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Continental Divide Trail

I left Jared's Wild Rose Ranch at 8:30, it had rained some during the night but the day look promising.  My trip: I turned West on Highway 87 past the Staley Springs turnoff a few miles to the Continental Divide Road.  I had been up here several times in the past and so was familiar with the turn off.  Not much here a sign in the side of the highway, and a gate in the fence.  I turned south here down a short hill, and then enter into a slowly climbing ravine.

They call this a road, and I have been on it before in a dump truck, at least part of the way up.  But after a heavy winter snow, the spring run off, and a lot of rain, the ruts are deep and often I am forced to either startle them or ride between ruts on both sides of the road.

After a couple of miles I reach a fork in the road.  I know from experience that the left fork leads an old Rock quarry, this is where I use to drive the dump truck years ago. 

I've only been up the right fork once before and never very far.  I know that there is a place where it overlooks Henry's Lake, and understand that if you follow it around to it's end, you'll come out near the Red Rock Wildlife Preserve.  I know all of this but have never taken the trail before so I don't know what to expect.  I took my wife and daughter up here earlier this week.  It was there first time my wife had ridden ATVs, though my daughter had ridden with her cousins in the past. 

I should preface this with the fact that my wife is in a wheelchair and has been since she was 13.  She has never had the chance to get off the beaten path and really see the outdoors.  Since we have been married she has relied on me to take photos of the places I take the kids hiking.  But this was the first time that she has really been in nature.  On this trip early in the week we went as far as the Henry's Lake overlook.  I was fearful to take them further as I was unsure of the trail conditions beyond that point.  Having ridden the entire trail now, I feel that I made the correct choice but later this summer when things dry out more, I will take her the full course. 

After a short trip up the left fork to take a few photos for this page, I head up the right fork.  A short way up, I can turn around a see a hidden lake in the distance behind me.  I'll need to take another trip to the lake some day soon.  There are a few places where the road gets steep and I have to downshift the little Quad that I am ridding, But I continue on until I reach the first of the peaks.

here I find a spot where someone has set up a camp with fire pit at some time in the past.  It would be great if I could bring my family up here to camp out, but it would be hard for my wife.  i guess I'll see what happens this summer.

I start down the trail and run into the first of many puddles.  It isn't long until I am wet to my knees, covered with mud, and wondering if I should have brought up a Jet ski instead of a Quad.  After another climb I find myself running into snow, and before long I am able to look down below me and see the snow line.  Burr I should have brought my coat with me but it is mid June and I though this would be a nice warm day.  At least I have a heavy long sleeve shirt and heavy pants on. 

As I look out over the mountains and fields around me I find myself thinking of the Carpenters' song "I'm on the Top of the World"  Though I had plenty of clouds around me I felt like I was indeed on the Top of the World.  In fact looking at the sky, I noticed that the clouds were coming back and if I did not want to get soaked on the top like I was below the knees I better hurry on out of here.

The trail can be deceptive, one minute everything looks fine and you are crushing along, then suddenly you find yourself hitting deep ruts or major rocks.  I needed to be careful and not let my speed build up or I could find myself burred in one of the ruts, or the bottom of my Quad left behind thinks to a unexpected rock.  As I continued on the trail, I passed through what seemed to me to be swamps hidden in the field of grass, I was forced to Forge a small stream, that looks like it might be there year round but who knows. 

I finally made it down to Red Rock Pass, Elevation 7020 Feet.  Here the trail ends as it joins the road leading to Red Rock Wildlife Reserve.  The Sky was looking mean so I decided to forgo the trip into the Reserve and head for home.  Turned out to be a good choice as I barely made it as far as Staley Springs when it started to rain lightly and just as I got back to my trailer the sky opened up and let pour. 

Over all it was a great trip, I came back wet and covered with mud, but with a grin that when from ear to ear.  All my go-workers at Jared's Wild Rose Ranch Resort I made this trip and they didn't even though most of them had went horse back riding last night while I covered the store.