Hole in the Rock - + a week in Moab

[iceaxe]

Hole in the Rock + a week in Moab

So this was back in October (yeah yeah I'm a little slow)

Met up at Halls Crossing with "ranger rick" from CO in a white 2door XJ - a real sleeper, and "handlebars" from NM in his red 2 door XJ on a Friday night and spent a couple days enjoying a "patriotic" run on the Hole in the Rock trail.Photos Here!

Then it was on to Moab for the annual NAXJA Fall Fling for the rest of the week. My first time on a couple of fun trails. Did Steel Bender (pics!) Tuesday with 14 XJ's. Fun being in the smallest and only un-locked rig of the group. Followed by a scenic run to Tower Arch (pics!)Wednesday.
Thursday it was Kane Creek (pics!) followed by a quick run through Hells Revenge that afternoon, got to do Tipover challenge for the first time. (Hells Revenge and other random shots from the trip) The last couple days I led small groups on scenic runs to Klondike Bluffs - Tusher Tunnel, and the Shafer Trail. By that time I was pretty well burnt out.

 

[kirk86CJ]

Nice pics. The hole in the rock is a cool trail. I've done it twice in a jeep. Some of my friends did it in early october this year. They went down to the Rincon, and swam. (looks like you did too) A ranger came up to them in a boat and told them the road to the Rincon was closed, but since there weren't any signs, he wouldn't give them tickets.

Anyone else ever hear that?

 

[N-Smooth]

looks like everyones on the way to soccer practice

 

[spencurai]

is it just coincidence that most of the pix who you going down stuff....or is that all you did...

I love the pix, dont get me wrong but I like going up stuff type pix....


dont mind me, I am jsut jealous that I am in an office right now.....

 

[mx92]

so.....many.....XJ's................aaaaaaahhhhhhh!!!

 

[iceaxe]

Kirk86cj - We also didn't see any signs at all or any evidence that it was a closed trail. My gut feeling is they would rather just tell the few who make it down there and stay long enough to be noticed by the rangers that it's closed rather than implement a few easy and simple solutions like requiring port-a-potties for beach camping or designating an official camping area or turnaround point. It's like they are avoiding any official aknowledgement of that trails exsistance.

spencurai - as far as pics of going up vs going down, In this case coincidence because at least on Hole in the Rock you go back up each one of those, I just didn't get pics. It's such a long trail you just have this "I've already taken photos here so lets keep moving" mentality on the way back and we did the climbs very quickly as opposed to going down where everyone gets out to take a look at the lines. I've looked through the pics the other guys took and found a couple "going up" shots - uploaded some for ya
http://community.webshots.com/album/223360225cFdJxM

 

[Todd Adams]

Nice pics. The hole in the rock is a cool trail. I've done it twice in a jeep. Some of my friends did it in early october this year. They went down to the Rincon, and swam. (looks like you did too) A ranger came up to them in a boat and told them the road to the Rincon was closed, but since there weren't any signs, he wouldn't give them tickets.

Anyone else ever hear that?

Here is (sort of) the story on the Rincon Trail. San Juan County takes claim on the trail and has publicly stared that is not closed. The NPS on the other hand says it is closed. A number of years back there was a closed sign where the trail cuts off of the main trail on Gray Mesa. One of the San Juan County Commissioners pulled the closed sign down and informed the NPS not to put it back. The county is waiting for someone to get a ticket so that they can take the NPS to court on ownership rights, hence the reluctance of the ranger to write a ticket.
Last I heard the trail was impassable due to a washout. I guess that is not true. Every time I have been on Hole in the Rock we were part of the Labor Day Safari, so we could not take a detour. Maybe next year we will check it out.

 

[wipedawg]

That sucks someone stuck a ton of rocks below one of the only obstacles on the trail , the drop off , on steelbender. nonetheless, those are some sweet pictures. We took steelbender during jeep safari and got stuck behind one of those freakin trail rides.. made the trail 3 hours longer than it should have.

 

[Todd Adams]

We took steelbender during jeep safari and got stuck behind one of those freakin trail rides.. made the trail 3 hours longer than it should have.

So let me get this straight. You were pissed of because you got behind an official Easter Safari trail that you should have known (by looking in the Safari Paper) was going to be on the trail that day?

 

[fastdrmr]

That sucks someone stuck a ton of rocks below one of the only obstacles on the trail , the drop off , on steelbender. nonetheless, those are some sweet pictures.

Those rocks have been there for at least 2 years.

Steelbender is a great trail. You always have the other obstacle due west of that one shown that is fun. I believe it is a detour off the main trail though.

 

[iceaxe]

That sucks someone stuck a ton of rocks below one of the only obstacles on the trail , the drop off , on steelbender. nonetheless, those are some sweet pictures. We took steelbender during jeep safari and got stuck behind one of those freakin trail rides.. made the trail 3 hours longer than it should have.

The guys actually spent a little time un-piling a few rocks before the group went down. An EJS group would take a while I imagine

 

[wipedawg]

No i was pissed off that the trail group started 3 hours before we got onto the trail and we caught up with them in maybe 30 minutes. Frickin ridiculous.

 

[Todd Adams]

No i was pissed off that the trail group started 3 hours before we got onto the trail and we caught up with them in maybe 30 minutes. Frickin ridiculous.

Let me ask this then, have you ever been part of the EJS?