Vapor Trail 125 - Alpine Tunnel to bottom of Old Monarch Pass road

This section is on the western slope of Contintental Divide. The 2nd Vapor Trail Aid Station will be just west of the Divide, in the first mile of this section. Begins with 1000 foot descent, then 1000 foot climb back to Tomichi Pass. From Tomichi Pass you'll have a technical descent on remote jeep road, moderating into graded gravel road as you pass through the town of Whitepine. South of Whitepine you'll reach the bottom of the Old Monarch Pass Road, and the end of this section.

This section will give your shoulders some work, to even out what you did to your legs in the prior section.

Video from Tomichi Pass, shot 6-20-2005 (last day o' spring):

• Panning video, narrated. Hollywood Quality 7.7 MB
• Panning video, narrated. Peepshow Quality 3.1 MB

Pictures from a trip over the Alpine Tunnel 7-24-2005:

West side of Alpine Tunnel

Note the ledge that was built for the railroad under the rock formation (center-left in the picture) known as the Palisades

Here's an up-close picture of the Palisades: note the precision of the wall built from non-uniform rock chunks without morter.

Recommended?? I've driven Tomichi Pass with my 4wd. I doubt I'd do it again, unless it was in someone else's 4wd!

Pictures from the Tomichi Pass Road, also shot 6-20-2005:

Brittle Silver Basin, your snow-covered route below.

Looking down the way the course will take you...

To a road that looks like this. And...

This.

A couple miles of bumpy, and then you'll get to the tiny town of cabins called Whitepine, which looks like this:

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