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Anybody wanna go play this weekend (6-11 to 6-13)

dreamr

Explorer Addict
Joined
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Messages
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City, State
Lynnwood WA
Year, Model & Trim Level
99 XL / 4x4 / 4.0 ohv
I have seen a lot of new posts in the NWX forum of folks wanting to get out so I figured I would put out an offer.

I am planning on heading back up to Cle Elum area this weekend for a bit of camping. I will be leaving Saturday Morning and returning Monday Evening.
Originally this was a family trip, but they have all backed out on me so it is just little ol' me. I plan on camping off the Fortune Creek Trail #4w301 and was thinking of hiking into Gallagher Head Lake. But if someone would like to join me for a bit I would be glad to take you over a few trails in the area, and who knows we may be able to drive all the way into Gallagher Head but I doubt it.

I tend to avoid the more intense trails as I loath scrapes and scratches, but The 301 and 302 provide a bit of fun and scenery worth the bouncing around on the rocks. Check the link to get an idea of the terrain. Stock rigs can run these trails without too many concerns.
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=136138

I realize 'tis short notice as I am leaving in the morning, but hey if you're interested make a post before the sun comes up in the morning and we'll coordinate.
 



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dreamr said:
I plan on camping off the Fortune Creek Trail #4w301 and was thinking of hiking into Gallagher Head Lake. But if someone would like to join me for a bit I would be glad to take you over a few trails in the area, and who knows we may be able to drive all the way into Gallagher Head but I doubt it.

Oh no you don't! :fire:

The snow level is going to be 5000ft tomorrow and Sunday. If you get up there, you won't be able to get down! :eek:

Besides, I have to stay in town or I'd be right in front of you :p
 






Bahh I am going snow or not, It's not like I haven't climbed snowcovered mountains before :D

Realistically I will park the truck and Hike if I have too, I might just park where we camped last time and hike from there.

Last I checked it was supposed to be mostly cloudy with very little chance of precipitation on the east side. Where as this side was going to be all drizzily with chance of heavier rains saturday evening.

Where are you checking snow conditions at? That would be a good site to bookmark me thinks. I know the snowline on our side has dropped down to around 5,000 but it is usually a thousand feet higher on the east side.
 






So, I do the research, find the trails, lead you as far as either of us can go and the first weekend I can't leave town you run up to the little gem without me? :mad:

And to think I took you and Z for a boat ride with a stop at the Bill Gates estate for a beer :rolleyes: then you run off to our mountain lake without me :(

You BETTER take pictures :p
 






Sorry :(

See it is really all about the weather. I could fish all my little mountain jewels in the rain on the westside, or I could finally, for the third atempt, see this one in the sun ................. Odd how one side of the hills is wet and the other dry when they are only seperated by a few miles.

Besides I can't have too much fun without you anyway, as I can't "Explorerize" any of the other trails or make another attmept at Van Epps. But I do get to sit in a quiet camp or on a quiet Mountain lake for 3 days and relax!!!!

I am going to wheel my Traxxas all the way into the lake hehehehe...

See y'all's text on Tuesday or Mon night.
 






ah, well id love to go. but i had a senior party to attend to this weekend out camping up mt. loop highway between blue bridge and red bridge. Also, just got my lift and need to get it installed. gotta find some time to do that now. now really sure how long it'll take to install coils and a aal.
 






ThirteenthCurve said:
Also, just got my lift and need to get it installed. gotta find some time to do that now. now really sure how long it'll take to install coils and a aal.

4-6 hours if you don't have problems getting bolts loose.


Bryce, you owe me :chug:
 






ThirteenthCurve said:
ah, well id love to go. but i had a senior party to attend to this weekend out camping up mt. loop highway between blue bridge and red bridge. Also, just got my lift and need to get it installed. gotta find some time to do that now. now really sure how long it'll take to install coils and a aal.

Oh well thought I would offer since the fam was staying home and we haven't taken any of you newer folks out yet.

Have fun at your party. That is a lot of land between blue and red bridge :D
That area is usually my weekend stomping grounds, well and many a weekday I suppose :p . Gotta love the high lake fishing around Mt. Pilchuk!!!! :thumbsup:

As to your lift Phil is right it is pretty easy. We did his in very little time and he had the full J.D. kit so there were drop brackets in addition to the springs.
Shout if you need help I'm fairly close to you.

Albino,

Yeah I know I owe you a few :( :chug: :(
It just won't be the same without you darling. :eek: :p
what am i saying :eek:
 






Hone your welding skills, we got some work to do. :D
 






With that said am hitting the road.

