The jeep group is making a trip to Red Cone and Webster Pass. Red Cone
is one of my favorite trails as it offers a variety of terrain with a
high point of fantastic, above timberline, views. I've been on this
trail twice before and both times have progressed to the Radical Hill
trail making for a "thru-trail" day. Today we'll "loop back" via
Webster Pass, a trail I have yet to travel.
Coming down Webster, down in the trees, we were met by a gent standing
at his motorcycle. He asked for a ride back to camp while a riding
buddy would ferry his motorcycle back to camp. It seems a quad came
around a corner, quickly and surprised him as he was progressing uphill
at the corner. It caused him an upset and tumble with an injury to his
left forearm. On the way to his camp near the Red Cone / Webster Pass
eastern trailhead we passed his buddy on the way up for the bike. `hope
everything worked out for he and his group.
With us back to the end of the trails the discussion came of "shall we
tack on another trail today?" Geneva Creek was the trail of interest (I
traveled it a few years ago - an in-and-out with above timberline views
with old mining activity). One in the group headed for home while three
of us decided to make full use of the day (we didn't realize how full
it would be).
Geneva Creek is off of the Geneva / Guanella Pass road, a scenic road
Ken and I first traveled via motorcycle September 1,
2003. Back when Ken and I were on the road - it was not paved fully
paved. Today, it is fully paved and fairly heavily used for a scenic
drive. We'll head from the south end at Grant Colorado north to the
Geneva Creek campground. There are something like 42 campsites along
the Geneva Creek road / trail as it travels higher into the valley. On
this late summer weekend most of the sites were filled.
Up near the end, about timberline, we took the right fork in the trail
and headed to what I call the "north spur" (right most yellow fork on
the map below), to an old mine into Revenue Mountain. Mine entrances
have been either collapsed or gated and locked to keep people out. Most
are collapsed which leaves a depression on the mountainside and no view
into the mine. We went to the mine's collapsed entrance and turned
around - wanting to get to the end of the trail via the left fork
before daylight runs out. We made the short trek to the end which is at
the Sill mine. After a short visit with a few pictures we started to
head out. We noticed, high across the valley at yet another old mine
site (Britannic), a pickup parked sideways on the trail (quite unusual)
with two people walking away. We figured it would be good to see if
they needed a hand.
Driving to the "middle fork" we met to hear of their situation. Up at
the mine site are a couple concrete equipment footings. Each with bolts
protruding to fasten equipment. They caught the driver's side front
tire and ripped the sidewall open (no chance of repair) - and had no
spare tire. One in our group figured his spare could fit so up we went.
If nothing else, we would be able to give the couple a ride out - but
it'd be nice to get the truck out too.
Their truck would need to be pulled out of its stuck location and also
have the tire changed. Having the truck on a flat surface would be
nice. With one vehicle to the high side, the tail end of the truck was
pulled up-slope to the flat area. The available spare tire fit and out
we drove. With their truck back near Denver (closer to home and back
into cell phone range) the spare was returned, we left, and they
awaited family to help.
I arrived home about 12:20am - one long day. It was filled with good
sights and a couple nice offerings of assistance to others.
| 7:00am |
Leave Fort Collins |
| 9:00am |
Meet some in the group at
Bailey Colorado, top off fuel
|
| 9:45am |
Meet at the air-down
parking lot near the trailhead |
| 10:06am |
Head to the Red Cone trail |
| 12:16pm |
Arrive at the peak |
| 12:26pm |
Leave the peak - it was
windy and brisk |
| 12:37pm |
Arrive at the Red Cone /
Webster Pass intersection |
| 1:29pm |
Start down Webster Pass |
| 2:26pm |
End at the Webster Pass
eastern trailhead |
| 2:51pm |
Arrive at the salt shed /
trailer parking / air-up lot. Decide to run
Geneva Creek - but air up the tires a bit as there will be several
miles of asphalt |
| 3:47pm |
Arrive at the junction of
Geneva Creek trail eastern end |
| 5:07pm |
Arrive at the "north fork"
/ Revenue Mountain mine site |
| 5:14pm |
Leave for the western end |
| 5:35pm |
Arrive at the western end
/ Sill mine site |
| 5:52pm |
Leave to check on the
pickup |
| 6:00pm |
Chat with the couple,
drive up to their pickup. Decide we would give it
a try to get their truck turned with perhaps getting a spare tire
installed - or at least give them a ride out |
| 7:59pm |
Start driving out, pickup
under its own power |
| 8:55pm |
Geneva Creek eastern
trailhead - time to air up the tires to road pressure (24 to 32psi vs.
8 to 15psi for trails) |
| 9:15pm |
Head south on Guanella
Pass road to head back towards Denver to a drop spot near the city to
change the spare out again |
| 10:15pm |
Parking area near Denver
to change the spare |
| 10:41pm |
Head back to Fort Collins |
| 12:20am |
Arrive at Fort Collins |
In the map below, we first traveled the Red Cone trail, which is the
red colored line in the left of the map. The associated blue line is
Webster Pass. Those two were in a counter-clockwise loop.
From the Red/Blue for the first two trails, up the map is a black /
yellow line set. That is Geneva Creek.
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