2wd up handies peak road w/questions

Background: bought an 03' 2wd prerunner 4-cylinder (no locker) about 6 months ago with 73k miles on it.

I bought this taco cause I knew that they outlast everything. Only problem was that it doesn't have 4wd. I figured it wouldn't be much of a problem. I worked out in Carson National Forest over the summer and drove the dirt roads out there. It handles well, besides the occasional fishtail at 40+mph. On one set of off days, A few friends and I decided to climb Handies peak(14er) in Colorado. Take note I have never been up a 14er road so I lack the knowledge on what it was going to be like, but I figure this truck has driven me across country and through some rocky roads in the mountains of New Mexico; so why wouldn't it be able to handle a gravel road(so i thought).

We end up driving the road up Handies peak at 1AM(again foolish to do, but we were a little rushed on time). There was actually a moose and its calf that we were following all the way up. We get well up the road crawling at below 5mph for 90% of it. After awhile, we hear a screeching in the front drivers side wheel, And I assume the worst. We turn around without realizing that the trailhead to park at was only two curves away. we get back down because I'm not mechanic savvy in any way, but it was most likely just a rock in the disk. I couldn't risk getting stuck up there though with the time constraints. Remember again that this is a 2wd 4 cylinder with no locker in the rear.

We go into town in the morning just to ask around before reattempting the accent up the road(screeching disappeared), and end up talking to a guy working at an outfitting store there who says you should never take anything up there without 4wd. At the time, I completely understand and tell myself I will never try it again. This was all before we realized we were right there at the parking spot and didn't even know it. The next day, we talked to a wonderful lady who said that that was complete BS.

Bummed out by the result, it was still a fantastic experience.

My questions are:

Has anyone been up a 14er(or decent mountain/forest service type roads) with 2wd? and continued to do so?

I have been thinking about selling to get a 2nd gen dcab with 4wd for this purpose as I will be returning to work out west in the spring. what are your thoughts on whether it would be wise to sell my current taco for a 1st or 2nd gen dcab with 4wd?

With the low miles(at 83K now) I have, I would really like to keep the truck, should I just add a locker to the back (I am by no means a mechanic)?

(This was taken at Hartman rocks near Gunnison) Love Colorado!

Pete

 

I've climbed Handies and used my Jeep Rubicon on 35's to get up there. If you are talking about the first parking lot, that isn't the trailhead to Handies. The Trailhead is about 1/2 to a mile further and the road gets much worse after the first parking lot. Not saying it would be impossible with a 2wd but I did shift my Jeep into 4x4 after the first parking lot. It's been about a year since I hiked it but I would consider taking my un-lifted Taco up there in 4x4.

 

You will find that there are a lot of people that will tell you that you can't do anything offroad with 2wd. Those people are ignorant and don't know how to drive. These trucks are very capable in 2wd and in fact there are those of us that fully understand the purpose of 4wd. If you can't make it happen in 2wd, there's 4hi to help, and when 4hi isn't getting it done, 4lo is there to crawl, and if you are stuck in 4lo, lockers will usually get you out. Personally, I have found that I can do a lot in 2wd. It's a matter of your comfort and ability. Keep pushing yourself and you will see just how far you can go.

 

We were close to the grizzly gulch trailhead. However, driving county road 30 up to this trailhead is what had me stressed about. It was the middle of the night and I could tell there was a shear drop off next to us. We were going to go to the American basin trailhead around the mountain but we never even made it to grizzly before the car started making a sound. I've read that alot of people get right up to the first major stream crossing with 2wd which is about a mile shy of the handies trailhead. They park there and hike the mile up to the start. Gotta go back and get to it eventually. How was the hike? heard its pretty easy to do all three peaks there.

 

Yea, I went up the American Basin route to the end from Animas Forks and Cinnamon Pass. The hike was awesome. It was my first major hike after moving to CO from NYC. It was an easy hike but my lungs and legs were on fire the whole time. Definitely worth the effort though for the view and to hike to 10K feet above anything in NY State. I think it took me about 4 hours round trip with a 30 minute rest on the summit.