West Magnolia 8/21/2011

[EldoradoFJ60]

Can't believe I'm first to post. The day started out sunny and mild just like the wheeling. We had 10 rigs after Scuf decided the 2wd F150 should stay behind.

Towards the end of the day we lost Chris and Heather, Paul, Squishee and Jackie. The rest of us did some additional loops. Then things got exciting.

Starting out.

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s240/ilbruche/Landcruiser/Front%20Range%204X4/West%20Magnolia/August212011005.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s240/ilbruche/Landcruiser/Front%20Range%204X4/West%20Magnolia/August212011030.jpg

Some nature and relics.

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s240/ilbruche/Landcruiser/Front%20Range%204X4/West%20Magnolia/August212011021.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s240/ilbruche/Landcruiser/Front%20Range%204X4/West%20Magnolia/August212011026.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s240/ilbruche/Landcruiser/Front%20Range%204X4/West%20Magnolia/August212011029.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s240/ilbruche/Landcruiser/Front%20Range%204X4/West%20Magnolia/August212011016.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s240/ilbruche/Landcruiser/Front%20Range%204X4/West%20Magnolia/August212011014.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s240/ilbruche/Landcruiser/Front%20Range%204X4/West%20Magnolia/August212011012.jpg

Now things get exciting as we encounter some deep ravines. Rob tackles the first while most of us take the pusscake route.

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s240/ilbruche/Landcruiser/Front%20Range%204X4/West%20Magnolia/August212011038.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s240/ilbruche/Landcruiser/Front%20Range%204X4/West%20Magnolia/August212011039.jpg

Chris adds some advice.

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s240/ilbruche/Landcruiser/Front%20Range%204X4/West%20Magnolia/August212011043.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s240/ilbruche/Landcruiser/Front%20Range%204X4/West%20Magnolia/August212011047.jpg

[EldoradoFJ60]

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s240/ilbruche/Landcruiser/Front%20Range%204X4/West%20Magnolia/August212011047.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s240/ilbruche/Landcruiser/Front%20Range%204X4/West%20Magnolia/August212011048.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s240/ilbruche/Landcruiser/Front%20Range%204X4/West%20Magnolia/August212011050.jpg

Rob makes it down safely. The next section is nastier as it starts to rain. Rob does an awesome job of spotting. Chris gets slippy on the mud. These photos are post extraction.

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s240/ilbruche/Landcruiser/Front%20Range%204X4/West%20Magnolia/August212011055.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s240/ilbruche/Landcruiser/Front%20Range%204X4/West%20Magnolia/August212011056.jpg

You can see it's a fine line. Very slippery and muddy.

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s240/ilbruche/Landcruiser/Front%20Range%204X4/West%20Magnolia/August212011057.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s240/ilbruche/Landcruiser/Front%20Range%204X4/West%20Magnolia/August212011058.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s240/ilbruche/Landcruiser/Front%20Range%204X4/West%20Magnolia/August212011059.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s240/ilbruche/Landcruiser/Front%20Range%204X4/West%20Magnolia/August212011060.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s240/ilbruche/Landcruiser/Front%20Range%204X4/West%20Magnolia/August212011061.jpg

Out safely.

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s240/ilbruche/Landcruiser/Front%20Range%204X4/West%20Magnolia/August212011064.jpg

[EldoradoFJ60]

Making it look easy.

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s240/ilbruche/Landcruiser/Front%20Range%204X4/West%20Magnolia/August212011065.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s240/ilbruche/Landcruiser/Front%20Range%204X4/West%20Magnolia/August212011066.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s240/ilbruche/Landcruiser/Front%20Range%204X4/West%20Magnolia/August212011068.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s240/ilbruche/Landcruiser/Front%20Range%204X4/West%20Magnolia/August212011069.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s240/ilbruche/Landcruiser/Front%20Range%204X4/West%20Magnolia/August212011072.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s240/ilbruche/Landcruiser/Front%20Range%204X4/West%20Magnolia/August212011075.jpg

[RockyMtnHigh]

Wow, looks like the hard run off, had it's way with the trail, creating a crevice like that!

