Topic: Moab 3/20 to 3/24 2011

[Volcom]

We left Denver @ 5:30pm on Saturday, 3/19.  It was Josh (blue xtra cab Toyota), Blake (00XJ) and myself.  Josh was getting death wobble on the way out so we stayed in the right lane most of the drive out.  We rolled into Moab early Sunday @ 1am.  We were planning on staying at Sand Flats but it was completely full (big half marathon with 5000 people in it).  So we headed out to Area BFE to camp.





Our first night campsite at BFE.  Just pulled into the upper parking lot and threw down the tents.  The wind was nasty all night and ended up blowing all day Sunday.


Behind the Rocks, Sunday March 20th, 2011
On the dirt road out to Behind the Rocks, Josh's truck had some issues.  Found out later that the road in wasn't the correct way to Behind the Rocks.  We ended up cutting into the trail about halfway through.




La Sal Mtn. range










Bottom of White Knuckle Hill













How we got Josh's truck back to camp and Moab for 2 days. 


Moab Rim - Monday March 21st, 2011


Blake climbing Devil's Crack


Blake up the Z Turn



We had quite the scare after getting up the Z turn.  Blake jumps out and trying opening the hood to his XJ.  We jumped out and there was a ton of smoke coming from the engine bay.  His battery had slipped about an inch and the metal battery tie downs were touching the positive side posts of his Red top.  We threw some water on it and talked about needing to get fire extinguishers for our rigs.





Slickrock Dome








Poison Spider / Golden Spike / Gold Bar Rim - Tuesday, March 22nd, 2011

Start of Poison Spider




The Waterfall


























Golden Crack








Hells Revenge - Wednesday, March 23rd, 2011









Bottom of Hells Gate




Escalator.  Took me 3 tries but I finally made it.  Thanks for the spotting Jon and Robert!! Took some mild body damage in the process but it was damage over damage so it's not really damage in my book  :razz:


Josh gave it is best but had to take a winch


We ran into Blackdiamond and CrankyCrawler on the trail at the Escalator.


Myself, Blackdiamond, and CrankyCrawler


Myself and Blackdiamond

[Volcom [OP]]

Josh's pictures and video

























Youtube Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3Vk7lcats8&hd=1

[blackdiamond]

I was there.  I'll try to post a link to the thread that I post our pictures on.  What is your brother-in-laws Forum name again?  I was trying to update my Buddy list.

[Volcom [OP]]

I was there.  I'll try to post a link to the thread that I post our pictures on.  What is your brother-in-laws Forum name again?  I was trying to update my Buddy list.

Yeah, I'd love to see your trip pics for sure!!  Your rig and Robert's rig were amazing in Moab.  You guys make the tough stuff easy.  Thanks again for the spot up the Escalator.  My bro-in-law drives the white XJ and doesn't make it on many message boards.

[HDcruiser]

Awesome pic's and video clip!!!    That's one heck of a drop off! We have plans to go this year, so im looking forward to it..

[toytank]

man i hate work wish i could have made it i was only 2 hrs away with the rig loaded ready to go im glad you had a good time man. i just talked to charlie the old man who back fliped the exit oncarnage last year he lives in apache junction az and wants us to come down there sometime its 8hr from gj

[Haku]

Geez, after seeing pictures and video of my doing escalator I'm kind of bummed that I didn't try a bit harder. It really felt like I was a lot tippier in there then I was. Definitely trying it again next time, when I have my Hydro Assist working better and my exo on.

I'll have some more pics and video of our trip up in the next day or two. I was there for almost two weeks all told, so I have lots to go through.

Josh

[blackdiamond]

Geez, after seeing pictures and video of my doing escalator I'm kind of bummed that I didn't try a bit harder. It really felt like I was a lot tippier in there then I was. Definitely trying it again next time, when I have my Hydro Assist working better and my exo on.

Honestly, I'm not sure what else you could have tried.  You worked from being on the passenger door to being on the drivers door (at least as far as one can without actually leaving paint) and I'm positive that we had your rear tires on the same line as the rest of us.  I know you're truck can handle it, just not sure what needs to be done differently than what you tried.  The rear passenger tire seems to be the key, just not sure where yours needs to be.

You need to give us a list of the days/trails from your trip.

