June MORG - Hell Hole 6/12-13

[Elherbinator]

Where is everyone meeting?

 

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Reference the above portion of the thread for the staging area we will be meeting up at. Gustav and I will be camping at French Meadows tonight, so you’ll likely see us. I will also have my radio on 146.460

 

 

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[Elherbinator]

I’m heading out now. See everybody tomorrow morning. Please make every effort to be on time. I will be having a drivers meeting to go over a couple things. We have more people on this trip than is probably advisable so I want to go over a few important things in order to have this run go smoothly. If your map app says you’ll be cutting it close, get up earlier and make it on time as a courtesy to myself and the rest of the crew.

 

 

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[BHorner]

88" is packed (Pro-Tetris).

I'm heading to Auburn this afternoon for the night. Will head out early (7AM) Saturday morning and gas up in Foresthill on the way to the staging spot. Seems like enough time.

I have both fuel range anxiety and HAM envy.

See you tomorrow!

Brian

 

Staging area

https://www.google.com/maps/place/39%C2%B004'16.4%22N+120%C2%B025'13.4%22W/@39.071214,-120.4209332,180m/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1!4m23!1m16!4m15!1m6!1m2!1s0x809b05285575a59f:0x3902b10b332c7870!2sAuburn,+CA!2m2!1d-121.0768901!2d38.8965654!1m6!1m2!1s0x809bcebf1e4a5649:0x16e91ba6befb21d2!2sHell+Hole+Campground,+Hell+Hole+Rd,+Georgetown,+CA!2m2!1d-120.416846!2d39.068846!3e0!3m5!1s0x0:0x0!7e2!8m2!3d39.0712126!4d-120.4203863

Edited June 11, 2021 by BHorner

[Tyler Mattson]

Well be in auburn tonight as well im gonna carry 5 gal gas can in my trailer so when up at camp if fuel gets desperate anyone is welcome to it.

[ndamico]

Just leaving Sacramento

 

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[Jethro]

88" is packed (Pro-Tetris).

 

I'm heading to Auburn this afternoon for the night. Will head out early (7AM) Saturday morning and gas up in Foresthill on the way to the staging spot. Seems like enough time.

 

I have both fuel range anxiety and HAM envy.

 

See you tomorrow!

 

Brian

 

Staging area

https://www.google.com/maps/place/39%C2%B004'16.4%22N+120%C2%B025'13.4%22W/@39.071214,-120.4209332,180m/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1!4m23!1m16!4m15!1m6!1m2!1s0x809b05285575a59f:0x3902b10b332c7870!2sAuburn,+CA!2m2!1d-121.0768901!2d38.8965654!1m6!1m2!1s0x809bcebf1e4a5649:0x16e91ba6befb21d2!2sHell+Hole+Campground,+Hell+Hole+Rd,+Georgetown,+CA!2m2!1d-120.416846!2d39.068846!3e0!3m5!1s0x0:0x0!7e2!8m2!3d39.0712126!4d-120.4203863

Hey Brian, I can meet you and caravan and maybe we can get Tyler in too.

 

Can you hit me up?

 

619-347-6239

 

 

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[BHorner]

Hey Brian, I can meet you and caravan and maybe we can get Tyler in too.

 

Can you hit me up?

 

619-347-6239

 

 

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Didn’t see your post until 10:30. I’m at Springhill Suites in Auburn. I plan on gassing up at the Valero down the street and heading to Foresthill at 7:00am. Feel free to call or text when convenient.

 

510-508-1150

 

Brian

 

 

Brian

(┛ಠ_ಠ)┛彡┻â”â”»

[NCLR091]

Just leaving Bay Area now just stop to get gas when close look forward to seeing everyone 510 502 0481

[NCLR091]

Got back to bay ok thanks to everyone for all the help

[Elherbinator]

Great trip guys. I was a little nervous about bringing so many trucks, but it worked out fine. We actually ended up being the only ones on the trail on Saturday. That was a relief because passing can be a real chore on that trail.

 

I ended up taking the first group down at about 10am. The group consisted of myself (D2), Gustav (defender), Ed (D2), and Tyler (Series). Don led the second group that consisted of himself (D1), Nick D (RRC), Nick K (series), Brian (series), and Robert (D2). Unfortunately Andrew and Greg had mechanical issues that prevented them running the trail.

 

My group’s run went very smooth on the downhill half of the trail. We kept moving at an efficient pace knowing that any saved time could easily get eaten up later on the trail and we would likely be fighting daylight. So we just kept chugging along with minimal stops for the first mile plus of the trail which is relatively easy compared to the rest of the trail.

