Outlaws Run: 2004-2016
Light painting around the campfire (Perry Loughridge)
My pal Perry has what I'd call an obsession for outlaws. It's a healthy obsession so don't let your mind wander. While some kids want to be an astronaut when they grow up, Perry wanted to be an western outlaw and I'm pretty confident he is still chasing that dream.
Let's first clarify these outlaws, I'm referring to the likes of Butch Cassidy, the Sundance Kid, Matt Warner and Kid Curry. Researching the pages of a book or sitting behind a computer screen from the comforts of one's home may suffice for your average outlaw explorer, but Perry on the other hand insists on seeing it firsthand, up close, and in depth. He's determined regardless of the effort it takes to get there as his craving for this history has led our group down the Outlaw Trail since 2004 in what has become know as the Outlaw Run.
The core of the group met via the Rising Sun 4x4 Club, a Toyota Land Cruiser based group based out of the Denver area and well known for their Cruise Moab event. It was there at Cruise Moab where I met Perry and many of the Outlaw Run crew. I attended my first Outlaw Run a decade ago, joining the group in Utah's Henry Mountains searching through some old ghost towns that the outlaws were known to visit, I was hooked. My foray into outlaw history wasn't quite new at that time, I had been interested in all things Utah history during my adolescent years and outlaws rank right up there with our famous ghost towns, mines and lost treasures legends. You can't research Utah's ghost towns without stumbling across mentions of these famous outlaws. Hanging with these guys was a perfect fit.
Planning for the Outlaw Run starts many months before we ever hit the road, often a year earlier around the campfire at the previous event. Perry will identify a basic destination and route sketch and it spirals out of the control from there. Our group will scour books, internet sites and network with past explorers. Fast forward 12 years and this group of intrepid explorers has covered expansive portions of Utah, Wyoming, Colorado, Montana, New Mexico & Idaho in search of western legends and the haunts they occupied. I've not made it to every Outlaw Run but I try! It's truly a highlight of my annual travel plans and I've spent hours upon hours researching future spots to visit and explore.
We've found dead-ends, gates, angry ranchers, washed-out roads, private property and more missed turns than one can count but we've always had an epic time. We've had some big camp fires, touched off a few rounds and stayed up way too late on many occasions. The gems are often the things you don't plan for, the rare Butch Cassidy inscription hidden away in Capitol Reef, a tell-all local in an Atlantic City, Wyoming watering hole or pioneer museum in a small town with a docent that is more than excited to share their local history. If these things whet your appetite, go explore the Outlaw Trail!
What is the Outlaw Trail? When we think of a "trail" we generally think of a finite route with a start, a finish and perhaps a couple of spurs along the way. The Outlaw Trail on the other hand is a historical network of mule trails, wagon routes and seldom used foot trails leading to alcoves, caves and seldom used cabins. It's more commonly used paths will lead you through Utah, Wyoming, Montana, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona. So how does one set out to explore this vast network? A little bit at a time, year after year after year. It will lead you to destinations like the Hole in the Wall (Wyoming), Robbers Roost, Castle Gate, Moab and Browns Holes (Utah), Telluride (Colorado), Lees Ferry (Arizona) and more. Watch for an upcoming ExpUt Feature Trail article on the Outlaw Trail.
Our journey in pictures:
The Outlaws wandering an old track in the Henry Mountain - 2007 (Photo by Brian Passey)
The sign tells all - Town Wash - 2007 (Photo by Perry Loughridge)
Overlooking Robbers Roost from a small peak in the Henry Mountains
Surveying the landscape of Robbers Roost - 2008
Abandoned cabin in the Miners Delight Ghost Town - 2009
Camp along the Outlaw Trail in Wyoming - 2009
Our fearless leader Perry making the trip up to the Hole in the Wall - 2009
Hole in the Wall Country, Wyoming - 2009
Judith Landing, Missouri River - 2011 (Perry Loughridge)
Light painting around the campfire (Perry Loughridge)
My pal Perry has what I'd call an obsession for outlaws. It's a healthy obsession so don't let your mind wander. While some kids want to be an astronaut when they grow up, Perry wanted to be an western outlaw and I'm pretty confident he is still chasing that dream.
