How I Spent My Summer Vacation

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Fun at the Easter Jeep Safari 2005 - Moab, Utah

It was a dark and stormy night, no, make that morning when we left Fortuna.  Our destination was Moab, Utah and nothing was going to stop us!  At least we hoped not.  But let’s back up a bit to review the events preceding our departure…

 The 2005 Easter Jeep Safari event snuck up on us earlier this year than it did last year.  Fortunately one of us was paying attention and notified the rest of us that we needed to move off our collective rear ends and get our registration in if we wanted to tackle some great trails.  The word was put out to see how many people wanted to, or could, go this year.  Thus “Jeep Team Humboldt” was mobilized.  After careful deliberation and a few arm wrestling sessions our proposed trail choices were decided.  The plan was to make a run on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday.  We left Thursday open for the sacred “Vendor Show”, more about this later.  We sent in our registration packets and waited to see if the trail gods would answer us favorably. 

 In the meantime we made tentative accommodation arrangements in Moab, always a major undertaking, hoping to find just a dry spot to lay our weary and trail beaten bodies at the end of each day’s run.

 This year Team Humboldt consisted of a three Jeep crew.  Each day we would race home and sprint down to the mailbox hoping to see a confirmation package from the EJS folks.  The Jeep Safari started in 1967 as a small group and over the years has grown considerably.  People come from all corners of the globe.  The Red Rock 4-Wheelers put this production on every year and there is quite the turnout.  Due to the number of vehicles vying for a particular run the Red Rock 4-Wheeler have a “Trail Lottery” system.  Each registrant picks their primary trail for each day, followed by a secondary and maybe even a third if their luck is really bad.  There’s not a bad trail to be had in Moab so even if you don’t get your first pick the trail you do end up doing will keep you smiling.  That being said our confirmation eventually came in the mail and we were happy to see we had gotten all of the trails we picked as our first choice.

 Now back to the beginning of our trip description.  The biggest storm front to hit us all year was hammering away on the Humboldt County coast signifying the start of the Spring season.  We were somewhat spoiled after having had months of great sunny Winter weather.  Little did we know this storm would chase us all the way to Utah.  The rain followed us all the way to Sacramento and up to I-80 en route to Reno, Nevada.  The fun really started when we reached Donner Summit (elevation 7,685 feet) and traffic had reached a standstill (imagine a 10 mile long traffic jam).  At that point little white flakes began hitting our windshield.  Caltrans was requiring chains on most vehicles to get through the Pass.  Many other EJS participants that were headed east to Moab were also caught in this jam and if one didn’t have tire chains you were stuck.  The only gas station for miles around was open and just happened to have chains in stock, lots of chains.  (I got the feeling they had been through this before.)  Needless to say the chains weren’t cheap.  A little over $100 later we were back on the road only to take the chains off 5 miles later where they weren’t needed.

 Normal driving time is about 2½ days to make it to Moab, unless you’re on a non-stop mission of mercy, in which case your driving time will be less.  We choose the 2 ½ day option.  Our first stop was Reno, the next night Salt Lake City.  From SLC it’s about a 4 hour drive into Moab.

 We arrived in Moab Sunday evening eager to begin our rock crawling with our first run - Hell’s Revenge.  Hell’s Revenge is rated a 4.  The Red Rock 4-Wheeler rating system is laid out as such:

Red Rock 4-Wheelers Trail Difficulty Ratings

1:  All weather road; 4WD not needed.

1 ½:  Graded road; 4WD may be needed in poor weather.

2:  Unimproved or rarely graded road.  4WD or extra clearance needed at times, with no special driving skills required.

2 ½:  Road rarely maintained, 4WD, good clearance, low gears often needed, with some extra care and a bit of driving experience useful.

3:  Road in difficult terrain, rarely maintained, 4WD, good clearance, and low gears essential, with some driving skill and daring required.

3 +:  Road in difficult terrain, probably maintained only by occasional users.  Excellent stock truck or utility vehicle required, with considerable driving skill and daring needed.

4:  Road in difficult terrain with considerable erosion damage that is repaired only enough to get well-equipped vehicles through. Stock vehicles are in jeopardy.  Modifications for improved off-road performance and top driving skills needed.

4 +:  The original description attributed to Jack Bickers: "with driving by World Class Yahoo Jeepers not much concerned with vehicle durability or personal safety."  It is common to have as many as 10 percent of the vehicles experience major mechanical failures (gears, axles, drive shafts) on these trails.

