Twin Cone
We saw a little bit of everything throughout the day, including fog, sunshine, rain, hail, lightnening, mud, running water, loose dirt, slippery rocks, and an amazing view at the top of Twin Cone. It made this trail even more challenging than it usually is as things got sloppy and wet. At the end of the day, though, there was no trail damage!
We all left Denver from different places and at different times but we all agreed that it was cold, wet and foggy. It looked like it was going to be a chilly day in the mountains and we half-heartedly looked forward to it as we drove up Highway 285.
Then, around Conifer it suddenly cleared up completely, like driving out of a cloud as we climbed in elevation. The sky was blue and it looked like the weather was going to be perfect.
We left Conifer and drove to Kenosha Pass and the trailhead to air down. Everyone played in the many puddles at the beginning of the trail, enjoying the sunshine with our doors and windows out whenever possible.
We got to the overlook and everyone enjoyed the view, but then as we were getting ready to leave it started to get overcast and it started to rain. Everyone quickly put the windows back in their Jeeps and we started out, just as it started to hail a little bit.
We continued on the trail through the hail as lightening struck less than a mile away. The hail got pretty big and thick around us. By the time we got to the first obstacle the water was pouring down the trail and the hail was really piling up.
By the second obstacle it had cleared up again, though it left everything very muddy and slick. It made the rocks even more challenging but we all made it through.
When we got to the big hill we were all surprised that it was difficult -- it's usually a fun hill but not particularly hard. This time it was very loose and wet and you really had to keep on the gas pedal to make it to the top. Monica and Bob S. made it up, then it was Alanna's turn.
Alanna tried a few different lines but nothing was working -- she kept getting stuck. In the end she ended up sideways on the hill, and in backing down she ended up with her front passenger tire on a foot-tall rock that was uphill, as she was sideways. Her rear passenger tire came up off the ground about three feet and she hovered there, not tipping over and rolling to the bottom. She slowly worked her way to the bottom and rode the rest of the way to the top of Twin Cone with Bob S. Maybe next time, Alanna!
Jason and Dave both went up the big hill and came back down (they went back to Denver after this part). Aaron and Bob R. went up the hill then, keeping it on the gas but not really gunning it up the hill, making it look pretty easy.
We continued on and naturally it got chillier as we got higher in elevation and no longer had the trees to protect us from the wind. Aaron's lockers were acting up and Bob S. had some engine issues but it wasn't anything to prevent all of us from making it to the top at the weather station. It's a rocky trail all the way to the top.
We worked our way down and had decent weather all the way back (though it was cold). The windows were all in this time through so everyone went a little faster through the puddles. That meant we all ended up back at the trailhead covered in muddy water.
We ate at Sweet Fanny Adams in Bailey and found ourselves in the middle of a Bailey festival of some sort. It had an Irish theme and there was someone playing the bagpipes, another playing a fiddle, and a tap show at the end. We had a great meal and went home happy and tired.
Reports from Other Days: 6
Use the arrows or dots to flip through the previews of the other reports for Twin Cone. Click one of them to read more and see all of the photos from that day.
