What was your 1st mountain pass you drove on. Or the 1st that scared you!everybody

lol, I'll remember that AZS next time you ask a question.

Can't say I've had the pleasure to cross that one yet.

 

Wow I thought I was the only one that smoked them up coming down Monteagle. That was back in the early 90's

 

First real mtn for me was Siskoyu(sp). The one that scared me was Black Mtn. on I-40. My thinking was there wasn't any dangerous hills east of the Missip. Someone was watching over me that night. That taught me two things. The first was to respect any hill or mtn. The second was to don't take any big or long grade tired.

 

Well haven't told this one in a while--still laugh about it today
I'd been driving bout 6/7 years solo by then--almost all east coast--and after going over Fancy gap--(on 52 not 77) or the ny/pa state line (on6w not 84) across Pa on 30&22 across wva on 50&60--Mostly in B-Model(6x4 300)--graduated from that to my Dads hand me down RModel(10sp 400) what jakes LOL--Took my first trip across--Newark-Stockton--(80 wasn't finished across all of pa yet)Now --all I had heard from all the boys @the Point was you ain't trucked till you been over "THE HILL" Been hearing those war stories since I slept in that B-model as a kid w/my grandad--well here I was at the ripe ol age about 26 or so--In my first real truck (LOL)climb thru the window and into bed! As i left newark late in the day Monday--all I could think about was "THE HILL"--Again remember there wasn't a whole lot of 80 done yet. So I went across some pretty interesting stuff-in WY-UT-NV--all in all-no biggie--besides I'm Billy Big rigger now anyway(LMAO)but I couldn't get "THE HILL" off my mind. Well finally got the pickle park and was a nervous wreck--walked around-having a smoke acting like I was enjoying the sites--kept staring at the big yellow"DOWNGRADE" sign--after all I had already driven etc--all the stories got to me--#### near convinced myself I ain't never gonna make it down this monster! Finally got up the gumption to go-got into 3d w/manual fan on--and went for it-don't think I ever got over 15mph--ignored all the signs--especially that one about crank it up! I thought they must be nuts--don't they know this hill runs straight to the depths of hell! Stopped at every wide spot chain up area just to try and calm my nerves--other drivers going by me like I'm nuts--not looking either way--just death grip on the wheel! After what seemed like an eternity a cornflakes driver pulled along side me(already in the 3 lane) and held his mike up--I hadn't dared turned the radio on! Asked me what was wrong--I tried to act cool and said "Nothin hand-just haven't been down this thing before and I'm real heavy" he relied very nicely actually--well son you can tell your daddy you made it--you been off it for TEN MILES!
Still laugh my ### off about it now--but I #### sure scared the ###### outta me then.
Oh and by the way wolf creek pass is on US160 in Colorado basically between south fork and pagosa springs.
well you asked! laugh away!
Just my $.02

 

Wolf creek is on hwy 160 that levels out around pagosa springs . . .Colorado . . .

 

The one that scared me however was Monach on Rt 50 full load of sweet corn on. Here is Why it did. The Truck had No Jakes on and I am at 80K lbs. All I have to say is Thank god for TOP ICE that day. Got tehm a little warm but still made it down safe Then I had the pleasure of having to run Monarch in the Winter trhat will cause you t osuck Seat cushion up the hershy highway.

 

Fair enough.

 

1st, Raton pass, going into NM from CO on I25. Scariest? Wolf Creek pass in the dark and winter. There was another, on the same trip I did wolf creek, that scared me almost as bad....not nearly as steep or curvy, but in a ground blizzard. Couldn't see 50 feet. It got dark and oncoming traffic wasn't visible till they were right on you....they closed it behind us. Its on 285 in CO, between Salida and Denver......can't for the life of me remember the name of it though, was too busy watching what little of the road I could see to read the sign.

 

My experience is limited to a few months of driving and the east coast in scope but one of the trips that's caused the most pucker factor so far was cutting across west virginia on hwy 60 and 20 in the middle of the night. Some places on 20 aren't much more than a glorified goat trail and I was really glad for no traffic on some of those corners.
The other one happened in pennsylvania a few weeks ago in all the snow and ice. I don't recall the town but it was one hill after another, spinning most of the way up and coming down slowly. After a few successive hills in a relatively straight line, I said screw it, got a good run at the next one only to top it and find it's straight down with a T intersection at the bottom. Of course just thinking about using the brakes caused the tires to lock up so there was no slowing down. Luckily it was a lopsided T, going right cut back a little, going left was less of an angle. I still haven't figured out how I made it without jack knifing or ending up in the woods but I did 5mph or less on hills the rest of the night.

After that, the interstate hills didn't seem so bad.

 

I hate mountains.