It be a Teraflex kit. I just saw the upper arms and it looked like a Full Traction kit.
Woodrow's 97 Green TJ Moderate Build
- Thread starter Woodrow
- Start date
It be a Teraflex kit. I just saw the upper arms and it looked like a Full Traction kit.
I haven't been there in years but it was worth the drive. There is some great wheeling there.
I'm sure there will be a 2025 trip.
Moab Trip 2024; Monday day June 10.
Fins and Things and Hell’s Revenge
This was the classic Moab slickrock day. We had the biggest group and saw many others on the trails including tours and many SXSs. We started with Fins and the went on to Hells.
Fins:
At some point, we saw these guys:
Definitely different. Which was probably at least part of the point.
This stuff is super fun your first time out. The steepness and traction are remarkable. But Moab has so much to offer on other, more challenging and less popular trails. Once you’ve done these trails before, you find yourself trying to spice it up with optional stuff. For example:
There were a few other climbs I did or attempted throughout the trip that started to make me think mid-arms might be worth exploring.
We went to Hell’s gate of course. Its a long V-notch that’s mostly straightforward but there is a little jog near the top which messed me up last year. I lifted a wheel way too high and had to reset. This year’s run up was smoother so the video isn’t too dramatic.
Nearby, one of the tour HMMWVs had a dead battery. It was surrounded by about 20 SXSs who were no help but @NashvilleTJ gave him a jump. I wasn’t any help either but I did take the opportunity to check out the hardware. Nice!
I was interested in trying the Escalator this year, if I could get a better feel for it. But there was a huge line and this guy flopped so we drove on by.
Last year, we just looked at Mickey’s Hot tub and since then, @Apparition voiced some regret about not giving it a go. And we all know how it went for @NashvilleTJ last year. So I was anticipating some fun. But, it was not to be. We found this when we got there:
The orange Jeep-like vehicle in the bottom ripped it’s truss off the rear axle. Its anchored to the red Jeep while the yellow jeep is winching the pinion down so he can weld it. The welder is in the super cool silver jeep with a superchager and everything else. I talked to that guy for a while. It was a really nice build. I had time because @NashvilleTJ loaned his portable welding hood to the guy welding and it took over an hour for the axle to be good enough to get the rig out. But it was really good that he got the hood because he had a lot of welding to do with no good eye protection. By the time it was done, we had eaten lunch and several in our group were ready to call it for the day. So we headed out. We will call that truss #2 for the trip because even though it wasn’t from our group, it did change our day a bit.
Fins and Things and Hell’s Revenge
This was the classic Moab slickrock day. We had the biggest group and saw many others on the trails including tours and many SXSs. We started with Fins and the went on to Hells.
Fins:
At some point, we saw these guys:
Definitely different. Which was probably at least part of the point.
This stuff is super fun your first time out. The steepness and traction are remarkable. But Moab has so much to offer on other, more challenging and less popular trails. Once you’ve done these trails before, you find yourself trying to spice it up with optional stuff. For example:
We went to Hell’s gate of course. Its a long V-notch that’s mostly straightforward but there is a little jog near the top which messed me up last year. I lifted a wheel way too high and had to reset. This year’s run up was smoother so the video isn’t too dramatic.
I was interested in trying the Escalator this year, if I could get a better feel for it. But there was a huge line and this guy flopped so we drove on by.
Last year, we just looked at Mickey’s Hot tub and since then, @Apparition voiced some regret about not giving it a go. And we all know how it went for @NashvilleTJ last year. So I was anticipating some fun. But, it was not to be. We found this when we got there:
The orange Jeep-like vehicle in the bottom ripped it’s truss off the rear axle. Its anchored to the red Jeep while the yellow jeep is winching the pinion down so he can weld it. The welder is in the super cool silver jeep with a superchager and everything else. I talked to that guy for a while. It was a really nice build. I had time because @NashvilleTJ loaned his portable welding hood to the guy welding and it took over an hour for the axle to be good enough to get the rig out. But it was really good that he got the hood because he had a lot of welding to do with no good eye protection. By the time it was done, we had eaten lunch and several in our group were ready to call it for the day. So we headed out. We will call that truss #2 for the trip because even though it wasn’t from our group, it did change our day a bit.
Moab Trip 2024; Tuesday day June 11.
Poison Spider, Golden Spike and Gold Bar Rim (the “Trifecta”)
Last year, the group did part of this. We followed Gemini Bridges off of 191 to Gold Bar Rim and went right on Rusty Nail (the highlight). The we went onto Golden Spike briefly to hit the Golden Crack and back out Gold Bar Rim. That was fun but this year we did the more traditional trail accessed by driving south of town on the west side of the Colorado River on route 279 to the beginning of Poison Spider Mesa.
