From this angle,
Guardrail looks very peaceful as the trees change colors during
a late Fall arrival.
That peacefullness
soon gave way to a screaming 4 cylinder as Doug McClain declares
that he is determined to make it up Guardrail.
To the surprise
of the group, Doug did, in fact, make it up Guardrail in his TJ.
However, he managed to get a leak in his fuel line which needed
immediate attention at the top of the hill.
Guardrail gets
its name because at the bottom of the obstacle there is a road-side
guardrail to keep you from going over the side of the mountain
if you are unfortunate enough to roll. Donna gives it all she's
got while her husband, Sheldon, gives directions and spots.
It was finally
my turn and I gave it my best try. The rocks had some oil remnants
from the previous group to attempt the hill, who had turned back.
Guardrail is
very steep and being extra slick didn't help my BFG's to get any
kind of bite them. I kept slipping off and getting closer to the
guardrail.
Though the
sun was setting, causing a bad lens flare, you can see how steep
the obstacle really is. I slipped back and my front end began
sliding off of the rocks toward the ledge.
Being in a
very uncomfortable spot, I did the smart thing and asked that
someone pull my winch line up the hill. I decided it just wasn't
worth ruining the trip.
