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Heading out to Toroweap in 30 minutes. Not too sure we'll make it with the weather and roads? Hoping to hike down to Lava Falls, say hello to the raftaneers, drop off some goodies, watch 'em' run Lava Falls and then hike out with Tom, Ram and Guy. Dean is bringing a Rhino so at least he will be able to shuttle out 2 new passengers and bring the 3 back if Crystal and I can't get out in her and Guys 4wd? Taking my Go-pro so hoping to score some video if we make it?
Good luck Bo, looking forward to some video!
Looks like some heavy rain down there today. My moto crew was supposed to be riding in Mesquite this weekend, but we bailed. I'll be interested to see your report. :popcorn:
Don't get wet. :lol8: Blasted rain messed up our plans. Have fun! Looking forward to the video.
Heavy snow here in the SLC...Quote:
Originally Posted by blueeyes
can't wait to watch someone swim lava :popcorn:
Good luck BO! Hope you have a great time-it's beautiful out there...Looking forward to the video :crazy:
Crystal and I left The Desert Rat at 6AM and left the drizzle in Hurricane to top out to a full blown blizzard all the way to Pipe Springs! Yep I was worried! We were to meet Dean at the Toroweap turnoff at 7:30 AM. Dean finally arrived after 8:45AM with his passengers Bryan and Mark as he towed a Rino behind Rams pathfinder. On our way the road was DRY! We ate Deans dust for the first 25 miles then the going got wet and muddy. Some tense moments, but alas we made it all the way to the TH at Vulcans Throne. Slight drizzle out there but it beat the flurries we had on the way down. I think the 4 of us started down (Bryan, Mark, Crystal and I) at somewhere around noon? I was worried that we'd meet up with Tom, Guy, and Ram about halfway down and I wouldn't be able to deliver my package of beer, celery, cheese dip, peanut butter and chocolate to the intrepid raftaneers personally, but as we were maybe 600' above the river we sited the boats just arriving at Lava Falls pullout. Yee Haw! Anyway, Crystal and I had chosen the wrong route down for the last 500' but still arrived well ahead of Mark and Bryan. All the crew were already scouting the ANGRY Lava Falls (running at 20'000CFS) and the first folks I ran into were Laura and Dan! I finally got to meet the legend and what a pleasant surprise! I don't remember all the names of the folks, but they were all AWESOME! I can't believe what a diverse yet amazing group they were. Got to meet Jenny, Rich Rudow and Sonny and a whole slew of others that I'd only dreamed of meeting. Todd was going to join us on the hike out as well. My friend Dave Nally had run a flawless trip without any flips and had established a late hour event called Nally Hour. Everyone on the trip had gained nicknames and had all gained a true comraderie. What an awesome trip they had all experienced with each other?! Todd is a ranger that all other rangers should aspire to be. Anyway.....the video I shot on the hike down was all wiped away by my foolish mistake, but I did manage to get all of the runs through Lava, and a bit on the hike out with Ram, Tom, Todd, Guy and Crystal. Hope I can get it posted when I get back to work Tomorrow? Talking to Dan....I know that he'll have an amazing visual account of their entire trip at a later date. Apparently he has some flips, swimming, canyoneering and other stuff that you'll not want to miss.
Another thing that was special to me: I finally got to hike with Ram! Granted it was only 1 1/2 miles, but Ram made the hike out a very enjoyable time for me! Thank you Ram and I look forward to being able to join you on another hike in the near future!
Also...Crystal made my entire day! What a trooper and fun person to share the experience with!
You were in that storm last night!?!?!? We were in Beaver, Milford and Cedar this weekend for basketball and wrestling. We were in Cedar when the storm started. By the time the games over it was late, then the bus of boy basketball players of course had to stop and eat. (We were ranked #1 but only took 3rd in region. We will beat them in state. Played the worse we could play against Bryce who took first and only lost by 1) We could not get back through Zion, over hwy 20 or hwy 14. We headed south and exited through Toquerville, to LaVerkin and then to Fredonia. Did you see the turned over car and all the others that were stranded off the highway near Hildale? We got home about 2am. What a drive! I had my cheerleaders on the school bus, my other teen girls in a mini van and my wrestler in my kia and we all were slipping and sliding. Both cars almost went off twice but corrected just in time. Hope you fared better on that road!
