2024 Annual Shaver Lake Snow Run Trip Report

[Mr.BlueSky]

2024 Annual Shaver Lake Snow Run

Author: M. Wynn

The day started early Saturday morning as Theresa, Henry, and myself loaded ourselves into Snowflake. The day was beginning to break as the sun slowly heaved itself into the overcast sky. We headed down into south San Jose where we met up with David and his LR4 and well-equipped adventure trailer.

The trip to Shaver Lake was uneventful aside from a call over the radio. “Miles, did you know that when you step on the brakes your left indicator goes solid?” an observant David called out. It seems, electrical gremlins had every intention to play in the snow alongside us. Meanwhile, Mike was well on his way into California at this point headed over the pass from Reno. Colin, Lutz, Phil, Mark, Gabriel, and Oliver were also well on their way.

As we made the approach to the foothills the skies lifted giving a glimpse of snow-covered peaks. How much snow would be on the ground when we arrived? Would we make it to the campsite at a decent time?

 A quick fuel stop in Prather and we were headed up the grade. Snowflake happily thrummed along at a respectable 35-40mph while David’s LR4 calmly plodded along trailer in tow. As we pulled into Pub-N-Grub around 12:30PM, Lutz was briefly heard over the radio – he was just east of Fresno hitting the first of many red lights. We confirmed their location and decided we would take lunch at the Pub N’ Grub in Shaver. Little did we know Eric had spotted our arrival on the Shaver Lake Webcams!

After an hour-long lunch, we headed to Rock Springs Road where we ran into some folks from the Clovis 4x4 club. After chatting with them on trail conditions for a while, we aired down and made our way to camp. The going was easy, with us reaching camp with plenty of daylight remaining. Snowflake promptly faceplanted into the prospective camping spot plowing a way for the soon to be snow road. David provided an assist when needed, pulling Snowflake back when stuck. Henry looked on inspecting the ongoing plow-work.

With about ¼ of the area cleared, Lutz arrived in his 110 HiCap with his LR3 in tow piloted by Phil and Angel. Lutz and Miles made quick work of the remaining site with an assist from Snowflake when a bit too much drift was attacked by the 110.

Slowly, folks began trickling into camp. As night fell Oliver and Company built a fire as wet snow began to fall. All were well settled into camp by the time Collin and Eric rolled in around 1130PM.  

                The next morning came in cold. Fresh snow and ice covered the trucks as we awoke and began moving around camp. Mike was in search of a battery side post for his winch, so a satellite ping was sent out to Sasha who was on the way up. Back down to Prather for him! Unfortunately, shortly after, we found what we needed, and the next satellite ping was too slow. Sasha made the round trip to Prather and back and finally rolled into camp around 10:30AM. We were off on the road to the trail head.

                At the trailhead Lutz took the lead and in we went. It was easy going until the first water crossing – really, it was more of a mud hole. The opposite end, effectively a 3-foot-almost-vertical snow wall. Snowflake made it on the 3^rd try. A quick bubba rope pull got Gabriel up and out. David managed to launch the LR4 out of the hole only to promptly turtle on the snowpack above. An assist from Gabriel got him through. Mike and Oliver didn’t have any issues. Oliver was tempted to hit the hole at “50mph” but was talked out of it : ). Sasha brought up the rear with no issues.

                About 20 minutes far up the trail, Colin blew a bead on the driver’s front. Mark too had blown a bead on the driver front. Lutz managed to almost make it to the clearing near V-notch before sliding 50ft back down the trail. While the crew aided in reseating the beads, the crew down below ate lunch, played in the snow, and chatted rovers.

                Roughly an hour and a half later, tires reseated, most folks were turned around and ready to head back down the mountain. Earlier, David had slid off the trail at the creek crossing and had been winched out.

On the return, Mark slid into the same hole. Initially, a bubba rope was affixed between Snowflake and the LR3 but alas, Snowflake just was not heavy enough to get the rover out of the bank. Lutz tried too but did not have the heft either. Eventually. A combined effort, with Snowflake snatch strapped to Lutz’ HiCap and the bubba rope from the HiCap connected to the LR3 was needed to get Mark unstuck, up the other side, dragged through 100 feet of snowbank and back onto the trail.  Just in time too, as Snowflake had run out of room to run before the squeeze between the rock and the tree. Returning to camp was uneventful, however the trip to pizza was about to unfold. In true snow run fashion – Mark’s tire came off the bead once again!

                It was decided to make the run into town for pizza. Tires were aired up. People shuffled into the LR3s, LR4s, and Snowflake to head into town. Over the course of the day, however, temperatures had risen, and the snowpack softened. The first ones on the trail quickly found they had sunk down and barely had traction. A fun, stuttering, slot car high speed run was made out to the highway. Even Snowflake was chugging along galumphing in various fits of traction and raging slippage. Eventually we made it to the main road, only to hear that Lutz in his LR3 was stuck.
                The folks headed into town while Miles, Theresa, and Henry drove back in to pull them out. Unfortunately, due to the low traction and newly solidifying ruts, Snowflake could not be turned around. So, a bubba rope was affixed to the LR3 and the front of the classic. The LR3 was dragged out by Snowflake traveling almost a half mile in reverse. Back on the main road, it was found that the electrical gremlins had returned to plague snowflake. The indicators were gone, brake lights were gone, the speed transducer no longer received power to transmit the signal to the speedometer. Lame. The last two trucks rolled into Shaver almost 45 minutes later to find everyone had moved over to the Pub N Grub due to long wait times at the pizza joint. Alas, the wait times at Pub N Grub may have been even longer!

Eventually, the crew made it back to camp. Mark, Oliver, and Collin all packed up and hit the road back home. The remainder of the crew lit a fire and chatted until late evening. All night, the sound of heavy rain was heard pounding tents and vehicles.

In the morning, the snow was well depressed by the rain and almost everything was soaked. Well over 2” of rain had fallen and was still coming down in heavy spurts. Packing up camp was a bit slow, but eventually vehicles began to shuffle out of the camping spots. Snowflake was the first to plunge into the “lake” that had formed between the campsites and the road. It would not be the last. Almost every vehicle ended up punching through the snow and into the icy waters below. Only Lutz ended up making it through without requiring a winch to extract.

                The real stuck fest had begun. It took the better part of 2 hours to get the vehicles on the roadside of the lake. Once there, Sasha hooked up Dave’s LR4 and Adventure trailer with a Bubba Rope they pinned it until they hit the asphalt of Dinkey Creek.  Mike followed them out. Up next was Lutz and his LR4 connected by a Bubba Rope. There was a bit of a rough start as they got bogged down in the next slush hole just past camp. After a quick pull back, they got it on the next run – not stopping until they too hit pavement. Lastly, Miles, Theresa, and Henry followed, close behind was Gabriel in his classic. This trip was much less eventful and was rather easy-going with a road now plowed by LR3 and LR4s!

                Aired up, one last trip into Shaver to have a much-needed lunch. After lunch, we all said our goodbyes and headed back to reality. Another enjoyable, memorable, and wet Shaver Snow run in the books!

[Hudd130]

Great recap.  Thank you