Day 1 - Monday - March 21, 2005

Trail:  Hell’s Revenge

Rating:  4

Approximate mileages: 16 total, 12 off highway.

 We decided to start off nice and easy with a mellow trail, so we picked Hell’s Revenge which is rated a 4.  The Hell’s Revenge trail is touted as being one of the premier slick rock trails in Moab.  This trail is also shared by motorcycles and mountain bikes that use the “Slick Rock Trail”.  The trail begins off Sand Flats Road in the foothills outside town.  The route initially begins with a climb up a narrow fin of slick rock reminiscent of the nearby Lion’s Back (another Moab landmark).    

 Lion’s Back is adjacent to this climb and off to the left.  The trail from here was composed of steep climbs and descents on more slick rock. 

 Next up was what the local’s call a “hot tub”.  It’s essentially an area where the wind, sand, rain, etc has scoured out a large cavity in the rock creating a “hot tub”.  Everyone got a chance to try this.  The angle into the hot tub is quite steep and the exit is likewise.  However, the traction on the slick rock is amazing and allows you to try things that are unheard of at home. 

 There is another hot tub immediately following the main hot tub.  This one is dubbed “Mickey’s Hot Tub”.  Only a few brave souls ventured into this one.  We saw three vehicles go in.  A highly modified Jeep Wrangler made the first attempt.   After several tries he did make it out.  (Making it in is easy)  A rock buggy made the second attempt quite easily.  Our third and final contestant, before we moved on, was a White Jeep Cherokee.  After several valiant attempts and taking his daughter out of the car he ended up breaking a rear drive-line shaft u-joint and was winched out of the hot tub.  However this was just a flesh wound because we saw him the following day on another run. 

Below are some video clips that illustrate what Kurt explains above.

We ended up having lunch next to a trail obstacle labeled “Hell’s Gate.”  Hell’s Gate is a steep ascent (or descent) up a slick rock notch. At the top of the notch, if you ascend, there is a very good chance your front wheels will come up off the ground. 

 Unfortunately, none of us knew we eating lunch next to this icon and by the time we had mustered the courage to tackle it our trail leader called the end of lunch and we were moving again.  I found out later that Hell’s Gate is not an official part of the run.

 The next obstacle was “Tip-Over Challenge” which Team Humboldt all successfully navigated. The final challenge is “Rubble Trouble”.

The views were incredible and typical of the area and included the snow-capped La Sal Mountains, the Colorado River canyon, Moab Valley, and Arches National Park.

Day 2 - Tuesday - March 22, 2005

Trail:  Steel Bender

Rating:  3.5+

Approximate mileages: 30 total, 15 off highway.

The rating for this trail, and other trails, varies from year to year as road conditions change to erosion and other forces.  This run started on private land in the vicinity of the Moab Golf Course.  We were impressed with the beautiful homes near the trail head in this area.  The architecture of the structures was similar to homes one would see in Taos, New Mexico. The Steel Bender trail follows an old wagon road that traverse the Mill Creek Canyon to elevations above 6,000 feet.  It overlooks the North Fork of Mill Creek as it climbs to the base of South Mesa at the foot of the La Sal Mountains.  We made 2 creek crossings and climbed numerous steep ledges.  There were also two challenging rocky climbs that had bypasses.  One of them climbs was known as the Dragon's Tail.

Day 3 - Wednesday - March 23, 2005

Trail:  Metal Masher

Rating:  4

All of these runs seem to be neighboring other great runs and this trail was no exception.  We noticed the signs to Gemini Bridges, Gold Bar Rim, Rusty Nail, and others on our way to Metal Masher.  It was on this run that we were introduced to the Moab Gooney Bird. 

 Little Canyon is a narrow canyon that has a large rock outcropping known as the Gooney Bird.  The base of the outcropping, the feet of the bird, extends somewhat onto the jeep trail.  Legend has it that you must not run over the feet of the bird on the way out to your trail, lest you have major bad luck /mechanical problems.  However, on the way out you’re supposed to run over the feet for good luck.  Oddly enough one of our party did run over the feet on Friday’s run on the way out to a trail and broke a front axle u-joint.

 Our first optional obstacle was “Rock Chucker.”  Some rigs tried, but only one vehicle in our group was able to tackle this 4+ bad boy.  Next up on our approach to the rim was “Mirror Gulch”.  So named because the approach through this slot is so narrow it’s been known to take a few mirrors off the side of some of the full sized SUVs and wreck some havoc on some vehicle body parts.

