Pretty epic weekend in the High Sierras this past weekend. The goal was to camp at Red Lake via the Red Lake Trail.
The trail is pretty much just fire road until you get to the gate keeper. You can either go for it here, take an easier line to the left, or a bypass to the far left. My WK2 made it through the easier line not pictured.
The combination of boulders, super powdery dirt and lack of clearance made the journey an arduous one for me. Thank goodness for skid plates and sliders because the rocks have my armor all over them now! But these Jeeps made quick work of them.
Taking a break after most likely stacking rocks for me.
There are short patches of mostly dirt, but then always back to more rock gardens.
About 2/3 of the way in I got high centered pretty good. And at the same time, about 100 yards up, two other guys that were not in our crew were hung up and winching themselves over the next obstacle. So after much effort to get unstuck, and with darkness looming, the decision was made to punt and make camp along the trail somewhere. Lucky for us our punt spot must have been a common spot because we spotted an existing fire ring and just enough spaces for the Jeeps. No stuck pics, but I took these the next morning of where it happened.
The next morning we decided to backtrack to the trail head and try to make it to either West Lake or Strawberry Lake. But first, we hike the rest of the way to Red Lake to see what we missed. Bummer!
After returning we started breaking down camp and this is when I noticed that my rig was nose up! The rear suspension was all the way in what looked like Park mode. In this photo you can see what I'm talking about. This may have been the reason I got hung up the night before. I know it didn't happen overnight because I would've been rolling towards the back of the Jeep in my sleep.
Crap! How am I supposed to drag my butt back over all that stuff to get out of here!" Don't know but here goes...CLANK! SCREEEECH! CONK! Haha. Pulled over real quick and had a thought to check the compressor fuse. Didn't see anything wrong with it, but switched it with the AC fuse of same amperage just in case. Hit the height adjustment buttons on the console...Nothing. Buddy also mentioned that I should air up the tires to at least gain a little more clearance. Did so and back on the road. And no lie, within a few minutes I don't feel like I'm sagging anymore. I get out and low and behold I'm sky high back there compared to before. What the heck! Don't think it was the fuse because AC still worked. If anyone's got any ideas, please chime in.
And just like that, I'm back in business. Here's a few shots on the way back out.
The trail to Strawberry Lake passes West Lake. We decide to check out West Lake first. This trail isn't nearly as bad as Red Lake. Actually managed a few shots of yours truly.
We make it to West Lake without much hassle and it is absolutely beautiful! The weather is fantastic and more importantly, there's nobody else here! Strawberry can wait until another time. We spent the rest of the day fishing and sipping on beers around the lake, and then eating dinner and conversing about our good fortunes around the campfire. What a weekend!
The trail is pretty much just fire road until you get to the gate keeper. You can either go for it here, take an easier line to the left, or a bypass to the far left. My WK2 made it through the easier line not pictured.
The combination of boulders, super powdery dirt and lack of clearance made the journey an arduous one for me. Thank goodness for skid plates and sliders because the rocks have my armor all over them now! But these Jeeps made quick work of them.
Taking a break after most likely stacking rocks for me.
There are short patches of mostly dirt, but then always back to more rock gardens.
About 2/3 of the way in I got high centered pretty good. And at the same time, about 100 yards up, two other guys that were not in our crew were hung up and winching themselves over the next obstacle. So after much effort to get unstuck, and with darkness looming, the decision was made to punt and make camp along the trail somewhere. Lucky for us our punt spot must have been a common spot because we spotted an existing fire ring and just enough spaces for the Jeeps. No stuck pics, but I took these the next morning of where it happened.
The next morning we decided to backtrack to the trail head and try to make it to either West Lake or Strawberry Lake. But first, we hike the rest of the way to Red Lake to see what we missed. Bummer!
After returning we started breaking down camp and this is when I noticed that my rig was nose up! The rear suspension was all the way in what looked like Park mode. In this photo you can see what I'm talking about. This may have been the reason I got hung up the night before. I know it didn't happen overnight because I would've been rolling towards the back of the Jeep in my sleep.
Crap! How am I supposed to drag my butt back over all that stuff to get out of here!" Don't know but here goes...CLANK! SCREEEECH! CONK! Haha. Pulled over real quick and had a thought to check the compressor fuse. Didn't see anything wrong with it, but switched it with the AC fuse of same amperage just in case. Hit the height adjustment buttons on the console...Nothing. Buddy also mentioned that I should air up the tires to at least gain a little more clearance. Did so and back on the road. And no lie, within a few minutes I don't feel like I'm sagging anymore. I get out and low and behold I'm sky high back there compared to before. What the heck! Don't think it was the fuse because AC still worked. If anyone's got any ideas, please chime in.
And just like that, I'm back in business. Here's a few shots on the way back out.
The trail to Strawberry Lake passes West Lake. We decide to check out West Lake first. This trail isn't nearly as bad as Red Lake. Actually managed a few shots of yours truly.
We make it to West Lake without much hassle and it is absolutely beautiful! The weather is fantastic and more importantly, there's nobody else here! Strawberry can wait until another time. We spent the rest of the day fishing and sipping on beers around the lake, and then eating dinner and conversing about our good fortunes around the campfire. What a weekend!
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