Moab 2016

[blackdiamond]

I thought I'd put together a trip report for my Moab adventures last week.  I don't have enough time to complete it now, but will be updating this post over time.

The trip included blackdiamond (me), CrankyCrawler, SqWAdoosh, liveoak, and another 4Runner and Landcruiser.

Day 1 - Moab Rim & Cliff Hanger

We started the week by making a quick trip to the rim and back on the Moab Rim trail.  This trail never seems to change and never gets old.  For the second  year in a row I had no success on any of the option lines to the right on Z-turn.  Next we headed to Cliff Hanger and had lunch down at the creek crossing.  The big achievement for the day was everyone taking the hard line (i.e. to the right) on the obstacle just past the creek crossing.  Cliff Hanger has changed a bit since the last time that I ran it, but overall it's very similar.  Plenty of challenge without getting crazy.

All six trucks were on this trip. 

Day 2 - Golden Spike & Where Eagles Dare

SqWAdoosh wanted to run the Golden Spike and CrankyCrawler and I wanted to complete the Where Eagles Dare loop that we had started last year.  We opted to enter Where Eagles Dare at the midpoint just past Zuk Hill that allowed us to climb the Where Eagles Dare obstacle (we dropped down it last year) and also Phobia Hill (completely new to us).  We bypassed a portion of the Golden Spike trail that included the first rim overlook, but no major obstacles.  If you have not run the Golden Spike trail before I would strongly suggest doing the route we did as it's the best overall combination of obstacles and viewpoints.  If you have run the Golden Spike trail in the past then do the full Where Eagles Dare loop by entering just past Skyline Drive and skipping the canyon section and Zuk Hill.  The Where Eagles Dare obstacle is extremely steep and simply doesn't translate to pictures or videos.  When walking/climbing up you're right at the edge of needing to put a hand down for stability.  If the climb goes well it looks easy (it did for the three of us that climbed it), but I suspect things could get ugly really quickly if you were to get stopped on the way up.  I think it's a very real possibility that the brakes wouldn't hold and you'd be left trying to back/slide down without getting sideways that would almost certainly lead to a rollover.

We had five trucks on this trip as liveoak didn't join us.  We made excellent time leaving around 8 am and being back to the pavement by 5 pm, I think.

Day 3 - Hell's Revenge

The day started out very wet and rainy, but cleared up just enough to run the trail.  SqWAdoosh had some bonus excitement in Hell's Gate (perfect line on the 2nd lap), but we all made it up without any damage to sheet metal or seat cushions.  CrankyCrawler and I played in the Mickey's Hot Tub, but had no chance of driving out unassisted.  I think it took seven people on the strap to pull me out.  I've managed with only four in the past.  Next was the Escalator where we managed to find the perfect line and everyone that attempted it, except the super wide (86.5" track width) Landcruiser, made it right through.  I think the water actually helped keep us on the line rather than climbing the rocks on the passenger side like I had done in the past.  The chosen winch anchor vehicle at the top kept sending waves of water down the rocks just to keep it interesting.  I'm not sure what the best line is for a rig with a wide track, we winched the Landcruiser out to avoid body damage.  The Devil's Hot Tub was so slick on the entrance side from water/oil that the one person that ventured to the bottom required a tow strap to climb out.  Good thing we enjoyed his company...

We had all six trucks for this trip.

Day 4 - Behind the Rocks (Backwards, sort of)

This trip turned into a bit of a boondoggle.  We started the trail in the normal direction and ran Guardian Hill that was pretty difficult after the rain had brought fresh dirt down the hill.  We ended up running the normal direction all the way to High Dive Canyon.  CrankyCrawler tried to climb Nose Dive Hill and ended up winching out.  Between the hole at the bottom and the fresh dirt on the hill it wasn't going to happen that day.  The Moab rookie took the opportunity to climb Upchuck Hill for the first time before we backtracked to the closest bypass to the sand dunes.  We then went to the far end of the trail and worked back.  All three of us winched White Knuckle Hill.  The face has deteriorated on the right side to the point that I don't see us ever climbing it again.  None of us got any bite with the rear tires.  I've climbed it at least three times in the past and I think those days are history.  It's not my favorite trail with the exception of a few obstacles so I think it'll just be off my list of trails on future trips.  There's plenty of other trails to run.

