Hill.

This is the interior while still on its side. Please pardon the mess.

After breaking camp, we headed back up Radical Hill toward Montezuma and met Dave and his wife Pam coming up Deer Creek. Pam nicknamed me “Goat Whisperer”. After all the wonderful experiences, how could I argue?

It didn’t occur to me at the time, but no one had “razzed” me about the rollover. What a great bunch of people to not rub it in.

With my now bum right knee aching like that was its entire purpose for being, I decided to set out the next couple of days of Jeeping. What a bummer!

I had so looked forward to seeing some new trails and this awesome Colorado high country, but having to brake and throttle with my left foot wasn’t making this anything less than dangerous. One major calamity seemed like enough for this trip.

After some discussion to the contrary, Mike finally relented and stayed with Dave and Pam to run the hills for the next two days. How I envied them!

After a very wind noisy, but uneventful trip home, I unloaded Happy Trails so she could be sent in to have the dents and scratches repaired. I am really looking forward to having a new driver’s side rear view mirror. How do you drive with no mirrors?

Radical Hill, the real estate, will forever be branded in my memory.

The Radical Hill goats will always outweigh that memory by an infinity or two.

Happy Trails to you, and remember—when you come to a fork in the road, take it!

This one let me pick some of the shedding wool off her back.

Here, the contrast of a goat already done shedding and one not.

Note how this nanny is comfortable standing on rocks when there is bare ground all around. Their footing on impossible places is incredible.

Pace Lake (part 2

Pace Lake (part 2)

Along the Happy Trails

May/10/2008

By Jerry Smith

(Continued from Pace Lake part 1)

The Pace Lake road was firmly in the crosshairs today. The previous failure needed to be rectified.

In talking with the BLM about the Pace Lake road, it was clear that it had been closed by Mother Nature at least two years before and probably more. This would possibly be the first reopening of a trail I had done in some time.

Southern Sinbad Valley with Lone Cone and the San Juan range near Ouray on the skyline. On a clear day, this is an eye-popper.

Reopening trails is something that brings a wealth of pleasure to me. I have fought road closures from Montana to Utah and Colorado since back in the mid-1970s. It's become a passion.

This trip I knew the Pace Lake road would be traversed further than the first time barring any major changes to the roadway between then and now.

The lower Pace Lake road offered little resistance but as we (Happy Trails and me) began the ascent up the mountainside, there was a repeat of the last trip. (While I do often go alone, I do not recommend it).

Many new rocks had rolled into the road and the V-cuts had been enlarged so the work began early. It was obvious that the spring runoff had been dramatic this year. Water runoff damage to the Pace Lake road was everywhere.

After an hour of rock moving, we were finally up to that pesky tree blocking the road just above the intersection. The Mile Marker HI9000 hydraulic winch made quick work of it. Pace Lake or bust!

On this corner is where the burnt fir blocked the road.

For the next mile or so, we stopped several times for rocks, trees, and brush overgrown into the roadway. This was the easy part. Brush trimming is a common occurrence where I go and we go prepared.

The next major obstacle was a 50-60 yard stretch of the Pace Lake road where the middle and lower side of the road was a three-foot deep gully. As I have made a habit of, I walked well past the bad area to see if working on it would be rewarded or just scoffed at later. I made up my mind that the Pace Lake road could be overcome.

Between the back of the Jeep and to the corner where another Jeep is barely visible is where the road had to be filled before any further progress could be made.

The first attempt at straddling the deep notch ended up with the entire left rear tire hanging well below the road surface. This was really a bad kind of stuck but we crawled out after a little rock and tree limb placement.

There was some damage done to the fender flare and a little scuffing of the corner paint, but it's a Jeep. The bad part was that this was the first real damage done since Happy Trails was new in '06. Pace Lake would be remembered.

OK, this would require some serious fill work to make it passable. After gathering all the downed trees and large rocks nearby, I began shoveling the high bank into the ditch until it looked good enough a little over 3-hours later. You can't believe all the dirt and debris it took to partially fill that ditch.

A couple of turns later we encountered another "challenging" obstacle. Pace Lake wasn't giving in yet.

This one had both erosion and three major boulders in the way. The boulders were nearly hood high, so going over was not a good option. They blocked the road in such a way that going around the low side of the first two would work, but the third one was too close to the lower side of the road to get around.

The corner, just below the 3-large rocks, has caused several problems for many who have driven this trail.

After some technical "calculated eyeball" measuring, I decided if we could get past the first two and go hard left between the second and third rocks and then go high enough on the upper bank, we could make it past.

