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The Quest of 2016 Summer

Ever wanted to explore California to Colorado? My short and sweet adventure in my overland rig.

By: Douglas Hall + Save to a List

What do you think about when you think adventure? We all have a certain thing in mind if we just close our eyes and picture the best trip, we often think of some place utterly amazing. When I think about going on an adventure, it better be a good one. Adventures don't have to be well planned or well thought out. You just need a creative and open mind and be ready to get lost. 

This trip was something I had planned for about 3 weeks in total time before the start. Was my Cherokee ready? No not really. Did I have all the gear I needed for a 3500 mile trip? Nope. Did I have some radical ideas of where to travel? Yes, as a matter of fact I had some unreal things planned for this trip.

We started off from San Clemente, California late in the afternoon, we being my beautiful girlfriend and I. Our first stop was to be somewhere along the trip, most likely in the middle of the California deserts, we ended up making good time so we stopped just past Barstow, California at a campground that is at the head of the Mojave Trail. The campground's name is Afton Canyon Campground, a beautiful river side campground where most Mojave Trail travelers start from!

The next morning we awoke from the campground to a beautiful California sunrise in the heart of the desert. Starting our trek from just past Barstow our next stop would be Breckenridge, Colorado, this would be nearly 845 miles away. Now in most cars you wouldn't come across issues but I found a few as I took off from the desert, first realizing traveling through mainly deserts during the summer and it being the heat of the day I nearly overheated on every pass. Something important to mention is that we also have no air conditioning, this was one of my issues I should have addressed before the start of my trip, oh well! We made it to Breckenridge by about 11:30 at night, arriving to close friends of mine that were already there. They warmed up some hot cider, a must in the Colorado mountains, while I set up our tent for the night. 

The next day waking up to fresh mountain air I was the first up to see the sun. Walking over to my jeep I realized we were right above a mountain creek where we camped so I set out to check out our campsite during the fresh day light. Setting up my hammock near the creek I decided to soak up the beauty, looking out over the snow-surrounding creek with the morning sunrise peaking through the trees I waited for the rest to wake up. I met my girlfriend near the table at our campground and started to set up my Biolite stove, one of my must have's for people who travel via overlanding or camping. These stoves use a more natural approach and you can power it by solely using wood surrounding your campground. After boiling some water and making some coffee we cooked up some eggs and bacon and decided to check out the rest of the surrounding mountainous area.

Setting off across the valley from where we camped we found some amazing areas to explore! Finding a trail to hike after driving down some rough mountain fire roads we decided we must get a hike in! Now if you are wondering what this amazing trail's name is, it is called the Ben Tyler Trail. It is located just off the 285 near Bailey, Colorado. Look it up! It's an amazing trail that needs to be explored because of its beauty, be prepared for some elevation though, it's not for everyone.

This would be the end of our section of the trip on our quest to reach Boulder, Colorado. We had finished the hike that day completing about 10 miles total which wasn't bad for sea level air breathers at over 10,000 feet. 

To find an adventure you must get out, whether it be just behind your house or traveling across the entire world. You need to get out there to find what is waiting for you in mother nature's beauty! Feel free to follow along my adventures and updates on anything outdoors! Explore my friends!

We want to acknowledge and thank the past, present, and future generations of all Native Nations and Indigenous Peoples whose ancestral lands we travel, explore, and play on. Always practice Leave No Trace ethics on your adventures and follow local regulations. Please explore responsibly!

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