Damaged by the Dusy

[Big Ed]

Building the table at Thompson Lake.


Driving nails.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=annOFlISQbQ

Hauling in toilet wall.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=YsQLk8Ic9Gk

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9kF8dVhB1ns

Installing the toilet at Mallard Lake.

 

[Big Ed]

Do you think this is the bottom of Thompson Hill?


This is the bottom of Thompson Hill, it's quite a ways from the spot in the picture above.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=WVWEOGhZwQo

 

[v_man]

I had trouble exact same spot , that was the first actual 'difficult' spot , where we got wheel spin , slipping off rocks etc. I thought Thompson actually started a little later , but this could be the start I suppose ...

 

[Big Ed]

Here's a pic from the 2012 project to install a toilet closer to Thompson Lake.


The clubs, Forest Service, and other trail regulars all call what's in the video the bottom of Thompson Hill.

 

[Big Ed]

In this video you can hear the spotter congratulating the driver for making it down Thompson Hill.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7efW5VrWppM&feature=youtu.be

 

[jeremyk]

Hey thanks for your feedback Big Ed! And your hard work on the trail.

If that's not the bottom of Thompson, then we did it way faster than I thought!

I'm sure I'm off on some of the landmarks and other details, it was our first time through so we had to do some guessing about where we actually were. There aren't many detailed maps and identified landmarks on this trail, thanks for your help.

 

[Big Ed]

Yeah, I know. I have seen waypoints online, not sure they mark the bottom of Thompson though. Can you recall the place in the video? It's pretty descript, comes out of the trees/dirt, turns and goes up into boulders. Then keeps going up until shortly before the first toilet. BTW, I have to congratulate you on finding the turnoff for the camping area closer to the lake in the dark, :clapsmileon your first trip. Not sure I would have been able to do that. :clapsmile

 

[Ace Brown]

I think it would be accurate to say Jeremy has more all around skill than his narration might suggest.

 

[Big Ed]

It took me three times through just to get the lakes in the right order, in my head. It's definitely a lot of trail to keep track of, so I'm not knocking you at all on knowing where you were. It takes time to learn the trail. Your brain is absorbing so much already, it's easy to go right by something without seeing it.

 

[Rusty762]

Great write up Jeremy, I enjoyed reading your story and the pictures, many that I recognized. I worked for the Forest Service in the 90's and was lucky enough to patrol this trail as part of my job. I had a crew of trail shots for two years and with the help of the 4WD Club of Fresno we built several bridges and many of the pit toilets, tables and chairs you saw while on the trail. We spent two weeks at a time on the trail, my Forest service YJ had 33's, a locker in the back and a M100 Jeep trailer loaded with our food, chainsaws, gas and anything else you need for 15 people for two weeks.

 

[Big Ed]

There are no longer toilets from the 90s in use on the trail, there are older tables though, Trail Shots, Ershim Lake, and Mallard Lake. Good job on building them.

 

[Rusty762]

There are no longer toilets from the 90s in use on the trail, there are older tables though, Trail Shots, Ershim Lake, and Mallard Lake. Good job on building them.

Thanks Ed, I live in Monterey now but grew up in Coarsegold. My folks live up there still, took my dad through swamp and Dusy recently, when we drove through Dusy I was happy to see much of the work we did still intact. The tables at Ershim were a lot of fun, I miss living up there. Thank you for all the work you and the club do, Marlins a good friend of mine I have not seen in 20 years. I hope you guys get some more snow this year! If you get a second check out my video from Ershim.

https://vimeo.com/76492538

 

[Big Ed]

I've seen that video before, it's the only one I'm aware of with video shot from the air.

 

[v_man]

ya great video Rusty , I remember the aerial shots too ...

a Dusy video I made recently ...

 

[Big Ed]

Great video, looks like all had a good time. One thing that stands out is from the way the rigs behave I think you had too much air in the tires, lots of bouncing and struggling. Toyotas and Jeeps tend to run 8-10 PSI on the trail (some run lower).