06.06
Jefferson, Colorado – Ahh, Kenosha Pass. Back in the day, Kenosha was a post office and railroad stop for the Denver , South Park & Pacific Railroad, a narrow-gauge that was used mainly by miners to transport their ore. The name Kenosha is likely derived from a tribe of Chippewa Indians that once inhabited this beautiful country. The Ute Indians also thrived in this territory. Now, with the natives gone and the railroad tracks long having been dismantled, all that remains is an extensive network of trails nestled among aspen and pine trees that’s treasured by hikers, bikers, and four-wheel drivers alike.
There were two trips scheduled for this day- Twin Cone and Kenosha . Having learned that Ralph Bradt would be leading Kenosha , I knew two things were certain: the weather would be perfect (my husband, Craig, is convinced that as long as Ralph is around, the weather is always pleasant) and he would likely know the trails better than anyone else. After all, forestry IS his profession, and this was his backyard. Once Ali’s group left for Twin Cone, we gathered around for a few kind words and talked about how nice of a day it was going to be with such a small group. The participants were Jim Hall with his ‘66 Series 88”, Ralph and his dog, PITA (NOT like the bread) in his ‘70 Series IIa, Channing Odell in his ‘95 Discovery, with his son, Tyler, riding passenger, Jennifer Colorbrown driving Jim’s ‘87 Range Rover Classic, with passenger Destine, and myself in my ‘96 Discovery.
After a short drive towards Kenosha Pass , we stopped to regroup along Park County Rd 60, which is in the Pike NF. This is the same road you would take to get to Webster Pass and Red Cone. Ralph pulled out a map that was Forest Service-issued, and had made copies of them for us. It was like holding a map to a pirate’s treasure, as there were trails laid out that are not on your standard issue topo. Cool! As we looked over our newly acquired booty, Ralph perused over the map and reminisced of fishing the beaver ponds as a younger lad.
The trail started out with a nice gradual uphill that lead to some excellent campsites tucked away in a meadow that ran along a nice creek. Hmm…there may be some fishing possibilities. After about 2.5 miles, we came to a great river crossing that was much deeper than we had anticipated. Jennifer plowed through the creek rather quickly, and the water rose to an impressive level on the Range Rover’s bonnet, but she made it through without a hitch. We passed an old shooting area and then continued on a narrow uphill section that was once a cattle-drive road. After a nice break to stretch our legs and observe the huge campfire ring that was left, a discussion ensued concerning Leave No Trace ethics, and how it is important for us to leave the lands better than we had found them. Jim collected some rubbish that had been littering the ground and soon we were back on the trail.
The trail slowly decreased in elevation and soon we were touring through aspen trees with their leaves still new and bright green. We came across some handgliders who appeared to have already landed, but their crafts were still amazing to see. After a quiet lunch atop a rock outcropping overlooking the South Park and Fairplay areas, we headed down towards Hoosier Creek Valley, which eventually took us back to 285. Some of us, still wanting to play on the trails, took advantage of the nice weather (a la Ralph) and headed back up towards Webster Pass. What a pleasant day for a Sunday drive.
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