Its easy to get turned around if you are just following someone else. Here’s a page out of Charles Wells’ excellent Moab trail guide book which I highly recommend.
This shows mostly Golden Spike with the ends of Gold Bar Rim (top left) and Poison Spider (bottom right). I might get flamed for saying so by all the YouTubers and younger folks, but I have found this so much better and easier to use than apps like OnX.
Driving down route 279 in the morning.
There were a few SXSs (you can see a couple of trailers worth in front of us) but overall it was a pretty quiet day. We had a small group. We started with @NashvilleTJ, @Apparition, @MagnumV8 and myself but the big yellow jeep made a loud noise about 1/4 mile into the trail “just driving along” that turned out to be the Dynatrac truss on the front axle letting go (truss no. 3). He details this in his build thread but, instead of wheeling with us, this was his morning
:
So we were down to 3 Jeeps. This group shot is in a cave near the southern junction of Where Eagles Dare and Golden Spike.
I was getting more confident and itching to push myself and my Jeep on some harder lines. Not too far in, we rolled up to a waterfall with several possible lines and I decided upon the right side:
And dropped my passenger rear into a hole which I did not fully appreciate. As the tire was dropping to the bottom, it really felt like I was going over to passenger and rear
But I didn’t and in reality, looking at Ben’s pic, the rocker probably would have caught me. Nevertheless, that was enough of that nonsense and I went up a safer line a little to the left and spent a few minutes un-puckering
Shortly after that, I watched @Apparition walk up an optional v-notch.
With @Apparition spotting and @MagnumV8 again slinging the camera, I gave it a go:
After about 4.5 miles, you come to Little Arch. You can just see the Colorado River through the arch. The road on the far side is Kane Creek. That goes to Pritchett Canyon, our destination on Wednesday…
Now in the middle of Golden Spike here is a view up 191, north of Moab. If you go back up top and look at the map, this is somewhere between waypoints 9 and 10. Those train tracks below come out of a long, deep tunnel from Bootleg Canyon which we had driven over (at the time unbeknownst to me at least). The entrance road to Arches National Park is just visible at the lower right.
@Apparition getting flexy at the Golden Crack
me too…
Not as flexy as some but look at that belly
Near the end of Golden spike is the optional Double Whammy. Of course, @Apparition tried the harder left line first, but no deal. He got the slightly easier but still sketchy right side line no problem. Then, @MagnumV8 tried it in his TJ. I didn’t think he would make so I figured we both could go around and I wouldn’t seem like a whimp. Then he made it up
So, it was either a walk of shame or give it a try. Here we go:
The final real obstacle on Gold Bar Rim is “The Waterfall”. I made this last year in a couple of attempts and did so again this year but honestly, I thought it would be easier:
@MagnumV8 struggled a bit too but stayed on it even as he was sliding towards the camera crew and was successful. Also, nobody died
Near the end of the day we noticed @MagnumV8 had a shock hanging down.
It turned out, the lower shock mount had failed. It wasn’t ripped off the tube as we expected, but had fatigued and broken in the middle.
After spending the day fixing his own rig, @NashvilleTJ was getting ready to go out to dinner with his wife and their friends who came out from Tennessee with them. But, at the cost of his freshly showered cleanliness, a bunch of sweat (it was over 100 degrees at this point in the day) and literally the skin on his nose, he got the bracket put back together so everyone could be ready for the trail we all were waiting for on Wednesday.
Despite the heat and that hiccup, it was a beautiful day:
Now it was time to get some dinner, rest and psyched up for the big show in the morning…
Poison Spider, Golden Spike and Gold Bar Rim (the “Trifecta”)
Last year, the group did part of this. We followed Gemini Bridges off of 191 to Gold Bar Rim and went right on Rusty Nail (the highlight). The we went onto Golden Spike briefly to hit the Golden Crack and back out Gold Bar Rim. That was fun but this year we did the more traditional trail accessed by driving south of town on the west side of the Colorado River on route 279 to the beginning of Poison Spider Mesa.
Its easy to get turned around if you are just following someone else. Here’s a page out of Charles Wells’ excellent Moab trail guide book which I highly recommend.
This shows mostly Golden Spike with the ends of Gold Bar Rim (top left) and Poison Spider (bottom right). I might get flamed for saying so by all the YouTubers and younger folks, but I have found this so much better and easier to use than apps like OnX.
Driving down route 279 in the morning.
