The "little" group hit the trails shortly after the awesome breakfast provided by OCC and cooked by Ed and Chip was finished. Let's say we left camp . The group was pretty much defined as anyone with less than 38" tires and body metal in all four directions.
We started off with 6 rigs:
- Dan P, JKU on 35s
- Chip W, TJ on 35s
- Bob L, XJ on 35s(?)
- Jeff J, TJ on 37s(?)
- Ed S, TJ on 37s
- Jeff E, BetaTJ on 37s
And John B riding shotgun/spotter
We first ran through part of horseshoe, looking for a turn-off to another trail that we didn't really have on a map. Looking for a new way up and around to run 6A down. After meandering through a few turns, we ended somewhere uphill from Secret Trail at the foot of a granite run that continued to climb and get more and more loose and off-camber as it stretched up over the ridgeline.
Just when it started to get a touch exciting, Dan, Chip and Bob decided we needed to find a milder path, while Ed, Jeff and Jeff decided they wanted to play in the rocks. At this point we decided on an amicable split into two groups of three. From this point, no idea what fun the other three (Ed, Jeff and Jeff) had.
Dan, Chip, and Bob turned around, where a minor slip across some loose rocks left me resting the weight of my rig on a the driver's door surround against a downhill tree. A nice little 'pop' as the surround gave way, little damage, but a hint to the luck I would continue to have all day. We worked back downhill until we found secret trail and rode that back to the clearing by the orange tank. After a brief stop there, we ran the loop around hell's hole, which is labeled red, but was green that day. So we decided to go back down towards 6A. Missing the beginning of 6A, we decided to take V-Trail, then come back at 6A. But, a 1/4 of the way up V-Trail, I found myself in a good stuck on a short but steep and rocky climb that left me with two opposing tires in big sloppy holes with no traction, and the other two tires faced against opposing steep flat near vertical rocks. Oh, and my rig resting on my rear diff in the middle of a large rock, needing to drag diff on rock for a good six inches either way before I could get free. A great place to be when you are open-open. Right about the time Chip came up to offer a spot, we heard a great loud 'pop' as the u-joint ears on my passenger side front axle shaft exploded off, taking the ears off the stubby with it. While everyone was moving smooth and easy all day, I found myself gummed up like a rookie, or like I've never driver before. Well, with Chip's help we used all the tools at hand, strap, Hi-Lift, winch, rock-stacking, etc. once out of that mess I limped out in essentially 1-wheel drive. When out of trouble, we realized the stubby ears were completely gone, so there was no chance for trail repairs, so we headed back to camp. About and we were done, well except for all the wrenching to get the broken shaft out and put her back together on the broken stubby for the ride home.
So, there's a trip report, from what I saw.
Anyway, a fun day, great camping, great people, some good recovery training, a bit of bad guiding by me, and a lot of poor driving on my part. I definitely need to get out more often to get my mojo back.
Thanks to all for a great weekend of camping interrupted by brief interludes of wheeling and a fair bit of breakage.