In Attendance:
Brian P - Trail Leader
Gil L
Brandy D
Mike H
Ron DeB
John F
Martin W
From Brandy:
The day started with Brandy losing an alternator in the Wendy’s parking lot. She was just going to send the group on their way and get a tow home, but Martin, Ron, and Mike convinced her they might be able to fix it, so… headed over to Auto Zone and they just happened to have one suitable alternator in stock. Ron, Martin, and Mike switched it out in about 1/2 hour and after giving the battery a quick charge, we were on our way!
Made the drive to Bassett’s Station and headed up Packer Lake Rd and found a little clearing before Deer Lake Rd to air down. Stopped all along the trail 400 times so I could take pictures because this was one of the loveliest trails I have ever been on. Stopped at Little Deer Lake for lunch, then continued trail excursion.
Trail was a bit torn up in a few spots, creating some decent obstacles, which may or may not have contributed to Ron breaking a rear suspension spring in half. Martin, Frosty, and Mike side tracked to check on the cabin, which was still standing, but a little worse for the wear, and the front door was left open. Gil, Brian, Brandy, and Ron went through the loop to continue the pre-run and get an idea of the time it would take to complete the trail. Stopped at Camp 1 to see if we could find some wood to maybe keep the rest of Ron’s spring in place while we traveled back to pavement. We discovered that no one had a high-lift jack, so we had to get creative with how to access the spring. Hence, the photos of Gil winching Ron’s rig via the roll bar. Some success with this procedure, but eventually decided it would be better to meet up with the rest of the group and use a jack, which we did.
Met back up with the group for trail repairs. Duct Tape ended up being the method of trail repair for both Ron’s spring and Mike’s electrical wire for his cooling system/transmission fan which had melted a bit and was shorting out. Once everyone was functional, Gil, Brian, Brandy continued on to finish the loop while Martin, Ron, Frosty, and Mike headed out FR93 (I think) to stay on dirt roads a little longer and minimize speed for Ron.
It was a long and interesting day. I loved being out on that trail and the group was great, as usual. I am grateful for every person in our club. I love how we are patient with each other and ensure everyone gets off the trail safely and has a good time.
As far as Sierra Trek goes, we are going to go with this run and play it by ear day-of for any changes we might need to make based on rig capability. The trail was harder and longer than Signal Peak, but I think participants will enjoy it. I don’t feel like a am comfortable enough to lead it, but I am happy to crew for Brian and I think our great crew will make the day enjoyable for participants.