Official planning thread!

[CRASH]

I'm a bit late getting to this forum, sorry about that.

Here's our tentative schedule for the week.

August 14th: Meet up at the Eagle Lakes Road Exit on Highway 80, this is about 45 minutes from the Nevada state line, and 75 minutes from Sacramento. We will run Fordyce in one shot, with a one night cushion if we have major issues. We will stay the night at Meadow Lake, at the end of the trail.

August 15th: Leisurely travel day, depending on how many rigs we have we can travel on Highway 89 around Lake Tahoe, stop in South Lake for a nice lunch, and then head into Loon Lake. The real hard-core brothers can take a short cut from Tahoe to Loon by running the 'Con backwards. :D

August 16th: Meet at the Loon Lake Dam for air down and safety check. Leave at 10am. It's about half a days run to our first camp spot at Spider Lake depending on the size of the group and any issues.

August 17th: Play day. We'll spend the day at Spider, messing around in Little Sluice, swimming in the lake, and doing some hiking. Very nice in here this time of year.

August 18th: Trail Day. We'll make a leisurely track to Rubicon Springs. Should be a half day run if we have no issues. There is a tougher and easier way to get to the springs, and we'll likely split the group and meet up again at Buck Island Lake. The tougher way is Old Sluice, the easier way is the "Slabs". Both are very fun.

August 19th: Relax at the springs. This is a play day for everyone. Some really fun stuff to do at the springs, including lots of hiking, sunbathing and fishing.

August 20th: Break camp and head up Cadillac Hill. Should be back at Lake Tahoe by 2:00 pm. Those that are headed to Barrrett will make a loop back to that trail. To the rest: Bon Voyage.

August 21: Head up to Barrett Lake and spend one night.

August 22: The end of the road!

Haven't figured out the meal situation. We should have at least one good potluck, probably Monday or Tuesday night. There will also be wine tasting nightly, so everyone that wants to participate should bring two good bottles (not boxes ;) ) of wine. This is an effort to inject culture into our sport.

For the trailer crew, this trip is really trailer friendly, since we are basically making big loops.

Lots of other stuff to plan, and we are always open to input!

CRASH & Lupine, Rubicon Trip coordinators.

[Handlebars]

Ooooh, the boss is gunna be pissed! This looks like it will be about a 2 week trip for me. :) I'd really like to check out the northern Sierras and there is no better way to do it than with NAXJA. See 'ya next summer!

[XJEEPER]

There will also be wine tasting nightly. This is an effort to inject culture into our sport........also a great excuse to get drunk, pass out and wake up nude, alone and shivering it the forest.......only to find out upon your return home that pictures of you in compromise have been posted on the web for all to view.


:laugh:

[TRNDRVR]

There will also be wine tasting nightly. This is an effort to inject culture into our sport........also a great excuse to get drunk, pass out and wake up nude, alone and shivering it the forest.......only to find out upon your return home that pictures of you in compromise have been posted on the web for all to view.
If so, just make sure to get my good side. :moon:

[Phil]

How much gas should we have for just the 'Con, and how much for all three? Will the gas tank be enough or should we have some extra cans of gas?

[CRASH]

there are plenty of gas stations between fordyce and the 'Con and between the end of the 'Con and Barrett. Each trail takes less than one tank to complete.

If you're planning on driving along the trail back and forth to the Box or whatever, and extra 5 gallons wouldn't hurt.

CRASH

[wallysheata]

WOW, just saw this thread SWEEEETTTT....I'm racing in the 24 hours of tahoe mountain bike race Aug 21&22. I was working on putting a crew together to do this trip starting on the 23rd, but hey, if you guys already got something set in stone for the week before, i'm in.

Of course no more xj, but the yj will be WELL equiped for this event. In the process of swapping in HP44/60 with detroits, 5.13's, NV4500 tranny, and some 37" MT'Rs, and yes i'll have a rear bumper this time so i can pass the saftey inpsection with a rear tow point this time :D


Keep me posted.


Wally

[Porch Puppy]

For this trip, is South Lake Tahoe an okay place to park a truck and trailer? How far of a drive is to Fordyce and Barrett from there? Can't wait!!
Andy

[mission-inc]

I would like to make this run. However I doubt my rig is suitable (yet). I have read the rubi requirements, so I know where I need to be. Anyway, I hope to make with a built XJ by that time.

Current project:
Lift (RE 3.5" + Teraflex spacers = about 5-6")
Rock Rails (C4x4 or AJ's)

Next project:
Underbody armoring (gas tank, diff, anything else?)

