Just got back from spider like 6 hours ago. Went in friday night at 8pm. Were at spider within 5 hours after going thru little sluice (winching) we went up to the lake, played around and then headed back out. Back to loon and trailer loaded by 7am. Cut and removed 7 down and across the trail trees. Left one, still buried, after ellis. It's cut but not removed. Two are still at the base of walker hill. Three remnants are near winter camp, but can be driven around, while staying on the trail. As stated in the "snow in the bowl" post the snow is very soft and saturated. Kind of a pain to drive in. The bowl is patchy, with far less on the north-east slope then the west. There is roughly 5 feet in little sluice, with 2 to 3 the average for the spider area. Spider lake is still frozen over, but is overflowing, and "blueing". Little sluice is a river under the snow, you can hear it rippin thru below and is extremely drifted, rock on the left 6+' on the right side, so sideways getting it is required! It snowed non-stop for the whole trip, as seen in the yet to be added pics (black squares with white spots). We apparently passed a suzuki and chevy on the way in, but never saw them until the trip out. I know everybody is itching to go to the 'con, but for the sake of your fellow wheelers, give it a few weeks, unless you're extremely set-up AND very experienced in snow travel, AND have excellent winching skills or you will do trail damage. How hard is it really to use a damn tree strap?? We passed roughly 6 yotas and a jeep on icehouse that were heading up. Will load the pics tuesday when I return to work. t1=good, dialup = bad.

Thanks for the info Aggro, and the work done I can't wait

Thanks for the heads up.......Was gunna go next weekend, but the wifey has made other plans for me.

wow 7 down trees, I am glad our group didn't try last weekend. turned out the chainsaw was really dull. it would have taken 6 hours to cut a single log. memorial weekend should be fun.

Originally posted by Keith
Thanks for the heads up.......Was gunna go next weekend, but the wifey has made other plans for me.

Thanks for telling me. :flipoff2:

Thanks for the report and the work done, Aggro!!!!!

Paul

Originally posted by nasvik


Thanks for telling me. :flipoff2:

Thanks for the report and the work done, Aggro!!!!!

Paul

Wellllll, she just told me......:flipoff2:

Hey, aren't you at work yet?:flipoff2:

Thanks Aggro. Good job.

IMHO you hit the last viable weekend where there was enough snow to keep you off the wet dirt. If the weather pulls a 180 this week (snowing today and tomorow too) the melt will be fast and furious. Next weekend may be way too wet and you may be risking damaging the trail.

Do you have any predictions for next weekend? Good, Bad?

:bounce2: <FONT COLOR="Yellow"><FONT size="2">comeawn with the pics already</FONT s></FONT c>:bounce2: :D

if the weather holds, how long until it can be wheeled without doing significant trail damage?? we damn near headed up there saturday, but it was suggested to lay offf until the conditions change...sounds like a good idea for a while...

It's snowing to beat the band again. However if the high temps return immediatley after this storm leaves, the melt will be fast and furious. Should make Fordyce interesting. :D

thanx for the info, cant wait for the first Rubicon trip
:roxy:

Hey Brian, you didn't go to the rubicon, remember you don't "get it enough" LOL:flipoff2:

Doh' I forgot!
Ok so it's tuesday. Pics turned out roughly 2% better than worthless black squares with white spots. What did you expect for a night wheelin' trip?!

Soupbowl...

Little sluice (posing right in front of the OLD juniper)

The spider lake "facilities"

And some unrecognizeable place!!

Originally posted by Booger Weldz
if the weather holds, how long until it can be wheeled without doing significant trail damage?? ...

I'd say some time significantly AFTER about 500 rigs go up there!

....but it was suggested to lay offf until the conditions change...sounds like a good idea for a while...

An EXCELLENT idea.


Do you have any predictions for next weekend? Good, Bad?

Yep, I predict a bunch of tuff guy fawking morons will go up there and tear it up like every other year.
I went up to upper Bassi (lots of snow!!)on sunday, and while I was unloading, I saw roughly 10 rigs on ice house presumeably heading up to the con.

