cewtwo
New member
What I didn't do July 4th weekend Or Why I replaced my winch
It was a dark, dismal, rainy afternoon in the Colorado high-country. We had spent the morning having fun exploring 4-wheel drive trails. Redcone pass, Webster pass, Radical hill, the Middle Fork of the Swan, and Georgia pass were the morning’s activities. They were a lot of fun.
The skies were darkening and you could feel it getting colder. We decided to find the elusive SOB Hill trail. We knew the way but had never ridden the trail before. We followed the trail as we watched the skies succumb to cloudiness and we listened as the thunder and lightning roared. Soon the rain started.
In the diminished light as the rain pelted us, we reached the crest of a hill. Tom turned to me and asked, “Is the main trail to the left or the right? I think it’s to the right.†Where Tom had stopped the Jeep, we could not see the trail. The edge of the hood was as far as the Jeep would permit us to see. To the left was a campsite. I looked to the right and saw nothing. It seemed as though tire tracks went over the edge, but from my seated position, I was not seeing a trail.
We got out and looked over the edge. I think that both our jaws dropped and we sat as we looked down. It was a trail. We also knew that it was a challenge. I now knew why and how SOB Hill got the name and the reputation.
We walked down a bit and looked over the trail. Should we do it? We found a line over a boulder at the top. It was a rocky trail with several boulders and a good-sized step about halfway down the obstacle. The rain would definitely increase the pucker factor. We decided to do it.
Tom went back to the Jeep and I proceeded further down the trail. I would spot as Tom drove. He started the Jeep and looked right at me. After all, he could see me. He couldn’t see the trail at all.
Tom followed my hand signals and he started over the top. We moved the Jeep a bit to the left, then more into the middle. The front driver side tire missed the boulder, but we had to place the back tire directly on the boulder. The Jeep cambered to the passenger side. Tom slowly drove over the first boulder. We were now on our way down. We were committed.
At one point, Tom looked at me quizzically as my directions were not to his desire. There was loose, wet, fine dirt at this point. The Jeep would have to go slow. Tom followed my guide. I told him that he would have to get the front of the Jeep over a boulder then pull forward a foot or two. We went slowly. I stopped him and we both breathed a sigh of relief as the back tires slowly slid over the top of a small step. That placed the Jeep in the right position for the large step in the middle.
The large step was deep on the driver’s side with a boulder and a steep trailside on the other. We negotiated it slowly, made sure of tire placement and eased the Jeep forward. It cambered as it drove over but made it easily.
The rest of the trail was downhill and much easier. We found the Middle Fork of the Swan trail at the bottom. It was a fun experience at a new trail for us.
Now we have to try it dry and uphill. Something to look forward to in the near future.
It was a dark, dismal, rainy afternoon in the Colorado high-country. We had spent the morning having fun exploring 4-wheel drive trails. Redcone pass, Webster pass, Radical hill, the Middle Fork of the Swan, and Georgia pass were the morning’s activities. They were a lot of fun.
The skies were darkening and you could feel it getting colder. We decided to find the elusive SOB Hill trail. We knew the way but had never ridden the trail before. We followed the trail as we watched the skies succumb to cloudiness and we listened as the thunder and lightning roared. Soon the rain started.
In the diminished light as the rain pelted us, we reached the crest of a hill. Tom turned to me and asked, “Is the main trail to the left or the right? I think it’s to the right.†Where Tom had stopped the Jeep, we could not see the trail. The edge of the hood was as far as the Jeep would permit us to see. To the left was a campsite. I looked to the right and saw nothing. It seemed as though tire tracks went over the edge, but from my seated position, I was not seeing a trail.
We got out and looked over the edge. I think that both our jaws dropped and we sat as we looked down. It was a trail. We also knew that it was a challenge. I now knew why and how SOB Hill got the name and the reputation.
We walked down a bit and looked over the trail. Should we do it? We found a line over a boulder at the top. It was a rocky trail with several boulders and a good-sized step about halfway down the obstacle. The rain would definitely increase the pucker factor. We decided to do it.
Tom went back to the Jeep and I proceeded further down the trail. I would spot as Tom drove. He started the Jeep and looked right at me. After all, he could see me. He couldn’t see the trail at all.
Tom followed my hand signals and he started over the top. We moved the Jeep a bit to the left, then more into the middle. The front driver side tire missed the boulder, but we had to place the back tire directly on the boulder. The Jeep cambered to the passenger side. Tom slowly drove over the first boulder. We were now on our way down. We were committed.
At one point, Tom looked at me quizzically as my directions were not to his desire. There was loose, wet, fine dirt at this point. The Jeep would have to go slow. Tom followed my guide. I told him that he would have to get the front of the Jeep over a boulder then pull forward a foot or two. We went slowly. I stopped him and we both breathed a sigh of relief as the back tires slowly slid over the top of a small step. That placed the Jeep in the right position for the large step in the middle.
The large step was deep on the driver’s side with a boulder and a steep trailside on the other. We negotiated it slowly, made sure of tire placement and eased the Jeep forward. It cambered as it drove over but made it easily.
The rest of the trail was downhill and much easier. We found the Middle Fork of the Swan trail at the bottom. It was a fun experience at a new trail for us.
Now we have to try it dry and uphill. Something to look forward to in the near future.
