Running Elephant Hill

[Pathrat]

Elephant Hill is a track of deep sand coupled with runs through a creek bed, interspersed with ascents and decents on a goat path. The goat path is only slightly narrower than the driving surface you have to work with at times. In at least one of my pictures of the trail, I have to ask myself, 'where was that trail???'. The rain just added an extra challenge. Gate Monkey did a great job spotting, and I managed to scare the crap out of two 16 year old boys in the backseat. No body damage. I wasn't able to take a whole lot of pictures of the FJC actually wheeling, I was kind of busy. I think Gate Monkey will post video though.

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x102/pathrat40/UtahAug2008/DSC01957.jpg

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x102/pathrat40/UtahAug2008/DSC01956.jpg

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x102/pathrat40/UtahAug2008/DSC01933.jpg

[Pathrat]

Fins n Things was pretty fun, intense as my boy called it. He and his friend were suitably impressed and I was happy to get pictures of just how close my bumper is to the ground on the second, significant descent.

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x102/pathrat40/UtahAug2008/DSC01880.jpg

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x102/pathrat40/UtahAug2008/DSC01881.jpg

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x102/pathrat40/UtahAug2008/DSC01876.jpg

[Pathrat]

We had some Aussies in a Range Rover behind us. They did pretty well. Both of us had a tire about an inch in the air, just enough to make you slide six inches or so down the slope.

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x102/pathrat40/UtahAug2008/DSC01879.jpg

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x102/pathrat40/UtahAug2008/DSC01884.jpg

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x102/pathrat40/UtahAug2008/DSC01886.jpg

[Chris]

Looks good! I just re-read your posts to see if you had fun, I'm guessing "yes" until sure. ;)

http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x102/pathrat40/UtahAug2008/DSC01884.jpg

This is the only place I've gotten stuck in Moab, my trailer hitch held to the rocks with my rear wheels in the air, front just dug into the sand. :lol:

[Pathrat]

Yes Chris, we had a blast!!!:) Was kind of tough on Elephant Hill, but holy cow what a trail!

[Gate Monkey]

I did manage to get some video. There is a little bit at the beginning with Fins, and the rest Elephant Hill. It looked worse in real life but the video turned out pretty good.

http://s251.photobucket.com/albums/gg297/hugh4895/?action=view&current=moab0808FR.flv

[Pathrat]

Did you do any of the spurs on E-Hill, e.g. out to The Confluence?

I love that trail, not terribly technical but all day fun :thunb:

I saw this padded-looking camo-avacado green Toyota thing on my way home from work today, with the same kind of tube bumper as you, at the gas station on Broadway just before you get onto the mousetrap on-ramps; was that you?

We didn't have time to do the spurs. It had rained the night before and the wind pulled our tent out of the ground and was trying to rip off the rain fly. Hugh and I were up from about 1am to 230 so we kind of slept in. After dealing with water in our tent and such, we packed up and put the gear that went on the roof in the other tent, the one my son and his friend used, and headed out from breakfast at the late hour of 11am. It was raining on us in Canyonlands, we still had to go back to retrieve our camp, check into the motel and feed our party so we stuck to the trail.

It was technical for me and the FJC! :D