:mad: :( :( :(

That's the problem. We were gunna go this weekend, but now... dunno. :( not becuse we're afraid of snow/mud, but we don't want that label nor do we want to tear up the trail. What really sux though, is you're right. We will hold off, miss out but there's 10 rigs for every one of ours that will go anyway. Most less capable too, and being there's still trees down and such, you can bet that by-passes will be part of their moronic madness.

moronic madness.

Heck, some people will describe me snow wheeling with no other rigs in the middle of the night for 12 hours strait as such!! I was hoping for good luck... I forgot my hi-lift.
An excerpt from gas station checker and myself: Me: do you sell that stuff that makes you not sleep? him: no, we only sell legal items here. me: this is pollock pines, right? him: I can only speak for the store. me: ok, 1 jumbo bottle of mtdew it is.

Damn you got some skill in the snow. There is a ton up there, and i was having lots of trouble a week ago when there was less. Was it just a winch fest or were you able to drive most of it?
Do you guys go at night so the snow is colder and harder making it easier to travel on? Because i learned last weekend that slush SUCKS.

For everyone else, there was a solid coverage on the trail before these last 2 storms, but there is lots of water from the melts in between, wait til it is much dryer before you go.
I am willing to bet that there will even be a bit of snow to play on memorial day. And i know that there is no stopping the tradional memorial day on the con SO WAIT UNTIL THEN IF YOU CAN.

Ian-

Im just checkin here, but if 4 rigs go in and are very capable and the drivers are very conserned about the welfare of the trail is that bad??? after all Aggro must be concerned and have a capable rig, and I aint hearing of his destruction to public land. Just curious:) Im not flamin anyones opinion like
I predict a bunch of tuff guy fawking morons will go up there and tear it up

Originally posted by JerryRigs
Im just checkin here, but if 4 rigs go in and are very capable and the drivers are very conserned about the welfare of the trail is that bad??? after all Aggro must be concerned and have a capable rig, and I aint hearing of his destruction to public land. Just curious:) Im not flamin anyones opinion like


Aggro and company's rigs are setup for this kind of wheelin. They don't do any harm to the area. The average jackass rock crawler doesn't have a clue what it takes. They go up there, get stuck, dig holes in the ground, mow through bushes/trees trying to get out....

Originally posted by Lance


Aggro and company's rigs are setup for this kind of wheelin. They don't do any harm to the area. The average jackass rock crawler doesn't have a clue what it takes. They go up there, get stuck, dig holes in the ground, mow through bushes/trees trying to get out....


WOW! Sounds like Lance has been up there before :D That is exactly what happens! They have 4wd and are on the Rubicon. That means they can go anywhere.

Aggro and co. take care of the place and dont tear things up.

Originally posted by Lance


Aggro and company's rigs are setup for this kind of wheelin. They don't do any harm to the area. The average jackass rock crawler doesn't have a clue what it takes. They go up there, get stuck, dig holes in the ground, mow through bushes/trees trying to get out....

That's funny... he used Aggro's rig and set-up in the same sentence!!

Was it just a winch fest or were you able to drive most of it?

I had to winch once below walker where I slid sideways and got my beadlock stuck on a boulder, and in the sluice box to prevent rollover and also to aid in foreward progress. The trip is kind of a blur, but I think that was the only winching. Sunday when I went to upper Bassi, I had to winch far more times.

Aggro and co. take care of the place and dont tear things up.

I do my best to take care of the trail, be it summer or winter. I have never taken somebody snow wheeling where I have not GIVEN or at least offered a free tree saver strap. I do NOT winch to trees without them. That is something alot of people do in ignorance. It just (can) kills trees or cuts them up. Like Lance said, rock and snow wheeling are very different. Just because you have a bitchen rock rig, doesn't mean diddly squat in regards to snow! And yeah, if CALROCS ever has a snow event, it'll be all mine! Rich, hint, hint!