Sunday, November 25, 2012

Calamity Mesa Loop and a WARNING!

November 14, 2008

By Jerry Smith

Friday, November 14^th, Mike Click, Harold Delfelder, and Jerry Smith left the Orchard Mesa City Market in Grand Junction just after 7 AM for a trip to Calamity Mesa with the intent to travel from Calamity Camp down the 11.5 Road to the Blue Creek Ranch where Blue Cr. and Indian Cr. come together.

The Calamity Mesa Loop can be rough. "Headshake" is a common part of the trip.

They were going there with the knowledge that the 11.5 Road was washed out below Calamity Camp to the point of impassability.

Some digging had already been done to repair the road in two previous trips there by Jerry, but that stretch of road was still too dangerous to try as is.

This obstacle has about 80-yds. of the right side of the road washed well below the original grade and is full of large, undercarriage eating rocks. The hopes of making it through the wash did not look good.

This is Mike "christening" "Mike's Rock". This is the first damage he had ever done to his Rubicon.

Having explored other options, they elected to "surreptitiously" bypass this obstacle by way of connecting two abandoned drill sight roads that were just yards apart.

The route back to the 11.5 Road was somewhat hair raising as well. If we would have to come back this way, it wouldn’t be easy.

This is Happy Trails "flexing" a bit on Calamity Mesa Loop.

The last 50-yds was a very steep descent on a bentonite hillside. Bentonite is a blue/gray material that is super fine. When wet, bentonite is not anything you want to drive on. It builds up on your tires and is extremely slippery.

Climbing the hill when dry would be difficult. If even the slightest bit wet, impossible.

By taking this bypass, we had gone around the first wash and then another serious obstacle just below it.

A bit further down the trail we came to another washout. This one wasn’t near as bad as the first, but it had some definite rough spots.

This is the bottom of the 3rd wash.

Entering the wash required your suspension to articulate severely. Then a fallen tree on the lower side of a severe off-camber threatened to gouge the side of your rig as you passed by.

Finally, there was a 3-ft. waterfall over some boulders that would cause some difficulty if you had to come back this way. (a distinct possibility for all we knew)

This wash is what caused the "overnighter". Notice how narrow the top is and the drop if you roll-off the side there would be deadly.

Having conquered that wash, we proceeded. Further obstructions such as very large rocks and lesser washes hindered any fast progress, but eventually they made the lower mesa just above the ranch where the road begins a steep descent off a bench.

Some of the views on the Calamity Mesa Loop are "eye-popping". This is the Blue Cr. canyon where it dumps into the Delores River.

Several Jeep-sized rocks in the dug-way road made this the end of the road for the time being.

This trail was one being considered for the Gateway Jeep Rendezvous in June ’09. With a little work, it will be a very exciting and challenging trail for the entrants and leaders.

This is a typical stretch of the Calamity Mesa Loop Road. Narrow, rough, and many smiles per mile.

With several hours of daylight still left, we elected to take a side road a short way from the end of the trail to the ranch.

Little did we know that would become a major question in good judgment.

Articulation is necessary in many places on the Calamity Mesa Loop.

This trail ended up going around the base of Calamity Mesa which on its’ own would be a good thing. Some of the obstacles encountered made this trail not only a great challenge; it required a cold overnight stay in the great outdoors to complete.

My face has hurt after driving this trail from smiling so much. You'll love it too if you get the chance to "come along" sometime.

The "Warning"

This is the “WARNING” part of the heading of this story. When you go wheeling, go prepared for the unexpected. Your wellbeing may depend on it.

Harold had gotten off to a late start that morning. He hadn’t taken time to get “anything” packed for a day-long trip. No coat, no drinks, nor food.

Thankfully, Mike and Jerry were prepared like usual. Although we had no plans of staying out overnight, we were ready for it.

If you are afraid of "tight" places, don't come on this trail. There are some snug places you'll swear you can't get through... but you can. (unless you're in a full-size vehicle)

Between extra coats, blankets, and sleeping bags, the night for the three of us was not necessarily comfortable, but tolerable. The other things, like food and fire making materials just added to the enjoyable outcome.

This is far from this rock as you can get. The speed limit is just 25 MPH.

What required our night out was another washout of the road. We dug our way through this dangerous spot while the sun was barely shining, only to discover another large rock blocking the way a short distance up the road.

By the time we returned to the washout to try it going back the other way, it was dark.

Calamity Mesa Loop is a good class 7 or 7+ trail. Come prepared or stay away!

Jerry got about three quarters through the wash before we decided it was entirely unsafe for us to attempt it in the dark, so Jerry was winched back out of the hole and we set up camp.

Shortly we had a very warm fire and dinner. There was a lot of bull along with the “dinner” and a long, cold nights’ sleep in the Jeeps.

The next morning after a meager breakfast, it was decided that we would continue running the trail to its’ outcome in lieu of returning back through the washout and the work that would have been required to cross it.

Sometimes a narrow shelf road, the Calamity Mesa Loop has made more than one person get out and walk.

As luck would have it, that decision turned out to be both a blessing and a LOT of work.

Several more rocks and washouts became obstacles along the way to what turned out to be a nearly 20-mile loop back to the 11.5 Road to Calamity Camp.

It is a great trip if you are looking to be challenged and don’t mind a bit of work. (Actually, it is a lot of work)

This tree stump is evidence of how long this trail had been closed before we reopened it. The tree was exactly in the middle of the road with no way around it. We estimate the tree was at least 15 years old.

We reached the 11.5 Road about 11 AM. You with normal thinking processes would think we would then return to town. You would be wrong.

Next we turned to a trail that Jerry had partially run a couple weeks prior. Darkness had kept him from finishing the attempt.

