...and the fun continues at Day 2 of the Ouray Jeep Jamboree.
Day 2 would take us up to Mineral Point, through California Gulch, and back to Ouray via Corkscrew Pass.
We started out on the steep, rocky section of the Alpine Loop Scenic Trail, heading towards Engineer Pass.
We got some help from our "tailgunner" Herb, who kept an eye on us flatlanders from Ohio. This was one of the more difficult sections of the trail.
With help from Herb, we made it over unscathed.
Our group had lunch at the abandoned mining settlement of Animas Forks. Most of the remaining buildings have been shored up and reinforced and are safe to enter.
After lunch, we headed west into California Gulch.
At the top of Corkscrew Pass, it began to hail...
...and hail...
...and oh, did I mention the hail? At this point, our leader Randy told us to basically get the heck off the mountain, as the hail was accumulating and there was lightning in the clouds. Standing atop a 12,000 foot pass above the treeline in a thunderstorm isn't such a hot idea. It was at about this point where Randy's 1982 Jeep Scrambler developed some carburator problems, and we had to get to the bottom leaderless.
Growing up in Ohio, in an area known as the Snow Belt, a little bit of snow is no big deal. A little bit of snow on a narrow mountain road at 11,000 feet was a little more interesting. I was more concerned with the participants from Texas and San Diego.
Near the bottom, where the hail had turned into regular old rain.
More adventures to come...
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