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VIDEO
Here is a video of the trip showing the falls and technical spots.
This our first attempt at post video prod. & we will cont. to refine
the current video for faster DL speed. For now click the MPEG icon.
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Format: mpeg
Run Time: 5min
File Size: 26 mb
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Meeting Spot:
Meeting time was 8am at a greasy spoon in Shingle Springs with a scheduled
departure of 9am. After grubbin' we had a "Drivers Meeting"
in the P-lot which we pretty much owned with our 18 rigs. There were
three of us beginners so the Goats figured they would keep us surrounded
on the way up to the trail head as well as on the trail to provide
direction through the rough spots and bumpers to strap to.
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Caravan:
We motored to our refueling 
stop with out getting to separated, regrouped and headed back up the
Frwy to our turn off. As we made our turn the "drag" communicated
via CB that we all had made the turn off of the Frwy and the long
twisty climb up Ice House Rd began .
On the way up we stopped at the Ice House Resort, a campground/store/restaurant
and immediately one of the Goats was hit-on for a wincing from a camper
who was stuck in the snow. Half of us stayed while the rest continued
to the Ice House Reservoir boat ramp
to use the facilities and I'm not taking about the boat ramp! Oh yeah...
we also picked up a Toyota 4x4 who wanted to join our run, great!
now I'm not the only p-up. |
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The Trail:
After regrouping at the boat ramp we continued to the trail head
and once there we'd began to air-down. One by one we dropped down
onto the trail making sure those of use who might get stuck were
surrounded by winches. The camp area before our first climb was
crowded with 4x4s, suv's, ohv's and the usual yokels with firearms
a blazin'.
We all lined up at the first rock climb
and all made it through with some spotting, I had trouble at first
until the spotter determined I wasn't locked in? Larry, while airing
down the passenger side locked me in and I didn't know that so I
went over and cranked the hub back to the open position... yeah,
I'm a rookie!
*video timeline: 0-1:28*
Once locked in the pile of rocks
was not a problem and it was off to the next obstacle which was
a steep down hill with steps in it, plenty of rear wheels were coming
off the ground here! *video timeline 1:28-2:56*
Meanwhile, back on the trail, the falls
came into view and were a simple cruz through a couple of 2-3' water
holes (from the swollen river) and some trail rock.
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The Falls:
We made it
and was it beautiful, water was ragin', lunch was good, and we were
entertained by two rigs, one attempting to crawl the river and another
crawling boulders on the slickrock .
*video timeline: 2:56-3:50*
Only half the crew made it to the falls, the other half were on the
trail somewhere straightening a tie-rod, they showed up a couple of
hours later. |
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Rewind: Back
to the three wheel hill but now as a climb. I was one of the last
rigs there and had a chance to watch some others climb the hill
and a Jeep got strapped at the very top... 1 wheel on the ground,
2 into the body and one in the air, this Jeep was slightly close
to tumbling backwards. Now its my turn and everybody is at the top
of the hill waiting to see if the little ol Nissan can make it,
I blew them all away with a clean shot up the hard side, first try...
no problem!
*video timeline: 3:50-5:08*
Next obstacle was the first rock pile we climbed and with a bang
of the rear bumper and a scrape of the front rim I was through it
and back up top airing up for the drive home.
While airing up everyone said there good-byes and compared trail
notes and it was back to the valley. On the way out to Ice House
Road there was a Toyota carcass that had flipped and been stripped
and now was laying there with collected trail trash in its bed.
This truck was a major eyesore: stripped, graffiti, garbage, etc...
and is not a very good mark for 4-wheelers to leave! By the time
you read this, Bassy Falls will probably be gated off due to erosion
and idiots like the owner of the trashed Toyota.
TREAD LIGHTLY, LEAVE NO TRACE,
PACK IT OUT
SAVE OUR TRAILS!
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