[trailrunner]

how long of a drive is it to the rubricon from denver?an what route?thanks

[Goatman]

how long of a drive is it to the rubricon from denver?an what route?thanks

Get your map out, or use Mapquest, and look for Lake Tahoe. The trail starts off of Hwy 50 west of Tahoe.

[Bronco]

This should help a bit to get a feel

http://www.buildyour4x4.com/Hosting/MarksMap.bmp

how long of a drive is it to the rubricon from denver?an what route?thanks

[Jeff 98XJ WI]

Thanks for the Map. So, exactly what directions are we traveling on the different trails? Is Fordyce run from 4dyce2 to 4dyce1? or the other way around? It would make sense to go from north to south since the next trail is to the south, but perhaps that isn't the way it is done. I'm pretty sure the Rubicon is done from Rubicon1 to Rubicon2. Then Barrett is basically a run north and east of the road from Barrett to Jones Place and then comes back to that same road more towards Jones Place? If I do come all this way from Wisconsin, I would certainly like to get a look at a little more of California although I know it is too damn big to get a look at all of it. What I was thinking of doing is coming in on 80, running the three trails with NAXJA, and then continueing south hoping to stop at Yosemite, Mammoth Lake, Devils Postpile, Mono Hot Springs, Kings Canyon, Sequoia, and passing through Death Valley ending up at Las Vegas and I15 back up into Utah and towards home. Does anyone have any suggestions for a trip like this? Is that too many places to try to get a taste of? Could this trip be done from Wisconsin in two weeks? How many more days would it take? Any suggestions as to routes to take and don't miss types of things? I imagine getting camping in the parks that time of year is going to be impossible, right? Or maybe not? Thanks for any input you all may have. Jeff

[Bronco]

The one and two are not necessarily the direction that NAXJA will run them, but the plan is laid out in the thread above.

[Jes]

Thanks for the Map. So, exactly what directions are we traveling on the different trails? Is Fordyce run from 4dyce2 to 4dyce1? or the other way around? It would make sense to go from north to south since the next trail is to the south, but perhaps that isn't the way it is done. I'm pretty sure the Rubicon is done from Rubicon1 to Rubicon2. Then Barrett is basically a run north and east of the road from Barrett to Jones Place and then comes back to that same road more towards Jones Place? If I do come all this way from Wisconsin, I would certainly like to get a look at a little more of California although I know it is too damn big to get a look at all of it. What I was thinking of doing is coming in on 80, running the three trails with NAXJA, and then continueing south hoping to stop at Yosemite, Mammoth Lake, Devils Postpile, Mono Hot Springs, Kings Canyon, Sequoia, and passing through Death Valley ending up at Las Vegas and I15 back up into Utah and towards home. Does anyone have any suggestions for a trip like this? Is that too many places to try to get a taste of? Could this trip be done from Wisconsin in two weeks? How many more days would it take? Any suggestions as to routes to take and don't miss types of things? I imagine getting camping in the parks that time of year is going to be impossible, right? Or maybe not? Thanks for any input you all may have. Jeff

Jeff, that's great if you're able to come out west and play with us again. We'll be running Fordyce from South/West to North/East, Rubicon from West to East, and BLT from South to North(in and out trail).
You're crazy if you want to try and hit all those places you listed in two weeks. That is a long drive from Wisconsin. ;)

Jes

[Goatman]

Jeff, it would be great if you can make it out. Believe me, these trails are worth the drive......it would be a very unforgetable trip. Like Jes already said, Fordyce and Rubicon will be run from "1" to "2", and Barrett Lake is an in and out on the same route.

It would be difficult to see everything you have on your list. I'd recommend leaving out Sequoia and Kings Canyon, and get a better look at Yosemite. You would go south to Yosemite Valley, then east through Tuolumne Meadows and over Tioga Pass, then on to Mammoth and Devil's Postpile, then south-east through Death Valley.

Mammoth isn't much to see in the summer time, especially after being on the 'Con and in Yosemite, but it is fun to ride the tram to the top of Mammoth Mountain and enjoy the fabulous view. I've never been to Devil's Postpile, but I'd really like to go there, so I'm considering doing it on Friday before we start Fordyce.

See you this summer, :)

[Jeff 98XJ WI]

Thanks for the reality check Jes. "You must be crasy to think you could see all that in two weeks." :) I do always try to cram too much into one vacation. However, if one drives forever to get to California, it sure would be nice to see more than three 4wd trails in one area. Especially if I have a spouse along, know what I mean? Richard, thanks for the input on skipping Sequoia/Kings canyon although that is where the giant trees are right? Would be nice to see, but since that area is further to the south, it might be best to skip. Looking at the map, it doesn't look like there is a good way to get south from BLT to Yosemite on the west side of the Sierra's. It looks like the best route would be south on 395 (East side of Sierra's) to 120 and into the park from that side. Any suggestions? What should be considered must see in Yosemite keeping in mind that it will be August the driest time of the year? How about driving through Death Valley in August? Is that just plain stupid? :) Keep in mind that I don't handle heat all that well. :wow:

BTW, this trip is very tentative at this point, but I would LIKE to make it. Jeff

[CRASH]

there is a reason they named the place "Death Valley".......