[Java]

The day was great, it was good to see everyone, but honestly West Magnolia itself was kind of a dull trail, it went by very quickly. there is one very fun hill, and the rest is mildly rocky and not particularly challenging. If I was to do it again I would start from the North side at West Magnolia and just go as far as the hike for the Champion Mill. After everyone split up my wife and I went on the hike to the mill, it was great. You cross an area full of mercury laden mud according to some very rough signs, but there is a wooden walkway, and the ruins aren't much further. It was incredible until I surprised a medium sized black bear behind a pile of wood- he poked his head out, I turned and went back, saying "Bear, go back, bear go back" over and over, but apparently in a very calm voice because I said it 4 times and Jahna just stood there looking at me... and then the bear made a big sound either running into or knocking a rock against one of the old boilers, and she was GONE. I guess I have her back, cause it's all I could see...

[Jackie]

I LOVE the signs!

I followed Chris and Heather on the way home. I have to agree that while West Magnolia was a pretty run... I was a bit surprised at how easy it was (not that there is anything wrong with that). The hill was fun. Getting to do it twice was twice as fun! Our kids and kid/swapping were very entertaining! But Traildamage compares it it Johnny (or at least rates it the same) and I think Johnny has quite a few more obsticals then this one. (Of course, erosion over the years does tend to change things up a bit even if the written trail ratings don't change.

[Michael4rnr]

Looked like a great trip and the ravines looked like fun. Awesome pictures.

[Beefy]

Looks like a good time! Thanks for the pictures!! :D

[Java]

some more from the mill

[Java]

this is what the hiking trailhead looks like, it is a bit south of the big hill and a bit north of the 105 signs for either west magnolia or rollinsville. it is on a curve with the trailhead on the outside of it. if you're heading north it's on the right, that's the way my Jeep is facing in the pic. if you look over the hood of my Jeep you can see a handmade no-something or other sign on a tree at the start of one of the trails. directly infront of my Jeep is a standard Forest Service trail marker, the flat brown fiberglass posts with numbers on them, it reads 105, it is on the same side of the curve that I'm parked on and is a very good landmark. There are a few trails, take the one on the far left if you're standing in the direction this picture was taken in. after the mercury mud bridge the trail kind of dies, you bear right, and shortly you'll see it through the trees.

[Rob]

honestly West Magnolia itself was kind of a dull trail, it went by very quickly.


I have to agree that while West Magnolia was a pretty run... I was a bit surprised at how easy it was (not that there is anything wrong with that).

You guys should have gone exploring with us. :) The TD description and rating, I'm guessing, is based on the 109.1 loop (which is how it looks on the TD map). Even with the 109.1 loop, I wouldn't call it on a par with Johnny Park. For that, you have to throw in 109.1B, which connects 109.1 with the dead-end 512.1. The 109.1B connector is where the washouts are. That makes it a little more challenging and difficult. I'd definitely go back and do that route again.

I would also like to check out the mine one day. Paul, great pics of the stamp. That's an impressive piece of machinery. Reminds me of a stamp in Grass Valley, Calif., which is an old hard-rock gold mining area.

[Heather]

I am so bummed we had to take off early. Dinner was okay, but a damn long drive (I-25/Hampden/Monaco area) and it would've been more fun hanging out with you guys! :D That ravine looks like it was a blast!

(Chris - I've been meaning to say - thank you for the windows!!)

[Chris]

That makes it a little more challenging and difficult.

I would love to provide proof of that statement but my camera is stuck at 'one moment' and won't let me get my pics. :mad:

Bruce showed the washout we had to straddle very well and I suspect others that went with us are waiting for me to fill in the blanks. As tailgunner I got to run the V last after it had rained a bit more and been softened by everyone else. End result was a slipped off the V and my right side dropped leaving me at a 45 degree angle. :eek:

Rob will probably add that after saying "yes" to his offer to spot me that I kept going rather than wait for his sage guidance and he'll be 100% correct. :redface:

Thanks to Loren for winching me backwards to get out, Rob for his spotting and everyone else that lent a hand. :thumb:

Okay, my camera connected and I have a pic to show my predicament.

[Heather]

Ho. Lee. Cow. Great photos!!

[Jackie]

Ouch! Glad it turned out alright and glad everyone had a good time. Thanks for all the great pics and great time guys and gals!:thumb:

[Squshiee1]

i had alot of fun! even though it was a quick trail for me. i got my lights working and now i just need a light mount!

[Rob]

Wow, I took surprising few photos today, and a bunch at the gullies (more like ravines; they're deeper and steeper than they look in the photos) are not quite in focus. The rain and slippery conditions might have had something to do with that, plus I was trying to take pics while spotting (no, that's not how Chris ended up sideways:D).