The first part of the plan went well. Crawling the very steep upper road bank tightened the seat cover to the breaking point. To say we were leaning over was like saying there is sand at the beach.

The rear couldn't climb the bank and the right rear wheel hooked the point on the third rock breaking a chunk of the faux bead lock out and mutilating the center cap. More damage!

Cutting brush back takes place about every two years to keep this trail open. The first trip up, it was all me. Since then, we recruit some help and it goes much faster.

With more rock rolling, tree removal, and a lot of brush trimming, we cruised through the gate into a meadow where Ponderosa Pines grew. To the left of the meadow was a serious barbed wire fence on the Colorado/ Utah border and Pace Lake just across the road on the other side of the fence.

The fence line is patrolled by the JB Ranch and no trespassing is permitted. After a very late lunch with a view of Pace Lake, we proceeded further up the road to the National Forest boundary where the signs say "closed to motorized travel".

Stay on your side of the fence… they mean stay out!

Known locally as the "Little Forest", this small isolated parcel is closed simply because the Manti- La Sal Forest Service doesn't want to manage it.

Unfortunately, this is the kind of things we too often find when out in the Great American BackCountry. Cleaning-up thoughtless people's trash like this is an every trip duty. One day, we hope to catch the jerks leaving this kind of mess… they will answer to the law at a minimum.

Note: I have recommended that the BLM assume responsibility for the area and that they allow us to pioneer a short road to the east where another road ends that comes from the John Brown road. This would create a "Loop Road" that is so popular with land management these days. (we are currently working with the USFS, BLM, and a private land owner to create that connector)

Looking in the rearview mirror shows the kind of rocks you can expect to run over, around, or through. "Through" is not recommended.

Returning to the meadow, I was rewarded with the sight of several elk on the Pace Lake dam. It's always great to see wildlife.

As the day was getting late, we had to go down the Pace Lake road at a much faster pace than the ascent. With most of the bad obstacles passable now, that was not much problem.

Many large critters can be found in Sinbad Valley. This is a large black bear track in case you didn't know. The Sinbad ranch caretaker claims they have bears nearly every day in their yard during the warm months. The first year after reopening this trail, we always saw at least one bear.

The Pace Lake road was open once again. Pace Lake was worth the effort to see and the trail is a dandy class 7 or 7+. If you're going to attempt the Pace Lake road, you better come equipped and capable.
(over the years since then, the road has mellowed. It is now about a 6 or 6+ for difficulty -- but will still challenge you)

The views from the upper Pace Lake road are incredible. Sinbad Valley is beautiful and you can see over the south end clear down to the San Juan Mountains near Ouray.

The Pace Lake road is and will be a challenge for the foreseeable future. I hope you make an opportunity to see Pace Lake.  

The author and one of his favorite companions.

One last thought; When you come to a fork in the road, take it! Adventure is where you find it.

Happy Trails to you.

Note: Most of the pictures in this article are from other trips to Pace Lake.

Pace Lake Trail (part 1)

Pace Lake Trail (part 1)

Along the Happy Trails

Oct / 2007

By: Jerry Smith

The Pace Lake road was one trip we (Happy Trails – [my Jeep] and I) had been looking forward to trying again since last fall.

That first attempt at Pace Lake had ended in failure when some very dark clouds came over the mountain right above Pace Lake when we were about one-quarter of the way up the mountain and we retreated as fast as possible.

Sinbad Valley

Two things you need to know about the lower Pace Lake road are:

• When it rains in Sinbad Valley, the Pace Lake road becomes incredibly slick.

• If it rains enough in Sinbad Valley, Salt Creek canyon... the only way in or out of the valley for water or vehicle, can flash flood making access either extremely dangerous or nonexistent.

Just days before we traveled through Salt Creek Canyon toward Sinbad Valley last fall there had been a gully washer rain in Sinbad Valley.

Another view of Sinbad Valley. Looking over the southeast rim you can see Lone Cone Mountain and some of the San Juan Mountains near Ouray, CO. On a really clear day, this view will draw your eyes so hard, they hang out on your cheeks.

Salt Creek cuts across the road into Sinbad Valley twice and in both crossings, it was clear that the roaring water had been 3 to 4 feet deep. That was warning enough. This day had rain in the forecast too.

Salt Creek shows some of the salty remnants after a storm in Sinbad Valley.

If you Jeep in canyon country or in the desert, you learn to watch the area weather closely... one way or the other!

After entering Sinbad Valley and about halfway to the foot of the mountain toward Pace Lake, the road had signs of what it would be like if real wet.

One track or the center of the road was cut up to 24" deep with nearly vertical walls snaking back and forth across the road from rain and snow runoff.

