Colorado Trip Reports

thats cuz you turtle over everything

 

No I dont. Eric is the pro turtle guy. Should be less this year. I had a reroute done.

 

Happy Easter everyone!

Since I had nothing better to do and haven't got my truck stuck recently, @aero3685 and I attempted Yankee hill today after a nice dump of snow this week.

Sorry I didn't take more photos of the conditions on the route up, but I know @aero3685 will have some of my recovery and screwing around at some of the way points.

We started @ 11:00am at the lot next to the Central City cemetery trail head. I didn't get the temps, but it was cold as hell at the lot, and we were sweating by afternoon thanks to my debauchery.

From the trailhead up to the sign for York gulch the trail was snow packed and well traveled.

After you turn right there's a section of pisgah road that was cleared before it turns and becomes snow packed again. We traveled up past fireweed lane, spun some wheels at the intersection with the dead end road (708.1), and continued in past 175.3B by the split rail fences where we played a bit on the way back.

We headed up the hill from here and I'm pretty sure we made it past trailhead for miners gulch (175.3c) before I got into trouble and slid off the right side of the trail, eventually working me way into a tree during recovery. I now have a custom lightning bolt pattern on my passenger front fender. No sooner had I radioed back how surprised I was that there wasn't more snow, we found it.

Recovery took a good hour and fifteen using a hi lift as a winch to back my ass onto the trail and a crap ton of digging. Maxtrax came in handy too. A better driver could make it up further, but we had another group of toyotas come down (on facebook the group is TRC- Toyota Rockin' Colorado?) come down the trail who said they couldn't get much further and had to winch a guy out.

We got turned around and screwed off with the other Toyota guys on the way back, then on some little hill climbs across from the parking lot by another trailhead. We headed back around 3 or so by the time airing up and bullshitting was done.

Not much has changed since I got rescued in January. I'd rock chains if you got em, (I don't!) and bring a friend.

 

Picture time!

It all started as an innocent drive through the woods...






This was about the initial starting position. Doesnt look bad but the snow was a good foot'ish deep off to the side, and was a hole near the tree that sucked the rear in. Tried maxtrax and other traction as well as digging but without lockers and only two maxtrax....could only get it up so far and then it would slide back down. Four maxtrax and it would've been a simple little digging then drive right up.



Thought about trying to get ahead to give a tug, but it doesnt look like it but the trail was off camber and the very limited traction probably wouldve meant my truck sliding into his. Not to mention, it would've just pulled him along the side of the tree and not up.



I tried a few times to get to the right of where I am parked in the picture to give a tug back onto the road, but it was slick and off camber and I would just slide sideways (even when off the throttle) into the depression near the tree to my left.


Poor mans winch.. better than no winch at all. The ironic part is that after reading the thread on @Littles last recovery, I purchased an additional 30' and 10' strap so that I could use the hi-lift like this since I only had one 30' and a kinetic which would be very worthless for this.





After getting un-stuck, and the other Yota group followed us down and played around in the mud.





Playing around in the parking lot area (just NW of the Knights of Pythias Cemetery).

 

People normally do picture time at decent hours

 

I got home a little while ago, figured I would do it while eating my bedtime snack.

On my drive home I got to see a MORON stop in the right hand lane of EB I-70 (I think to read the flashing yellow sign next to Lookout mountain about the steep grades.) Saw someone almost cream the car in my rear view mirror.

Then at the Morrison exit, a car just hit a huge elk, the elk was on the shoulder sitting up, unable to go anywhere but still alive for the time being. I couldnt imagine hitting one of those beasts. The front of the car looked significantly jacked up.

 

what a night! No means to put the elk out of its misery?

 

It just happened before I got there, but a car or two had stopped, driver of vehicle was out and looked to be ok. I did not have any means with me, but I'm sure the highway patrol would be there shortly since that was a horrible place for it to happen... just around the blind corner that people are hauling ass around.

 

Idjots, good thing the driver was OK and dad that the elk had to go out that way not quick and painless, hopefully someone can get some meat out of it

 

Interesting how littles slid that far off the trail. Or did he pull off the side of the trail to let someone pass? I don't know... I wasn't there. In the pics maybe if he stayed on the high side of the trail he would of not got stuck. You could correct me if I'm wrong. This is more of a learning experience for me of what not to do in the snow.

 

Well persistence must count for something.

 

It does not look as off camber or uphill in the pictures as it actually was, but all it took was getting a little too far to one side and slipping one tire off and the truck just got sucked into the position in the first picture with any throttle. After trying to get any traction forward was when we reversed it to the flatter area to winch the rear sideways. There would've been zero chance to do that from the first position because the rear was so deep.

That whole area was packed wet snow under the bit of powder. Even when we were trying to dig down, the wet snow just packed to turn into ice. The only way you had traction was with momentum, we'd get it a maxtrax length forward and it would just slide back down. Same thing where my truck was, I tried to inch forward quite a few times but the truck just slid sideways because the snow was packed like ice and I have Duratracs which have been beyond awesome in the snow.

 

Straddling the hi lift?

 

More than likely, tried them all different locations which was why we went backwards to the small level area. One under the rear passenger would make the rear driver spin and no progress. Also had some blocks of wood that I was putting under the other tires. But as soon as it inched forward it would then slide back in the nice ice channels under the tires. Even got to the rock under the snow but it would suck in snow and make it slick again. Damn wet snow!

4 maxtrax would've solved it quickly, whether one in front of each tire, or two lined up in front of each rear tire to get out of the hole, but ... fuckers are expensive.

 

I was on throttle going up the hill and trying to keep my momentum when the rear passenger got squirrelly off the right. I attempted to straighten the wheel and drive straight onto the trail but I lost forward momentum and was going backwards at that point and lost the front passenger as well.

I was in 4 hi because I wanted to keep speed up, but under those conditions I'm thinking I'd have been better in 4lo so I wouldn't cut the wheels loose like I did.

Derp.

 

Scary

 

Its times like this when i wonder how many more people would have joined the tred pro kickstarter. I bet some of you are wishing you did now that you have played in the snow?

 

Yeah... dont use them if they will come in contact with pavement. When they hit the smooth pavement they slide and it'll sand the little tabs off in no time. Ask me how I know. As long as there is packed snow/dirt that they wont dig through, you're good. And yes, thats with maxtrax not the shittybilts I had before.