Today was one of those high wind days, so I went to McDonalds for breakfast. This way I could avoid issues with the stove and my food flying into the wind. I had to feed Koda in our cabin so his food won’t blow away.
Hell’s Revenge has always been one of my favorite trails. I didn’t do the optional Hell’s Gate climb or the Tip Over Challenge since there no spotters. So where possible I took bypasses. This let me watch from the sidelines. But I did Staircase, Bathtub, and a few other optional obstacles.
There were a few mechanicals on today’s trail ride. Someone’s left side electric rock slider failed and was stuck in the open position. Someone had a hack to get it back into the closed position. We also heard someone tipped over on Staircase, which is almost as difficult as the Hell’s Gate climb.
Some steep obstacles are very hard to navigate without a spotter. It’s hard to pick the right line when your Jeep is pointing straight up to the sky. I’ve always gone by feel and I so far I’ve had good luck.
About half the group climbed Hell’s Gate. I did it last year with a RTT and a loaded Jeep. At the time I was just under the GVWR but still a little heavy for that kind of climb. This year I rented a cabin so I left behind all the stuff that I didn’t need on the trail. Much lighter than last year. Deciding not to do the climb was more of a “meh, I already did it” than anything else.
The ride ended around 1500. I fed and walked Koda, and had a light dinner, then we passed out. Of Koda stole half the bed. That’s OK, it’s a big bed. With the strong winds, you can hear some unsecured stuff flying around the KOA property. It should die down in the next couple hours.
Tomorrow is Gold Bar Rim. It’s not a BOH ride, but I’ve heard so much about it, so I added it to my itinerary. Ot starts at 0900 so we get an extra hour of shuteye.
Overlander at large 