Rick,
This picture is taken straight from the Moab link you have off the main page showing the different trails and their difficulties. It is Flatlander's report on Porcupine Rim
http://www.4x4now.com/pr.htm
and the photo is toward the bottom of the page. The outlook is called Picture Rock: "Toward the end of these spectacular views [Castle Valley] is "Picture Rock" where you can drive your 4X4 out over a 1,500 foot drop off and get pictures of it with the La Sal Mountains as the backdrop. After this there is one challenging sand hill that is complicated with larges pieces of rock mixed in with the sand."
I noticed Charles Wells' guide to Porcupine Rim doesn't mention this outstanding viewpoint but his description of the trail ends with a view that bikers call "High Anxiety". It may not be the same place though since the book says it is describing a "significantly shorter version [of Porcupine Rim] than that driven during the Easter Jeep Safari." I am trying to find out if this place is the same as High Anxiety; and if not, what the Easter Jeep Safari longer Porcupine Rim trail entails. I want very much to go there.
Ray, I want to go for this trail before Saturday since a decision seems to be gelling that we will be on Gemini Bridges Trail on Saturday because it is a good starting point and offers other trails as options after we finish it. But if you look at all those other trails, they are either way too easy to interest me, or they are named things like Metal Masher (which doesn't sound like the type of trail a stocker can go on), or Gold Bar Rim. So I figure Saturday must be a Gemini Bridges/Gold Bar Rim run. If we have time to pre-run Gold Bar Rim that's great but since we'll be hitting it Saturday anyway I'd prefer to do something different Thursday afternoon or Friday and Porcupine Rim is one that caught my eye.
It's just an idea. Seven Mile Rim is also right in the difficulty level I'm looking to freelance on before Saturday but it looks like it may be a little difficult to find and stay on the trail, and it's a five hour ride even if you don't get lost.
One other non-4 trail that no has mentioned that looks interesting to me is Top of the World: "Moderate difficulty. A rocky climb over several challenging ledges. Stock, high clearance vehicles can manage this trail, but careful tire placement is necessary.... A great trail for SUV owners ready for more challenge. Route finding is fairly easy. The trail culminates at one of the most dramatic overlooks in the Moab area."
Our stocker group looks like it's already set up for Gemini Bridges, Gold Bar Rim, and Elephant Hill on Saturday and Sunday. I'm looking to do something else before then.
If I get there noonish on Thursday and no one else is there or interested, then I can try to hook up with whomever is handy and try Top of the World. Then on Friday run Porcupine Rim with you & Matt & Dignan, and we'd still have time to prerun Gold Bar Rim Friday afternoon. How's that sound? Rob Gofast will also have arrived by Thursday afternoon or evening, but he's driving one of the big dogs now and may prefer to play with Rick on Friday, so I don't know if he'll be with us or not. Rob, what kind of trails are you planning now, or do you know yet?
Gerald
[This message has been edited by GJarrett (edited 04-28-2000).]