 

We moved quickly through the easier sections until we got to first big challenge. It is a series of a few step down boulders that curves around a tree and it’s root systems. The boulders are tricky to navigate and you can’t help but drive it dangerously close to wall of roots and rock. This is easily the section most responsible or body damage.

 

Getting down it is pretty straightforward, but requires careful tire placement and precise turning to avoid kissing the inside wall. I kissed my already hanging by a threadrear passenger fender flare and effortlessly popped it off onto the ground. Ed somehow avoided ripping off his entire rear quarter panel and wasn’t any worst for the wear after his close encounter with the wall. Tyler and Gustav easily navigated down and around the obstacle without damage.

(Note the root is literally inside the wheel well )

 

That obstacle is quickly followed by another tricky step down section and then some rock gardens that require a lot of quick, on the fly line picking. We moved efficiently through those sections. The trail then eases up for a bit and becomes just a narrow, but very easy route with minor climbs and S turns.

 

Things change up maybe a quarter mile or so from the bottom. That’s when you get the series of very steep ledges. Going down the ledges requires some good tire placement and some controlled braking. Especially for D2’s with their departure angles. Getting down the ledges is fun and exciting, they also get you thinking about how you’ll have to get back up it after the break at the bottom of the trail.

 

Once the ledges are completed, it’s just a beautiful steep and shady drive down to the bottom where Hell Hole Reservoir lies. Once down at the bottom we drove through what normally is the lake bottom, to the small river feeding the reservoir to hang out and relax and wait for the rest of guys to meet us at the bottom. The trip down ended taking us 2.5 hours and had us at the bottom at about 12:30. Not bad time and left me foolishly optimistic about getting back to camp in the daylight.

 

I’ll finish the second half write up of the run up the trail tomorrow and I’ll let Don break down some of his groups excitement.

 

Spoiler Alert: we have trail repairs

 

 

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[El Chapomint]

Lets see the carnage! Post the pictures on the link.

 

 

https://photos.app.goo.gl/ksnJM3LByKBBwhwa9

[Elherbinator]

So after about a 2 hour hang at the bottom of Hell Hole Reservoir, we decided it was time to head back up the trail. We left Don and crew and started on our way back across the dry lake bed to the trail.

 

The trail back up starts with a steep, but sure footed climb for a hundred yards or so before we hit the series of difficult and steep ledges. These ledges usually create the most anxiety for people coming down knowing that they will have to drive up later. Having done the trail a couple times already, I know it’s not as bad as it looks on the way down, but I doubt my explanation was much comfort for anyone else.

I did notice the rocks were a little dustier than previous trips and it was tougher to get good grip. Probably due to the unusually dry conditions on trail for this time of year.

With some minor wheel slippage, we all were getting up the ledges pretty efficiently until Ed’s D2 decided to make it interesting and pop a short side (passenger) axle shaft. This was end of the ledge section so we decided that Ed could limp through the last bit in 3 wheels drive until we could find a flat spot to make the repair. That ended up being a poor decision. Soon after, while navigating his way up a pretty mild, but rocky set of steps, Ed’s front axle made a horrendous clicking / grinding noise. It wasn’t obvious exactly what was broken, but it was clear that something was broken, very broken. I hooked Ed to the back of my D2 and we limped him along to a relatively flat spot where we could perform some repairs.

Ed had just received some Ashcroft HD axle shafts on Thursday, but had not had time to install them so he was running stock shafts. He was good enough to bring the HD shafts along, so after about 30 minutes Tyler had turned a trail repair into a trail upgrade and we were on our way again.

 

With the rear axle functioning normally, Ed was able to deal with his front axle problems. We didn’t have spares to replace anything in the front axle, so we thought it was better to leave it alone. It would make noises that would make your skin crawl, but the wheels were turning and we were able to make progress on the trail.

 

Things were going pretty smooth… until they weren’t and Ed’s driver side rear shaft went. This was right before the 2 really tough, rocky climbs that make up the hardest part of the trail. We contemplated winching him up and making the repair on a flatter, wider section of trail, but decided to do it where he was since having the rear axle fully functional would probably save time by helping out the winch. So once again Tyler went to work.

EXACTLY 28 minutes later (inside joke ) the tire was back on and ready to drive. We ended up putting Ed’s winch to work and got him through the difficult obstacles. Unfortunately while winching his line got bunched up on the drivers side and started binding against the rails. The strength of the winch was no match for the rail and it popped it off the winch body and spit it out the front of the vehicle like a snickers bar coming out the bottom of a vending machine.

