Colorado is one of those states that you somehow always hear something about. Either stories about the towering mountains that touch the sky, the layers of different ecosystems; luscious forests, alpine wildernesses, and high desert. It's something out of a dream, a sort of outdoors-persons paradise. I never really believed any of the stories I've read or been told, maybe believe isn't the right word since I had my own imagination of what Colorado looked like. Visiting Colorado not only confirmed all the magical stories I've heard, but expanded on the reality of them. The adventure here concreted in a mystical place that truly has something to offer for anyone.
Special Note:
I've given a lot of thought and instead of cramming a lot of the more unique parts of the adventure into one "too big to read" post, Black Bear Pass, Engineers Pass, and other "more in depth" sections will be their own post! If you're reading this before I've put in the links to said posts, keep checking back or watch your email for notifications on when they are live!
Into the Mountains
Chris and I had driven around 10 or 11 hours the Saturday after we received the call from our other friends in Colorado. We drove hard, getting into camp at around 9 or 10 pm if I recall.
Having driven up the trail at dark, we had no idea what we were getting into. The magical thing about driving at night, you see the path but it quickly fades in and out, you never really see what else is more then a few feet from the truck. Even with the mega light-bars on the front, the trees quickly block any light from escaping. Waking up the next day, we were met with this view:
This beautiful gem, nestled in between what seemed like endless mountains and towering trees. The trail at night had given little insight of the beauty that awaited us in the morning. Our campsite was nestled in the corner of a flat clearing, which I believe was totally natural, as there had been no signs of logging.
Simply amazing. I was taking in the view while the others offered to get breakfast around. What better than some cinnamon rolls in a dutch oven and some bacon on the side? Can't say no to that. Don't forget the coffee!
It being Sunday and all, our two other friends had to be back home for work. So all good things must come to an end, we packed up camp and left this magical place to return to the city.
City Life
Once we returned to Denver, I was offered to stay a few days (read: it was more like 2 weeks) at my buddy's house. I took this time to explore the city and did some venturing out to Mt. Evans and Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP).
During this time we also got a new swing-out bumper added to the truck. This allowed us to move the spare to its proper home and off the top of the cab.
Update (2022): I've since replaced this bumper with a bumper of higher quality from Relentless Fabrication.
Range Day
One of the things I love about Colorado is the wilderness feels like such, and you can shoot just about almost everywhere. Some general common sense and gun safety rules apply, but other wise, traveling down Rampart Range Road reveals plenty of places to pull off and throw some lead around.
After having some fun at the range we headed back into the city. A couple days later I headed off to Rocky Mountain National Park for a few days. As much as I want to talk all about that right now, it would be a disservice to not give it the full attention it deserves in its own post. So I will leave you with a teaser photo. If you happen to be reading this after the RMNP post was made, there will be a link to it below as well.
To Be Continued...
As much as I would love to keep talking about my many adventures in Colorado, as stated above, I want to keep each post manageable for readers. This allows me to go into more detail on sections of the adventure like RMNP and Black Bear Pass. it also allows you guys to more easily find the event you're interested in!
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Add-on: Rocky Mountain National Park
Chevy Overlander
