Sheriff Closes BlackBear Pass

[quote=96EXXLTinCO;299824]It's happening this year.[/quote]

It is a destination trail. Worth the trek. Plus, you'll add in so many other good trails too.

Make it so...

I've done it numerous times and always enjoy it in its entirety, it's more than just the one-way section! If you search for it on YouTube there's a top video of an older couple that's fun to watch, we happened to be right behind them that day so it's fun to re-live it. The woman is a hoot!

Edit - here it is Bill & Effie

[video]https://youtu.be/dr7Nkl0pkJk[/video]

This trail has been on my list for years ever since I heard C.W. McCall sing about it. It's happening this year.

[QUOTE=Chris;299826]I've done it numerous times and always enjoy it in its entirety, it's more than just the one-way section! If you search for it on YouTube there's a top video of an older couple that's fun to watch, we happened to be right behind them that day so it's fun to re-live it. The woman is a hoot!

Edit - here it is Bill & Effie

[video]https://youtu.be/dr7Nkl0pkJk[/video][/QUOTE]

It gets funnier every time I watch it! I love Effie, but I love her husband and his whistling and the music selection better!

Somehow that video gets mentioned or Effie gets impersonated everytime we're on any kind of shelf whatsoever, no matter what size it is. "My heart is in my pants" is probably our most quoted line.

It's a shame the folks down there want to close this.
I understand the strain on the county for recovery, but as I mentioned before the cost should be passed on to the offender!

We offered Effie a ride when she got out at the switchbacks but she told us she was going to walk :lmao:

Old news. The sheriff wants to close it. They county doesn't as it brings in too much revenue. From what I've read elsewhere the sheriff doesn't have the authority.

I think it's foolish to close such a well developed trail. I was just talking to a guy on the trail yesterday about this actually. I think their is a simple solution to keep out inexperienced people, and those in their Subaru just looking to go in the woods to do drugs and leave trash everywhere. Especially on popular trails like this. Just install a gatekeeper at the beginning and the end of the trail so u gotta have not only a well equipped vehicle, but a good driver to make it through the gatekeeper. A simple rock garden, or a really steep Hill u gotta winch up made by a dozer would do it. All others would either get stuck and have to call for a 500 dollar tow truck recovery(which is about what it costs for a tow truck to venture onto a trail), or they would just turn around. A lot of trails would benefit from this. Plus the tow truck companies would love it. For a trail like black bear, it would probably be wise to have a gated bypass for the gatekeepers in case emergency workers, a club doing maintenance, or the forest service needed to get in quickly.

[QUOTE=66sporttop;289799]I agree just last week i was up in estes park running pole hill and a nice jeep was coming out. I stopped them and asked how the trail was and they said they turned around at the bottom of the first hill. Come to find out they were from out of state in a rented jeep (that would have had no problems handling this trail)[/QUOTE]

I respect their decision to turn around. Pole Hill was one of the first trails I ever ran in my NEW Jeep. I had my very young baby girl in a car seat next to me and my husband was ahead of us on his KTM dirt bike. I was very inexperienced and very afraid. Then my husband went over the handle bars of his dirt bike and broke his ankle. (I didn't see it happen). He tried his best to conceal that fact from me as he continued to stop and spot me up that hill. Finally, he was in such pain that he had to tell me what happened and he had to bail out. I managed a turn-around and headed out behind him.

It's NOT a difficult trail but it can be intimidating to newbies - and understandably so. That is not a trail I would suggest to a newbie in a rental Jeep. There is nothing wrong with choosing a much easier one for starters.

I have a friend that owns a 4x4 but never drove it off-road. He announced that he and his family needed to move to Michigan due to personal family reasons. I offered to take him off road and let him be the driver of my Jeep. Our fabulous FR4x4 friend, Rob, agreed to come with us and lead the run! My friend did great and learned a lot. He had the time of had life!