Doing Colorado Mechanized
Jeeps, Scouts, Bikes, High Passes, & Ghost Towns
There's plenty of Colorado for foot-powered and motor-powered people to co-exist. You can't do the same sorts of things on foot that you can in a jeep, and you can't generally climb mountains with a jeep. There's a lot of neat stuff out there to explore, like the ghost towns of Red Mountain and Carson and the passes around Tomichi, that would require us all not to have jobs to get to on foot. It's just a lot of territory to cover. Since I don't want to burden the welfare system, I do that stuff in a jeep.
I'm not going to give away our best trails, favorite places (like to picture link to this on the front page), or secret camping sites, but would like to tell viewers the standard stuff to keep the privilege of 4x4ing open to all of us. Stay on the road with the trucks and bikes; Use old campsites and campfire rings if you have fires; Take your and other peoples' trash out with you; Tread Lightly so the econuts don't get too nuts at us (they have a lobby too).
A couple of links that might be useful:
Colorado Trail Reports from 4x4now.com
A Treatise on Trail Ethics
Four-Wheeling Rules (excerpted from article by C. Quinnell)
Dents add character; rips in metal add major character. If you don't believe in these principles, you'll be limited in how you can use your 4x4.
Try different lines. If the vehicle in front of you took a line, you already know that one can be done. If there's another line, try it.
Bumpers don't count. If you are counting scratches and dents (or trying to avoid them), bumpers don't count - that's why they're called bumpers.
As long as a component still functions, it doesn't need to be replaced.
Carry the right spares. You know what your vehicles weak points are, so carry the spare parts you're most likely to need and the tools required for the repair.
The component you can't fix or didn't bring a spare for will break.
If your tires always stay on the beads, you haven't aired down enough. You have to go over the edge to learn exactly where enough is. A similar rule pertains to rolling your vehicle.
Bring your own jack. Yeah, someone else on the trail will probably have a Hi-Lift, but bring your own. Undoubtedly someone in camp will have beer, but you don't count on drinking theirs, right?
It's much more manly to ask for a hook than to waste lots of other peoples' time by taking 30 tries at one obstacle.Unless those watching have decided that you're providing great entertainment, if you take more than a few tries at each obstacle, you're making a long day for everyone behind you.
Only one spotter! Nothing is less helpful than four or five spotters (all with good intentions) giving different directions to a driver. Let the driver pick his spotter. However, that doesn't mean you shouldn't speak up if extreme danger is imminent.
Only stack rocks when the driver asks for it. Some drivers hate rock stacking. ...try a different line or ask for a strap so the trail remains just as challenging for those behind [you].
Pick up all the trash you see. Carry a trash bag with you every time you go off road, and fill it up.
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There's plenty of Colorado for foot-powered and motor-powered people to co-exist. You can't do the same sorts of things on foot that you can in a jeep, and you can't generally climb mountains with a jeep. There's a lot of neat stuff out there to explore, like the ghost towns of Red Mountain and Carson and the passes around Tomichi, that would require us all not to have jobs to get to on foot. It's just a lot of territory to cover. Since I don't want to burden the welfare system, I do that stuff in a jeep.
I'm not going to give away our best trails, favorite places (like to picture link to this on the front page), or secret camping sites, but would like to tell viewers the standard stuff to keep the privilege of 4x4ing open to all of us. Stay on the road with the trucks and bikes; Use old campsites and campfire rings if you have fires; Take your and other peoples' trash out with you; Tread Lightly so the econuts don't get too nuts at us (they have a lobby too).