Utah Trip (AKA Kick HITR Trails Butt Thread)

[Happy Jack]

K, Clint and I went out last May and missed kicking that trails butt "by that much".

Dates are locked in as September 6th through the 14th. Newest kinda sorta trip plan is in post #10.

I wanna go back. Curtman? Chad? Jon? Sparks? Cybergasm? Others? It'll have ya giggling like little girls fer years. Anyone else? Please please please.

I kin even do regular vacation stuff ifin folks want. A PU truck ur Hoe (aka Tahoe) kin do the west side if folks want. Actually a car or mini van these days. There are campgrounds and motels in Escalante. Primative camping (free) just out of town on the trail. A modified rig is a lot less work for the section south of Halls Crossing on the east side. Plan on a bit of vehicle damage if you take a stock truck on this section. Need to camp one night on the trail but there are family unit 3 bedroom trailers that can be rented at the campground in Halls Crossing. Again primative camping just down the road on the trail. After that there is the Cow Tank section. That is the second most difficult section. Nothing to test a modified truck but a little caution would be needed for a stocker. Rooms fer rent and campgrounds in Blanding. And primative camping out of town. The last section to San Juan Hill is really nice if you by pass a section of the original trail that is now atv width. Last time I was on that section was with Mule (96 full size Bronco) and it was hard on the paint.

First time I did HITR http://www.loneriders.com/campfire_t...ire_tales.html

Last time I did it in the spring will be in a series of articles in 4WheelDrive magazine starting with Novembers 2011 issue that is due out on the news stands and in folks mail boxes this month.

Come on ya know ya wanna!

Fer sure gonna go:

Jack
Garrett
Curtis
Del
Paula
Paula's Fellow Driver
Bob
DocT

Thinkin hard bout it:

Clint
Ian
Dennis
bronco2guy
Outlaw
bigswede

[Twiztid]

would love to go Jack, but in my case i have no Vacation for the next 2 years
company wanted more give backs on our new union contract and just for 40 cents an hour raise and they voted for it

[Happy Jack]

Hey Steve. Hope that works out for the best. I didn't put a date on this as I wanted to see when folks could get free to head out there. Ya never know it might take 2 years to get this going.

[Happy Jack]

Best time to go is spring or fall. Course we are on this side of the devide and the trail is on the other side. A late or early season snow storm could cause problems getting there or back. Might have to spend a extra night either in the desert or flat lands waiting for the roads to clear. Most times that is done about noon. So not too early or too late and it can go the other way and cook us. This is an article on a conecting trail that starts a 4 part series on what I'd like to do: http://www.4wdandsportutility.com/ad...ail/index.html

This is a trip report on the trip for the above article and several others. We don't take ourselves very serious as you can tell. http://www.loneriders.com/TripReport...-04-April.html

[Happy Jack]

As with my trip to HITR in May of this year, my motive for this trip is to map the old route south of Halls Crossing. I am missing approximately a 3 mile section of that route. I have been talking to my sons, Clint and Garrett, and to Chadley, Curtman, and Del as well. There is a trip to South Dakota that will eat up resources for some in the spring. Other issues in the spring make this difficult for Garrett. If others would like to do this in the spring of 2012, I would be like to do it then and I need you to post dates before the end of the year. Right now though, I’m looking at September 2012 for this.

That is a long way to go from KS for a 3 mile section of trail so I figured folks might want to do the whole thing from Escalante to Bluff. The Escalante side story is on line at: http://www.4wdandsportutility.com/ad...ail/index.html On news stands and in mail boxes the first week of November will be the story on the section south of Halls Crossing. The issue out in December will have the remaining section to Bluff.

Now if folks want to do other things there is other stuff in the area like, Natural Bridges National Monument, museums in Blanding and Bluff, and Valley of the Gods. Other trails are Bears Ears, Arch Canon, Hotel Rock and the Moki Dugway .

[Happy Jack]

Jr. made it's first magazine showing: http://www.4wdandsportutility.com/ad.../photo_05.html

That is a lot of the difficult section south of Halls Crossing.

More pics of Jr. should be in next months issue as the Jeeps went off while Jr. and Fox did the Cow Tank section.

[Happy Jack]

K, looks like September 6th-14th.

Received my February 2012 issue of Off Road magazine yersterday. Last story of the 3 part deal that we did last fall is in there. And a good picture of Jr. Soon as it is posted on line I'll post up a link. Could be a week ur three.

