May 5 & 6, 2018
Moab, UT
Last weekend was action packed ! Saturday, Nick (from Salt Lake City) planned to wheel Kane Creek. Like most folks who come to town, he posted his plans on the Moab Friends For Wheeling facebook page and said anyone who wanted to join in were welcomed. We took the bait along with Dee, Melissa, and Doug and Tonga. Kane Creek is a fun and scenic trail with a few challenges thrown in. Its divided into three sections...the desert, creek crossings, and a narrow shelf road that climbs out of the canyon. Well, guess who drove Wile E through the desert and some of the creek crossings.
ME ! It was our plan for me to "do the driving" until lunch as I knew I didn't want any part of the shelf road.
The Pinch as it is called (although I still refer to it as Roy's Rock) was the big obstacle of the day for me. Thanks to spotting from Melissa, Wile E just crawled up and over. Thank you for the picture Dee.
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| Nick watches as Melissa (who you can't see) spots my over Roy's Rock. WAHOO !
Dee, driving Elliott, was behind us at this point. Melissa watches as Elliott aces Roy's Rock.
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After a stop for lunch, Joe took over.
The shelf road and Hamburger Hill...
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| Nick gets stuck on Hamburger Hill. |
Sunday's plan was Rusty Nail. This 1.9 mile "shortcut" is actually a spur off Gold Bar Trail to the most difficult obstacles on Golden Spike Trail. Slickrock, steep ledges, huge boulders, and off camber sections make this trail a "hard core" challenge. Jeff led our group of trail warriors with "nerves of steel", followed by Warren, us, Chris, Dee, Keith and Larry. Names like Riff-Raff, The Wall, No Left Turn, and Skid Mark have no bypasses. Other obstacles like Butt Scratcher and Double Whammy have choices from very difficult to a little easier.
Photos of some ledge crawling acrobats...
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| Warren climbs an unnamed ledge... |
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| Jeff climbs the notch instead of the typical "hard" way just to the left of where he is. |
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| Chris is all smiles after climbing Riff Raff |
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| Dee tiptoes down Skid Mark as Jeff watches. This is the obstacle we dread the most on this trail... |
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| Keith's Samuri (which Jeff built !) is quite flexy as he steps off No Left Turn. |
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| Larry gets a good stretch as he climbs a boulder on No Left Turn. |
Wile E on No Left Turn...
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| Yep, thats the edge of the cliff on the right side... |
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| It's so cool how the passenger side tires "hug" the cliff wall. |
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| And yes, Wile E is flexy too! |
HAPPY TRAILS !
Up next...a twisting canyon, towering sandstone cliffs, burbling water, gnarly cottonwood trees, and oh yes, lots of wildflowers...all on the same hike !
More fun time and great pictures. amazing what those machines can do !
ReplyDeleteThanks George and Susie. Yes, it is amazing...I love watching them flex!
DeleteI'm hanging on with white knuckles just looking at the pictures of the outing. Was Wile E just too light to maintain traction? Looks like others are running the same tires at about the same pressure.
ReplyDeleteThe 4 door we were trying to pull up was lodged in an undercut stuck on its belly on the ledge. The sand/gravel was loose so Dee had to step in. It’s always something Jeff and always great team work!
DeleteEach year your trail choices get more frightening. Awesome driving, Gay! You are one brave lady! We showed our daughter this post after she thought we tried to kill her on Kingman Wash Road. You always have such detailed photos of the obstacles. Also, I apologize for not mentioning Sally. She looked so adorable. Glad all went well for her:)
ReplyDeleteHard to believe vehicles can do that.
ReplyDeleteAmazing photos!! It's like being right there - because my heart is in my throat through most of them! Glad you're having another fun season doing what you love.
ReplyDelete