04.16
Hall’s Crossing, Utah – When a fellow wheeler says to you, yes, we had a great trip, what does that really mean? This is what it meant to the participants of the Hole in the Rock camping trip: new trail, volatile weather, some navigation, stunning scenery, intriguing food, reflective music, new acquaintances, lucky finds, fresh admiration, musical discussions, political discussions, technical discussions, vehicle discussions, food discussions, no breakage, and solid friends. On the downside, there was lots of highway driving starting from Denver.
The Trail
“The trail was constructed by Mormon pioneers during the winter of 1879- 80. The trail the Mormon Pioneers opened was very rugged and difficult even by their standards. The Mormon’s wished to establish a colony in the four corners vicinity which had become a hide out for lawless Indians and whites. They expected their mission to take about 6 weeks…instead it took 6 months including a very vicious Utah winter.”
To appreciate the history of the trail, I would recommend some light reading, including the following internet sites which were the source of the above excerpts:
Off Road.com
4x4now.com
National Park Service
State of Utah
Directions
From Moab , take 191 south to highway 95, head west to 276 then south to Hall’s Crossing, approximately 160 miles from Moab . Hall’s Crossing, so named because Charles built a ferry here, also can be reached from Green River , taking highway 24 south to 95 to 276.
To get to the trail head from Hall’s Crossing, backtrack 9.5 miles to the east, and turn south on the dirt road adjacent to the airport. The trail ends approximately 30 miles to the southwest, and 2 miles from Lake Powell , opposite the actual Hole in the Rock. Staying right at any of the forks in the road will lead to the end of the trail.
Participants
Chris Davis from Boulder , Colorado in his 1994, white D-90 without a roll cage; rock sliders, on board air, custom skids, Detroit rear locker and stuff.
Charlie Haigh from Lafayette , Colorado in a 1986 110 pickup with a 300 TDI; rock sliders, hydraulic winch, Detroit rear locker, and stuff.
Mike Wilson from Lafayette , Colorado driving a 1994 Discovery with leopard skin headliner and stuff.
And me, Hans Schulze in a 1995 white, soft-top, D-90 with stuff.
To Hole in the Rock Site
After a timely departure from the Morrison exit on I-70 on Friday April 16 th, we fought a constant head wind. Mike, with a 23 gallon tank, and Chris, with only a slightly modified vehicle, had no fuel concerns. Since I had custom gearing and oversized tires, my vehicle threatened abandonment three times on highway 128 leading into Moab . Charlie just smirked.
We loaded up on provisions, food, gas, water, ice, map, Cliff bars, and started on our 2 ½ hour trip to Hall’s Landing which was the last provision stop before starting the trail. Unbeknownst to us, the lone gas station closes at 6pm and the gas pumps date back to the 20 th century…no credit cards. Although we challenged the prescribed closing time, luck was on our side. More gas, ice, maps, and we were on our way to the trailhead with the intention of driving as far as possible before night fall. In retrospect, we should have aired down prior to the ride to cushion the trail ribs.
Nightfall forced us to stop 7.75 miles into the trail where we set up camp on the sand prairie. In the twilight we prepared food with the aid of flashlights. This site on the side of the road appealed to us only because the flat stone became our parking lot, therefore reducing harm to the environment and keeping the vehicles from blocking traffic.
The tailgate kitchens produced varied meals. Charlie made a veggie stir fry and sautéed a chicken breast. Chris grilled his chicken breast and added backed beans and a mixed green, organic salad. Mike continued the chicken theme with prima vera, including linguini, snow peas and carrots. I had brats.first preheated on Chris’ grill, then completed on a flat rock in the fire that was constructed in a small stone amphitheater formation to aid in wind control. I’d like to think this is how the Indians prepared their brats many years ago.
The possible traffic did materialize the next morning, Saturday April 17th. A school of ATV ‘s became our wake up call at 7am , motivating us to mosey-on down the trail. One and three quarter miles later we encountered the ATV enthusiasts camped under an immense, 100 foot overhang. Around noon we took lunch on the center of the vast Grey Mesa because we were hungry and didn’t know if there was a more picturesque site further down the road, which there was of course. Two miles further was the striking site of the ” Great Bend of the San Juan River ” part of Lake Powell .
