Panamint Valley RSVP Thread - Dec 19,20,21

[xj_mike]

Hey Sean, just an FYI, my wife GOT the day off so we are planning on going.

 

[xL8 APEKSx]

Good news! I'm almost ready for the trip. Just a few last minute things lingering. Have a funny sound coming from the front end I need to look at. Just finished hacking more of the fenders off; I was cutting slices into the tread blocks when flexed. Then just some basic maintenance, and packing up all the gear.

Can't wait!

 

[Original_MudButt]

Wish I was going...... Maybe next time....


I WANT LOTS OF PICS!!!!!!!

 

[Ryno XJ]

Now this event sounds like fun!!!

 

[xL8 APEKSx]

UPDATE!

Since I have to work that Friday, I won't be able to leave until 5pm or so. I am now planning on heading all the way to Stone/Briggs Cabin in the evening, so we don't have to set up (or even bring) tents at 11pm in 35 degree weather!

If anyone wants to wait until evening and caravan up with us, you're more than welcome!

Or, if you still want the early start, go ahead and drive all the way in to either Briggs or Stone Cabin and we will meet you there...I'm guessing around 11pm or so assuming we leave at 5pm.

Please let me know if you're in board for the trip as we're only a week away! YAY!

 

[xj_mike]

Since I don't know any of this area, I broke out my Backcountry Adventures Guide and they list both routes. They rate Pleasant Canyon trail a 7 and Mengel Pass trail a 4. Based on my experience with this book, the ratings are very close to what I have experienced. They also rate the Mojave Road a 4 with most areas a 2-3. This is exactly what I found back in March.

With my rig and trailer, a 4-5 is about the limit. Without the trailer, I can do harder trails but the trailer adds an additional challenge to wheeling.

After reading the description of the trails, Pleasant Canyon sounds like a little more challenging then I want to attempt for my third trip with the trailer. My wife does zero in the way of spotting and with the switchbacks talked about, trying them without good spotters or in the dark doesn't sound cool with me.

If you want to do Mengel Pass, that sound more then doable given my setup. Do you want to do this route and if so, where did you want to meet? If you are getting in about 11pm or after, we will be long to sleep, typically crashing between 9-10pm, even earlier if it's cold out. We understand if you want to do Pleasant Canyon. If so, we'll pass on the trip though. Your call.

 

[xL8 APEKSx]

If you hop on to PanamintValley.com or YouTube.com, you'll see plenty of people doing Pleasant Canyon in 100% stock Blazers, Jeeps, Monteros, FJ's, etc etc etc. I've also seen camper vans going thru there. There might be 1 or 2 sections that might require 4WD. The vast majority is moderate clearance 2WD.

There's also no tight switchbacks at all. It's all wide open enough for an H1 to navigate easily (except for chicken rock and the log bridge).

I'm open/open on a D35, been thru there a few times with even less! I don't know how they would call that a 7 out of 10. It's closer to a 5.

Anyhow...the Pleasant/Surprise Loop is the most common/popular loop out there. It's also more entertaining, and much shorter, than Mengel Pass on through Warm Springs and Shoshone (this route would total almost 600 miles from OC and back).

Getting to the cabins at night, you don't go thru Pleasant at all. You go down Wingate Rd and up the first couple miles of Surprise Canyon. Again, any stock 4x4 is more than enough. Using the cabins as base camp, we can head toward Pleasant (either up or down), and if it gets hairy, we can always just turn around and go the other way!

Mengel is just like driving down a dirt road. I doubt we'll use 4WD at all there.

That said...do you need the trailer for just a Sat/Sun trip? Maybe you could leave it at home? I'm sure you'd be fine either way though.

But trust me when I say your setup is well above and beyond Pleasant Canyon material. A bone-stock XJ would do fine there. I took my mom's stock 1993 Grand Wagoneer through that loop back in high school. Don't tell her. lol. Cooper street tires and all.

 

[xL8 APEKSx]

http://www.clubgwagen.com/trailreport/index.php


...this group pic is from a Pleasant Canyon/South park Canyon Loop run. That stock ML made it. I'm sure you'll be OK. :spin3:

 

[xj_mike]

If you hop on to PanamintValley.com or YouTube.com, you'll see plenty of people doing Pleasant Canyon in 100% stock Blazers, Jeeps, Monteros, FJ's, etc etc etc. I've also seen camper vans going thru there. There might be 1 or 2 sections that might require 4WD. The vast majority is moderate clearance 2WD.

There's also no tight switchbacks at all. It's all wide open enough for an H1 to navigate easily (except for chicken rock and the log bridge).

I'm open/open on a D35, been thru there a few times with even less! I don't know how they would call that a 7 out of 10. It's closer to a 5.

Anyhow...the Pleasant/Surprise Loop is the most common/popular loop out there. It's also more entertaining, and much shorter, than Mengel Pass on through Warm Springs and Shoshone (this route would total almost 600 miles from OC and back).

Getting to the cabins at night, you don't go thru Pleasant at all. You go down Wingate Rd and up the first couple miles of Surprise Canyon. Again, any stock 4x4 is more than enough. Using the cabins as base camp, we can head toward Pleasant (either up or down), and if it gets hairy, we can always just turn around and go the other way!

Mengel is just like driving down a dirt road. I doubt we'll use 4WD at all there.

That said...do you need the trailer for just a Sat/Sun trip? Maybe you could leave it at home? I'm sure you'd be fine either way though.

But trust me when I say your setup is well above and beyond Pleasant Canyon material. A bone-stock XJ would do fine there. I took my mom's stock 1993 Grand Wagoneer through that loop back in high school. Don't tell her. lol. Cooper street tires and all.

Okay, interesting. As for bringing the trailer, it IS our camping gear. All of our camp, cook and sleep gear is setup in it or hauled by it. We only put our cooler and food in the XJ. The only time we don't take the trailer is for day trips. Any overnight ones, it comes with us. Here's a pic,

 

[xL8 APEKSx]

Damn, that's pretty cool! Let me check with a couple Panamint "regulars" about that setup. BRB!

 

[HawkZero]

Not sure if ya'll have been tracking the weather. We had a storm come through the region and dropped some big time snow in the hills. Popped my head over the ridge and the snow in Panamint valley is nearly down to the valley floor - probably about 500-1000 feet up from the bottom.

Probably not going to melt before the weekend so just be prepared for cold wet/snowy conditions.

That being said I am not going to make it due to a recent death of a close friend of the family.

Good luck to all and have fun.

 

[xj_mike]

Hey Sean, PM'ed ya. Looks like we are going to pass this time around.

Have fun!

 

[xL8 APEKSx]

Yep...I'm looking forward to a little snow! Will still camp at the Stone/Briggs cabins, and if it's too thick in the higher elevations, we will head down to Goler/Mengel/Butte Valley and see what we can see. Otherwise, it'll be campfires, hot cocoa and board games in the cabin!