Going into Yosemite from the East is spectacular, a very good choice. This way, you could also see Mono Lake, which is a very old alkali lake. The whole east side is spectacular, if you ask me!

CRASH

[Goatman]

Richard, thanks for the input on skipping Sequoia/Kings canyon although that is where the giant trees are right? Would be nice to see, but since that area is further to the south, it might be best to skip. Looking at the map, it doesn't look like there is a good way to get south from BLT to Yosemite on the west side of the Sierra's. It looks like the best route would be south on 395 (East side of Sierra's) to 120 and into the park from that side. Any suggestions? What should be considered must see in Yosemite keeping in mind that it will be August the driest time of the year? How about driving through Death Valley in August? Is that just plain stupid? :) Keep in mind that I don't handle heat all that well. :wow:

BTW, this trip is very tentative at this point, but I would LIKE to make it. Jeff

Jeff, if you're coming from Barrett Lake (and even if you're not), I'd continue west on Hwy 50 and go south on Hwy 49 from Placerville, then into Yosemite from the west. One of the most dramatic views in the Sierra's (from a car) is coming into Yosemite Valley. You can spend a day, or at least most of a day, in the valley and then head east (and up in elevation) to Tuolumne Meadows, then over Tioga Pass and down to Hwy 395 and Mammoth Lakes/Devil's Postpile. If you want to see the big trees, and if you don't like extreme heat, consider going to Sequoia Park before Yosemite, and skip Death Valley, heading north back up to 80 for the drive home. Adding Sequoia to the trip is a lot of driving, and there's plenty to see in Yosemite. After the sights you'll see in the back country on Rubicon, Barrett, and Fordyce, plus being at Lake Tahoe, and seeeing Yosemite, I'd relax a little in Yosemite and not bother with Sequoia. If you really want to see big trees, you can see them in Yosemite.

[Lupine]

There is nothing like seeing the Crystal Basin every day on your way home from work and not being able to go there... :cry: :bawl: :tears: :rattle: :(

[Jes]

Jeff, there are some big trees near Yosemite Valley. Tuolumne Grove is about a mile hike in from HWY120 and there are quite a few big ones spread around. Not nearly as many as Sequoia Park or McKinley Grove near Dinkey Creek but you'll be able to see some good specemins.

Jes

[Jeff 98XJ WI]

Well, I'm back. I thought I had things pretty well planned out so I could go on this trip and even got a campsite reserved in Yosemite for Monday Aug. 23 yesterday (that was quite difficult!) However, I was also informed yesterday evening that my wife wants me to go to an event with her Sat. Aug. 14th. :( So, even though I REALLY wanted to do Fordyce (even have that snorkel to test out!) I may try to do her thing as well as most of my thing. That would mean driving from WI Sunday a third of the way, Monday a second third of the way, and Tuesday making it to Spider lake late in the day. What I would like to know is what kind of obstacles will I encounter on the Rubicon between the start and camp at Spider lake? Will I have to negotiate some really rough stuff or is that after Spider? Is the little sluice box before Spider? Is it that bad? Is the True Big Sluice after Spider lake?

Then, after Barrett Lakes Trail I plan to camp someplace between there and Yosemite. Travel into Yosemite Monday, spend the night there, and travel south to a camp near Swamp Lake Trail on Tuesday. Wed. I am thinking I could run into Swamp Lake and camp. Thursday I could travel out of Swamp and travel a bit further south before camping for the night. Friday, work further south and east to camp near Johnsondale. Saturday I would drive over to Death Valley and camp the night half way through. Sunday I would finish the drive from Death Valley to the interstate and try to make it all the way into Colorado. Monday I would make it to Omaha. Tuesday I would make it home.