[Happy Jack]

Part 3 of HITR is now on line at: http://www.4wdandsportutility.com/ad...ion/index.html

That is the last part.



I have a video of my first trip to HITR in 1996. Was thinkin folks could come to my home place and we can look stuff over and I can answere questions and tell folks about the video. Figured either on the weekend of Jan 22nd when Ian is down or the weekend of Feb 3-4 when folks come down for the Sunflower swapmeet. I have coppies of the vid converted to dvd I'll get to Chad, Curtis, and Ian.

[Happy Jack]

Another idea that popped in my head was that folks with stock or mildly modified vehicles could go over on the west side and do that part while others are doing the difficult section south of Halls Crossing. And that might work out for folks who want to camp in roomin houses (motels) also.

[Happy Jack]

So right now this is the new kinda, maybe, sorta, general plan, time line.

Wednesday Sept. 5Th - Drive to Comb Ridge and find a campsite.

Thursday Sept. 6Th - Explore Black Mesa.

Friday Sept. 7Th - Explore the Abajo/Blue Mountains and then over Bears Ears if time and drive up to Poison Spring Canyon.

Saturday Sept. 8Th - Explore Poison Spring Canyon.

Sunday Sept. 9Th - Drive back to Blanding, UT for showers and supplies. Meet folks joining for HITR trail.

Monday Sept. 10Th - This will be the first day of the HITR trip. It should take one day to get to San Juan Hill.

Tuesday Sept. 11Th - This is a kind of flexible day. What is needed is to return Sunday nights camp and move the trailers and tow vehicles over Clay Hills Pass to the new camp site near the Nokai Dome Rd.

Wednesday Sept. 12Th - This is a lock and load day. Folks need to have everything loaded and tied down. All the bugs and kinks worked out. Absolutely everything you need to live out of your truck for 3 days plus extra in case something is lost or broken. There will be nothing except rough country for the next 2-3 days. I'd like to leave camp at 8:00 AM. There will be lots to do and see so we really need to get an early start.

Thursday Sept. 13Th - Another lock and load day. We need to get after it early. Again I'd like to be in the trucks moving at 8:00 AM. Finish up anything we did not get over on Wednesday and head back out as far as we can get.

Friday Sept. 14Th - This is a get to town for a shower kick back day. If we are on the trail I hope to be only 1/2 a day out at the most.

Saturday Sept. 15Th - I plan to load up and head for home.

[Happy Jack]

Woooooooo hooooooooooo. Garrett has the time off. So I have a co-driver. Clint has the time off and is still deciding if he will go or not. I updated the first post with a list of folks attending as I understand it. If I have it wrong or need to make additions let me know. I'll start working on an e-mail with details to send to those who attending or thinking about it.

[Happy Jack]

Sure wish September would get here. I'm ready for some trail time in Utah.

[Happy Jack]

I updated some of the posts. Most important post #1 with folks going/thinking about it and the new dates. Post #10 with the new kinda sorta plan.

[bronco2guy]

Tempting, I was think Moab or Colorado in early Sept.

[Happy Jack]

Your more than welcome to join us. Right now we have 4 trucks signed up. 6 if you count Black Mesa and Poison Spring Canyon.

[Happy Jack]

Worked out some routes using Delorme. I have 3 routes from Monticello through the Blue/Abajo Mountains. And I found 5 different ways to get up on Black Mesa.

Is it September yet?

[Happy Jack]

A bit of info I looked up while setting inside as the temps hit over 100 degrees again today in KS.

Temps last year in Blanding, UT Sept. 9-15. Highs 73-60, Lows 53-48 Elevation in Blanding 6090 ft.

It was a bit warmer the few days earlier. No trouble if it repeats this year as the route I'd like to do through the Blue/Abajo Mountains starts at 7070 ft. and ends at 6870 ft. With the highest elevation being 10360 ft. Should be a cool, cool drive.

Comb Ridge camp elevation, 4850 ft. HITR camp elevation, aprox. 5000 ft.

[Happy Jack]

I made some minor changes to the pre-trip, trip. Thursday the 6th will be exploring Black Mesa and Friday the 7th will be the Abajo/Blue Mountains.

7 weeks to go for me. 8 weeks till the HITR part.

[Happy Jack]

Getting close. 4 weeks from today i will be west bound and down.

[Happy Jack]

3 weeks from today, Garrett and I will be west bound and down. I'm going to have to start going through gear and packing next week.