There were a few SXSs (you can see a couple of trailers worth in front of us) but overall it was a pretty quiet day. We had a small group. We started with @NashvilleTJ, @Apparition, @MagnumV8 and myself but the big yellow jeep made a loud noise about 1/4 mile into the trail “just driving along” that turned out to be the Dynatrac truss on the front axle letting go (truss no. 3). He details this in his build thread but, instead of wheeling with us, this was his morning
:So we were down to 3 Jeeps. This group shot is in a cave near the southern junction of Where Eagles Dare and Golden Spike.
I was getting more confident and itching to push myself and my Jeep on some harder lines. Not too far in, we rolled up to a waterfall with several possible lines and I decided upon the right side:
And dropped my passenger rear into a hole which I did not fully appreciate. As the tire was dropping to the bottom, it really felt like I was going over to passenger and rear
But I didn’t and in reality, looking at Ben’s pic, the rocker probably would have caught me. Nevertheless, that was enough of that nonsense and I went up a safer line a little to the left and spent a few minutes un-puckering
Shortly after that, I watched @Apparition walk up an optional v-notch.
With @Apparition spotting and @MagnumV8 again slinging the camera, I gave it a go:
Now in the middle of Golden Spike here is a view up 191, north of Moab. If you go back up top and look at the map, this is somewhere between waypoints 9 and 10. Those train tracks below come out of a long, deep tunnel from Bootleg Canyon which we had driven over (at the time unbeknownst to me at least). The entrance road to Arches National Park is just visible at the lower right.
@Apparition getting flexy at the Golden Crack
me too…
Not as flexy as some but look at that belly
Near the end of Golden spike is the optional Double Whammy. Of course, @Apparition tried the harder left line first, but no deal. He got the slightly easier but still sketchy right side line no problem. Then, @MagnumV8 tried it in his TJ. I didn’t think he would make so I figured we both could go around and I wouldn’t seem like a whimp. Then he made it up
So, it was either a walk of shame or give it a try. Here we go:The final real obstacle on Gold Bar Rim is “The Waterfall”. I made this last year in a couple of attempts and did so again this year but honestly, I thought it would be easier:
It turned out, the lower shock mount had failed. It wasn’t ripped off the tube as we expected, but had fatigued and broken in the middle.
After spending the day fixing his own rig, @NashvilleTJ was getting ready to go out to dinner with his wife and their friends who came out from Tennessee with them. But, at the cost of his freshly showered cleanliness, a bunch of sweat (it was over 100 degrees at this point in the day) and literally the skin on his nose, he got the bracket put back together so everyone could be ready for the trail we all were waiting for on Wednesday.
Despite the heat and that hiccup, it was a beautiful day:
Now it was time to get some dinner, rest and psyched up for the big show in the morning…
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Ooooooo……Pritchette’s a-comin’…
Currently reading this from Cancun. Can’t wait to see how this turns out!
Currently reading this from Cancun. Can’t wait to see how this turns out!
Ooooooo……Pritchette’s a-comin’…
Currently reading this from Cancun. Can’t wait to see how this turns out!
Ooooooo……Pritchette’s a-comin’…
Currently reading this from Cancun. Can’t wait to see how this turns out!
You guys have been on some good trips recently!
And as soon as we get home we are heading out to Tallahassee to see the new grandson. It will be nice when we get to stay at home for a bit…
I was gonna say we know seeing us was the highlight of all the trips but the grandson will move us to second.
Ooooooo……Pritchette’s a-comin’…
Currently reading this from Cancun. Can’t wait to see how this turns out!
Kinda late in the year for Cancun, isn't it? We were in the Dominican in April and it was HOT!!!
Not bad at all this week. Other than a day of rain, weather was pretty good.
It was definitely kinda late for Moab…
I'm happy for you. We were high 80's to mid 90's for a week and pretty high humidity. Lots of time in the water! The round of golf we played from 10 am to 2 pm was pretty beastly.
Moab trip 2024; Wednesday June 12.
Pritchett Canyon.
I had been preparing for this day since the 2023 Moab trip. With Pritchett in mind, my jeep got beadlocked 35s, a 5:1 Atlas and armor over the winter. That, a little more wheel time and spotters I trusted made me feel like It was reasonable to try this run (no point in doing a build if you aren’t going to put it and yourself to the test).
Pritchett Canyon opens onto the Colorado River. You begin in the mouth of the canyon and drive 4.2 miles to the top. If its not the hardest trail in Moab, its close. There are 8 or 9 named obstacles and although there are a few opportunities for even more extreme lines, there are no go arounds. Also, turning around isn’t really a good option as going down what you’ve already made it up is mostly harder. I had several goals. First, make it all the way through. 2nd, don’t break. Finally (and I considered this an unlikely bonus), don’t winch.