So, anybody up for Swamp Lake Wed/Thu the 25/26th? Anybody have any thoughts on these plans? Thanks, Jeff

[Goatman]

Jeff, you are a driving fool..... :)

I don'y know what you're overall goal is for sure, all I can do is give you some thoughts. You're plan coming into Yosemite is good. That's a nice drive south on Hwy 49, and it's not a long drive into Yosemite. A friend and I did that drive the opposite direction a few years ago. We did Swamp one weekend, hung around Dinkey Creek a day, then took two days to drive up Hwy 49 to the Rubicon. There are a couple of interesting cities you'll go through on the way, we camped in Columbia where they have a nice section of the old town that has been restored. Swamp Lake trail could be anti-climatic after running and camping on Rubicon and Barrett Lake, but it is a pretty trail and the campsite at the lake is very nice. Swamp Lake trail is long, much longer than Rubicon or Barrett, but in one rig you can easily do it in a day. I know you're thinking that if you're all the way out here, and it could be a very long time before you're ever back, you might as well get in another trail. As far as going through Johnsondale or going through Bakersfield and then up through Kern River Canyon on your way over to the desert, we can talk about that the week before on the 'Con.

[basalt51]

I think you would be making a mistake if you didn't spend a day or two in the Long Valley area (mono lake to mammoth essentially). Some of California's most spectacular geology (and scenery of course) is in that area. You can see mono lake, devils post pile, some of the oldest trees in the world ( http://www.sonic.net/bristlecone/home.html ) relax in hot springs, see volcanic formations gallore, go fishing or hunt for calcite crystals at convict lake, the list goes on!

California's geology is what makes it special ya know! :D

http://lvo.wr.usgs.gov/gallery/index.html

http://lvo.wr.usgs.gov/gallery/MapGallery.html

Sweeet. (http://lvo.wr.usgs.gov/gallery/30714277-070_caption.html)


EDIT: Ohyeah, take your silver jewelry off before you go in the hot springs :doh:

[basalt51]

Oh and what about the coast!?! Have you seen the pacific ocean!?! You gotta stay for a month!

http://pages.sbcglobal.net/basalt51/pics/pigeon_pt_w.jpg

[Jeff 98XJ WI]

Hell Basalt, I'll be lucky to even get to eastern California let alone the coast! Richard, my goal with this trip is to see as much of the sierras as I can and still be able to spend a little time doing it. It takes three days to get there and three back. I was going to leave WI on Wed and be at the start of Fordyce for the official leave time and then just follow along for it, the Rubicon, and Barrett Lakes Trail. After that I was going to swing south into Yosemite for one night of camping. Then pass through to the east side and camp a night near Devils Postpile. Follow this by a trip through Death Valley coming out at Las Vegas where I'll have that three day drive home. However, since my wife won't be coming with and she has this event on Sat. the 14th that she would really like me to go to, I was thinking of sliding everything a few days. That would mean I would have to push to catch up to you all at Spider Lake late Tuesday. The rest of the week on the Rubicon would be at a relaxed pace followed by the overnight on Barrett Lakes. I could just head home after that, but since I would be there and would have rushed part of the con, I could stay a little longer and do another trail since I would have missed Fordyce. I already have the one night reservation in Yosemite, so I would be heading south from the con anyway. Now I could just spend another day or so in or around Yosemite, but figured since I would have missed Fordyce, I could do another trail. Swamp Lake sounded like a neat trail just a bit south of Yosemite, so that was why I mentioned it. The Dusy/Ershim is in the same area but a little longer (right?) so I figured Swamp Lake would be shorter and doable. In one day, camp, and out the next. Then work my way around the south end of the sierras and start heading east towards home. I don't think I should try to do a trail like Swamp by myself, so I was wondering if anybody else would like to join me. Everything is kind of in the air right now, but I am asking if anybody would be interested in doing Swamp Lake with me and also if I would be able to catch up to everybody at Spider Lake late Tuesday without a major problem. Thanks for the input, Jeff

[basalt51]

I've never done swamp, but I think NAXJA usually takes 3 days to do it. You may want to do Red Lake/Coyote Lake trail instead which is in the same area, easily done in and out in a long day, or camp at Coyote Lake. On the way out you could also head into strawberry lake which is pretty easy compared to Coyote, but beautiful. All in 2 days.

[Goatman]

Jeff, Yosemite is a must see if you're out here, and you have that covered. Swamp Lake is a pretty trail, with nice foregrounds and vistas, and a very nice camping spot next to Grouse Lake. Swamp can be run easily in a day with a well set up couple of rigs, I've run it twice in a day with a big group, and even though I don't like doing it that way, it can be done in a day. In your rig, if you were by yourself, it would be two easy days on the trail if you camped in the middle at Grouse Lake. When we have about 20 rigs, we usually get to the lake by mid afternoon and we're not hurrying. I know we say not to run trails by yourself, but with your set up, and if you did a thorough inspection after running Barrett, I'd say go ahead and run it yourself if you don't get any takers. You'll have all your gear if something happened, and you'd just have to wait until someone comes through, which wouldn't be too long since it's summertime and people are running the trail.

