Small group of us set out to try and break a trail over the pass in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. It was Nick (redjeep2.0), Eric (dellstopjeep), and myself.
With the warm weather we've been having the snows been melting off quick. Just in a weeks time the snow line moved up the road a good 1/2 mile. We came around a corner to find a truck just getting turned around after shoveling itself out. Turns out that's where the snow started, so we let the air loose in the tires.
The snow quality really went south in a week as well. It was the typical crusty spring snow. Nick found out quick that 10psi wasn't going to cut it.
Eric, tail gunner.
Progress was pretty slow, but steady at first. I came around one corner, and progress pretty much stopped. Dropped another .5psi, and was able to continue.
Part of the twisted side of me enjoys the off camber parts, but it's always a little unnerving cutting a trail when you can see that you're on top of a four foot snow base on a mountain side.
This corner was a sketchy one. Slightly off camber, and an open hill side below you.
Eventually I came to a pretty good drift across the road. I knew it was going to push me down, but decided to feel it out. Sure enough once I got onto the drift, the back end started to slide out. Ideally we should have shoveled a track or the drift more level in order to traverse it.
At this point, we got out and took a look at what was ahead of us to see if we should continuing pushing on. We discovered the melt off had taken it's toll on the snow pack. At one point I was standing on gravel in the middle of the road with the snow pack next to me at the height of my arm pit (4.5-5ft?). I couldn't possibly see an easy way to traverse it unless we shoveled until night fall. It was pretty amazing to see though what a little bit of water can do over time. Sadly, the camera stayed in the Jeep.
We decided not to push our luck and focus on getting turned around (we were on a pretty good hill side). Nick tried the x-point turn move, and blasted a rear bead.
Shovel Action + Hi-Lift + Power Plant = Bead Seating
With my rear tires out of the tracks and wanting to slide down hill, we snatched off a tree and pulled me back perpendicular. From there I was able to cut it around pretty easily.
With me turned around, Nick tried to back up to Eric's location where he was working on getting turned around. Gravity had other plans, and Nick became familiar with the hill side.
Quick pull from Warn got him back in the tracks.
We got to Eric's position, and found him almost fully turned around, but he sunk it to the body on the final turn. Quick tug back freed him up.
With all three of us turned around, we headed back down.
With the warm weather we've been having the snows been melting off quick. Just in a weeks time the snow line moved up the road a good 1/2 mile. We came around a corner to find a truck just getting turned around after shoveling itself out. Turns out that's where the snow started, so we let the air loose in the tires.
The snow quality really went south in a week as well. It was the typical crusty spring snow. Nick found out quick that 10psi wasn't going to cut it.
Eric, tail gunner.
Progress was pretty slow, but steady at first. I came around one corner, and progress pretty much stopped. Dropped another .5psi, and was able to continue.
Part of the twisted side of me enjoys the off camber parts, but it's always a little unnerving cutting a trail when you can see that you're on top of a four foot snow base on a mountain side.
This corner was a sketchy one. Slightly off camber, and an open hill side below you.
Eventually I came to a pretty good drift across the road. I knew it was going to push me down, but decided to feel it out. Sure enough once I got onto the drift, the back end started to slide out. Ideally we should have shoveled a track or the drift more level in order to traverse it.
At this point, we got out and took a look at what was ahead of us to see if we should continuing pushing on. We discovered the melt off had taken it's toll on the snow pack. At one point I was standing on gravel in the middle of the road with the snow pack next to me at the height of my arm pit (4.5-5ft?). I couldn't possibly see an easy way to traverse it unless we shoveled until night fall. It was pretty amazing to see though what a little bit of water can do over time. Sadly, the camera stayed in the Jeep.
We decided not to push our luck and focus on getting turned around (we were on a pretty good hill side). Nick tried the x-point turn move, and blasted a rear bead.
Shovel Action + Hi-Lift + Power Plant = Bead Seating
With my rear tires out of the tracks and wanting to slide down hill, we snatched off a tree and pulled me back perpendicular. From there I was able to cut it around pretty easily.
With me turned around, Nick tried to back up to Eric's location where he was working on getting turned around. Gravity had other plans, and Nick became familiar with the hill side.
Quick pull from Warn got him back in the tracks.
We got to Eric's position, and found him almost fully turned around, but he sunk it to the body on the final turn. Quick tug back freed him up.
With all three of us turned around, we headed back down.
Looks like a ton of fun.