The Pinch and Ledge Crawling Acrobats !

Gopher Flats
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.

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.  

After a stop for lunch,  Joe took over.  













The shelf road and Hamburger Hill...

Nick gets stuck on Hamburger Hill.

Wile E couldn't get enough traction so Elliott and his Hemi came to the rescue...

What a fun day with old friends and new ones.


















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...

Warren climbs an unnamed ledge...

Jeff climbs the notch instead of the typical "hard" way just to the left of where he is.

Chris is all smiles after climbing Riff Raff

Dee tiptoes down Skid Mark as Jeff watches. This is the obstacle we dread the most on this trail...

Keith's Samuri (which Jeff built !) is quite flexy as he steps off No Left Turn. 

Larry gets a good stretch as he climbs a boulder on No Left Turn.

Wile E on No Left Turn...

Yep, thats the edge of the cliff on the right side...

It's so cool how the passenger side tires "hug" the cliff wall.

And yes, Wile E is flexy too!

 Just a few more random photos from the day...

 We did help a woman in distress who was sitting on the side of Gemini Bridges Road.  She wasn't alone, but her companions rode on once we stopped to help.  We loaded her bike on Warren's jeep and she rode out with Dee.  They transported her and her bike back to her campground on Hwy 191.

 So, until next time have fun and...

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 !  

No Left Turn

Gopher Flats
Moab, UT
May 24, 2017

Rusty Nail is a hardcore difficult trail.  The trail begins at a left hand turn off the end of Gold Bar Rim.  It heads south then circles east.  It ends where it connects to Golden Spike and exits the entire length of Gold Bar.  The actual trail is only 1.9 miles.  The entire length of the route is 7.8 miles.  There are three major obstacles on this short extreme trail...Riff Raff, The Wall, and for scary fun, No Left Turn.  We headed out with Dee and Warren to tackle the challenges of huge boulders, tall ledges, and narrow switchbacks with views of a canyon below.  It was another gorgeous day with  beautiful blue skies, plenty of sunshine and a cool breeze.

First up was Riff Raff.   Before starting her climb, Dee explained the correct line for tire placement and then we watched.  What you can't see in the picture is a deep hole to the left of the passenger tire.  It's a little tippy and slipping off into the hole might cause a flop.  


Up next is The Wall.  Straddling the crack between the two boulders at the bottom, turning driver and climbing the ledge were the directions.  Warren's climb is flawless. 

Last, we come face to face with No Left Turn.  Joe and I had no idea what to expect and it wasn't until we saw Dee's pictures that our mouths dropped.  The trail at this point is narrow.  Large boulders were on my side.  A bottomless, at least it seemed that way at the time, canyon was on Joe's side.  Its a good thing he keeps his eyes on Dee and the trail.  Dee spotted us down a huge...ummm, enormous...boulder with lots of other boulders all mixed in.  Very tippy!  I'll let Dee's photos tell the story.

Thanks Dee for a successful run on the most difficult trail we have done...so far !

















It was a great day wheeling with Warren and Dee.  Warren waits while Joe and I watch Dee's line on Riff Raff.  

Our last sight of Warren before he drops off No Left Turn.  See how close he is to the edge?

It's always a treat to follow Dee. 

















We could see Jeep Arch from our lunch stop...a zoomed in picture.

We watched the clouds on the horizon...  

...as they moved closer...  

If you look closely, you can see the Colorado River in the center of the photo.

...and then overhead.  So pretty !

Until next time, 

HAPPY TRAILS !