Phil,
Shiloh is nervous about me going alone. She made me write down where I would be, then looked at it and went I don't know where the hell that is. :rolleyes:

I jotted your number on the top of the page and said you could probably explain it more clearly if I don't return by Tuesday. Sorry to involve you, but she just wouldn't back down. All the Worry thanks to Zaira's tall tales of the roads on our last trip. (Tried to tell both her Mom and Gramma that we almost tipped over :rolleyes: )

Anyway the camp is the same as last time. Off the 4w301 just shy of the junction with the 4w302, or on that island just down from it across the rocky area.
Sat I'll just be screwing around in the area with my RC and such.
Sun I am hiking in to Gallagher Head lake.
Mon I will be fishing a bit of the river and possibly Cle Elum Lake
Returning to Seattle around dark on Monday.
 






:thumbsup:
 






welp, have fun out there!
 






Well I am back a bit early. I got bored and lonely :(

The weather was fairly nice all weekend though it had been raining and was a bit muddy everywhere! Dirty dirty truck......

The Gallagher Head lake still remains to be discovered by you and I Phil. The snow level was about the same as the last time we were up. The road had melted off up to the deep part you feel through on foot, meaning I needed to park by the meadow we turned around at. As I was turning around and pulling off the trail I looked up and guess what I see. Mama bear and cubs. They were standing about 50 yards away and watching me. I was rather excited and made a go for the camera as soon as I was parked level but they had wandered back into the bush so the camera focused on the trees rather than the bears. All in all I figured I would rather not hike with them to the lake having no one with me and being unarmed :eek:

It had snowed around the 5200' mark aqccording to GPS but was just a dusting. The trail was slick and rather interesting. I missed judging my line based on you though :D Seems my T.case skidplate took a very good hit on the stream crossing with the large boulder in the middle. I hugged the edge a little closer on the way down and all was well. Going up I was nervous about huggin the downhill side due to the wet conditions, but it was stable in the end.

As I explored the rest of the area off of the main FS road I foud a lot of nice campspots and hiking trailheads :thumbsup:. There are also a few roads that the Ranger District has recently aquired that they have signs up asking for feedback. I drove them all. One is pointless and leads to a trash filled "firing range", one has some beautiful primitive camping spots, and the last one I sent an e-mail to the ORV ranger sating they should make it a 4wd trail.

The beginning of the road is just another fire road, then it suddenly dead ends and to the right branches off. The first obstacle on to the trail was challenging indeed. It took me a couple tries to make it over in 4-low with the locker engaged :p I only traveled the first quarter to half mile, and took advantage of the first turn around spot. In general it is a notch or two above the 305 as far as ranking goes :eek: It didn't look that bad from the head, but as soon as it turned the corner I was like oh man what am I doing up here alone!

There is so much wildlife in this part of the country!!!!! I saw 13 head of deer pretty much all seperate, The bear family, a handful of foxes, 1 elk (pretty far off, but I am convinced it was elk due to size and coloration), 1 owl and various other predatory birds, and lastly I caught me a few reptiles for fun along Lake Tucquala. Did I forget the bunnies? Oh well lots of critters come to play when you are alone and rather silent well except for the fish :mad: . One of the deer was our friend from last time, wandered right up to me. Of course I doubt she noticed me sitting quietly and reading untill I snapped her picture :D

Anyway here's a couple pictures for fun. The first is for you Phil, These little buggers have nearly covered all the area surrounding our camp site. It is rather pretty :cool:

20122cle_elum_camping_6-11-05_006.jpg


20122cle_elum_camping_6-11-05_010.jpg


20122cle_elum_camping_6-11-05_013.jpg
 






Flowers!!! for ME!!! ;)


The cold weather must have driven the critters down hill a bit.

How deep was the snow at the zigzag? Sounds like it'll be next month before we can make it to the lake.

That new road/trail, are the bushes and trees as tight as the 305 or is it more open?

Guess it's a good thing I got that BL. :cool: Now I need to get it on and get that front hitch raised :rolleyes: and bumper mounts and shock mounts and suspension camera/VCR and and and and and :confused:
 






Albino 94LTD said:
Flowers!!! for ME!!! ;)


The cold weather must have driven the critters down hill a bit.

How deep was the snow at the zigzag? Sounds like it'll be next month before we can make it to the lake.

That new road/trail, are the bushes and trees as tight as the 305 or is it more open?

Guess it's a good thing I got that BL. :cool: Now I need to get it on and get that front hitch raised :rolleyes: and bumper mounts and shock mounts and suspension camera/VCR and and and and and :confused:

The snow level had not changed that much at all. If at all there was 5-6" less. I talked with the ranger driving the FS Jeep on 35's, bumped into him as I was coming up the 1st leg of the 301 on Sunday returning to camp. He said it likely won't be clear till early July.

That new road, It be tighter than the 305. :eek:

Very, Very rocky too. That body lift ain't gonna matter at all. I scratched the hell out of my undercarriage on just the first 100 yards. Good thing for the new skids!!!!! I won't be going up it again without a lot more modification! Now Joe, DWD, or Arsoul may enjoy themselves on this one. Then again for all I know it mellows out once you get over the first ridgeline.
 






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