stevec
Adventurer
This run was organized by a few Canadian guys on the lj10.com forum. I invited a few people from my local Suzuki club (Wazuks) as well. We had a total of seven rigs on the run, all Suzuki’s: two LJ81K pickups, one LJ80V (tintop), 3 Samurai’s (two tintops and one LWB), and one 4-dr. Sidekick.
I had been very busy organizing and preparing for the LJ meet in South Dakota the week before, and had only four days to prepare my LJ81K for this run. The canopy was painted and installed, but I still needed to redo the exhaust, install a CB, run a 12V power outlet to the canopy for the ARB fridge, as well as some general maintenance items (i.e. change oil), and pack.
Well, I got everything done except the exhaust. My wife met me at my office so she could leave her car in the garage, and we headed out of Seattle at about 2:00pm Friday afternoon. The border crossing was very quick and uneventful, and we were making very good time as we pulled into Hope, BC. Mapquest had quoted five hours and 15 minutes for the trip to Princeton; I had estimated closer to six hours with the border crossing, so I told my friends I would be there near 8:00pm, but at the rate we were going, we would be there before 7:00. But upon leaving Hope, hwy 3 climbs 4000’ over the next 20 miles, and my fully loaded, 41hp pickup could only manage 40mph in 3rd gear on some of the hills. Thankfully the road is excellent, four lanes for most of the climb, so we weren’t holding up traffic. The air cooled as we climbed, and the scenery was beautiful, so we stopped a couple of times to stretch our legs, and really enjoyed the drive.
We arrived in Princeton right at 7:15, so Mapquest had us pegged. My friends were at least an hour behind me, as they could not leave work as early, but our Canadian friends were all there waiting already. They headed up to the Whipsaw road turnoff while we got a bite to eat and topped off the gas tank, and then we headed up to meet them and wait for my friends to arrive. We got there a little after 8:00, and someone asked “lose your gas cap?” After a couple of choice four-letter words, I drove back down to Princeton to look for it. Nothing at the gas station, so we drove back up slowly, looking for it on the side of the road, but never found it. We arrived back at the turnoff, me in a bad mood now, and I covered the filler with shop towels and duct tape as my friends arrived. They needed to fill their gas tanks in Princeton as well, so we headed off to the campsite.
We found a wonderful site off the road and next to the creek, and set up our tents while listening for my friends. They arrived a bit later than expected – my friend Brian had (gently) hit a deer on the highway. With camp set up, no one felt like making a fire, so we just talked under lantern light awhile, and then went to sleep. I purposely pitched our tent close to the bubbling creek, and the result was the best night’s sleep I’ve had in a long time.
I was up at 5:45, feeling well rested and ready to go. There were very few mosquitoes, but lots of little no-see-ums that were biting my legs. Everyone was packed up and ready to go by around 8:00, so we headed up the FS road, stopping at the mill site and cabins along the way, and taking lots of pictures. The trail got steadily tougher as it climbed, and by ********’s cabin most, if not all of us, were in low range. After ********’s cabin the mosquitoes really got bad, and the trail also got rockier, and my exhaust separated on the first rock it hit. So we stop, I put it back together as best I can, and we continue, until it hits a second rock, and separates again. After the third time it separated, we broke out Brian’s welding rod, hooked a couple of batteries together, welded the front section back on, and threw the tailpipe in the back. By now, four rigs have gone ahead, wanting to get to Lodestone Lake before the good campsites were all taken. I did the best trail weld I could, while lying in the dirt being attacked by mosquitoes. I was in a bad mood again, and felt bad about holding up the group. We got going for about 100 yards, and the front section fell off again, this time into about a foot deep, 50 foot long mud hole. Well, at least it would be cool enough to pick up without gloves! I waded into the hole, and used my pickaxe to dredge the mud hole for my exhaust. After a couple of minutes I came out victorious, and threw the piece in the back of the LJ81. The (very ugly!) trail weld had held fine; but the exhaust had separated in a different spot. By now I was getting tired, and decided that making good time was better than having a muffler.
