Day5
- Heldorado
On
this day some ascended into the heavens where the sky's glowed
warmth and beauty all around. Others ascended into hell where
the skies baked into your very being and the walls around you
closed in on your soul. I, for one, was in hell. The Heldardo
trail. It actually was not that bad but it sounded good as it
stumbled off of my fingertips and onto the keyboard.
Anyway,
I had, again linked up with Dave Hickman and Mr. Ed for an adventure.
This time, we had also linked up with the Great Mean Green Machine
from Rosburg, OR. Cool! We were practically neighbors. Unfortunately,
the GMGM, shortly into the trail, inverted a shackle. This machine
had just received new springs and the shackle perches just did
not sit in quite the right place, thus, Twip-pop, and in the
wrong spot it would go.
Well,
like before, the Big Daddy Dogs where into it knee-deep trying
to do field repairs. Man am I glad Ed carries every spare nut
and bolt that is not attached to his rig. To make a long story
short, after much winching, jacking, prying and many the "ings,"
we come up with a make-shift shackle limiting strap and were
off.
A
ways up the trail, the strap had started to stretch so Twip-pop,
and in the wrong spot it went again. This time we had the system
down and had it repositioned. With a new limiting strap- AKA
winch cable - we were off.
This
trail is not offered as a main course in the Easter Jeep Safari
because it is a trail of carnage. Some of the toughest trails
are not offered. These you must trek on your own, and like us
brave adventurers who see potential carnage as a challenge to
overcome. Hmmm what category does that fit in? Man VS Nature?
or Man VS Himself? Maybe both.
During
the field repairs, some other near neighbors packed in behind
us. We now had another Ed and his kids from Sacramento area
in a real world CJ that later proved to be vary capable. ALso
with him was Mike Shaffer w/ Shaffer's Offroad in Carson City
NV in a very impressive Samurai with his own designed and built
coil-over suspension.
Also
in the group was Martin in a nicely prepared streetable Samurai.
After
many squeezes, climbs, scrapes, diff. snags, and no-choice rock-stacking,
we are thru the Lower Helderado.
The
map given to us by 4 Wheel of Moab aimed us to Upper Helderado
or other alternative trails. Upper Helderado is now considered
a trail of impossibilities and carnage. I walked up it and new
my rig could not get through it. Ed's and Dave's could, though,
and maybe the coiled Samurai, as well.
With
Dave having just prepped his rig for selling, he declined and
Ed, though he would love to, stood back with Dave. The only
taker was the coiled Samuari, who made it with little damage
and a winching at the waterfall at it's end. The pictures of
this trail say far more than my words can relay.
The
day ended as myself and my extended neighbors straitened my
flimsy steering arm. So far it is the only true weak link I
have. Tomorrow FREE triall tires. (only for the remainder of
the week.)
Day
5 Photo Album
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