The group today was myself, @Apparition, @MagnumV8 and @NashvilleTJ. An extremely solid team. The three jeeps I was with were all piloted by experienced wheelers who had been on this trail before. As for myself, well… I had watched some videos
Note; I posted full length videos of my attempts on several obstacles. A lot of what I’ve seen online are just a few seconds of the success. For myself, however, the failures and adjustments as well as spotters comments are educational. Anyhow, here we go…
After meeting up at the parking lot off Kane Creek road along the river, we paid our $5 fees to cross some private land at the start. There isn’t much time to relax or warm up but this area didn’t seem too crazy. Here’s @MagnumV8:
Next, a tight rocky lane. @NashvilleTJ tries a line that didn’t look like a line:
The big yellow jeep looks a little small down there.
And this happens (torn sidewall):
Of course, he has a spare and the problem is dealt with in short order (but no more crazy stuff, OK Jeff?).
My turn (on the normal line:
That went OK! Moving on.
Chewy Hill. This is the first well known obstacle. After getting up a series of steps, there is an off-camber hard right turn to continue climbing more ledges.
This pic of @Apparition shows the obstacle better including the off-camber right turn at the top:
His daughter is in the passenger seat. She seemed to really be enjoying herself all day, as per her usual. His stepson also came along and rode with me as he had earlier in the week. As before, I enjoyed having him with me but was aware of the responsibility. At the start, I asked him to let me know if he wanted out before an obstacle (he only got out once) and to keep his hands inside if we rolled
Waiting at the bottom, you can see the only other group we saw that day.
Next, Rocker Knocker. I think this is a fun obstacle from a technical standpoint. Unless you’re on 40s or have a buggy, this one usually requires straddling 2 steps on an angle and walking to driver until your rocker armor contacts the rock. At that point, if all goes well, the rig pivots to driver into a v-notch. Then you maneuver until the front tires find traction and pull you up and out. Knowing about this obstacle specifically, and not having rocker armor kept me off the trail last year. Good thing, because there’s a bunch of other stuff that should’ve kept me away too!
This is a long video. I posted the whole thing because I think it’s interesting to watch. First off, you can see I’m not on correctly at the start. Instead of being angled to driver with the driver front and passenger rear up the 1st step with the driver rear down and the passenger front trying the climb the second step, I am more perpendicular with both rears down. This leads to a lot of repositioning and making me wish I had hydro-assist steering (note to future self). I got to try a practical front dig but it didn’t fix it! Finally with great spotting assist from literally everyone, I get up.
Or you could do it like this:
If you’ve ever read any of Patrick O’Brien’s excellent Jack Aubrey historical fiction series on 18th and19th century British naval warfare, Admiral Horatio Nelson is supposed to have said “Never mind the maneuvers, just go straight at them!” referring to entering a naval battle with the wind in your favor. 40s, long wheelbase and a Hemi being the equivalent of the weather-gage in this situation.
I think this next one has a name but I didn’t catch it. Its a tough, off camber step down to the right. Challenging for any rig, I think. Longer wheelbases have a tougher time squaring up for the drop and shorter wheelbases still end up off camber and feeling tippy.
Here is a pic of @MagnumV8 showing more of the scale.
After Rocker Knocker, there is a relatively uneventful stretch where @MagnumV8’s Jeep decided to have an event (busted U-joint). An extra was available and Ben and Jeff jumped in:
The burgundy jeep was back up and running quickly.
Next up, Axle Hill.
This is probably the most intimidating obstacle on the trail. It just looks hard. Also, the name implies carnage. There was one other group we saw on the trail that day. They were lead by an obviously experienced and very cool guy in an LS3 powered buggy with a kid (his son?) driving. Some of the rest were possibly less experienced. They passed us while we were dealing with the u-joint and we watched them do axle hill. One guy in a JL didn’t follow directions very well and I’m surprised bad things didn’t happen.
@NashvilleTJ was first in our group:
Attempt no. 1
Nope. Note the loud crash of front bumper into rock and the vibration of the spare in the rear.
Attempt no 2
Nice. But I’m supposed to do this? OKay…
Another even longer video. I posted it all (again because the details and failures are interesting to watch, to me at least)
After, that is “Son of Rock Pile”. Even the big yellow jeep didn’t attempt actual Rock Pile today. Rory (of Trailmater fame) has some good video of him doing Rock Pile in his buggy.
A jeep wave from my 1st attempt:
This video is a fairly benign clip of my final success. One thing to note is at the beginning, my rear bumper prevents me from going backwards so there is only one way out.
https://youtu.be/FokS6WD4UC0
Alright. Just Yellow Hill to go:
It actually looks steep in the video and it is but as long as you stay on it, its a relatively anticlimactic climax
Done! Holy crap! We made it!
