Pass Patrol December 1998 Campfire Tales

The most frequent request we heard this year was for more trails in Colorado. It’s here and the sub-title is 4X4 Getaways of Colorado. It comes with a long list of day trips & weekend trips close to the front range. It also includes enough trails and roads in the Vail – Leadville area to fill several long weekends. The book ends with a touring trip across western Colorado from Glenwood Springs to Dinosaur National Monument, then back to Grand Junction. Thirty different trails and access to many more.

The index includes: Baxter Pass Bill Moore Lake Blair Mountain Calamity Ridge Camp Hale Cathedral Bluffs Coal Ridge Democrat Mountain Dinosaur National Monument Holy Cross City Hubbard Cave Jenny Creek Kingston Peak Lime Creek Lone Star Maze Miller Creek Ptarmigan Pass Red & White Mountain Resolution Peak Road 705 Roan Cliffs Rollins Pass - East side Rollins Pass - West side Shortcut to Fall River Slide Lake Spinning Wheel Gulch Storm King Mountain Transfer Trail Wurts Ditch Yoder Gulch THIRTY TRAILS! LOADED WITH DAY TRIPS! LOTS OF WEEKEND TRIPS! Great Campfire Tales!

A mountain biker had warned Trapdoor and me not to go down Yoder Gulch. He said it was really nasty. Normally a comment like that becomes an irresistible dare but neither of us accepted the challenge on that day. We were too busy with another destination. “But that was then. This is now. The Outlaw is back.”

I had no way of knowing Trapdoor had gone down Yoder Gulch the day before. He and some friends had driven all the way from Denver just to see what was there. I also had no way of knowing how much difficulty they had getting down that trail. Or how much damage they had sustained. Trapdoor caved in the whole side of his truck when it slipped on some mud and went sideways into a tree. But then, it wouldn’t have mattered much if I had known. I would have gone anyway. Man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do!

Just as I pulled off the Wurts Ditch road and onto the Yoder Gulch road, Mother Nature decided it was time to water her lawn. I still had an hour before dark and according to my Magellan Colortrak GPS, it was only about six miles to Highway 24. Now, I figured a fella aughta be able to go six miles in an hour even if it was raining. Head’um up! Roll’um out!

Yoder Gulch wasted no time in letting me know it was gonna be a long six miles. Mother Nature must have had to go answer the phone because the water stopped coming down. I was slipping and sliding on wet surfaces trying to keep from getting into ruts deep enough to high center a farm tractor. There wasn’t much room to maneuver. The road was narrow with heavy brush on both sides. The first crossing of Yoder Creek involved going off a steep step and up another one on the other side. Apparently, the road was once heavily used. A very significant bridge once spanned that crossing. Much of that bridge is still there but not enough of it to be of any use. The first two miles quickly used up half of my remaining daylight. Mother Nature finished her phone call and came back to water some more of the lawn.

The section after the creek crossing contained deep ruts, lots of mud, and huge boulders that were buried in the muck. The Rodeo’s skid plates began to earn their keep. All those obstacles kept the pace to barely above a crawl. Once again, Mother Nature ran off to answer her phone and the water stopped coming down.

The road headed down to creek level again but didn’t actually cross it. The route going down had lots of running water and more boulders buried in the muck. After a short run beside the creek, the road turned uphill. That climb took several tries. It was so slippery, I kept sliding toward a tree. I wonder if that was the tree Trapdoor liked so much.

Once I reached the higher level, the road split. I glanced at the computer screen to see what Street Atlas had to offer. The program did not show the road, however, it did show the creek and the obvious route to take would be the one following the creek. I turned left which took several tries due to the density of the forest at that point. In some places, there wasn’t much room between the trees, even for a Rodeo. Once again, the road dropped to creek level and made a sharp right turn between two more trees. It crossed the creek and began following the north bank. By that time, all my daylight was gone, however, there was still enough dusk left that I could make out shadows without turning on the headlights. Mother Nature returned to watering her lawn and this time she was determined to do it right. Street Atlas showed that I was less than a mile from the highway.

The road turned north and came to a steep, almost vertical drop off leading to railroad tracks below. I checked the Eagle County #4 map and could see that the road once crossed where the tracks are now laid. Apparently, that crossing was destroyed by the railroad. There is now an access road running along side the tracks in a north/south direction. I eased the Rodeo down the steep step and onto the access road. According to Street Atlas, the closest crossing was at Pando. I turned north and followed the road to Pando.

When Camp Hale was being used by the army, Pando was the railroad station serving the area. There is nothing left of that station today. The road crosses the tracks and intersects with Highway 24 between mile posts 158 and 159.

Boy I should not have gone to that BLM Open House on Grand Staircase. It really ruined my evening. Comments were not expected or welcome. We were instructed that we have until Feb 12 to mail in our comments. Everyone was to sit down, shut up, and watch the movie. The so-called “preferred” Alternative B closes the roads in 60% of the monument!
Alternative C closes 70%.
Alternative D closes 83%.
Alternative E closes 62%.

The only alternative that makes any sense at all is Alternative A which is the do-nothing alternative. It would take a major public rebellion to get that one to even be considered. In other words, YOU would have to vote for Alternative A by actually sending a letter to the BLM. As the movie stated, it only exists because the law requires that it be one of the options. Oh well. For now I’ll send my letter (included below). They hate letters from us. According to law, they can’t ignore them no matter how badly they want to. They must count the number of responses in favor of Alternative A and if that is what the majority wants, they must accept it or throw the entire program out the window and start over. Either action would be a major victory in our favor. My letter is on this page. If you don’t want to write your own, copy mine and send it in. If you want to read the various plans being offered, they are at: http://www.ut.blm.gov/monument

Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument
337 S. Main, Suite 010
Cedar City, UT 84720

There is only one alternative in your selection that keeps President Clinton’s promises, and that is Alternative A. The plan that your people describe as the “do-nothing” plan.

“Under the proclamation, families will be able to use this canyon as they always have – the land will remain open for multiple uses including hunting, fishing, hiking, camping and grazing.”

“Multiple uses.“ Those were the exact words of President Clinton. You can find them on your very own web site. On another page stored on that same site, the following clarification is added.

“Existing uses under Federal or State laws – such as hunting, camping, travel, hiking, backpacking and other recreational activities – will continue.”

Two years later, you are proposing to close all the roads within in 60% of the monument, locking out the elderly, the handicapped, and the physically impaired. So much for families will be able to use this canyon as they always have.

I urge you to implement Alternative A. The plan your people describe as the “do-nothing” plan. That one at least comes close to keeping President Clinton’s promise.

“Under the proclamation, families will be able to use this canyon as they always have – the land will remain open for multiple uses including hunting, fishing, hiking, camping and grazing.”

December 1998 Campfire Tales

by Larry Heck of

PASS PATROL