TM Towing at 12,000 feet and Summer Snow!

[RockyMtnRay]

Some pics here of my crossing of the Continental Divide on June 22, 2004 via Loveland Pass on US Hwy 6 (the elevation of the pass is actually at 11,991 feet but who quibbles over 9 feet at that altitude? ).

A bit of background. The day before (ironically the 1st day of summer) an intense and very cold "upper air disturbance" had passed over Colorado bringing a lot of precipitation to the mountains. I was camping at Dillon Lake (elev 9000 feet) and had to hole up in the TM due to high winds and ice cold rain (about 35 degrees most of the day). I noticed that every so often during the day there was even some snow mixed with the rain! When the storm partially cleared in late afternoon, I discovered the snow level had been only about 500 feet above me...the mountain sides and trees were just plastered with snow above 9500 feet.

Later I talked to some neighboring campers...they told me they'd gone up on Loveland Pass and encountered severe blizzard conditions...temperatures in the mid 20s, heavy snowfall in 30 to 40 mph winds, snow and icepacked roads, etc. After about a quarter hour of throwing "summer snowballs" they got too cold the and came back down. Shortly after they left the top, the Colo Dept of Transportation (CDOT) closed the road for a few hours due to the ice and snowpack and whiteout conditions.

Now, remember, I'm talking about a 1st day of summer storm here. The next morning (June 22nd) the sky was clear and I could see the high peaks were just gorgeously snow covered. Since this was my go-home day, I decided to make the trip via US 6 over Loveland instead of the usual route through the Eisenhower tunnels on Interstate 70. But being somewhat cautious about things, I also decided to time my crossing of the pass until late morning so that there would be enough time for the summer sun to melt off at least most of the ice and snow on the road.

So, without further ado, here's a pic I took of my rig at almost the top of the pass at around 11 am. The ridge above the road is at about 13,000 feet; the mountain in the far background is Torreys Peak, one of Colorado's 14ers (14,000 foot mountains). As you can see, the road was happily snow free but the mountain sides still had a nice coating.


This is the "Roof of the Rockies" view looking north across the crest of the pass (and the obligatory TM close-up).


And finally, here is my "comin' down the mountain" pic. This is a true "point and shoot" photo...it was taken about a half mile and 500 vertical feet below the top while rolling at about 30 mph...until this point on the descent I'd been much too busy driving to even think about grabbing the camera!

The highway waaaay down below me is Interstate 70 just below the Eisenhower Tunnels (at about 10,500 feet here)...for a sense of proportion here, if you look real close you can see a semi going up the westbound lanes (it's the itty-bitty white object). Above the Interstate is the Loveland Basin ski area...at the photo location I'm actually higher than most of the ski area. The road I'm on (US 6) descends from the photo location to join the Interstate in just three and a half miles with a grade of 6 to 7 percent and 4 hairpin switchbacks. You might also notice the narrow shoulder and total lack of guardrail on the uphill lane...beyond that pavement edge is a 500 foot nearly vertical drop. And be sure to check the rear-view mirror...you can see my TM happily rolling along behind me and the sharp curve I'd just negotiated. For the about the first mile below the pass, the highway (as you can see in the mirror) is really just a narrow shelf on the mountainside.

A few comments about this pass and its approaches. The climb on both sides is a fairly steady 6 to 7 percent grade; coming up the east side the final ascent above the Interstate is 4 miles (but this follows about 12 miles of 5% to 6% grades on the Interstate itself); the climb from the west side is 8 miles. Both sides have several hairpin 10 mph switchback corners...it takes a lot of power to get back up to the 30 mph speedlimit when you come out of those turns. Folks who tow TMs with minivans should not attempt this pass!

Both sides have several miles with 500 to 1000 foot dropoffs below the road; neither side has much in the way of guardrails so those with a fear of heights should probably not take this route.

The pass is usually snowpacked and icy until late April...and it can rapidly become so in almost any summer storm (and for up to several hours after a summer storm). Summer crossings should therefore be planned for mid morning; by afternoon severe thunderstorms with intense and frequent lightening are an almost daily occurrence. Most storms drop snow on the road instead of rain...even in mid summer.

Oh and one last thing...because CDOT normally prohibits hazardous cargo (e.g. gasoline tankers) from going through the Eisenhower Tunnels, this road is actually the hazardous cargo route over the Divide. (Only in winter when this pass is closed by avalanches (a common situation after most winter storms) does CDOT allow hazardous cargo through the tunnels.) Hence, meeting at least one gasoline tanker somewhere along this route is common.

So, out of curiousity, what do y'all think...how many can't wait to give this route a try and how many would never even think about doing it?