05.03
April 27th 2007
The spring Moab trip took place on April 27/28. April 27 was a beautiful day and we met at City Market at 8:30 AM. The 5 of us that met were Mark and Terri, Paul and Phil, Dr. Dee and Charlotte, Rob and Mike, and Brian Gueck. An RR, Defender, and 3 Discos. We decided to do Poison Spider and headed out. At the trailhead amidst numerous ATV’s and some jeeps we aired down and took off on the gorgeous morning. Little did we know that EXCITEMENT was on our way shortly.
A short way up the trail, Rob and Mike followed Mark up some steep rocks that the rest of us had bypassed. They were in the rear of the group when Mark noticed they were not on the trail. Looking back they were off the trail in a precarious position above a nasty drop off. They had suffered a blowout of 2 brake lines when attempting the steep rocks and had rolled backwards off the trail. Only Rob’s quick thinking had kept them from rolling off the edge in what would have been a potentially nasty accident. They were balanced dangerously but with Mike’s expertise 2 winch lines and 2 towstraps were attached. The Disco was winched back over some nasty large rocks and with a tow strap attached the vehicle was moved downtrail to a level area and emergency repairs were made. Rob and Mike then got the vehicle back to Moab with Paul following and spent all day getting parts but were able to repair it to the point they could get home but could not do any trails with the group. Mark in his Defender and Dr. Dee and Brian in their D1′s then proceeded up Poison Spider.
Mark was a great trail leader and helped spot the 2 Discos up and down rocky ledges in numerous spots. The trail was busy with Jeeps, ATV’s and bikes. Great views were seen in all directions. As Brian and Dr. Dee had not done this trail before it was very exciting for us. We had a nice lunch on a sandstone fin. This trail is filled with a hodge podge of rocks, ledges, sandy areas, and easy level dusty tracks. That night we all met for dinner at the Moab Brewery and nearly starved to death due to large crowds and slow service. None wanted to go there again for awhile.
April 28th 2007
On the 28th, we once again met at City Market and decided to do Hell’s Revenge. We were joined this day by Jeff and Holly from Vail in their black Defender. Rob and Mike had talked the night before about renting a Jeep in place of their damaged Disco but did not show up. Jose from Salt Lake City also arrived and rode with Brian as did 2 off Brian’s brother-in-laws from Ogden. This day was cloudy and cool with off and on rain showers. We met at the trailhead, aired down and took off on a sandstone fin. Then we dropped down and went through the deep Lake Michigan mudhole and headed off for a wonderful day of steep sandstone fins, hills, and sandy trails. This is a fun trail that 3 of us had not done before so with Mark, Paul, and Jose’s expertise we went through this rollercoaster trail with no problems all day. We ate lunch above Negro Bill Canyon with great views in all directions especially into Arches NP.
Just after lunch a group of 3 Texas 1940′s era Dodge Power Wagons that had been beautifully restored showed up. These were marvelous vehicles and I wish everyone could have seen them. We were told that the finest one had been restored and modified to the tune of $100,000. Oh, to have that kind of moola!! These 3 plus jeeps and Mark in his Defender went up and down a deep, steep sandstone gully that I do not know the name of. Mark had both of his front tires lift off at the same time on the way up at one point and that gave us viewers a scary moment. An old Willys with dual tires on the rear chugged right up this gully like a bug too. On the way out near the trail’s end Mark went through a very tippy spot where he touched his softtop but did no damage. The reas of us fearing hardtop damage went around this spot.
We all ate Chinese that night to end a nice trip. On the way home the next day Brian and relatives did Top of the World which I greatly recommend as the view at the top is terrific. The best view at Moab. All in all this was a good trip and a lucky one for Rob and Mike who could have sustained a dangerous rollover but quick thinking saved them.