You could run Red Lake/Coyote Lake, and Coyote is as pretty a lake as you'll find, but the trail is all foregrounds, it doesn't have the vistas that Swamp has. They're short trails, trailhead is an hour from the highway, then an hour (with a small group) to Red Lake and then another hour to Coyote Lake, then back track to get out. It's a similar trail to Barrett Lake, with similar scenery.

Just for info, from Yosemite Valley to Fresno is about 1.5 hours, and from Fresno to Dinkey Creek (camping for Swamp Lake) is a little over an hour, and from Dinkey to the Swamp Lake trailhead is about an hour, then it's about 6 miles in to the lake.

Keep in mind that it's damn nice to drive higher in the Sierra's in Yosemite to Tuolomne Meadows, which is true high Sierras, and then go over Tioga Pass (which is breathtaking) and on to Mammoth and Devil's Postpile, and the Long Valley places that were already mentioned. You have a lot of great choices, and none of them are bad. I've been knocking around the Sierras for many years and there are plenty of great places I haven't seen yet. If you wanted to wait until Rubicon to decide for sure, we can go over maps and talk there. The Sierras have there own look, different from other places because of the dramatic granite and the extreme errosion caused by the glaciers.....you'll love it. :)

[Erik]

Jeff, there's just too much to see out here in a week or two. You just need to sell your house, pack your Jeep, and move out to the West Coast. CA is always looking for new residents (to increase their tax base). We got Brat's out here too, and sorry but our beer and cheese is better than yours.

[Phil]

Haven't figured out the meal situation. We should have at least one good potluck, probably Monday or Tuesday night. There will also be wine tasting nightly, so everyone that wants to participate should bring two good bottles (not boxes ;) ) of wine. This is an effort to inject culture into our sport.

Have you got the meal situation figured out yet?

[CRASH]

Yeah, Sierra Chapter is putting on a dinner on Sunday night at the Icehouse Resort.

As a member of said chapter, you get to help!

Did you take a gander at the registration form? It's all spelled out there!

CRASH

[Phil]

Ok, aside from the Sunday night dinner, it's whatever we decide to bring?

Hey wait, I'm going to be paying to put on a dinner?! :D Should be fun.

[Big Red]

Thanks for the reality check Jes. "You must be crasy to think you could see all that in two weeks." :) I do always try to cram too much into one vacation. However, if one drives forever to get to California, it sure would be nice to see more than three 4wd trails in one area. Especially if I have a spouse along, know what I mean? Richard, thanks for the input on skipping Sequoia/Kings canyon although that is where the giant trees are right? Would be nice to see, but since that area is further to the south, it might be best to skip. Looking at the map, it doesn't look like there is a good way to get south from BLT to Yosemite on the west side of the Sierra's. It looks like the best route would be south on 395 (East side of Sierra's) to 120 and into the park from that side. Any suggestions? What should be considered must see in Yosemite keeping in mind that it will be August the driest time of the year? How about driving through Death Valley in August? Is that just plain stupid? :) Keep in mind that I don't handle heat all that well. :wow:

BTW, this trip is very tentative at this point, but I would LIKE to make it. Jeff

I moved from the Chicago burbs to Sacramento to do these trails. Go get yourself the Northern California trail book that has been out for a year or so. It has 150-250 trails in Northern California and was written from a guy with a mildly built Toyota 4runner. That way you can hit some trails around Yosemite and south east of Fresno if you are going to be in those areas. Do some yahoo searches and ask around for trail names and then maybe you can hit some easy to moderate trails as well that are very scenic. Just a thought.
Troy

[Big Red]

When do you think we will meet to start the Fordyce trail on 8/14? How about the Barrett Lake trail on 8/21? I cannot make the rubicon trip during the week, I cannot get off of work, but I would like to do the 2 back to back weekend trips. Do you guys want to meet where we hit the trail at 9 a.m. or so?
Troy

[CRASH]

Since most locals are driving up Saturday morning for Fordyce, we'll start that at 10am.

We'll start Fordyce when my hangover subsides.

CRASH

[Goatman]

It was asked if some of us will run the 'Con backwards on Sunday. I can't speak for the rest, but I don't think I will. There would be issues with enough gas after running it both ways, and playing around for a number of days. Also, I'd rather not be in a hurry to break camp at Meadow Lake, this is a vacation trip, plus I'll need to hit a grocery store to stock up for the Rubicon portion of the trip.

Nothing is set in stone, but that's my view at this time.

[BrettM]

You guys may be interested to know that CalRocs is having a rockcrawling competition at Donner Ski Ranch (just a few miles outside Truckee) August 20-22.