turbodb
Well-known member
Part 1 - Stopped in our Tracks at The Needles
Just before our two trips to Anza-Borrego, Monte @Blackdawg reached out to see if we were interested in a late-March trip to Canyonlands and some hiking of a few nearby slot canyons - perhaps even some that we'd attempted in our F.U.Rain trip last year.
Not really realizing how close it was (5 days) to the completion of our trip, and definitely not realizing the work that would need to be done to the truck between trips, I responded in the only way I knew how.
As it turned out, it was a mad dash between trips. I had CV axles to reboot, skid plates to re-weld, and of course I wanted to get the Anza-Borrego photos and trip report as "ready to go" as I could before taking off on another adventure. I think we can all agree that it really was the definition of a tough life. ? Yes, I'm a lucky dude.
At any rate, none of those are the real story for today - so let's get right to it. On March 22, I was ready to go by about 7:30pm - the truck repaired and provisioned "enough" that I was confident that it would survive a week long adventure, and me ready to hit the sack at 8:00pm - the same time as @mini.turbodb - so I could wake up at 3:00am the next morning to get going.
March 23, 2019.
As somehow seems to happen, I awoke at 2:58am - two minutes before my alarm went off. Final preparations made - and more importantly my final shower taken - I was on the road south by 3:45am. I had a long drive ahead of me - my goal was to reach The Needles District of Canyonlands National Park and the rest of the gang by the end of the day - a 21-hour drive. Crazy, according to ...everyone.
And so, when I pulled into camp at 12:30am, it was with big smiles and a "you're crazy" that I was greeted by Monte - the only one of the rest of our crew that was still awake.
We chatted and laughed for a few minutes, and then I was ready for bed - one of the best nights of sleep I think I've ever had in the tent.
March 24, 2019.
As I'd fallen asleep, I'd wondered to myself if there was any way I'd be up for sunrise. On the one hand, it's a time of day I love to see - the colors in the sky, the calm solitude of the morning as the earth wakes up; on the other, I wanted to sleep! And so, as it started to get light out, I have to admit feeling a bit of relief as I heard the light pitter-patter of rain drops on the tent.
No one likes putting a tent away wet, but for me, it meant another two hours of blissful sleep.
Still, by 7:30am, several of us were up and out of our tents. A round of introductions and how-do-you-dos were shared, and I got my first look at the surroundings - spectacular as ever in this part of the world. It was really too bad that I'd driven through all this in the dark the night before!
As the clouds cleared and things started to dry out a little, we got breakfasts made and camp put away - Monte having mentioned that he wanted to be at The Needles Visitor Center by 9:00am (opening) so we could get our permits and whatnot. We were right on time as we headed out.
It was when we got to the Visitor Center that we got our first several pieces of interesting news. When the Park Ranger heard where we were headed (Horse Canyon), I think his reaction was right along the lines of, "No you're not, that road is impassable quick sand." And then, to drive the point home he added, "It even says so on the web site."
Well, OK, we decided - we can just cut that part out and head south after enjoying our time in Canyonlands. To which we got a stern, "You're definitely going to hit snow on that route. Take some photos and bring them back here so we have some on had for others."
Hrmm - stopped in our tracks. This was going well already. :bananadead:
In the end, we worked out a route that we were going to give our best shot, and got our permit dates all settled for the new route, and then set off into the park and towards our first trail - Elephant Hill. On the way, a quick stop at Wooden Shoe Arch, named for obvious reasons.
Before long, we were at Elephant Hill. We all aired down, and then set off in two groups - having been warned several times that we had to do the initial climb and descent in groups no larger than three vehicles. This is because the road begins a steep climb immediately upon leaving the Elephant Hill parking area, and is clearly suitable for 4WD vehicles only. Almost immediately, a fun-but-intense-if-you're-not-ready-for-it stretch of hill-climb leads to a small turn-around pad some 150 feet above the parking area. This small, strategically placed flat area serves two vital purposes: it allows the vehicle to make a 180-degree turn before heading into the next switchback, and it provides an opportunity for anyone who might have second thoughts about continuing to turn around and make a hasty retreat back to 2WD land.
At any rate, it was a good thing that we split into groups, because while Monte and Brent (@PcBuilder14) were on their way up, another ranger came over to check Brett, Heather (@BossFoss and @MrsFoss) and my permits and "meter" us up the trail.
Being the first group(s) of the day, and clearly more prepared than other groups they encountered, we were released relatively quickly and it wasn't long before we were all back together again near the top of the first hill. It'd been a fun climb and a great "intro" to dirt - nothing too difficult, but still with lots of ledges and bumps, exercising our rigs from the get-go.
And the views from the top - breathtaking. Having never been to The Needles District of Canyonlands before, it nearly caught me off guard. It was like being surrounded by the Doll House from The Maze - needles everywhere in the distance, and colorful canyons in the foreground as we started down the back-side of the first hill.
Now, it turns out that this back-side descent is a bit interesting. See, the switchbacks are so tight that you can't actually make the turns in the forward direction - so you take the first one forward, then back down the next one, and finally take the last one forward again....
Don't miss the rest of the story, and all the remaining photos that don't fit here (due to max post size). Hopefully that can change in the future, but until then...
.
