First off let me share the GPS tracks, here they are on Google.
http://maps.google.com/maps?msid=204...10378&t=h&z=13

Here they are for those that want to download them, and use them:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/6036376/GPX%...toPassArea.gpx

So July 17th 2011 started with ECW saying he would meet me at my house and we would trailer out to Mosquito Pass to check it out. I tend to not check time, but I believe we left at 9:30am from Monument, CO.

Once out there we parked and unloaded, more to come about parking out there later on in this thread.

Its a quick blast up Mosquito Gulch Rd to the Upper Mine where we found this:


Even if you get past that first drift you still got the one blocking the narrow road:


ECW decided to give it his all:




Guys on ATV's rolled up and we thought they be able to get through giving us a good track. But as they try they did not get all that far either.



So we decided to go and checkout one of the side routes, which by the way had very very very deep water crossings...doable but you don't want to stall in the water then you might be in trouble.

The side route took us to this:


That had a nice view of the Upper Mine:


and a sweet view of Mosquito Gulch:


We then headed back to the Upper Mine and the ATV guys had given up, but there were a couple of young guys on dirt bikes trying to get through. They too gave up. I mentioned about this road going up (FR856 as I had never done it before), they told us it went to another mine and they would go over there too. So we followed them over.



This is looking back at the Upper Mine from FR856: