Enthusiast III
A few weeks ago a small group of us here in SoCal went to Hungry Valley OHV Park to have some fun. From that grew a plan for an overnight run. Joe camp up with the route. We’d head to Jawbone Canyon and head overland into the southern-most end of Sequoia National Park, where we had several options for campsites.
Our plan had us meeting at the Shell station in Mojave, CA for a jump-off at 10:30am. We were on time, gassed up and ready to go as planned, so we pointed 5 rigs North, dialed into channel 15 on our GMRS radios and ... poked along like turtles for 20 minutes on the highway! I was sweep and Joe was our lead rig, with Raul, Chris and Yaniv filling in the gap. Just as I was about to grab my radio and simultaneously chirp at Joe for driving like a 90-year-old grandma AND thank him for helping my average fuel economy hit new highs, I glanced in my mirror to see two CHP cruisers closing on us. I radioed the crew a heads up (would we get pulled over for going too slow?!), and seconds later both cruisers flashed by us like we didn’t exist. That was just fine by us!
Getting to the trailhead was uneventful and two of the group opted to air down a bit. We headed inland and upwards, gaining altitude pretty quickly. By the time we set up camp a few hours later, we’d be just over 6500 feet.
The scenery was typical California desert amazing, with literally every turn offering a beautiful vista. We only saw a handful of others all day, and after exploring 3 possible camps, were alone the rest of the day.
As we pressed further up the trail, we hit snow. First just some flurries, then accumulation on the ground, then full on blowing snow with a couple inches down. A group discussion saw us opting to trade the snow-covered camps for the one at a lower elevation that was snow-free. We thought we were being clever - go lower, the temps would rise. <Insert the universe laughing at us here.>
We set up camp around 3:30/4pm. The temp had leveled off at camp right at 30 degrees. Now, we knew it would be chilly, with a chance for snow, so we were prepped. That said, it was a damn chilly evening around camp! Chris and Raul fired up the Skottle and kept a steady flow of pork and chicken street tacos on hand, and combined with Raul’s chips, guacamole and salsa (both homemade), we ate well! Of course we did! We’re overlanding here!!! :)
After a broad discussion on a range of topics (re: after several beers and lots of BS-ing), we called it a night.
Based on reports the next morning, we’d all remained warm and comfortable overnight, with one report of “slept like a baby”. Screw you, Joe! LOL
Quality of sleep aside, we’d all rested enough to be functional, so after a variety of breakfast options, we all started packing up camp for our return trip. Speaking solely for myself, “packing up camp” was actually “throwing all my wet stuff into the Jeep as fast as possible because I was cold AF”...
Now, it should be pointed out that when we woke up, not only had the temp dropped to around 25 degrees, but we all emerged into a legit snow storm. Yeah, we all heard it accumulating on our tents through the night, but it was a glorious site to see camp coated in a couple inches of fresh snow. Glorious and slightly sobering as we had to drive through several passes to get back to the main road.
Ultimately, we had no worries. It was a simple drive out, but we did have to pay attention. Several times we were sideways due to a lack of traction and camber changes in the trail surface. No one got stuck, but someone did get sideways enough to need a full stop to reset. ;) I found myself driving through slides in the manner my Canadian upbringing taught me: steer into it, apply throttle. All kinds of fun!
After a while, we were back at the trailhead. We said our goodbyes and broke for home. Rain followed us back out of Jawbone canyon as we aired up and pointed rigs South.
Overall, an excellent overnight trip with great people. Great route planning by Joe, excellent food from Chris and Raul! Yaniv and I just kinda hung out and enjoyed the heck out of it all! :)
Thank you gentleman, it was a memorable trip!
Our plan had us meeting at the Shell station in Mojave, CA for a jump-off at 10:30am. We were on time, gassed up and ready to go as planned, so we pointed 5 rigs North, dialed into channel 15 on our GMRS radios and ... poked along like turtles for 20 minutes on the highway! I was sweep and Joe was our lead rig, with Raul, Chris and Yaniv filling in the gap. Just as I was about to grab my radio and simultaneously chirp at Joe for driving like a 90-year-old grandma AND thank him for helping my average fuel economy hit new highs, I glanced in my mirror to see two CHP cruisers closing on us. I radioed the crew a heads up (would we get pulled over for going too slow?!), and seconds later both cruisers flashed by us like we didn’t exist. That was just fine by us!
Getting to the trailhead was uneventful and two of the group opted to air down a bit. We headed inland and upwards, gaining altitude pretty quickly. By the time we set up camp a few hours later, we’d be just over 6500 feet.
The scenery was typical California desert amazing, with literally every turn offering a beautiful vista. We only saw a handful of others all day, and after exploring 3 possible camps, were alone the rest of the day.
As we pressed further up the trail, we hit snow. First just some flurries, then accumulation on the ground, then full on blowing snow with a couple inches down. A group discussion saw us opting to trade the snow-covered camps for the one at a lower elevation that was snow-free. We thought we were being clever - go lower, the temps would rise. <Insert the universe laughing at us here.>
We set up camp around 3:30/4pm. The temp had leveled off at camp right at 30 degrees. Now, we knew it would be chilly, with a chance for snow, so we were prepped. That said, it was a damn chilly evening around camp! Chris and Raul fired up the Skottle and kept a steady flow of pork and chicken street tacos on hand, and combined with Raul’s chips, guacamole and salsa (both homemade), we ate well! Of course we did! We’re overlanding here!!! :)
After a broad discussion on a range of topics (re: after several beers and lots of BS-ing), we called it a night.
Based on reports the next morning, we’d all remained warm and comfortable overnight, with one report of “slept like a baby”. Screw you, Joe! LOL
Quality of sleep aside, we’d all rested enough to be functional, so after a variety of breakfast options, we all started packing up camp for our return trip. Speaking solely for myself, “packing up camp” was actually “throwing all my wet stuff into the Jeep as fast as possible because I was cold AF”...
Now, it should be pointed out that when we woke up, not only had the temp dropped to around 25 degrees, but we all emerged into a legit snow storm. Yeah, we all heard it accumulating on our tents through the night, but it was a glorious site to see camp coated in a couple inches of fresh snow. Glorious and slightly sobering as we had to drive through several passes to get back to the main road.
Ultimately, we had no worries. It was a simple drive out, but we did have to pay attention. Several times we were sideways due to a lack of traction and camber changes in the trail surface. No one got stuck, but someone did get sideways enough to need a full stop to reset. ;) I found myself driving through slides in the manner my Canadian upbringing taught me: steer into it, apply throttle. All kinds of fun!
After a while, we were back at the trailhead. We said our goodbyes and broke for home. Rain followed us back out of Jawbone canyon as we aired up and pointed rigs South.
Overall, an excellent overnight trip with great people. Great route planning by Joe, excellent food from Chris and Raul! Yaniv and I just kinda hung out and enjoyed the heck out of it all! :)
Thank you gentleman, it was a memorable trip!