Before the pics, though, some explication. After we split up, the group that ran more trail continued down the trail without a clear idea exactly what trail we were on (my fault, as usual). The TD map and the Forest Service's MVUM map didn't exactly jibe. The trail on the TD map would go like this (it's more understandable if you're looking at the MVUM): Start at trailhead on 105.1, left on 109.1 (or 109.1A), which loops around to a very short section called 503.1 (which I think is where we stopped for lunch and socializing before we split up), which connects back with 105.1. That takes you to 355 and a network of easy dirt roads and campsites, then out on a county road to Highway 72.

I'm not faulting TD (I think it's a great site and use it all the time), but if you're looking at the TD map and the MVUM, it's head-scratching time. And if you follow the route described on TD (as near as I can tell, anyway), you'll end up on a section of trail you're not supposed to be on. I think, though, that the TD description was posted before that Boulder Ranger District MVUM came out.

If you follow 109.1 on the MVUM, you can easily end up back at 105.1 (but farther down the trail) without knowing that you were on a trail that apparently isn't a trail, at least according to the Forest Service, based on the MVUM. There are no gates or signs separating the legal section of trail and the rest of the trail. This is an obvious problem.

Here's what the FS says about MVUMs:
The MVUM is a black and white map with no topographic features. It is a map for legal designations of where you can travel with various motorized vehicles, but for additional reference it is best used in conjunction with a Forest Visitor Map or other detailed map.
Routes not shown on the MVUM are not open to public motor vehicle travel. Routes designated for motorized use may not always be signed on the ground but will be identified on the MVUM. It will be the public's responsibility to reference the MVUM to stay on designated routes for motor vehicle use.

This isn't an issue on a lot of FS trails, but here it sounds like you need the MVUM, a topo map, a GPS and some time to figure out where the legal trail ends. But that's apparently what the FS expects you to do.

I'm all for staying on legal trails, but this looks like a case where signs are needed. And I feel bad that I led us onto a section of trail that apparently is not legal.

That said, you can have a lot of fun running 512.1 to 109.1B, then hang a right on 109.1 to get back to the main trail, or run those trails in reverse. That'll keep you off the illegal section. And there wasn't much to that section, anyway. All the fun stuff is on the loop I just described.

Sorry that was so long-winded but I hope it help keeps us off that section of trail (and out of trouble).

[Rob]

Coming down 109.1 back to the main trail, we hit a small gully in the middle of the trail, just a taste of what was to come later.

[Rob]

Some from the gullies. Sorry for the fuzziness in a couple of them.

[Rob]

And a couple of Chris' predicament. Great work by Loren (Hotchef181818) and crew to get him winched out.

[Rob]

Here's one of the reasons I like wheeling with Chris. No matter the situation, he keeps his sense of humor.

[Rob]

And a couple of (unintentionally) artsy shots in the driving rain.

[Fordguy77]

Here's one of the reasons I like wheeling with Chris. No matter the situation, he keeps his sense of humor.

Looks like he was thinkin of the 60s judgin by his hands. :smokin:

[Rob]

Looks like he was thinkin of the 60s judgin by his hands.

:lmao: Or he was channeling Nixon. (Nah, that'd never happen.)

[Pathrat]

It was a good day. Fast and easy or not, depending on where you went, it was quite a pleasant social run.

Rob found us an interesting additional trail. Chris got to lean 44 degrees. We all had the opportunity to help with a recovery in the rain, accompanied by loud thunder.

I am waiting for my pictures to upload. Tonight is my first use of Picassa for editing, as I discovered that the new laptop does not even have a rudimentary photo editing program. As soon as I have it figured out, pictures will follow.

Java: really cool shots of where you went hiking and great story about how you got to see a bear yet retain the upper hand.
Eldorado: love the bee picture!

[Pathrat]

General photos

[Pathrat]

Nature stuff

[Pathrat]

early on

[Pathrat]

Rpb and the first good sized rut; the tough took the trench. I wussed. Instead I rocked back and forth on less than four wheels.

[Pathrat]

And everyone follows the route down.

[Pathrat]

The last four shots are in series:

[Pathrat]

There will be more to follow tomorrow....I have to go to bed. This is the beginning of the Chris series. :)

[Brad]

It is still publishing but here is my quick video. Sorry I did not get more. The rain was buckets after these 2 scenes.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QDmTBGwYG0&feature=youtube_gdata_player

[Brody]

but here it sounds like you need the MVUM, a topo map, a GPS

Why I am always harping about carrying a regular USGS topo map(s) of the area(s) you are in as they do show terrain features. I personally think that the MVUM maps are a waste of good paper and are best suited for starting fires (or TP) if you are in a jam. Knowing how to read and use a basic compass is also a plus, too.