We caught the rest of the group at Wells Lake:
They had been waiting for us there for about an hour, so we took a quick look, watched a couple of fish jump, snapped a couple of pictures, and pressed on. We knew the tougher sections (i.e. Falcon Hill and the Hole) were still to come, and it was past 4:00 now. Turns out Falcon Hill looks a lot worse than it is – my bone stock LJ81 walked up it without so much as a slip of a tire. The Hole was tougher; not as much water as I expected, but the exit is steep, and my spring hangers were digging into the dirt. By now I was getting very tired, my ears were ringing, and I didn’t know exactly what was dragging. I had already held up the group a lot today, and I didn’t want to damage the body panels, so although I could probably have made it out with a little extra momentum, I quickly asked for a tug. The tug was quick, and the others did make it through with the extra momentum.
That was supposed to be the last tough obstacle, but it was not. I watched the rigs in front of me go through the next nasty, off-camber section, and a couple of them dragged their sides along the exposed tree roots, denting doors and side panels. Again, I did not want to damage the body on my rig, so I said “No matter what, I’m staying left!” It took a couple of tries, and a little extra momentum, but I got through unscathed.
There were a few sections like this, then the trail gradually became easier as we approached Lodestone Lake. We arrived around 7:00 I believe, set up camp right on the lake, and we feasted on tacos and ribs while the mosquitoes feasted on us. After dinner we hooked up the battery cables again, and I did a somewhat better job welding the exhaust pieces together and bolting it back up. As it got dark, the campfire grew larger, the mosquitoes went to bed, and after a couple of beers, I was in a good mood again, though still tired.
Sunday was a slower morning. I slept in later (‘till almost 7:00), and we didn’t get going until nearly 10:00. I had read that the trail was more of just a FS road after Lodestone Lake, so I shifted back into 2WD before leaving camp. I was right – we just cruised down the road, arriving in Coalmont around 11:00 or so, aired up the tires, and headed to Princeton to find a car wash. Luckily there was one right on the road as we entered town, so we washed the truck, got lunch, topped up the tank (between driving back and forth to Princeton looking for my gas cap and driving the trail, I had used almost five gallons (20L) of gas!) and we headed for home about 1:30. The exhaust was rattling a bit – the two bolts holding the downpipe in place were coming loose, so I stopped to tighten them a couple of times – but the border crossing was again quick (no more than 10 minutes either way) and we got back to my office in Seattle around 7:15, where my wife's car was parked. We actually arrived home about 8:00.
The good: The scenery was beautiful, the trail was awesome, the weather was perfect, and we really had a great group of people. There were patches of snow above 6000’, but no measurable snow on the trail itself at all (I saw one little patch, but it was probably melted by the end of the day.) No traffic at all on the trail – The whole day we saw only one side-by-side. This trail should definitely be on everyone’s “to-do” list.
The bad: Losing my gas cap, the muffler issues, and all those damn mosquitoes!!!
The ugly: Trail welds (have you ever seen a nice looking one?), and the trail condition – lots of trash, especially at the lakes and at Richard’s cabin, including a couple of abandoned, overturned vehicles near Lodestone Lake, and a few places where irresponsible wheelers had driven off-trail, and into the meadows.
None of us had run this trail before, so we were relying on maps and the advice of others. The trail can be run in a stock rig, as long as said rig has decent ground clearance, and the owner doesn’t mind a few scratches and/or dents. My LJ81 has P215/75R15 tires, and (after the exhaust was removed!) only bottomed out once, on the frame rail or spring perch. I came out with no scratches or dents in the body, but my stock rig is smaller than most, and other stock rigs did get some body damage.
Someone here said the only difference between an ordeal and an adventure is your attitude. My attitude for much of Saturday was more "ordeal" than "adventure", but looking back, it was a great adventure!