I’ll say. Especially if you are doing it downhill…
The road out was long but the pain was blunted by the glory of a successful run without a winch line or breakage! It was very challenging but, thanks to my friends, not nearly as bad as I had anticipated. In retrospect, Pritchett was mostly just a ton of fun
The downside, if there is one, is that I can’t really call myself a noob anymore so my future mistakes can only be attributed to incompetence as opposed to inexperience
Pritchett Canyon.
I had been preparing for this day since the 2023 Moab trip. With Pritchett in mind, my jeep got beadlocked 35s, a 5:1 Atlas and armor over the winter. That, a little more wheel time and spotters I trusted made me feel like It was reasonable to try this run (no point in doing a build if you aren’t going to put it and yourself to the test).
Pritchett Canyon opens onto the Colorado River. You begin in the mouth of the canyon and drive 4.2 miles to the top. If its not the hardest trail in Moab, its close. There are 8 or 9 named obstacles and although there are a few opportunities for even more extreme lines, there are no go arounds. Also, turning around isn’t really a good option as going down what you’ve already made it up is mostly harder. I had several goals. First, make it all the way through. 2nd, don’t break. Finally (and I considered this an unlikely bonus), don’t winch.
The group today was myself, @Apparition, @MagnumV8 and @NashvilleTJ. An extremely solid team. The three jeeps I was with were all piloted by experienced wheelers who had been on this trail before. As for myself, well… I had watched some videos
Note; I posted full length videos of my attempts on several obstacles. A lot of what I’ve seen online are just a few seconds of the success. For myself, however, the failures and adjustments as well as spotters comments are educational. Anyhow, here we go…
After meeting up at the parking lot off Kane Creek road along the river, we paid our $5 fees to cross some private land at the start. There isn’t much time to relax or warm up but this area didn’t seem too crazy. Here’s @MagnumV8:
Next, a tight rocky lane. @NashvilleTJ tries a line that didn’t look like a line:
The big yellow jeep looks a little small down there.
And this happens (torn sidewall):
Of course, he has a spare and the problem is dealt with in short order (but no more crazy stuff, OK Jeff?).
My turn (on the normal line:
Chewy Hill. This is the first well known obstacle. After getting up a series of steps, there is an off-camber hard right turn to continue climbing more ledges.
His daughter is in the passenger seat. She seemed to really be enjoying herself all day, as per her usual. His stepson also came along and rode with me as he had earlier in the week. As before, I enjoyed having him with me but was aware of the responsibility. At the start, I asked him to let me know if he wanted out before an obstacle (he only got out once) and to keep his hands inside if we rolled
Waiting at the bottom, you can see the only other group we saw that day.
Next, Rocker Knocker. I think this is a fun obstacle from a technical standpoint. Unless you’re on 40s or have a buggy, this one usually requires straddling 2 steps on an angle and walking to driver until your rocker armor contacts the rock. At that point, if all goes well, the rig pivots to driver into a v-notch. Then you maneuver until the front tires find traction and pull you up and out. Knowing about this obstacle specifically, and not having rocker armor kept me off the trail last year. Good thing, because there’s a bunch of other stuff that should’ve kept me away too!
This is a long video. I posted the whole thing because I think it’s interesting to watch. First off, you can see I’m not on correctly at the start. Instead of being angled to driver with the driver front and passenger rear up the 1st step with the driver rear down and the passenger front trying the climb the second step, I am more perpendicular with both rears down. This leads to a lot of repositioning and making me wish I had hydro-assist steering (note to future self). I got to try a practical front dig but it didn’t fix it! Finally with great spotting assist from literally everyone, I get up.
Or you could do it like this:
I think this next one has a name but I didn’t catch it. Its a tough, off camber step down to the right. Challenging for any rig, I think. Longer wheelbases have a tougher time squaring up for the drop and shorter wheelbases still end up off camber and feeling tippy.
After Rocker Knocker, there is a relatively uneventful stretch where @MagnumV8’s Jeep decided to have an event (busted U-joint). An extra was available and Ben and Jeff jumped in:
The burgundy jeep was back up and running quickly.
Next up, Axle Hill.
This is probably the most intimidating obstacle on the trail. It just looks hard. Also, the name implies carnage. There was one other group we saw on the trail that day. They were lead by an obviously experienced and very cool guy in an LS3 powered buggy with a kid (his son?) driving. Some of the rest were possibly less experienced. They passed us while we were dealing with the u-joint and we watched them do axle hill. One guy in a JL didn’t follow directions very well and I’m surprised bad things didn’t happen.