Just before our two trips to Anza-Borrego, Monte @Blackdawg reached out to see if we were interested in a late-March trip to Canyonlands and some hiking of a few nearby slot canyons - perhaps even some that we'd attempted in our F.U.Rain trip last year.
Not really realizing how close it was (5 days) to the completion of our trip, and definitely not realizing the work that would need to be done to the truck between trips, I responded in the only way I knew how.
turbodb said:Interested.
As it turned out, it was a mad dash between trips. I had CV axles to reboot, skid plates to re-weld, and of course I wanted to get the Anza-Borrego photos and trip report as "ready to go" as I could before taking off on another adventure. I think we can all agree that it really was the definition of a tough life. ? Yes, I'm a lucky dude.
At any rate, none of those are the real story for today - so let's get right to it. On March 22, I was ready to go by about 7:30pm - the truck repaired and provisioned "enough" that I was confident that it would survive a week long adventure, and me ready to hit the sack at 8:00pm - the same time as @mini.turbodb - so I could wake up at 3:00am the next morning to get going.
March 23, 2019.
As somehow seems to happen, I awoke at 2:58am - two minutes before my alarm went off. Final preparations made - and more importantly my final shower taken - I was on the road south by 3:45am. I had a long drive ahead of me - my goal was to reach The Needles District of Canyonlands National Park and the rest of the gang by the end of the day - a 21-hour drive. Crazy, according to ...everyone.
And so, when I pulled into camp at 12:30am, it was with big smiles and a "you're crazy" that I was greeted by Monte - the only one of the rest of our crew that was still awake.
We chatted and laughed for a few minutes, and then I was ready for bed - one of the best nights of sleep I think I've ever had in the tent.
- - - - -
March 24, 2019.
As I'd fallen asleep, I'd wondered to myself if there was any way I'd be up for sunrise. On the one hand, it's a time of day I love to see - the colors in the sky, the calm solitude of the morning as the earth wakes up; on the other, I wanted to sleep! And so, as it started to get light out, I have to admit feeling a bit of relief as I heard the light pitter-patter of rain drops on the tent.
No one likes putting a tent away wet, but for me, it meant another two hours of blissful sleep.
Still, by 7:30am, several of us were up and out of our tents. A round of introductions and how-do-you-dos were shared, and I got my first look at the surroundings - spectacular as ever in this part of the world. It was really too bad that I'd driven through all this in the dark the night before!
As the clouds cleared and things started to dry out a little, we got breakfasts made and camp put away - Monte having mentioned that he wanted to be at The Needles Visitor Center by 9:00am (opening) so we could get our permits and whatnot. We were right on time as we headed out.
It was when we got to the Visitor Center that we got our first several pieces of interesting news. When the Park Ranger heard where we were headed (Horse Canyon), I think his reaction was right along the lines of, "No you're not, that road is impassable quick sand." And then, to drive the point home he added, "It even says so on the web site."
Well, OK, we decided - we can just cut that part out and head south after enjoying our time in Canyonlands. To which we got a stern, "You're definitely going to hit snow on that route. Take some photos and bring them back here so we have some on had for others."
Hrmm - stopped in our tracks. This was going well already. :bananadead:
In the end, we worked out a route that we were going to give our best shot, and got our permit dates all settled for the new route, and then set off into the park and towards our first trail - Elephant Hill. On the way, a quick stop at Wooden Shoe Arch, named for obvious reasons.
Before long, we were at Elephant Hill. We all aired down, and then set off in two groups - having been warned several times that we had to do the initial climb and descent in groups no larger than three vehicles. This is because the road begins a steep climb immediately upon leaving the Elephant Hill parking area, and is clearly suitable for 4WD vehicles only. Almost immediately, a fun-but-intense-if-you're-not-ready-for-it stretch of hill-climb leads to a small turn-around pad some 150 feet above the parking area. This small, strategically placed flat area serves two vital purposes: it allows the vehicle to make a 180-degree turn before heading into the next switchback, and it provides an opportunity for anyone who might have second thoughts about continuing to turn around and make a hasty retreat back to 2WD land.
At any rate, it was a good thing that we split into groups, because while Monte and Brent (@PcBuilder14) were on their way up, another ranger came over to check Brett, Heather (@BossFoss and @MrsFoss) and my permits and "meter" us up the trail.
Being the first group(s) of the day, and clearly more prepared than other groups they encountered, we were released relatively quickly and it wasn't long before we were all back together again near the top of the first hill. It'd been a fun climb and a great "intro" to dirt - nothing too difficult, but still with lots of ledges and bumps, exercising our rigs from the get-go.
And the views from the top - breathtaking. Having never been to The Needles District of Canyonlands before, it nearly caught me off guard. It was like being surrounded by the Doll House from The Maze - needles everywhere in the distance, and colorful canyons in the foreground as we started down the back-side of the first hill.
Now, it turns out that this back-side descent is a bit interesting. See, the switchbacks are so tight that you can't actually make the turns in the forward direction - so you take the first one forward, then back down the next one, and finally take the last one forward again....
Don't miss the rest of the story, and all the remaining photos that don't fit here (due to max post size). Hopefully that can change in the future, but until then...
Keep reading the rest here
Ruining Around Utah 1 - Stopped in our Tracks at The Needles
Ruining Around Utah 1 - Stopped in our Tracks at The Needles
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