Yes! It was snowing hard at around 6:30AM all the way from Hurricane to Pipe Springs and was hard to see the road, and then when we got back on the highway coming up from Toroweap last night at about 9PM it was a blizzard all the way back to Hurricane.Quote:
Originally Posted by tanya
Congrats. to Trey and your Orderville Teams! Go get 'em' at State!Quote:
Originally Posted by tanya
As we passed through Hildale and beyond towards Hurricane last night at around 10PM there were several vehicles off the road!Quote:
Originally Posted by tanya
We were in a big Dodge 4wd truck and it got pretty good traction and really didn't have problems, except the visability was pretty limited. Glad you guys made it home safely for sure! Cheers Tanya! I have to say though..the hike up from Lava Falls was made quite pleasant due to the cold temps. and drizzle!Quote:
Originally Posted by tanya
The one thing I failed to mention........if ever you had to choose one person to have on your team, Dean Kurtz if the best! What a true friend that would spend the amount of time he did in shuttles, hiking folks in and setting up logistics for drops and pickups! Dean.....YOU ROCK! BTW...if you need help fixing that trailer jack and light plug, let me know and I'll pitch in!
Ram and Tom
That's the cheese, man. The Bubble Line into the V-Wave. 7 boats hit it pretty much perfectly, hold on through the chaos below!
Thanks for coming out Bo, and yeah, Dean is The Man, a truer friend cannot be found.
Tom :moses:
:clap:nice!
Bo, what route did you you take? There are three routes listed on this page: http://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/tuweep.htm If I'm going to make the attempt, maybe Wednesday, I'd like to know which route would be safest.
Here is Tanyas and my version of the hike that I did on Saturday. Tanya and I did this hike quite a few years ago in the "winter" months (best time if the roads are dry). It is not an easy hike, but it is relatively short. The shortest route to the Colorado River from the North Rim that I've done is at "Whitmore". Drive south from St. George 81 miles. You pass the "Bar 10 Ranch" on the way down, and then the hike to the river at Whitmore Rapid is a fairly casual mile and quarter or so. Anyway...here is a link to the Vulcans Throne-Lava Falls Route.Quote:
Originally Posted by Wasatch Rebel
http://www.zionnational-park.com/lava-falls-tuweep.htm
Oops! I thought you meant hiking route. Here is the road that is easiest for sure!Quote:
Originally Posted by Wasatch Rebel
Sunshine Route (BLM road #109), the primary access route, leaves Highway 389 about seven miles/12km west of Fredonia. (6 miles east of Pipe Springs NM) It is 61 miles /100 km long and is the most reliable route, but is subject to washboarding and dust.
It was awesome to see you down there Tom! Glad we could hike out together. I bet you took some amazing shots from down close to the rapid?! Can't wait to see some of them!Quote:
Originally Posted by ratagonia
Thanks, Bo! Where's the last place to get gas before getting on the dirt road?
Depends on which way you're coming from? Fredonia is 7 miles to the east if you're coming down Hwy. 89, or Pipe Springs is 6 miles to the west if you're coming from Interstate 15- Hwy. 59 through Colorado City. This dirt road "Sunshine Route" is halfway between Pipe Springs and Fredonia on Hwy 59.Quote:
Originally Posted by Wasatch Rebel
Also....if you were to run into trouble with fuel, Todd, the ranger at Tuweap Ranger Station (10 Miles from the Toroweap Overlook) would surely assist with gasoline that he keeps stored at his house! If you see Todd when you pass his house, please stop and say hello! Todd is super AWESOME and one of the friendliest persons you'll ever meet! Say hi for me please!Quote:
Originally Posted by Bo_Beck