@NashvilleTJ was first in our group:
Attempt no. 1
Nope. Note the loud crash of front bumper into rock and the vibration of the spare in the rear.Attempt no 2
Nice. But I’m supposed to do this? OKay…Another even longer video. I posted it all (again because the details and failures are interesting to watch, to me at least)
After, that is “Son of Rock Pile”. Even the big yellow jeep didn’t attempt actual Rock Pile today. Rory (of Trailmater fame) has some good video of him doing Rock Pile in his buggy.
A jeep wave from my 1st attempt:
This video is a fairly benign clip of my final success. One thing to note is at the beginning, my rear bumper prevents me from going backwards so there is only one way out.
https://youtu.be/FokS6WD4UC0
Alright. Just Yellow Hill to go:
Done! Holy crap! We made it!
I’ll say. Especially if you are doing it downhill…
The road out was long but the pain was blunted by the glory of a successful run without a winch line or breakage! It was very challenging but, thanks to my friends, not nearly as bad as I had anticipated. In retrospect, Pritchett was mostly just a ton of fun
The downside, if there is one, is that I can’t really call myself a noob anymore so my future mistakes can only be attributed to incompetence as opposed to inexperience
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Geolanders looked like they worked well! I have been looking forward to these installments or updates on the trip. Great to see!
You did an awesome job wheeling that tj!
You did an awesome job wheeling that tj!
Moab trip 2024; Wednesday June 12.
Pritchett Canyon.
I had been preparing for this day since the 2023 Moab trip. With Pritchett in mind, my jeep got beadlocked 35s, a 5:1 Atlas and armor over the winter. That, a little more wheel time and spotters I trusted made me feel like It was reasonable to try this run (no point in doing a build if you aren’t going to put it and yourself to the test).
Pritchett Canyon opens onto the Colorado River. You begin in the mouth of the canyon and drive 4.2 miles to the top. If its not the hardest trail in Moab, its close. There are 8 or 9 named obstacles and although there are a few opportunities for even more extreme lines, there are no go arounds. Also, turning around isn’t really a good option as going down what you’ve already made it up is mostly harder. I had several goals. First, make it all the way through. 2nd, don’t break. Finally (and I considered this an unlikely bonus), don’t winch.
The group today was myself, @Apparition, @MagnumV8 and @NashvilleTJ. An extremely solid team. The three jeeps I was with were all piloted by experienced wheelers who had been on this trail before. As for myself, well… I had watched some videos
Note; I posted full length videos of my attempts on several obstacles. A lot of what I’ve seen online are just a few seconds of the success. For myself, however, the failures and adjustments as well as spotters comments are educational. Anyhow, here we go…
After meeting up at the parking lot off Kane Creek road along the river, we paid our $5 fees to cross some private land at the start. There isn’t much time to relax or warm up but this area didn’t seem too crazy. Here’s @MagnumV8:
Next, a tight rocky lane. @NashvilleTJ tries a line that didn’t look like a line:
View attachment 539201
The big yellow jeep looks a little small down there.
View attachment 539200
And this happens (torn sidewall):
View attachment 539197
Of course, he has a spare and the problem is dealt with in short order (but no more crazy stuff, OK Jeff?).
My turn (on the normal line:
That went OK! Moving on.
Chewy Hill. This is the first well known obstacle. After getting up a series of steps, there is an off-camber hard right turn to continue climbing more ledges.
This pic of @Apparition shows the obstacle better including the off-camber right turn at the top:
View attachment 539265
His daughter is in the passenger seat. She seemed to really be enjoying herself all day, as per her usual. His stepson also came along and rode with me as he had earlier in the week. and was again great to have along. As before, I enjoyed having him with me but was aware of the responsibility. At the start, I asked him to let me know if he wanted out before an obstacle (he only got out once) and to keep his hands inside if we rolled
Waiting at the bottom, you can see the only other group we saw that day.
Next, Rocker Knocker. I think this is a fun obstacle from a technical standpoint. Unless you’re on 40s or have a buggy, this one usually requires straddling 2 steps on an angle and walking to driver until your rocker armor contacts the rock. At that point, if all goes well, the rig pivots to driver into a v-notch. Then you maneuver until the front tires find traction and pull you up and out. Knowing about this obstacle specifically, and not having rocker armor kept me off the trail last year. Good thing, because there’s a bunch of other stuff that should’ve kept me away too!
This is a long video. I posted the whole thing because I think it’s interesting to watch. First off, you can see I’m not on correctly at the start. Instead of being angled to driver with the driver front and passenger rear up the 1st step with the driver rear down and the passenger front trying the climb the second step, I am more perpendicular with both rears down. This leads to a lot of repositioning and making me wish I had hydro-assist steering (note to future self). I got to try a practical front dig but it didn’t fix it! Finally with great spotting assist from literally everyone, I get up.