Narrow and off-camber enough to make the view off the lower roadside a dandy for a passenger.

That day, the clay-like surface was just barely damp and it still built up in the tires limiting traction to near nothing. Being here while it rained would be "really dumb".   

Staying out of the deep channel was a full-time job but soon the elevation changed enough that there was a river rock-like surface that was "slow-going" rough.

This gives you some idea of how deep the washes down the road were. This was taken years after and erosion has filled the channel considerably. The ditches were once 3-times as deep and the sides were nearly vertical as they wandered back and forth across the road.

Sinbad Valley is a bowl with 800 - 1400 foot high, near vertical cliffs surrounding all but the Salt Creek canyon.

Millions of years ago, it was a small salty sea that dried up leaving a salt dome the full width of the valley floor. It is thought that the weight of dust blown in over many years, of Utah's southern region, eventually collapsed the dome.

This helps explain that the water going down Salt Creek is about 2/3 as salty as seawater. The creek bottom turns white with salt as the creek recedes and dries.    

Nearing the bottom of the mountain, the road splits. As the general direction toward Pace Lake was to the right, we took the right fork.

In about 200 yards, we came to the remnants of an old log cabin. The current resident (a lizard) ducked for cover as I rummaged around taking pictures. My original thoughts were that this might be a "rustlers" cabin. A reader of this post called me and told me his rancher grandfather had built the cabin. (my story sounded better)

An old rancher's cabin remnants.

Back on the road, we immediately began a steep climb on a loose, rocky shelf road. Another 100 yards brought us to a bad scene. The lower side of the road no longer existed. It was a deep, wide channel at least 3-4 feet deep and about as wide.

After walking up the steep, rocky road nearly a quarter mile, it was determined that this way was not going to be passable without some very serious excavating. We backed down to the cabin and turned around for a look at the other fork.

The left fork of the road circled the foot of the mountain with another fork along the way. Staying right, we came to a wash that looked intimidating.

The close bank was almost 5 feet straight down and then the climb out began exactly at the foot of the mountain. This was no hill for a climber. 

After some "shovel work", we crossed the wash, we began climbing the fairly steep shelf road.

This shows just a little of the off-camber one can expect on the Pace Lake road.

The road narrows as you go with deep V-cuts in the lower side from runoff and many large rocks scattered from the hillside above littered the roadway.

The first mile or so required nearly two hours of work moving rocks over the side and into the V-cuts to slow the erosion and preserve the road for later trips.

Mother Nature had closed the Pace Lake road for at least two years according to the BLM. I wasn't sure what to expect, but we had a goal in mind that drove us onward.

A little way up the mountainside, an old burn is still evident. Old burnt trees still stand though many have fallen or are about to.

Some people don't appreciate a good obstacle when they come to it. This one once provided a terrific view as you drove to the extreme limits of the lower roadside with the inside of your tires clinging to the very edge of doom. Oh well!

Coming to a fork where the eroded road from the cabin intersects, the road begins a steep, rocky, and deeply ditched climb up a clay-like surface.

There was a large burnt fir tree across the road blocking progress just above the intersection. Even ATVs had not been above this for a very long time.

Getting out to see about removing the tree, I looked up and saw a terribly black storm cloud rolling over the mountain above in the direction of where Pace Lake would be.

It was on this corner where the large fir blocked the road for years.

Having the knowledge of what rain meant to the road and creek below, it seemed like a very good time to get out of there.

By the time we hit the bottom of the mountain it had begun to rain. This was not good!

Long before we got to the clay portion of the Pace Lake road, the rain had thoroughly wet it making it exactly slick. Staying clear of the deep cut washes in the road was very difficult, but we were doing well... until a large rock protruding up from the right side of the road left only inches between the left side tires and the deep ditch. Add to that the off-camber leaning toward the deep ditch tripled the danger.

After 4 unsuccessful attempts to pass by the rock, we finally slid into the ditch and became high centered with the axles firmly on the ground. Bummer! Pace Lake had just become very difficult.

As it was raining hard, I decided to wait for the storm to pass (I hoped). After a half-hour, it let up enough to get out without becoming too wet and cold.

Doing the "twist" is common on the Pace Lake Road.

After a quick assessment of the situation, out came the winch line to a nearby tree and soon the recovery from this predicament was over.

Luckily the creek had not swollen much and we left the Pace Lake road for another day.

Note: To continue this story, read PART-2 here.

  One last thought; When you come to a fork in the road, take it! This is where the adventure begins.  

Happy Trails to you.  

Note: Most of the pictures here are from other trips.