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A slight break in action to right the Jeep.
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Moab can bite back when you least expect it.
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Many tried, but all failed and required a winch.
Story and Photos By Rich Walker
After a one-year hiatus to slow life down and have some kids, we just couldn’t stay away any longer. 2014 saw the regular Canadian crew back in Moab, Utah and up to our regular shenanigans. Kelly and I wanted to get the twins used to traveling at an early age so we thought why not go to a place we are familiar with. Having been to Moab 20 times now (I think), we thought that would be perfect. We were a little nervous about the trip down. Who wouldn’t be, traveling with six-month-old teething twins? In all honesty, the trip down went flawlessly and the girls did amazing. It’s almost like it was meant to be.
We arrived at our condo in Moab as a group and proceeded to unpack and settle in for seven days of wheelin’. The weather wasn’t cooperating 100%, but the temperature was perfect. Not too hot, not too cold and it would stay this way for most of the week. This year’s crew was; Colin in his buggy, Matt in his Ultra4 buggy, Cody, Joey and Jeff all have one-ton swapped Jeeps or Juggy’s as we call them, and yours truly in the green machine.
Day one took us on an easy, more scenic trail with some options to play around. We started on Poison Spider Mesa which worked up the slickrock to Golden Spike and out via Rusty Nail. We did have some fun at the Golden Crack. Matt and Colin were crossing the crack in various spots pushing their luck. Matt did a little flop (no biggie!) and Colin had a great save from flipping over backwards at the top of the crack (he straddled it all the way to the top for those of you who have been there). Going out Rusty Nail is always fun and is one of my favorite trails. I think the highlight for us may have had to drive on the highway to get back to our trailers; naturally we passed the police, without incident of course. 20 trips to Moab and I had never driven my buggy on the highway. It was a great way to settle in and get used to the sights.
What’s a trip to Moab without going to Area BFE? Day 2 took us to hands down the best privately owned 4x4 park in the world. We unloaded and went straight to Britney Speer. This trail has always been a pain in the you-know-what for me, and I had never actually done the whole trail unassisted. This year must have been my year! Not only did I make it, but everyone in our group did. Joey had a minor flop, but all of us nailed the trail front to back. Take that Britney! We then made our way over to the world famous Helldorado trail. Again, I have some beef with the vertical wall at the end of this trail. We have a bit of a history. This day proved not to be the day for anyone in our group. Both Joey and Matt flopped off the top of the wall and I came close a few times. The weather in Moab the week prior was filled with rain and that left the ground at the bottom of the wall wet and muddy (plus the rock was cold) making traction hard to find. We all tried at least a few times (Colin was definitely the closest to making it), but eventually gave in to the winch.
The third day was another one of my favorites, Pritchett Canyon. This is such a fun trail that winds through the bottom of the canyon until the awesome climb out. The obstacles are fun and challenging with some optional “pucker factor” lines. One optional climb was very greasy from the rain and Jeff gave it a full throttle assault only to just miss and do a three-quarter roll. I think I was the only one to get it, but it took all the snot my buggy had to make it. The day was going great and we stopped for lunch at Rocker Knocker. Finally having some sun, we took our time eating and hanging out. This is where the fun began! There is an optional line to the right of the normal line that is a bit of a double step. It requires some horse power and commitment to get up and I may have convinced both Matt and Joey to give it a shot. In the end, they both broke rear drive shafts and Matt nuked a rear ring and pinion. We all decided that Colin, Jeff and Cody would continue on, while Matt, Joey and I would go back the way we came (I thought I should stay with them as it may have partially been my fault, although I didn’t hold a gun to their heads). Everything went great for both groups and soon enough we were back at the pool swimming with Kelly and the twins.
We opted to take a break from wheelin’ for day four. A few of the guys went golfing and the rest of us went for a hike in Arches National Park. It was a good way to split up the wheelin’ days and see what else the gorgeous State of Utah has to offer. Plus, we got to use the wicked off-road capable stroller we have for the girls. They had a blast!
The next day we were in Coyote Canyon. If any of you remember, I did a write up a few years back about a test program to regulate and monitor users to this trail. We signed up again and were given access. The trail was in amazing shape and it’s a good thing it was short, because we got a late start due to some late night antics between the two condos (Matt and I may have been a little hung over). Other than Cody testing his gravitational abilities and passing (barely) we all tried the optional lines and had a great time egging each other on. My air compressor wasn’t working so I was stuck with no rear locker, but that actually made the trail more fun and challenging.
Our last wheelin’ day saw us back at BFE. A few other Canadians from Vancouver Island were just starting their week in Moab so we met up to at least hang out for one day. The plan was to hit Smashing Pumpkins, then Greenday and see what we had for time after that as we still had to pack up the condos that night. Corey’s buggy was having some fuel issues so they called it an early day to get a head start on finding some parts. Smashing Pumpkins is a fun little trail. The climb in is pretty sketchy and even though last year I crawled it without issue, this year nobody made it. Again, Colin, Jeff and I were close, but just couldn’t get it. This trail actually connects to Greenday at the top so we just kept on wheelin’. Once at the top we were faced with an optional climb called Suicide Hill. It's a fun one, and with the right line is very doable. We all took turns and eventually made it. We actually met one of the owners of the park here and it was fantastic to be able to talk with him and most importantly thank him for all his hard work keeping the area open for users like us. With that done, it was time to make our way down. We took all the fun ways down, including the rest of Greenday (backwards) and Lockjaw. Sometimes it’s fun to drop the trails you’re supposed to climb.
And with that, our wheelin’ adventures were done. All that was left was to pack up and hit the open road home. I can’t even begin to explain how good it felt to travel for the first time as a family and have it go so well. Not to mention the amazing friends we have to share it with. This will always be one of my most memorable trips full of firsts and memories.