The winch still managed to finish the job and get him through the final climb.

 

Myself, Gustav, and Tyler all made it up under our own power. Took me a few tries to get up and a couple lines. Gustav cruised up with relative ease. His truck, Livvy, basically dominated the trail. Tyler had to put in some work to get up with smaller tires. It’s a tough area to have to back up and restart and slide around since you’re always inches away from disaster. Luckily he can afford another body and paint imperfection so he wasn’t too stressed.

 

He was just about to bust out the winch, like literally calling for it, when he got traction and made it up. It’s amazing how easy it looks when you finally get the tire bite you need.

 

By now, Don and his group had caught up us. Even when things go relatively smooth, this hard section with 2 significant obstacles takes a long time. So it’s very common to get bunched up here. Once our group was up we waited around for the first of Dons group (Brian) to make it up just in case he needed assistance from the front.

Don and Tyler spotted Brian and after a few strategical adjustments they got him up. After that we took off to finish the trail. There were a couple of spots where Ed needed some help, but he was able to move along pretty well considering. In fact there were several spots I stopped and was ready to hook him up to my tow strap only to see him crawl right on through under his own power.

 

We finished the trail close to 8pm and avoided running the trail in the dark, but we weren’t able to make it to camp with any daylight left. All in all we took 2.5 hours to get down the trail and about 5.5 hours to get up it which included about 1.5 hours of trail diagnosis and repairs.

 

 

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[ndamico]

added my pics to the album

[BHorner]

Fantastic trip. Special thanks to Don and several others for the patience and expert spotting throughout this majestic trail. We had a positive and safe experience because of the continual group effort and mellow pace. While driving is always fun, hanging out with the group during the big obstacles was a big highlight for me. Great to watch and learn how others took lines but also how each person contributed to the moment. Spotting, stacking rocks, commentary, rig discussions, etc. POD (puddle of death) was the surprise winner for “Most unexpected challenge†for group 2 in my opinion. I added a great video of Nick wrestling with it. So fun.

 

While I was able to make it through the trail just fine, I’m the end, the only obstacle I was unable to beat was my sons desire to not camp (he was exhausted). I am excited to hang out around the campfire on the next ride.

 

Things I would do different:

1) Bring bug spray

2) Purchase a radio

3) Install rock lights

4) Pack cooler in more accessible location

 

Hero award:

Don, for looking after everyone. Even after his rig failed, was exhausted, and bummed about his rig failure - he made sure everyone got through safe.

 

Videos and pictures uploaded. Great meeting you all.

 

 

Brian

(┛ಠ_ಠ)┛彡┻â”â”»

[RobertDingli]

Great write up Eric!

 

I have just added 115 photos and videos to the album.

 

Here are some teasers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Tyler Mattson]

Thanks Eric for setting up a blast of a trip. We had a great time unfortunately thanks to my infinite wisdom I didn't bring a memory card for the camara so ill post up the good old phone pictures as soon as I can. My hats off to Ed for some impressive driving his d2 was just as pretty as when he started even running it out on a three wheel peel. Our little 88 has a few more beauty marks but got us home with no issues. It was fun staying up too late drinking beer and talking rovers. I do wish I got a chance to look at Brian's 88 theres definitely alot of inspiration for a future build that with Greg's blessing might be turned into a build thread story, we shall see. Looking forward to the next run and getting to spend time with everyone.

[Jethro]

I had a blast, thanks to everyone for a great time. Bummed my new parts failed but it wasn't all a loss as I got to spend time fishing with my son.

 

 

The pictures I took are loaded as well.

 

 

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[Jethro]

Thanks Eric for setting up a blast of a trip. We had a great time unfortunately thanks to my infinite wisdom I didn't bring a memory card for the camara so ill post up the good old phone pictures as soon as I can. My hats off to Ed for some impressive driving his d2 was just as pretty as when he started even running it out on a three wheel peel. Our little 88 has a few more beauty marks but got us home with no issues. It was fun staying up too late drinking beer and talking rovers. I do wish I got a chance to look at Brian's 88 theres definitely alot of inspiration for a future build that with Greg's blessing might be turned into a build thread story, we shall see. Looking forward to the next run and getting to spend time with everyone.

We should start this!

 

 

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[Robbie]

Thanks for the welcome last weekend. I had a great time meeting all of you and spending the day on the trail together. Special thanks to Don and Nick for their hospitality and to Eric for organizing the trip. I'll be keeping my eyes peeled for future events and look forward to seeing you all again.