More pics and video at photobucket:
http://s296.photobucket.com/albums/mm168/lj10dotcom/Whipsaw 2010/
I had been very busy organizing and preparing for the LJ meet in South Dakota the week before, and had only four days to prepare my LJ81K for this run. The canopy was painted and installed, but I still needed to redo the exhaust, install a CB, run a 12V power outlet to the canopy for the ARB fridge, as well as some general maintenance items (i.e. change oil), and pack.
Well, I got everything done except the exhaust. My wife met me at my office so she could leave her car in the garage, and we headed out of Seattle at about 2:00pm Friday afternoon. The border crossing was very quick and uneventful, and we were making very good time as we pulled into Hope, BC. Mapquest had quoted five hours and 15 minutes for the trip to Princeton; I had estimated closer to six hours with the border crossing, so I told my friends I would be there near 8:00pm, but at the rate we were going, we would be there before 7:00. But upon leaving Hope, hwy 3 climbs 4000’ over the next 20 miles, and my fully loaded, 41hp pickup could only manage 40mph in 3rd gear on some of the hills. Thankfully the road is excellent, four lanes for most of the climb, so we weren’t holding up traffic. The air cooled as we climbed, and the scenery was beautiful, so we stopped a couple of times to stretch our legs, and really enjoyed the drive.
We arrived in Princeton right at 7:15, so Mapquest had us pegged. My friends were at least an hour behind me, as they could not leave work as early, but our Canadian friends were all there waiting already. They headed up to the Whipsaw road turnoff while we got a bite to eat and topped off the gas tank, and then we headed up to meet them and wait for my friends to arrive. We got there a little after 8:00, and someone asked “lose your gas cap?” After a couple of choice four-letter words, I drove back down to Princeton to look for it. Nothing at the gas station, so we drove back up slowly, looking for it on the side of the road, but never found it. We arrived back at the turnoff, me in a bad mood now, and I covered the filler with shop towels and duct tape as my friends arrived. They needed to fill their gas tanks in Princeton as well, so we headed off to the campsite.
We found a wonderful site off the road and next to the creek, and set up our tents while listening for my friends. They arrived a bit later than expected – my friend Brian had (gently) hit a deer on the highway. With camp set up, no one felt like making a fire, so we just talked under lantern light awhile, and then went to sleep. I purposely pitched our tent close to the bubbling creek, and the result was the best night’s sleep I’ve had in a long time.
I was up at 5:45, feeling well rested and ready to go. There were very few mosquitoes, but lots of little no-see-ums that were biting my legs. Everyone was packed up and ready to go by around 8:00, so we headed up the FS road, stopping at the mill site and cabins along the way, and taking lots of pictures. The trail got steadily tougher as it climbed, and by ********’s cabin most, if not all of us, were in low range. After ********’s cabin the mosquitoes really got bad, and the trail also got rockier, and my exhaust separated on the first rock it hit. So we stop, I put it back together as best I can, and we continue, until it hits a second rock, and separates again. After the third time it separated, we broke out Brian’s welding rod, hooked a couple of batteries together, welded the front section back on, and threw the tailpipe in the back. By now, four rigs have gone ahead, wanting to get to Lodestone Lake before the good campsites were all taken. I did the best trail weld I could, while lying in the dirt being attacked by mosquitoes. I was in a bad mood again, and felt bad about holding up the group. We got going for about 100 yards, and the front section fell off again, this time into about a foot deep, 50 foot long mud hole. Well, at least it would be cool enough to pick up without gloves! I waded into the hole, and used my pickaxe to dredge the mud hole for my exhaust. After a couple of minutes I came out victorious, and threw the piece in the back of the LJ81. The (very ugly!) trail weld had held fine; but the exhaust had separated in a different spot. By now I was getting tired, and decided that making good time was better than having a muffler.