At 3pm we gawked at the seemingly impassible trail, commemoratively marked with posts emblazoned with covered wagons. We remarked with awe at the impossible or at best, highly difficult terrain that the pioneers conquered. From the end of the trail we had a wonderful vantage point of the actual Hole in the Rock, across what is now part of Lake Powell .
Return to Hall’s Crossing and Moab
The dark grey clouds, foretelling deteriorating conditions, gave us impetus to retrace our path, at least leaving behind some of the slightly steep, off-camber sections that could be made more difficult if they were wet. We remembered weather reports of a storm for later today and tomorrow.
The sand packed wind pushed us side to side on our trek back. Once off of Grey Mesa we looked for a camp site for the night. At first we wanted protection from wind and rain, but desperation made us consider shelter from the rain only. After several possibilities and the vision of organizing shelter in the rain, we were resigned to camp at the edge of a small bluff which might hinder the wind somewhat but would do nothing to prevent us from getting wet.
While two stayed behind deciding on placement of tents, a search party of two gave one last look further down the trail and to our surprise, just around the bend, was that same, huge, 100 foot overhang. It was 7pm which gave us a chance to organize our camp in daylight. High fives were in order and to celebrate, the tailgate chefs concocted their elaborate menus. I had brats. After night crept up on us, the high spirits led to single malt scotch and tubular encased cigars. Delicate Sounds of Thunder and Riders of the Storm seemed appropriate choices for the booming sound system of Chris’ Defender. We were relieved.
The protection properties of this site was evident during the night when freight train, tornado sounding winds, bent trees at the waist only 25 yards away, but kept us in a gentle breeze. A light show was watched by three of us at 3am . At sun up, Sunday April 18 th , rain was evident only on the hood of three of our vehicles. Chris was able to park and tent under the jutting bluff and was completely dry.
After Chris’ omelet with diced potatoes, onions, and green peppers, Mike’s Cajun grits, Charlie’s oatmeal, and studying maps and utilizing the GPS, we decided on sightseeing. We headed northeast and within 1.5 miles we hit a spur which eventually headed straight south leading to our own “crack in the wall” that we explored somewhat on foot.
We continued our exploratory excursion after reaching the main road again and within 2.5 miles decided on a spur to the east of us that we thought would lead us to a mesa overlook. But first, 3.5 miles away at a T intersection, we encountered an abandoned ½ track, and two ancient and rusted trucks. We didn’t fool with the trucks on the possibility that they may still be utilitarian. One truck had a horse trailer attached and we did see horses on the mesa.
During lunch we decided to explore a visible windmill one mile northeast from us. If you need water, this would be the place. The windmill, patched with wire and wood limbs, was a pump, extracting water constantly that would flow into a large tub, overflowing into another large tub, overflowing onto the ground.
Further checking of the map led us back to the trucks, and south 12 miles from the rusted vehicles. The scenery was good, and we found another water well, this one powered by a solar panel. It was 3:30pm and we had to get to Hall’s Crossing by 6pm to refuel. It was decided to cut Monday’s trip home by driving toward Moab today and camp on the Strike Ravine trail, just south of Moab .
About three hours later, another gourmet dinner followed the routine tent reconstruction. Charlie and Chris must have felt sorry for me. Charlie sautéed onions and green peppers and Chris gave me several buns for my brats. That mixture reminded me of the sandwiches from the fabled Maxwell Street in Chicago which has been replaced long ago by town homes and apartments.
Moab and Summary
Monday the 19th of April called for a leisure breakfast at the Eclectica Café in Moab and a general discussion of the trip. Some reasons it was so interesting to us was that as rookies on this trail we needed to utilize navigational skills, although it would have taken an extra effort to get lost. It was all new to us, and the little weather excitement made the trip more interesting.
Several publications list this trail as difficult, but there wasn’t anything that a stock Rover couldn’t conquer, including some challenging sections in and around Grey Mesa. It was two wheel drive all exploring Sunday. Don’t look for extreme 4×4 wheeling, but look for scenery, history, and good companionship.
Definitely, make it to Hall’s Crossing before 5pm, not only to get fueled before closing at 6pm, but to make it to the overhanging campsite 9.5 miles from trail head at N37 22 13.5 W110 37 02.5 before the ATV driving jawas do. Bring plenty of water and cans of fuel. None of us ran out of gas but I got close, and if you decide to explore more or stay an extra day, you may need it.
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