Swamp Lake 2010 Pics

[fyrfytr1717]

Swamp Lake was a great run! I was hoping to see more folks out there, but the Bakersfield Trailblazers upped the head count and were great folks to wheel with. Thanks for putting this run together Goatman! Here's some pics:

On the way up

Cool rock outcropping overlooking the valley

Stopping for a photo op

Winding through some switchbacks

In among the trees

Poser shot on a fun little rock pile

Kicking up some dust

Flexing around a corner

Still climbing...

continued...

 

[fyrfytr1717]

Standing on the ridge between Grouse and Swamp

View of Grouse Lake (where we camped)

View of Swamp Lake and the meadow

View of Little Doris Lake

The hike down to Little Doris wasn't the easiest (there was no trail)...

But it was a beautiful little lake once you got there. We even caught some fish while we were there

And found some snow to play in

Leaving camp Sunday morning, waiting on a no-start...

Cracker's sweet new MJ

Little mining cabin next to Swamp Lake

A somewhat bored cracker and the axis of evil on 37's, intentionally taking the hard way...

I pass this sign every time I head up to the Shaver Lake area, finally decided to be a dork and take a pic in front of it!

All in all, it was a great trip. The Sierras were beautiful (as usual) and it's always fun to go places you know most folks will never get the chance to visit. Swamp Lake was the most challenging trail I've been on so far and this was the first run I've gone on since getting geared and locked. Man what a difference! I finally see what I've been missing all these years...

Breakdowns on the trail were pretty minor. We had a tire slashed on a log from rim to tread, a front pinion yoke/u-joint destroyed by a T&T Y-link, a temporary no-start starter, a buggy that lost its hydro steering (just after finishing the trail), and I popped off a front fender flare due to improper bump stopping. I didn't get a chance to snap any good action shots, but I know some of the others on the run did. Hopefully they post up. I know cracker probably has at least a few hundred pictures, his personal photographer kept very busy...

 

[Jes]

Nice pics, wish I coulda made it this year.
If I don't make it out to Dinkey Creek this year it will be the first time I haven't in 10 years. :tear:

 

[Letterman]

Cracker Wheeling in the Sierras? WOW!

Wish I could have went, I love that trail.

Great shots!

 

[fyrfytr1717]

A little video footage from the So Cal Chapter Forum...

It was a great run and was good to meet you guys. Weather was Awesome and fishing was good. Here's a little vid I threw together...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89YMEhIgnT4

Jeremy

Thanks again for putting that together Jeremy!

 

[SeansXJ]

very cool!! trails looks fun and the lake is soo purty!

 

[Letterman]

Kind of a slow video, needs faster editing! Crackers line right around the 13 minute mark is hot! Hard to tell how hard that spot is till you have done it.

Was that Goatman needing a tug?

 

[cracker]

Kind of a slow video, needs faster editing! Crackers line right around the 13 minute mark is hot! Hard to tell how hard that spot is till you have done it.

Was that Goatman needing a tug?

:laugh:

yeah that was goat. Richard was in 2WD cause his front yolk was broken and got hung up.

 

[guther66]

Sweet... Nice Pics!

 

[XJensen]

Kind of a slow video, needs faster editing! Crackers line right around the 13 minute mark is hot! Hard to tell how hard that spot is till you have done it.

Was that Goatman needing a tug?

Was that the section to the left at the top of Rooster Rock? If so I tried the far left line and was denied.

I'll get some pis up one of these days...

Josh

 

[cracker]

Was that the section to the left at the top of Rooster Rock? If so I tried the far left line and was denied.

I'll get some pis up one of these days...

Josh

Rooster rock is the big 'moab like' slab right?

The MJ did the left line on that ok too.

 

[Letterman]

The one I was looking at on the end of that video was on the way out, the one fun spot.

 

[cracker]

Yeah.

There was some stuggling happening there. Some Yotas were having a tough time getting through before we got there.

Pictures don't really show the angle of the pass too well.

 

[fyrfytr1717]

That spot toward the end was pretty fun. I definitely needed some spotting assistance coming through it. It was cool to see what exactly I was getting hung up on in the video. That section at the top of it was continuously changing as each guy went through and pushed some of the rocks around. Neither the pictures nor the video really do it justice...

Was that Goatman needing a tug?

Yep, who'd have thunk that my first winching opportunity (ever) would involve tugging the venerable goatman?

:laugh:

yeah that was goat. Richard was in 2WD cause his front yolk was broken and got hung up.

Yeah, in all fairness, he was in 2WD at that point. Still fun to be able to say that I winched the goat and then drove the same line unassisted...

 

[jrowell]

Kind of a slow video, needs faster editing!

Thanks!

 

[jrowell]

Yeah.

There was some stuggling happening there. Some Yotas were having a tough time getting through before we got there.

Pictures don't really show the angle of the pass too well.

I had a tough time there... although I totally blame it on the dude on 37's in front of me that was playing around and jacked up my line! 8>)

 

[cracker]

I had a tough time there... although I totally blame it on the dude on 37's in front of me that was playing around and jacked up my line! 8>)

You didn't even try my line so don't blame me for that.

 

[jrowell]

You didn't even try my line so don't blame me for that.

I gave the left a shot, but slipped back to the right pretty quick. I have to blame you, my rig is solid and I'm an expert driver... what else can I blame it on? Goatman spotted me after a couple trys, so I can't blame the spotter. Those 37" holes were too much for my 33's! That the story I'm sticking to! 8>)

 

[Letterman]

Thanks!

You’re welcome. If you are going to get bent out of shape from an honest opinion, and not take some helpful criticism, you might want to stop making video's.

I used to do the same, see if you can even watch all seven and a half minutes of one of my videos from the early 90's. I can't even watch it all, long and slow, and this is just half the time of your swamp video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ZeetpkyTMc

Here is a 5:40 video, and it is long still:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQfAPttb25Q

Fewer than 5 minutes is always better:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMWaIv0DNNA

Most all of my corporate videos are three minutes or less, the only videos I make that are longer then ten minutes are very dull training videos.

I would edit that to less than 5 minutes, and put a sound track to it and you could have a great video, just some professional advice for free.

 

[jrowell]

You’re welcome. If you are going to get bent out of shape from an honest...and not take some helpful criticism, you might want to stop making video's.

I think you took my flip off the wrong way, It was just a friendly hello. The video, was just a quick project for my family for my FB page, wasn't meant to entertain a hardcore wheeler. As for stopping making vids... well I do it for a living, so I won't be stopping for awhile!

Cheers

Jeremy