Crossing the Continental Divide « Sharp – Canada's Magazine for Men

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$Land Rover showcases its vehicles by letting a lucky few pilot them on some truly challenging off-road tracks. Sharp was recently invited into that inner circle. By <a href="http://sharpformen.com/author/rod-cleaver/">Rod Cleaver</a><div id='nr_fo_top_of_post'></div><p></p> <div id="_mcePaste"> <div id="_mcePaste"></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The latest excursion involved travelling to Telluride, Colorado, to drive the Continental Divide across the San Juan mountain range.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Originally settled in the late 1800s, the tiny hamlet has grown from a mining supply town to a ski destination for many of Hollywood’s biggest stars. The fact that Telluride is so hard to reach partially explains its allure to these frequent visitors.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Our trip coincided with the twentieth anniversary of an expedition that saw a group of Special Edition Range Rovers become the first motorized vehicles to complete a North-South crossing of the Continental Divide. Meanwhile, our present-day journey was an illustration of just how capable the latest crop of Range Rovers and Land Rover LR4s are.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">As we left Telluride, climbing up along a residential road at the town’s edge, the road surface began to deteriorate. Soon enough the homes became farther and farther apart until there just wasn’t any flatspace for a residence, and barely enough for a vehicle. At times there was little more than a few inches between the tire sidewall and a few-thousand-foot ride down a cliff.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Reaching the highest point of our journey on the first day, we travelled to the top of Imogene Pass, 13,114 feet above sea level. At this altitude conservation of energy is vital as oxygen is scarce, and at least one of our group fell ill with altitude sickness. The road up to this point, however, offers spectacular vistas of forested mountains, valleys and breathtaking waterfalls. The word missing from this description is “unspoiled”. The roads we traveled were originally built as mining trails, which allowed workers to access the gold and silver in the San Juan hills. Whole sections of mountainside were clear-cut during this period to use as fuel for steam boilers. Today most of the tree line has grown back, however there are still mine tell-tales scattered around the valleys. The area exists as a poignant window into life during this critical period of American history.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">The second leg of the trip was traversing the deadly Black Bear Pass. The entire journey had been a warm-up to this downhill encounter. The pass is actually a series of switchbacks carved into the face of a mountain cliff. The first turn requires a leap of faith and trust in your instructor. The whole way down his guidance meant the difference between life and death, particularly on the sections that require three- or sometimes four-point turns. At times the front of our Land Rover was hanging over the 5,000-foot drop-off. The ‘pucker factor’ was substantial. Eventually all vehicles made it safely down the hill, even though three vehicles had to change tires due to sharp rocks causing punctures.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Throughout the expedition we encountered other travelers crossing these trails as part of a recreational experience, and these were perhaps the defining moments of our journey. What the drive instructor was trying to impress on us is that these opportunities exist for everyone. There is no cost to drive this or similar routes; if you are competent and share a love for the outdoors, take your new Land Rover or Range Rover out into the hills and experience what it was built to do.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">After leaving the mountain we passed some of the purpose-built rock-crawler 4x4s that could barely maintain a 40 km/h pace on the city streets. As we blasted by in our leather-trimmed cabin, I finally understood the Land Rover’s ‘breadth of capability.’</p> <p></p> </div> </div> <p></p> <div id='nr_fo_bot_of_post'></div> <span id="pty_trigger"></span>$

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