Slaughterhouse Gulch
We found snow and very chilly temperatures on Geneva Creek, so we headed over to Slaughterhouse Gulch to stay lower in elevation. That would increase our chances of better weather. We picked the right trail and had fantastic weather for the rest of the day, with almost all of the aspen trees covered in yellow leaves. We even saw a lot of leaves on the trail, making everything really scenic.
We talked about how we used to do Slaughterhouse Gulch all the time, and how it was once one of our favorite trails. It had really changed a lot since our first trip there. Stump Hill and its whoopdeedoos was long closed, and the mud pits were gone. Even Poser Rock wasn't as much of a challenge, so we skipped it. It was a bit of a bummer, seeing how much it had changed, but there were some good changes, too.
We enjoyed the first part of the trail because the scenery was so amazing. When we got to the wide spot at the top of the descent down into the gulch, a vehicle came up from that direction. It was weird, because the trail is usually driven in the counterclockwise route. The driver was running up ahead of a vehicle towing another one, though, and it was out of commission. That made sense, to come up that way. We hung out for a bit and waited, and it didn't take long for them to get up to where we were. Then we headed down.
There were quite a few more people out riding the trail, but everyone was happy to be out and we didn't get in anyone's way. The descent was uneventful, and we didn't find any mud to speak of at the bottom. The big hole was still there, and we were sure it was still filled with muddy water in the spring.
When we got to the open area at the bottom we parked for a bit. We were using the new club camera and we had to do some test shots. Everyone else was wandering through the yellow aspens taking pictures of everything, it seemed. The RC buggies were out and everyone was enjoying the time together.
We eventually headed up and out of the gulch. Though that hill used to be difficult, it wasn't much of a challenge for anyone this time. When we got to the top, though, we had a blast. There were big, eroded spots with rocks to enjoy, and we all found our fun there. We got flexy and everyone was smiling.
There was another rocky spot that was good, and the rest of the trail was scenic without any places that caused anyone troubles. That meant we were soon out at the trailhead and airing up.
Monica, Matt, and their passengers decided to check out the Bucksnort Saloon because we finished so early. The restaurant and bar were really cool and we didn't regret the trip out there, but the service and food were pretty bad. Apparently, the local news had mentioned the place as a destination after aspen viewing, and they had been slammed all day. Still, we had a decent time and managed to head for home when it was still pretty early. It was a great day of wheeling.
Reports from Other Days: 14
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