Well we wrapped up another stellar trail run. There were about 30 rigs in the group, but there was a little - no - a lot more carnage that usual. I know what you’re saying; you’re saying Dennis, it was only Five Mile Pass, Rattlesnake and Constrictor, how could there be carnage? I’m with you; most of us have done these trails multiple times without any problem. Yea well, it happens.
Ok, so here’s the rundown. The good news is, we all made it to the trail. In the first few hundred feet of Rattlesnake we lost an axle in a Dana 35 housing in a TJ. Talk about being blindsided, who saw that coming? A broken Dana 35? We made it through the first obstacle and past the big rock you have to squeeze past. The next obstacle is the one that offers several ranges of difficulty. Stay left and it is just a foot and a half ledge to bounce over. Hang to the right and it is kinda nasty. Several bad to the bone wheeler dudes decided to take the hard line in order to prepare for the more difficult trail ahead. It’s really no big deal, unless one happens to go to far right at the top. The right front tire slips off the big ole rock and WHAM, say good bye to a hundred bucks. The tie rod folds like the currency that used to be in your wallet. Three of the contestants that chose the line were dominated by the rock, but all continued on, undaunted.
Next on the fatality list was a spring hanger on the front of Todd’s CJ 7. It broke at the front passenger side. If you ever go off-road you want Brian Crist to come along. He is what you would call, “well equipped”. Jacks, tools, air, welder, (complete with face shield), and you name it, his long arm TJ will come to the rescue. He welded the hanger, and warranteed it for a full 5 feet, and we were on the road again.
P.S. It held the rest of both trails.
Wayne’s World did its job. Add a little mud to the bottom and you have yourself one fine obstacle. Seven or eight tried it, but only Seth, Al, and yours truly drove it. Al made it look easy. What a great spectator venue, everyone had a great time watching, driving, spotting, and giving pointers from the sidelines. All the ingredients for a great day.
With Wayne’s World out of the way, it was on to Constrictor. I did a quick assessment of rig capability, and talked to everyone about what was ahead.
Everyone continued on despite some serious fear and trepidation from some of the more stock vehicle drivers. Not fear of the trail, but of the pending home front repercussions should any damage occur to the wife’s jeep. I assured everyone that they could stop at any point. Body damage is not anyone’s goal. It’s amazing but we had no casualties through the much harder Constrictor, until the waterfall at the end of the trail. I think it’s called the Eagles Nest. Seth Bauer shot right up it first try. Very few have ever driven this obstacle without a strap. Impressive. When I finally caught up to the front runners on the trail, it was: “Seth drove it are you going to try? Huh Dennis can you do it? Come on Seth did it. Wanna be like Seth ? Do you ? Not scared are you?” Yes, everyone was very supportive and encouraging. With careful guidance from the king of the hill, I painstakingly positioned the yellow YJ so as to have the same successful line. Second gear and floor it was the command. I repeated it back to be sure. Well, if you wanna be a man sometimes you gotta hit the loud pedal. The tune port roared to life, a huge boulder shot out of the rear tire and just narrowly missed the peanut gallery. The YJ bounced up the wall a good foot. There was an $800 noise from the rear end and when the dust settled I seemed to be right where I started. I think I’ll go with the wheel base card, yeah that’s it.
Over the next hour we winched everyone else over. Brian took out a nerf bar on his TJ while winching up the waterfall, but they needed to go anyway. (nerf bars are so last week). Everyone was very kind as they drove around me on the way out. Watching with concern as the rear end would lock up every 50 feet and slide the rear tires. What a great time. I hope everyone had as much fun as I did. It’s good to get out break stuff every once in a while. Thanks to everyone that came. Especially the winching crew. They got everyone out when I had to leave so I could be strapped up the last part of the trail (thanks for the pull Vince).
Lastly: At the trail head we talked about the upcoming trail closures, including Rattlesnake and Constrictor. Please send a letter (they seem to be more impressive) to the BLM. Let them know how much you enjoyed the trail. Management is important but closure is not the answer. Let them know how you feel. Be positive. It doesn’t have to be long, just let them know we’re out here.
Here’s a link to the BLM’s Utah Off Highway Vehicle Management Page.
Click here for current Five Mile Pass regulations.
Thanks again
Wood out
