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The James Peak Mystery Truck.

2K views 23 replies 9 participants last post by  RokGoblin 
#1 ·
I originally posted this on advrider - but I'm cross posting it here in hopes that someone knows the story? :drinks:

For years, during the Jekyll & Hyde Ride, we would stop at the James Peak overlook and you could see a pickup truck that someone had (apparently) driven off the cliff and crashed/stuck half way down.

We'd look and ponder how on earth it got there, how many beers were involved, and whether the person was still with us, etc..

Here's Opie on July 13, 2008 on the 2nd Jekyll & Hyde Ride at the James Peak overlook.
You can see The Mystery Truck glistening in the late afternoon sun...




I just discovered Google Earth has historical images - here's a satellite capture of that truck on 10/2/2011 - note the path near the truck I've highlighted with an orange arrow for a common reference between the following images:



Here's another image from 2011:




Going back with historical satelite data, we can see the truck has been there quite some time - you can even see it in January 17 imagery from 2005 in the snow:


We even have a window of when the accident occured: It was not there on or before 10/11/2004 - so sometime between October 11, 2004 and January 17, 2005.



Fast forward to October 9, 2015 and the truck is gone!!?!



Where did it go?

Did the greenies lobby and whine until the taxpayer footed the bill for a retrievel?
How would you even retrieve it?
I'd love to know the story of this truck... how it got there.. how it got removed.
One of the mysteries of life I guess...
 
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#2 ·
The plot thickens!

Did an avalanche take it further down perhaps?
Zoomed out on the area back when the truck was there:


Looking further down the chute in the latest imagery - is that the truck upside down?



I can't wait until Spring to hike out there and find out :lurk

Maybe if I'm lucky I'll find Forrest Fenn's treasure inside! :photog
 
#5 ·
Tried looking into myself but havent found anything. Pretty interesting...
 
#6 ·
Subbed. I've never heard of this before, but its incredibly interesting. Awesome deduction powers, Sherlock.
 
#7 ·
Looks like its only 350 some feet from the James Peak trail below it. Might have to plan a hiking trip to take a look
 
#8 ·
Here's another angle:

I've highlighted in Yellow the Kingston Peak (legal) motorized route.
I've highlighted in Red the legal hiking trail that goes to James Peak Lake.
I've highlighted in Blue the legal hiking trail that goes to the top of James Peak.

I think to find the truck, parking at P1 and taking the red route would probably work best. That said, I plan also on parking at P2 and going over and looking over the edge the truck drove off of ... just to appreciate what that might have been like.

P1 is where Opie is standing in the initial photo.

 
#9 ·
I could have sworn I saw a thread on a different forum regarding it's extraction late last summer, but IIRC it was a JKU...Looking at your timeline though, it couldn't have been a JK since they didn't exist yet.
 
#11 ·
That was probably the one that went off the Webster shelf that you are remembering?



I don't believe so...this one had been sitting for over a year if not longer and was completely stripped out and riddled with bullet holes. I'll keep digging to figure out where I read about that one...
 
#18 ·
The story I was told was it was brand new.. owners first time out and he got stuck in the pictured location in the first photo on webster pass. Winter weather moved in before it could be extracted so it spent the winter out there.
When they went back in the spring - the 2nd photo is how they found it (i.e. avalanche).
 
#19 ·
Wow thats crazy! Wonder if their insurance covered it.
 
#24 ·
So Ed...did you ever make it out to see if it's still there? I have a pair of binoculars 8x40 I think. I'm healed up from my torn calf muscle, and my Jeep has brand new tires and a new(to me) radiator. Let's go go go next weekend if it's not too late. I have plans this weekend, but might be able to go on Sunday.
 
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