My ATV friends have wanted to take me up on the Red Cone - Webster Pass trail for a long time. This trail is rated "difficult" in sections. It is not great for those who fear heights, but I don't fear them particularly, just respect them.
The ride to the tree line was difficult in terms of the big boulders and washouts. My biggest trail riding challenge is learning how to ride up the side of a boulder with one side of the machine only to find a hole in the trail on the other side of the machine. My ATV gets pretty tippy in these situations.
We climbed a "alpine tundra" trail above the tree line up to the top of Red Cone. It was a steep climb. We took a couple of the obligatory photos. The winds were 40 to 50 mph up there. Jet stream. Then we road the steepest descent I've ever been on. I estimate it at 45 degrees or so. It was about a quarter of a mile long. The engine brake on my Can Am worked perfectly checking my speed without me using the brakes at all. This was also the case for my friends Arctic Cats. You must pay attention as the sides of the trail are pretty steep. It is easy to slide the wheels on the loose gravel. I made it down okay.
Then we rode the "ridge trail" across the top of Red Cone. Again, pay attention as wondering off the trail would be a disaster on one side. This trail also had some pretty big boulders to navigate on the downhill side. I knew it was tough when my friend slowed to 1 mph to get over them and not end up on his nose. I followed his tracks as he has 25 years of experience in the mountains. This was the most difficult part of the trail for me.
Finally, we rode back down to the valley on the "shelf trail", steep drop off on one side, steep incline on the other. Down, down we went and back into the trees and out of the winds. Better.
Overall it was a spectacular day for this newbie. I earned the Red Cone Merit Badge. This experience helped my experience in trail riding in the Rockies.
David
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