Alpine 14ers: We go to Lake City for some great wheeling

In July members of Patrol 14 headed out to Lake City for some 4 wheeling on trails in that
area. We had been to Ouray in 2019 and decided to try trails on the Lake City side this
year.

On Friday, Bill, Gary and Daryl headed out to the American Basin with Gary in the lead.
The trail to the American Basin is definitely not challenging; however, the American Basin is
a beautiful area to see when you are in the Lake City area. Trudy and Cheryl took
advantage of the many photography opportunities. After spending some time to taking in
the scenery, we decided to head back down the trail to the ghost town of Sherman where
we found a nice quiet secluded spot for lunch. Flies and mosquitoes were horrible, which
shortened our lunch break. After lunch, we continued on to the Sherman ghost town.
There is not much left there, but it is a great trail with some nice challenges. If you are in
that area, take the time to explore this hidden gem.

On Saturday we met at the lake and the group headed out to run the Alpine Loop and
surrounding trails with Gary in the lead. Joining us on Saturday were Daryl, Bill, John, and
our two guests Ron Lucas and Roy Railsback. We first did a quick run up to American
Basin so those who were not on the trail run Friday would have the opportunity to see this
beautiful area. From the American Basin we headed to Cinnamon pass to start our journey
for the day. There was lots of traffic at the start of the trail, so it took us awhile to get up to
California Gulch. The journey was slow, but the scenery was beautiful. We decided to stop
in Animas Fork for lunch. Just as we were approaching the parking areas the rain started,
so lunch was eaten in the jeeps. After lunch we headed up Poughkeepsie Gulch. The rain
started again but that didn't stop us. Along the way, we crossed paths with 8 old Flat Fender
jeeps. Most of these guys were using tarps to keep semi-dry. It was pretty neat seeing all
those oldies. We soon passed them and continued up Poughkeepsie where the fun really
started to take shape. The rain continued to follow us, but we were all staying dry (unlike the
Flat Fender Boys). The views were spectacular, and the trail was full of fun challenges.
Roy is an experienced 4-wheeler so there was no concern for his driving capabilities. Ron,
on the other hand is new to wheeling at this level. As a matter of fact, he had just taken
delivery of his new JL Rubicon. He did a great job of tackling all the obstacles without fear
and little to no spotting. If you are not familiar with Poughkeepsie, it's a very long trail that
will keep you on your toes. When we reached Engineer Pass the rain was still coming
down. We started our trek down to Lake City. We arrived in Lake City about 7 p.m. That
was a very long day, but you just can't beat the fun and the spectacular views we
encountered.

Sunday started out as the previous days, clear, cool, and beautiful. Meeting at the lake
were Gary, Bill, John and our guests, Roy and Ron. We headed out to Wagner Gulch. This
is a nice little trail that passes the ghost town of Carson City. Lots of buildings are still
standing. As a matter of fact, the entire site is for sale.

.
On Monday, Gary and John were the only Patrol 14 members still in Lake City so they
headed off to be tourists in Creede.

This is a gorgeous area (as seen above) and is well worth you time to see.

Our Leader (and wife) Gary and his YJ. Gary did a great job of organizing, planning and leading the entire weekend. I am really grateful for his efforts.