[Haku]

Yeah, not sure what else there was to do either. I think I need more weight in the rear of my rig, which will come with the flatbed and relocating the fuel tank. There were a lot of times later in the week where I would have trouble with traction in the rear with 37" and SAS and locked where someone with smaller tires and open diffs and IFS would just walk up without slipping. Guess it comes with having nothing over the rear tires.

Here is my second video, this time of Moab Rim using mine and Volcom's footage...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8yiYBuhKvo&hd=1

I still have Poison Spider trio and Hells Revenge to do from this trip. I'm not sure if Blake (Volcom's brother in law) is on here, but he is 00XJ on Colorado4x4.com.

I'm definitely looking forward to wheeling with ya'll again. Cranky Crawler and his Jeep buddy don't live far from me and go out often, so it should happen relatively soon I would think.

Our list of trails was:

Saturday - Left Denver around 5 or 6pm and got in around 1am
Sunday- Behind the Rocks
Monday -Moab Rim on Monday
Tuesday-  Poison Spider Trio
Wednesday - Hells Revenge and Volcom and Blake drove home (I stayed)

Thursday - Day off to relax since it was crappy weather and I had a hotel room
Friday - Poison Spider "out and back" with you guys (Cranky and Black Diamond and crew)
Saturday - Part of Shafer Trail and messing around in BFE test area
Sunday - Fins and Hells with FrontRange4x4.com crew
Monday - Poison Spider with FR4x4
Tuesday - Top of the World with FR4x4
Wednesday - Elephant Hill
Thursday - Drove Home

I rode along in Volcom's rig for the first two days due to mine being broken, and then again for Top of the World since the trail itself is pretty boring and I didn't feel like driving.

Josh

[blackdiamond]

Haku - When you did Elephant Hill did you do the hike from Chestler Park on the Joint trail?  That's a really neat area.  This trail was a family tradition when I was little.  I've been over it probably more than 25 times.  We used to do Easter at the campground just outside the park next to the dirt air strip.

[Haku]

Yeah, we did the Joint trail. Very cool area back there and worth the short hike up to it. Kinda wish we did the confluence trail too, but it was getting late in the day so we just headed out. My truck didn't like the switchbacks at the beggining, but thats because my Hydro assist was having issues.

I think if I go out there again I would want to camp for a night though. Not really worth a day trip IMHO.

Josh

[Rocksurfer]

I always love seeing pics of MOAB!, I miss going there. Looks like you had a good time.

[ajordan1975]

AWESOME AWESOME PICS!! I really need to get there!!

[Haku]

Moab is definitely just a bad ass awesome place to wheel. Not only is it spectacular, but the rock out there makes for MUCH easier wheeling. I definitely encourage people to make a trip out there. Front Range Colorado is just close enough to make a 3 day trip allright, but I really liked being there for a few weeks. If your drive is more then 6-8 hours, its really not worth it unless you stay for a while.

I have been going to the area for various outdoor adventures since I was a kid, so I don't gape quite as much as some, but its some of the prettiest and coolest terrain and scenery I have encountered. Pics and videos really don't do it justice in any way, both from a scenic standpoint nor a wheeling standpoint. Stuff where you feel like you are standing on your firewall or about to launch into space look like you are just driving down a normal hill. Everything feels and looks bigger in person for sure (though that is true of most wheeling I suppose).

[Doable]

Thanks for posting up the pictures of the trail ya’ll ran and the video’s. Some of the members of our club are going to head out to Moab the last week of June first week of July. This will be our first time going to Moab.    on the picture and video.

[blackdiamond]

Moab is really a unique place to wheel because the traction provided on the slick rock  allows you to experience angles that you couldn't imagine on another surface.  Once you're calibrated to Moab you forget how difficult similar things are on a different surface.  The other things that I love about Moab is that many of the trails can be driven in a fairly stock rig because you can choose which lines you want to run.  Even many of the difficult lines can be done in stock bodied rigs without damage because it's more about rig control and nerves than anything else.  It's rock crawling at it's best.

I've always had to travel from Washington State to Moab (at least since I've owned a rig) and my plan is to always travel on the weekends and wheel for the week; otherwise, I spend at much time on the highway as I do on the trails.   I can't think of any place I'd rather wheel.  The Rubicon was a great trip, but it'll take unique circumstances for me to do a repeat trip.  It's about 300 miles closer, but no comparison.  I hardly wheel in WA because I'm just not a big fan of the type of wheeling that's here.  I'm a bit of a Moab Snob, but I've learned to deal with it.