We only had three trucks on this trip because SqWAdoosh, liveoak, and the Landcruiser headed home due to weather issues and camping.

Day 5 - Sevenmile Rim & Pickle

This was a very wet day and the views through the storm cells were really cool.  We even had a little bit of hail which was great because it didn't leak through my soft top.  We managed to get through the tippy section on Sevenmile Rim while it was mostly dry and then ate lunch in the trucks at the top of Wipeout Hill.  Again, the Moab rookie took the opportunity to do Wipeout Hill for the first time before we headed to the Pickle.  The Pickle was pretty difficult with the fresh dirt washed down on to the obstacles.  After watching the other two struggle on the first obstacle I had a plan to hit it with a more steady momentum.  I was in 4.70:1 1st and as soon as I knew my front tires were pointed in the right direction I just rolled into it and went right up.  The exit obstacle was also a real challenge this year.  I didn't make it on my initial attempt and based on how it felt I planned to give it one more chance before taking the strap.  I was just about ready to lift when I felt the front tires grab so I stayed on it and managed to climb out.  The notch that you have to climb out is a bit narrower that my track width so it's pretty hard on it to keep digging.

We had three trucks on this trip.

Day 6 - Elephant Hill

For our final day we headed to the Needles District of Canyonlands to run Elephant Hill.  It was actually rougher than I remembered, but not a something that would post a significant risk for broken parts.  We did the hike through Chesler Park and also out to the confluence where the Colorado and Green rivers come together.  I highly recommend this trip to anyone.  I've been going since I was literally a baby and it never gets old.

The next time I'm in Moab I'll be doing Horse Canyon (I don't think it's very difficult) in Canyonlands just to see more of the things I remember from growing up.  There used to be an Indian ruin way up on a rock wall that had a stick acting as a staircase between levels.


I think the lessons learned from this trip were to always be prepared for cold/wet weather, even in April.  I always have a few warm cloths on hand for the pavement pounding in the morning and evenings with the tube doors on.  The wind at 50+ mph always makes for a cold trip.  Unfortunately, I didn't communicate this well enough to the campers.

Here are a few examples of things that stood out to me on the trip relating to air pressure in tires, weight distribution, etc.:

One of the 4Runner's dropped to 4 psi to climb Guardian Hill on Behind the Rocks and it was clear that the soft pressure allowed him to hit it pretty hard with the tires soaking up the bumps and getting excellent traction.  The low air pressure was definitely a benefit in this situation.

The same 4Runner also struggled a bit climbing Roller Coaster Hill on Behind the Rocks.  It was the first time that I've seen anyone not just drive up.  From the spotter's perspective it appeared that the extremely soft tires (and soft suspension) that had been aired down for White Knuckle Hill caused a more significant weight shift to the rear and he lost traction in the front when the suspension unloaded.  I suspect that he would have gone right up with more air in the tires, the combo of soft springs and low air pressure allowed too much of a weight shift to maintain traction in the front.

SqWAdoosh had his front end get light on the approach to the Escalator.  From what I could see his line seemed to be pretty much the same that everyone else took so I would attribute it the soft tires/springs in combination with the weight of the rear tire carrier causing the front end to unload.  A slight line adjustment was all that was needed to go right up.

I'm always amazed at how Moab brings out the pros and cons of different mods on very similar rigs.  It's a game of inches making two very similar builds perform differently with each having advantages in certain situations.  No one build is perfect for every situation or terrain so everyone has to make the best choice for them.

The lighter weight, better weight distribution, and longer wheelbase of my 85 truck made it far superior to my 4Runner in Moab, but having a backseat for the family was necessary.

I think that's about all I have...

[:)bestgen4runner]

I am that mysterious additional 4runner. 

[Rockcrawlintoy]

Sounds like a great trip. I hope to go to Moab in the near future.