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Join Sam Blakeslee for an overnight experience in the high country of Colorado. Sam gives us a glimpse into the scenic mountain backdrops, diverse trails, and flowy single track of the alpine. Exemplified by the sounds of two wheels connecting with nature, purity and tranquility are the underlying themes in this short edit.
Featuring: Sam Blakeslee
Filmed and Edited by: Evan Wilson
Words by: Sam Blakeslee
After a summer of risking it on the Revolution Enduro Circuit, my eyes gazed into the high peaks above tree line in Colorado. I questioned where I could ride my bicycle in the alpine. Or a better question, what ranges of peaks existed outside of the wilderness? Of course I embarked on the classics of the Colorado Trail but lore of historic mountain roads, dead ends, and mine tunnels ultimately drove my route planning into the late summer.
Searching to make the most out of the early Friday afternoon, friend and cinematographer Evan Wilson and I set our sights on a picturesque section of trail in Clear Creek County, one of the original 17 counties created by Colorado legislators in 1861. Our evening jaunt linked together historic roads and trails by starting from 9,500 ft. and climbing to a high point of 13,300 ft. before plummeting back down to an old mining shack where we would spend the night. With a quick check of the CDOT cams and an estimation on the lingering snow we might still encounter I called Evan, “I think it goes, one of the last weekends for it.”
Hastily we loaded our gear, drove to the parking lot and began solving the equation of weight to fun ratio on our mountain bikes. Our stomachs grew hungrier as we flowed in the tundra above the trees in the late afternoon. Our descent was nothing short of a race against the dropping sun and temps. After breaking through into pines below the tree line our headlamps illuminated the walls of our accommodation for the evening. Abandoned long ago for its original purpose, it undoubtedly serves the needs of those travelers like us who still wander upon it, or rather plan to go to it based on satellite imaging.
With just a single room and a wood burning stove this historic shack provided us with the peace and warmth we needed after a frigid fall afternoon in the alpine. We sat beside the crackling stove, questioning if the poor mule who brought it up here lived longer than the miner who led 'em. The next morning we climbed back out of the valley, leaving behind a can of beans, some whisky and chopped wood in the historic shack for the next traveler.
Gear Notes
Sam is using the M's Scout Jacket, the M's Skyline Tech LS and the M'sBasecamp Full-Zip.