Or you could do it like this:
If you’ve ever read any of Patrick O’Brien’s excellent Jack Aubrey historical fiction series on 18th and19th century British naval warfare, Admiral Horatio Nelson is supposed to have said “Never mind the maneuvers, just go straight at them!” referring to entering a naval battle with the wind in your favor. 40s, long wheelbase and a Hemi being the equivalent of the weather-gage in this situation.
I think this next one has a name but I didn’t catch it. Its a tough, off camber step down to the right. Challenging for any rig, I think. Longer wheelbases have a tougher time squaring up for the drop and shorter wheelbases still end up off camber and feeling tippy.
Here is a pic of @MagnumV8 showing more of the scale.
View attachment 539248
After Rocker Knocker, there is a relatively uneventful stretch where @MagnumV8’s Jeep decided to have an event (busted U-joint). An extra was available and Ben and Jeff jumped in:
View attachment 539240
The burgundy jeep was back up and running quickly.
Next up, Axle Hill.
This is probably the most intimidating obstacle on the trail. It just looks hard. Also, the name implies carnage. There was one other group we saw on the trail that day. They were lead by an obviously experienced and very cool guy in an LS3 powered buggy with a kid (his son?) driving. Some of the rest were possibly less experienced. They passed us while we were dealing with the u-joint and we watched them do axle hill. One guy in a JL didn’t follow directions very well and I’m surprised bad things didn’t happen.
@NashvilleTJ was first in our group:
Attempt no. 1
Attempt no 2
Another even longer video. I posted it all (again because the details and failures are interesting to watch, to me at least)
After, that is “Son of Rock Pile”. Even the big yellow jeep didn’t attempt actual Rock Pile today. Rory (of Trailmater fame) has some good video of him doing Rock Pile in his buggy.
A jeep wave from my 1st attempt:
View attachment 539252
This video is a fairly benign clip of my final success. One thing to note is at the beginning, my rear bumper prevents me from going backwards so there is only one way out.
https://youtu.be/FokS6WD4UC0
Alright. Just Yellow Hill to go:
It actually looks steep in the video and it is but as long as you stay on it, its a relatively anticlimactic climax
Done! Holy crap! We made it!
View attachment 539253
View attachment 539254
I’ll say. Especially if you are doing it downhill…
The road out was long but the pain was blunted by the glory of a successful run without a winch line or breakage! It was very challenging but, thanks to my friends, not nearly as bad as I had anticipated. In retrospect, Pritchett was mostly just a ton of fun
The downside, if there is one, is that I can’t really call myself a noob anymore so my future mistakes can only be attributed to incompetence as opposed to inexperience
Great write-up, Mike.
Thx! Its some work putting these together but I like organizing the memories. The tires seemed to work well. I think semi-slicks would be effective in a lot of Moab (maximum rubber on the rock). The LJs do great, without question. I’m happy with the TJ though and I think there is some more I can do to optimize the platform while still keeping it as my primary daily driver.
Moab trip 2024; Wednesday June 12.
Pritchett Canyon.
I had been preparing for this day since the 2023 Moab trip. With Pritchett in mind, my jeep got beadlocked 35s, a 5:1 Atlas and armor over the winter. That, a little more wheel time and spotters I trusted made me feel like It was reasonable to try this run (no point in doing a build if you aren’t going to put it and yourself to the test).
Pritchett Canyon opens onto the Colorado River. You begin in the mouth of the canyon and drive 4.2 miles to the top. If its not the hardest trail in Moab, its close. There are 8 or 9 named obstacles and although there are a few opportunities for even more extreme lines, there are no go arounds. Also, turning around isn’t really a good option as going down what you’ve already made it up is mostly harder. I had several goals. First, make it all the way through. 2nd, don’t break. Finally (and I considered this an unlikely bonus), don’t winch.
The group today was myself, @Apparition, @MagnumV8 and @NashvilleTJ. An extremely solid team. The three jeeps I was with were all piloted by experienced wheelers who had been on this trail before. As for myself, well… I had watched some videos
Note; I posted full length videos of my attempts on several obstacles. A lot of what I’ve seen online are just a few seconds of the success. For myself, however, the failures and adjustments as well as spotters comments are educational. Anyhow, here we go…
After meeting up at the parking lot off Kane Creek road along the river, we paid our $5 fees to cross some private land at the start. There isn’t much time to relax or warm up but this area didn’t seem too crazy. Here’s @MagnumV8:
Next, a tight rocky lane. @NashvilleTJ tries a line that didn’t look like a line:
View attachment 539201
The big yellow jeep looks a little small down there.
View attachment 539200
And this happens (torn sidewall):
View attachment 539197
Of course, he has a spare and the problem is dealt with in short order (but no more crazy stuff, OK Jeff?).