Thanks for all of the pictures! sorry to have missed this run, but the combination or having to work and having what seems to be a broken motor mount/T case mount(that I haven't had time to fix) shut me down. looks like a good time!

[Heather]

It is still publishing but here is my quick video.
Great video (and love the Jane's!). Bruce's bit of two-wheel totter/slide really illustrates how slick it was, whoa!

[EldoradoFJ60]

Great video Brad. I was hoping someone caught my 3 wheel action. Time to bump up to those 33's!

[Aaron]

Looked like a fun run. I haven't been out in a while. Been camping a lot up at the new property!

Anyone notice Brad looks meaner than normal in this picture...

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s240/ilbruche/Landcruiser/Front%20Range%204X4/West%20Magnolia/August212011055.jpg

Did he push Chris over????

[Brad]

I plead the 5th! :D

[Chris]

There will be more to follow tomorrow....I have to go to bed. This is the beginning of the Chris series. :)

Nice pics Stephanie, thanks! You should be quite pleased with tne new camera too!

[Hotchef181818]

I had a great time overall yesterday. Could have used a coffee maker in the jeep but it got me thinking about an inverter and a small keurig so my that's my next mod. It was great to be able to finally go on what I consider a large group run with you guys and put some faces to names. I didn't really start to wake up till chris's little situation. Looking back it could have gotten real nasty quick if something happened to me trying to get behind him but there wasn't a better option. That was definitely a workout for my winch and alternator, never had used it for more than 10 seconds. I'm happy we got him out of that spot with no body damage, but from talking after it may have been beneficial. I was too out of it to remember to take pics so I have none to contribute, but appreciate everyone else being on their game.

[edog]

Nice pics. It's really hard to figure out what's legal to go on up there. I have mountain biked up there for years and even sat down with the USFS and they don't even know where quite a few of the property lines are.

[Chris]

I'm happy we got him out of that spot with no body damage, but from talking after it may have been beneficial.

Like I could have benfitted by learning a lesson! :eek:

Yes, it reinforced the need for me to get a winch.

Loren, it could have gone very badly if you weren't able to get behind me with your winch. :thumb:

[Hotchef181818]

I was referring to the fact that u want a new bumper and we could have created a situation yesterday that justified it. Even if u had a winch going forward wasn't a very good option. One the second note I was referring to if I had gotten stuck trying to get around you. All those trees and the rain would have made it tough to get me out.

[Chris]

I'm just causing trouble Loren! ;)

If Barb was with me I'd probably be searching for a winch today. Yes, going forward could have been bad but if alone I think I would have gotten out with some carnage.

[Pathrat]

Winching...sitting and pondering...winching..

(and thanks Chris. I am pleased with my camera. :)

[Pathrat]

Winch...evaluate....winch....

[Pathrat]

and success

[Roostercruiser]

Looked like a fun day:woot:

[Bernie]

Looked like a great day had by all...cool. :)

[Heather]

Better late than never...here's a few pix, as we had to bail early to attend a gathering at my boss's mom's house, and consequently missed the more action-packed portion of the run: https://picasaweb.google.com/blugnat/August212011WestMagnolia?authuser=0&feat=directlink

The beginning:
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-4I7DNR-NPko/Tlmib-ZYEOI/AAAAAAAAH-8/401KiZjt7Fw/s400/DSC03385.JPG
A couple anonymous kids that were cute enough to take a pic of:
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-X42DJLpbTLA/Tlmi0ZsuEgI/AAAAAAAAH_Q/JQ8jI2UxnQk/s400/DSC03388.JPG
Hmm, same ones - do I see conspiracy in their eyes?:
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-WEg85TA8I28/TlmjQOqc3RI/AAAAAAAAH_0/SZbasU_kwoc/s400/DSC03396.JPG
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-kFT9UwWCRHw/Tlmj0FaOGeI/AAAAAAAAIAM/JjeFP4QxdYI/s400/DSC03400.JPG
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-RTjqK9N0MHc/Tlmk2Pe63xI/AAAAAAAAIBA/HpHSnJi6Nco/s400/DSC03429.JPG

[Jackie]

They both look like keepers to me!