Went to the cinder cones/lava tubes just south west of las vegas this weekend and had an oh **** moment
We (me my whife and her friend) decided we wanted to take the the road leading up to the rim of the valcano and it was awsome trail was mantained kinda and it was an awsome view of the surroundings. Well the way up was mantained but the way down wasnt soo good, to start the trail was only about 12 inches wider than the ex and it was steep and the loose pumice did not offer much traction. then about a third of the way down the side of the trail on the right had small land slides that piled up that took away about half of the trail and made the explorer lean dangrously far to the left wich happened to be the long steep drop. well at this point my wife and her friend were feeling verry un-comfortable so I told them to walk behind as i drove it down so I continued down trying to steer to the right to keep away from the edge as best I can well it keeps the tire just barley on the trail then their is a small wash out coming up and i try to steer closer to the right but as soon as my front tire reaches the washout it slips reght off the trail and I stop put it in park and ***** the situation I am pretty fu@&%ing nerveous at this point and spend about 20 minutes figuring what I am goig to do so I get the shovel and dig a trench as wide as the tire and about 8 inches deep and five feet long for the right tire to track in and hopefully keep me on the trail so I get in and put in low and slowly let off the brake and let the front tire roll into the trench well it works like a dream and keeps me on the trail and gets me past the washout whew!!!
so not out of it yet I still have another 200yards of trail and 200feet of altitude to get down but it is going smoth until the last 40 feet I am still about 30 feet above level ground and the sides of this thing are 45+ degreed of incline and the last part of the trail is completly washed out so I floor it and point the truck down and somehow make it down without floping it on the roof. I tell you this was saturday afternoon and my butthole is still clinched it was scary as ****!
here are a couple of pictures from the rim of the valcano did not get any of the way down was not really thinking much about pictures at that point.
can you spot the truck in this picture?
and on of the ancient lava flow
Last picture I snapped before the decent
lesson learned dont wheel alone !!!!!!!
Nate
We (me my whife and her friend) decided we wanted to take the the road leading up to the rim of the valcano and it was awsome trail was mantained kinda and it was an awsome view of the surroundings. Well the way up was mantained but the way down wasnt soo good, to start the trail was only about 12 inches wider than the ex and it was steep and the loose pumice did not offer much traction. then about a third of the way down the side of the trail on the right had small land slides that piled up that took away about half of the trail and made the explorer lean dangrously far to the left wich happened to be the long steep drop. well at this point my wife and her friend were feeling verry un-comfortable so I told them to walk behind as i drove it down so I continued down trying to steer to the right to keep away from the edge as best I can well it keeps the tire just barley on the trail then their is a small wash out coming up and i try to steer closer to the right but as soon as my front tire reaches the washout it slips reght off the trail and I stop put it in park and ***** the situation I am pretty fu@&%ing nerveous at this point and spend about 20 minutes figuring what I am goig to do so I get the shovel and dig a trench as wide as the tire and about 8 inches deep and five feet long for the right tire to track in and hopefully keep me on the trail so I get in and put in low and slowly let off the brake and let the front tire roll into the trench well it works like a dream and keeps me on the trail and gets me past the washout whew!!!
so not out of it yet I still have another 200yards of trail and 200feet of altitude to get down but it is going smoth until the last 40 feet I am still about 30 feet above level ground and the sides of this thing are 45+ degreed of incline and the last part of the trail is completly washed out so I floor it and point the truck down and somehow make it down without floping it on the roof. I tell you this was saturday afternoon and my butthole is still clinched it was scary as ****!
here are a couple of pictures from the rim of the valcano did not get any of the way down was not really thinking much about pictures at that point.
can you spot the truck in this picture?
and on of the ancient lava flow
Last picture I snapped before the decent
lesson learned dont wheel alone !!!!!!!
Nate