We caught the rest of the group at Wells Lake:
They had been waiting for us there for about an hour, so we took a quick look, watched a couple of fish jump, snapped a couple of pictures, and pressed on. We knew the tougher sections (i.e. Falcon Hill and the Hole) were still to come, and it was past 4:00 now. Turns out Falcon Hill looks a lot worse than it is – my bone stock LJ81 walked up it without so much as a slip of a tire. The Hole was tougher; not as much water as I expected, but the exit is steep, and my spring hangers were digging into the dirt. By now I was getting very tired, my ears were ringing, and I didn’t know exactly what was dragging. I had already held up the group a lot today, and I didn’t want to damage the body panels, so although I could probably have made it out with a little extra momentum, I quickly asked for a tug. The tug was quick, and the others did make it through with the extra momentum.
That was supposed to be the last tough obstacle, but it was not. I watched the rigs in front of me go through the next nasty, off-camber section, and a couple of them dragged their sides along the exposed tree roots, denting doors and side panels. Again, I did not want to damage the body on my rig, so I said “No matter what, I’m staying left!” It took a couple of tries, and a little extra momentum, but I got through unscathed.
There were a few sections like this, then the trail gradually became easier as we approached Lodestone Lake. We arrived around 7:00 I believe, set up camp right on the lake, and we feasted on tacos and ribs while the mosquitoes feasted on us. After dinner we hooked up the battery cables again, and I did a somewhat better job welding the exhaust pieces together and bolting it back up. As it got dark, the campfire grew larger, the mosquitoes went to bed, and after a couple of beers, I was in a good mood again, though still tired.
Sunday was a slower morning. I slept in later (‘till almost 7:00), and we didn’t get going until nearly 10:00. I had read that the trail was more of just a FS road after Lodestone Lake, so I shifted back into 2WD before leaving camp. I was right – we just cruised down the road, arriving in Coalmont around 11:00 or so, aired up the tires, and headed to Princeton to find a car wash. Luckily there was one right on the road as we entered town, so we washed the truck, got lunch, topped up the tank (between driving back and forth to Princeton looking for my gas cap and driving the trail, I had used almost five gallons (20L) of gas!) and we headed for home about 1:30. The exhaust was rattling a bit – the two bolts holding the downpipe in place were coming loose, so I stopped to tighten them a couple of times – but the border crossing was again quick (no more than 10 minutes either way) and we got back to my office in Seattle around 7:15, where my wife's car was parked. We actually arrived home about 8:00.
The good: The scenery was beautiful, the trail was awesome, the weather was perfect, and we really had a great group of people. There were patches of snow above 6000’, but no measurable snow on the trail itself at all (I saw one little patch, but it was probably melted by the end of the day.) No traffic at all on the trail – The whole day we saw only one side-by-side. This trail should definitely be on everyone’s “to-do” list.
The bad: Losing my gas cap, the muffler issues, and all those damn mosquitoes!!!
The ugly: Trail welds (have you ever seen a nice looking one?), and the trail condition – lots of trash, especially at the lakes and at Richard’s cabin, including a couple of abandoned, overturned vehicles near Lodestone Lake, and a few places where irresponsible wheelers had driven off-trail, and into the meadows.
None of us had run this trail before, so we were relying on maps and the advice of others. The trail can be run in a stock rig, as long as said rig has decent ground clearance, and the owner doesn’t mind a few scratches and/or dents. My LJ81 has P215/75R15 tires, and (after the exhaust was removed!) only bottomed out once, on the frame rail or spring perch. I came out with no scratches or dents in the body, but my stock rig is smaller than most, and other stock rigs did get some body damage.
Someone here said the only difference between an ordeal and an adventure is your attitude. My attitude for much of Saturday was more "ordeal" than "adventure", but looking back, it was a great adventure!
More pics and video at photobucket:
http://s296.photobucket.com/albums/mm168/lj10dotcom/Whipsaw 2010/