My turn (on the normal line:
That went OK! Moving on.
Chewy Hill. This is the first well known obstacle. After getting up a series of steps, there is an off-camber hard right turn to continue climbing more ledges.
This pic of @Apparition shows the obstacle better including the off-camber right turn at the top:
View attachment 539265
His daughter is in the passenger seat. She seemed to really be enjoying herself all day, as per her usual. His stepson also came along and rode with me as he had earlier in the week. and was again great to have along. As before, I enjoyed having him with me but was aware of the responsibility. At the start, I asked him to let me know if he wanted out before an obstacle (he only got out once) and to keep his hands inside if we rolled
Waiting at the bottom, you can see the only other group we saw that day.
Next, Rocker Knocker. I think this is a fun obstacle from a technical standpoint. Unless you’re on 40s or have a buggy, this one usually requires straddling 2 steps on an angle and walking to driver until your rocker armor contacts the rock. At that point, if all goes well, the rig pivots to driver into a v-notch. Then you maneuver until the front tires find traction and pull you up and out. Knowing about this obstacle specifically, and not having rocker armor kept me off the trail last year. Good thing, because there’s a bunch of other stuff that should’ve kept me away too!
This is a long video. I posted the whole thing because I think it’s interesting to watch. First off, you can see I’m not on correctly at the start. Instead of being angled to driver with the driver front and passenger rear up the 1st step with the driver rear down and the passenger front trying the climb the second step, I am more perpendicular with both rears down. This leads to a lot of repositioning and making me wish I had hydro-assist steering (note to future self). I got to try a practical front dig but it didn’t fix it! Finally with great spotting assist from literally everyone, I get up.
Or you could do it like this:
If you’ve ever read any of Patrick O’Brien’s excellent Jack Aubrey historical fiction series on 18th and19th century British naval warfare, Admiral Horatio Nelson is supposed to have said “Never mind the maneuvers, just go straight at them!” referring to entering a naval battle with the wind in your favor. 40s, long wheelbase and a Hemi being the equivalent of the weather-gage in this situation.
I think this next one has a name but I didn’t catch it. Its a tough, off camber step down to the right. Challenging for any rig, I think. Longer wheelbases have a tougher time squaring up for the drop and shorter wheelbases still end up off camber and feeling tippy.
Here is a pic of @MagnumV8 showing more of the scale.
View attachment 539248
After Rocker Knocker, there is a relatively uneventful stretch where @MagnumV8’s Jeep decided to have an event (busted U-joint). An extra was available and Ben and Jeff jumped in:
View attachment 539240
The burgundy jeep was back up and running quickly.
Next up, Axle Hill.
This is probably the most intimidating obstacle on the trail. It just looks hard. Also, the name implies carnage. There was one other group we saw on the trail that day. They were lead by an obviously experienced and very cool guy in an LS3 powered buggy with a kid (his son?) driving. Some of the rest were possibly less experienced. They passed us while we were dealing with the u-joint and we watched them do axle hill. One guy in a JL didn’t follow directions very well and I’m surprised bad things didn’t happen.
@NashvilleTJ was first in our group:
Attempt no. 1
Attempt no 2
Another even longer video. I posted it all (again because the details and failures are interesting to watch, to me at least)
After, that is “Son of Rock Pile”. Even the big yellow jeep didn’t attempt actual Rock Pile today. Rory (of Trailmater fame) has some good video of him doing Rock Pile in his buggy.
A jeep wave from my 1st attempt:
View attachment 539252
This video is a fairly benign clip of my final success. One thing to note is at the beginning, my rear bumper prevents me from going backwards so there is only one way out.
https://youtu.be/FokS6WD4UC0
Alright. Just Yellow Hill to go:
It actually looks steep in the video and it is but as long as you stay on it, its a relatively anticlimactic climax
Done! Holy crap! We made it!
View attachment 539253
View attachment 539254
I’ll say. Especially if you are doing it downhill…
The road out was long but the pain was blunted by the glory of a successful run without a winch line or breakage! It was very challenging but, thanks to my friends, not nearly as bad as I had anticipated. In retrospect, Pritchett was mostly just a ton of fun
The downside, if there is one, is that I can’t really call myself a noob anymore so my future mistakes can only be attributed to incompetence as opposed to inexperience
Pritchett is my favorite trail in Moab. But, there are two problems with it.
1. I never take the time to really enjoy the scenery. There’s too much wheeling to do.
2. The drive out, kinda sucks.
Agree on all points. After Pritchett, a lot of other stuff seems mild in comparison.
I often look at Moab pics and think “wow that’s really beautiful”. I think that on the trail too, but wheeling can be distracting