JPFreek - Index

JPFreek - Spring 2008 - Index

We live outside of Denver, Colorado, so there’s no shortness of
trail choices. Each trip could build on the previous trip’s difficulty,
distance, and duration. One of the goals in the planning was to
consider places we could go and keep the trailer in-tow as much
as possible. That meant finding trails that allowed open camping.
With that in mind, we chose trails in Steamboat Springs,
Colorado, Ouray/Silverton/Telluride, Colorado, and then finally
Moab, Utah.
After getting the loaner trailer home and loaded with just
about everything I could think of (2,100 lbs loaded), we started
out by going to Glenwood Springs to do a trail called the Ellis
Jeep Trail. Charles Wells writes in his book “Guide to Colorado
Backroads and Four-Wheel Drive Trails,” that this trail (and
surrounding trails) is mostly moderate with difficult spots for
various reasons. The trails are very remote and not
recommended to travel alone. This last comment got our
attention, but considering we would be equipped for about a
week on our own, we thought it would be okay.
One of the major reasons the Ellis Jeep Trail is known in these
parts is that it can be extremely muddy. There isn’t a good winch
point on the trail, and the amount of mud made for a cautious
trail ride for us. The last thing I needed was to get both the Jeep
and trailer stuck in mud up to the fenders without the ability to
pull myself out. I know there are great winch anchor devices out
there but hey, I have to be challenged some how, right?
It remained to be seen if we would actually drive the entire trail
or not. The thought of getting the Jeep and trailer stuck in the
mud was not my idea of fun. Our plan was to head in as far as we
were comfortable with and then reverse direction to find other
trails in the area.
Weather was not one of our planning considerations. To be
honest, it really never occurred to us that it could prove to be
problematic. Heck, I could cross almost three feet of water
without thinking twice if I needed to. As we approached the
Steamboat Springs area, the storms were forming before our
very eyes, as if they were begging us to enter the trail system.
There was no stopping us now!
It started to rain as we entered the wilderness area and on to
the trail as planned. It rained, and rained, and rained. I tuned in to
the NOAA weather channel and was immediately alerted to
the severe thunderstorm warning in our area. At this point, all
we wanted to do was find a suitable camping spot for the night
because it didn’t seem like it was going to clear up any time
soon.
The first night on the trail was spent at about 10,000 feet,
before the muddy areas. Did I mention that it was raining pea
sized hail? About 30 seconds after I pulled the Jeep into the spot
we had chosen for the night, it started to thunder and lightning,
sending percussion waves through every molecule in our bodies.
I must admit now that I was honestly a bit concerned.
We weren’t going any further that day, so we waited out the
severe part of the storm. In between small breaks in the storm’s
electricity (even though it continued to rain), I was able to unfold
the tent and warm up some dinner under the ladder-supported
area of the tent. My wife and daughter entered the tent as soon
as it was erected and didn’t go out again until morning. The rest
of the night was spent as a family watching rented DVDs on a
portable DVD player.
FYI: Meals made ahead of time and then vacuum packed to be
reheated in boiling water works great! When the food is gone
you simply clean up by throwing the empty bag away. You can
either reuse the boiled water or dump it out. Our meal of
spaghetti that evening was probably the best spaghetti ever!
It finally stopped raining the next morning. The storm had
been severe and the ground, as well as the tent and Jeep, was
newly covered in pine needles. They were everywhere! I still
expect to find them months from now in small cracks and such.
On a positive note, the sky had cleared and it looked to be a
beautiful day. Since the trail was known for mud, I knew it wasn’t
a good idea to continue on so I packed our campsite up and we
opted to return the way we came. While I did this, my wife
walked further down the trail only to return with the opinion
that it wasn’t that bad and that we should check it out. I agreed,
with both of us knowing that we would turn around if need be.
Before we knew it, we had passed through all the spots that I
thought could have been known as difficult but proved no
problem with my Jeep and trailer in-tow. It was really a nice trail.
Right near the end of the muddy section was one particular
hole that proved more of a problem than first thought. As the
rear of the Jeep entered the hole it slid violently to the right and
slammed into the wall of the hole. Inside the hole was apparently
something very sharp as it sliced right into the sidewall of my
Goodyear MT/R tire. It’s a good thing I had a full sized spare as
the tire was toast. In the process of changing
it out I couldn’t help but notice that the Jeep
was no longer centered over the rear axle
either. I thought I might have lost a track bar
bolt or something simple. I started to think it
was a good thing that I had brought so many
“just in case” items along for the journey.
I wish that was all it was.
You never really know when you will need
that full size spare tire