V ol . 159 No. 21 October 7, 2021
On September 26, during the peak of the aspen viewing, the Y Hike J eep Club took to the hills for a day of leaf-peeping, historic structure repair, and great fellow-
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ship. The Y Hikers, many who are F reemasons, veterans and law en orcement officers take annual 4-wheeling trips around Clear Creek County. hey per orm the annual ag
BY DANNY TOMLINSON
raising event on Kingston P eak in J uly and a Santiago Mill winterization trip combined with aspen viewing in September. This week’s trip involved 12 J eeps and one Toyota 4-Runner, affectionately called the “ black J eep of the family.” There were 28 adventurers on board and one small dog.
We went up to Georgetown, then up the Guanella P ass for about 2 miles to the Leavenworth Cree oad turnoff. This is where the road becomes 4-wheel drive only. A s could be expected on such a beautiful and warm day, with the aspens in all of their glory, Guanella P ass was a virtual parking lot. A lthough when we turned off onto the dirt the traffic disappeared and we pretty much had the trail to ourselves—a llowing for numerous stops for picture-taking. A s we traveled up Leavenworth Creek to the Santiago Mill, the aspens showed their
stunning colors at approximately 10,200’ elevation. I n many stretches of the trail, we felt like we were driving through a golden tunnel. The waxing moon setting over the mountain added more beauty to an already magni cent view. We passed the old Waldorf town site and continued upward past a strand of ancient bristlecone pine trees that are more than 1,000 years old. We then continued to the Santiago Mill sitting at 12,200’ elevation, just 1.25 miles east of A rgentine P ass and the Continued on page 8