Let's first clarify these outlaws, I'm referring to the likes of Butch Cassidy, the Sundance Kid, Matt Warner and Kid Curry. Researching the pages of a book or sitting behind a computer screen from the comforts of one's home may suffice for your average outlaw explorer, but Perry on the other hand insists on seeing it firsthand, up close, and in depth. He's determined regardless of the effort it takes to get there as his craving for this history has led our group down the Outlaw Trail since 2004 in what has become know as the Outlaw Run.
The core of the group met via the Rising Sun 4x4 Club, a Toyota Land Cruiser based group based out of the Denver area and well known for their Cruise Moab event. It was there at Cruise Moab where I met Perry and many of the Outlaw Run crew. I attended my first Outlaw Run a decade ago, joining the group in Utah's Henry Mountains searching through some old ghost towns that the outlaws were known to visit, I was hooked. My foray into outlaw history wasn't quite new at that time, I had been interested in all things Utah history during my adolescent years and outlaws rank right up there with our famous ghost towns, mines and lost treasures legends. You can't research Utah's ghost towns without stumbling across mentions of these famous outlaws. Hanging with these guys was a perfect fit.
Planning for the Outlaw Run starts many months before we ever hit the road, often a year earlier around the campfire at the previous event. Perry will identify a basic destination and route sketch and it spirals out of the control from there. Our group will scour books, internet sites and network with past explorers. Fast forward 12 years and this group of intrepid explorers has covered expansive portions of Utah, Wyoming, Colorado, Montana, New Mexico & Idaho in search of western legends and the haunts they occupied. I've not made it to every Outlaw Run but I try! It's truly a highlight of my annual travel plans and I've spent hours upon hours researching future spots to visit and explore.
We've found dead-ends, gates, angry ranchers, washed-out roads, private property and more missed turns than one can count but we've always had an epic time. We've had some big camp fires, touched off a few rounds and stayed up way too late on many occasions. The gems are often the things you don't plan for, the rare Butch Cassidy inscription hidden away in Capitol Reef, a tell-all local in an Atlantic City, Wyoming watering hole or pioneer museum in a small town with a docent that is more than excited to share their local history. If these things whet your appetite, go explore the Outlaw Trail!
What is the Outlaw Trail? When we think of a "trail" we generally think of a finite route with a start, a finish and perhaps a couple of spurs along the way. The Outlaw Trail on the other hand is a historical network of mule trails, wagon routes and seldom used foot trails leading to alcoves, caves and seldom used cabins. It's more commonly used paths will lead you through Utah, Wyoming, Montana, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona. So how does one set out to explore this vast network? A little bit at a time, year after year after year. It will lead you to destinations like the Hole in the Wall (Wyoming), Robbers Roost, Castle Gate, Moab and Browns Holes (Utah), Telluride (Colorado), Lees Ferry (Arizona) and more. Watch for an upcoming ExpUt Feature Trail article on the Outlaw Trail.
Our journey in pictures:
The Outlaws wandering an old track in the Henry Mountain - 2007 (Photo by Brian Passey)
The sign tells all - Town Wash - 2007 (Photo by Perry Loughridge)
Overlooking Robbers Roost from a small peak in the Henry Mountains
Surveying the landscape of Robbers Roost - 2008
Abandoned cabin in the Miners Delight Ghost Town - 2009
Camp along the Outlaw Trail in Wyoming - 2009
Our fearless leader Perry making the trip up to the Hole in the Wall - 2009
Hole in the Wall Country, Wyoming - 2009
Judith Landing, Missouri River - 2011 (Perry Loughridge)
