Ursus_Maritimus70
Aug 2019
Such a cool experience. My wife and I had never been off-roading but the team put us at ease right away and we had an amazing time. We can't stop showing all our friends and family videos on our phone from the trip! We went to spots that would have otherwise been impossible for us to know about or get to.
We met Alma and Brandon in Idaho Springs and followed them to the trailhead through Georgetown. Along the way, Brandon ran through the history of the area, the various mines we passed and the industry's connection to what we were about to do (most of the trails are old mining access routes). Some great stories and we got comfortable driving and using the radios.
They both took great care to make sure we were comfortable and fully briefed on what to do and why -- letting the air out of the tires, engaging the sway bar, etc. All very cool stuff. Once we were set up, we were off and running up the trail. Brandon drove in his Jeep ahead of us and talked us through the technical parts. We never felt like it was easy but were never frightened or anxious either.
The best parts were the two creek crossings - you haven't quite lived until you've driven a vehicle through what looks like a very swift river. Again, Brandon went first and talked us through it (we both got to do our own unique crossing) so we were super comfortable giving it a try. Alma also had great tips, was very encouraging and got great videos of us so we could show everyone how badass we were!
After a morning of great adventure we made it to the top of our trail. We couldn't go any further because there was still 10 feet of snow on top. In June. Crazy! It was very remote - it seemed incredibly untouched and was gorgeous. These are places you just CAN'T get to unless you have a ton of experience and a lot of time and gear -- or Brandon and Alma.
We had a wonderful time. High recommend, we can't wait to do another trail with them again soon.