Moab Rim-With hike!
A group of 7 rigs showed up at the Cinema on Sunday to run the Moab Rim. Melanie was NOT one of them. Guess she heard too many scary stories and chickend out, maybe next time!
It was a chilly day, especially in the shade but the group began working its way up the rim.
Rick had a little problem just after the Devil’s Crack…………there goes the old shock! Can ya see it?
Anyway, after a failed attempt to remove it, Rick tied it up with his super gauge wire ( by the way, if you EVER need wire, Rick carries at least 3 kinds in bulk)
After a promise to not stop again until we hit warmer sunlight, we were off.
Up to the “Z” turn.
Everyone made it up without a problem. Once we hit the sun, things warmed up significantly.
We made it to the top of the Rim and began working our way towards “Tire Test Hill”. Ber got stuck on a large rock which rolled underneath his Jeep. Rick needed to give him a little pull.
Here’s Jim going up Tire Test Hill. His tire did bark so he did not pass the test. He didn’t seem too worried about it though. In fact, I think he said, “who the hell cares?”
At the bottom of the slickrock, Ber took us by foot on an old Jeep track that is now closed. In order to get GPS waypoints, he put on his special “hat”. (circa 1957) Looking good Ber!
Over hill and dale, who can keep up with 84 years young Ber Knight? Not our group, that’s for sure. See him at the top of the hill all alone?
Jim is standing on a point where you can still see gouges in the rock from the ghosts of Jeeps past.
We came to a spot that I believe is called Egg Ranch fin. If that’s not right, then it’s called Egg Plant Arch, one of the two anyway. The Jeeps used to drive the narrow fin out to this overlook before heading back to another spur.
Here’s a view of how the Jeeps would drive off the fin, heading back towards the main trail. Apparently this was part of the Moab Rim trail, way back in the day. Ber thinks it could have been kept open, if someone had been paying attention. This is an important lesson for us to watch what’s going on and do our part in letter writing and trail preservation.
After some more hiking, we came to the main obstacle of this track that’s called one of the following:
Jethro
Death Row
Death Roll
I never did hear correctly so I say pick the one you like the best and go with it. Jeeps used to drive down this obstacle, maybe one or two made it back up. Right on the other side of Jim is a nasty drop off that made this an intimidating obstacle. Since the trail is now closed, we’ll never know…..maybe someday it’ll re-open?? Probably not but we can hope.
After the hike, it was back to the rigs for some well deserved lunch. Then off down the sand hill and across this little tippy place. Gary Lee shows us how it’s done.
Now, back down the Rim and over the “Z” turn. Larry commented that it looks different in the day time.
Jeff got a decent wheel lift coming over the Devil’s crack but I didn’t catch it with a photo.
Great trail. Thanks Ber for the great hike and showing us some Jeeping history!
Melissa
Melissa,
the way you tell the story make us almost feel like we was there, thanks for a great job. your a natural!
On the egg ranch fin-death row section: when we first learned of the wsa’s and that impending closure, Ber and I took Dave Minor and Jack Campbel (sierra club prez) up to show them the trail and try to keep it open. All we got was shrugs and “too bad”.
We were not asleep at the wheel, but maybe caught a little off guard by the whole WSAFraud.
Who would imagine they would re-name roads as ways and claim area’s with roads were roadless? Crafty buggers.
Still a classic Moab trail.