 We were also introduced to the infamous “Widow Maker” which is considered a 5 rating.  A few brave souls attempted this obstacle, but none succeeded.  The base of this obstacle has badly eroded and I heard one of the trail guides saying that the BLM would not let them repair the base.  Also on this run was “Mother-in-Law Hill.”

Day 4 - Thursday - March 24, 2005

Vendor Show

 We didn’t do any official runs this day; instead we relaxed and attended the Vendor Show.  Each year manufacturers and merchants display their wares on Thursday and Friday of the Safari event week.  This show is held on the south end of town at the Spanish Arena.  The vendor show didn’t seem as robust with displays as last year.  Some good deals can be found here that are hard to pass up.  If nothing else one can drool at all of the shiny new hardware available for your rig.

 Team Humboldt split up and did our own thing this day.  I ran a mellow trail on this day called Chicken Corners.

 Trail:  Chicken Corners

Rating:  2

Chicken Corners is so named due to a spot in the trail that has a very narrow pass with a rock face on one side and a drop off to the Colorado River 400 feet below. 

The road follows the Colorado River, passed through Kane Springs Canyon and heads up and over the summit of Hurrah Pass at 4,780 feet.

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Pertroglyphs can be seen on this run as well as some caves that can be explored within a large mini-mountain of red rock.  The trail ends directly across from the namesake of Dead Horse Point State Park, with the point reaching 6,000 feet above sea level and 2,000 feet above the Colorado River below.

               
 

Day 5 - Friday - March 25, 2005

Trail:  Gold Bar Rim

Rating:  3.5+

Approximate mileages: 47 total, 25 off highway.

Gold Bar Rim is another popular trail close to town with awesome 360 degrees views from the rim.  The rim itself is about 1200 feet above the valley floor below.  We began our run into Little Canyon, now passing the familiar Goony Bird, and across Gold Bar Canyon.  There are quite a few ledges to traverse on this run.  This trail has it’s share of obstacles with names like Body Snatcher, Golden Falls, Golden Stairs, Golden Crack, and Double Whammy, to name a few.

 We had a mix of sun, rain, and snow throughout the run.  We did get a short reprieve from the elements at our lunch stop on the final slope of Gold Bar Rim.  Only five vehicles dared to make the final push to the rim, and of course Team Humboldt was one of them.  We just couldn’t resist.  We took a break for lunch at the top and took some great pictures. 

A short time later we were notified that one of the vehicles was experiencing mechanical problems and was carrying a BLM Ranger that now need a ride.  Somehow we got volunteered to carry the ranger back to the beginning of the trail.  At that point it’s best to show a “professional/responsible” four wheel drive attitude (not like we weren’t anyway) when your passenger is wearing a uniform and explain how great the sport is and how we’re great stewards of the environment, etc.  It was about that time that we passed another group of four wheelers that didn’t subscribe to the “pack it in, pack it out” attitude and had left some trash on the trail, much to our embarrassment.  We picked it up and proceeded.  Unfortunately the trail guides later told us that they had seen a lot of trash on the trail during the week and had done their best to clean it up as they went.  The trip was cut short, partly due to weather, but mostly due to everybody wanting to get to the Friday Night Boy Scout dinner. This is the dinner where the big vendor raffles occur.  One ticket to the raffle per Safari registrant is given out when we picked up our welcome packets at the start of the week.   This event is always a big draw and one of us won a prize this year.  With our guides cutting the Gold Bar Rim run short it meant that we missed the view of Bull Canyon and the Gemini Bridges.  Maybe next time. 

 On our way back down to the highway below a very loud lighting and thunder storm hit and it started to dump on us.  We headed back down and encountered what we first thought was a mountain biking accident with mother and child.  It turned out that the lighting had struck really close to these folks and the little girl was in shock and freaking out.  We transported the little girl down the hill in the muck and heavy rain to the family wagon at the base of the mountain until her mom could make it down.  About the time we made it down one of our party indicated he had a broken left front axle u-joint and would need to limp back to town.  (Remember the Goony Bird?)

The majority of us left the following day but not before Mother Nature dusted down Moab with some snow.   We saw some awesome rigs and ran some great trails.  All in all it was a fun trip.  We’ll be back.

Webmaster's Notes: Thanks to Kurt Weiermann for sharing the story and photos with us.  Also thanks to Steve Freeman, Steve and Bill Mello for their photos.