We went about 300 yards past where Jerry had previously turned around only to find a dead end. On the way back we checked out a branch trail which turned into another loop back to the trail we had run earlier in the day.

This trail is not for the faint of heart and required more rocks being moved and stacked and washes to be negotiated with some high degree of skill.

There is also a steep hill climb with very loose dirt and large rock where lockers and momentum are the only way to the top.

All in all, this was a great trip. If you like adventure on your trips, you might want to follow along with these three explorers of the American Backcountry.

If you have found this story interesting or exciting, please “Like” it on Facebook so others may know about this “find”.

More interest in the Calamity Mesa Loop trail will make it even more popular and increase the burden to close it.

There is another official "Warning" at the end of the trail. Uranium country is dangerous.

Plans to ask the Grand Mesa Jeep Club for help to make this trail a little more passable will be pursued at some time in the near future.

One last thought we’d like to leave you with… when you come to a fork in the road… take it!

Happy Trails.

NOTE: Some of the photos above are from other trips since.

Saturday, November 24, 2012

Pace Lake (part 2)

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Pace Lake (part 2)

5/10/2009

By Jerry Smith

The road to Pace Lake was firmly in the crosshairs today. The previous failure needed to be rectified.

This view is from near Pace Lake. In the distance you can see Lone Cone Mountain and some of the San Juan Mountains near Ouray, CO. The lower part is the south end of Sinbad Valley.

In talking with the BLM about the Pace Lake road, it was clear that Mother Nature had closed it at least two years or more before. This would possibly be the first reopening of a trail I had done in some time.

Reopening trails is something that brings a wealth of pleasure to me. I have fought road closures from Montana to Utah and Colorado since back in the mid 1970s. It's become a passion.

Where most people simply turn around, I find the challenge to be alluring.

This trip I knew the Pace Lake road would be traversed further than the first time barring any major changes to the roadway between then and now.

The ditch along the roadside was twice as deep the first time I traveled this road. In other sections it crosses the right half of the road making a deep obstacle. When wet it can be an instant "you are stuck".

The lower Pace Lake road offered little resistance but as we began the ascent up the mountainside, there was a repeat of the last trip.

Many new rocks had rolled into the road and the V-cuts had been enlarged so the work began early. It was obvious that the spring runoff had been dramatic this year. Water damage to the Pace Lake road was everywhere.

After an hour of rock moving, we were finally up to that pesky tree blocking the road just above the intersection. The Mile Marker HI9000 hydraulic winch made quick work of it. Pace Lake or bust!

For the next mile or so, we stopped several times for rocks, trees, and brush overgrown into the roadway. This was the easy part.

The next major obstacle was a 50-yard stretch of the Pace Lake road where the lower side of the road was now a deep gully.

Off-camber is a constant on the Pace Lake Road. You almost get used to it.

As I have made a habit of, I walked well past the bad area to see if working on it would be rewarded or just scoffed at later. I made up my mind that the Pace Lake road could be overcome.

The road between the two Jeeps was where the low side of the road was a deep wash. It took hours to fill it enough just to make it passable.

The first attempt at straddling the deep notch ended up with the entire left rear tire hanging below the road surface. This was really a bad kind of stuck but we crawled out after a little rock and tree limb placement.

There was some damage done to the fender flare and a little scuffing of the corner paint, but it's a Jeep. The bad part was that this was the first real damage done since Happy Trails was new in '06. Pace Lake would be remembered.

OK, this would require some serious fill work to make it passable.

After gathering all the downed trees and large rocks nearby, I began shoveling the high bank into the ditch until it looked good enough a little over 2-hours later. You can't believe all the dirt and debris it took to partially fill that ditch.

A couple of turns later we encountered another "serious" obstacle. Pace Lake wasn't giving in yet.

This is the entrance to the "Rocky Corner".

This one had both erosion and three major boulders in the way. The boulders were nearly hood high, so going over was not an option. They blocked the road in such a way that going around the low side of the first two would work, but the third one was too close to the lower side of the road to get around.

After some technical “calculated eyeball” measuring, I decided if we could get past the first two and go hard left between the second and third rocks and then go high enough on the upper bank, we could make it past.

The first part of the plan went well. Crawling the very steep upper road bank tightened the seat cover to the breaking point. To say we were leaning over was like saying there is sand at the beach.

Pace Lake is hard to see over the fence. It looks really pretty though.

The rear couldn't climb the bank and the right rear wheel hooked the point on the third rock breaking a chunk of the faux beadlock out and mutilating the center cap. More damage! Man … !!!

With more rock rolling, tree removal, and a lot of brush trimming, we cruised through the gate into a meadow where Ponderosa Pines were just beginning to grow.

To the left of the meadow was a serious barbed wire fence on the Colorado/ Utah border and Pace Lake just across the road on the other side of the fence.

The JB Ranch patrols the Utah side of the fence line and no trespassing is permitted. After a very late lunch with a view of Pace Lake, we proceeded further up the road to the National Forest boundary where the signs say, "closed to motorized travel".

Known locally as the "Little Forest", this small isolated parcel is closed simply because the Manti- La Sal Forest Service doesn't want to manage it.

Check out the rear tire sidewall climbing the rock.

(Note: I have recommended that the BLM assume responsibility for the area and that they allow us to pioneer a short road to the east where another road ends that comes from the John Brown road. This would create a "Loop Road" that is so popular with land management these days.)

Returning to the meadow, I was rewarded with the sight of several elk on the Pace Lake dam. It's always great to see wildlife.

This rock has caused a lot of damaged tires and wheels.

As the day was getting late, we had to go down the Pace Lake road much faster than the ascent. With most of the bad obstacles passable now, that was not much problem.

The Pace Lake road was open once again. Pace Lake was worth the effort to see and the trail is a dandy class 7 or 7+. If you're going to attempt the Pace Lake road, you better come equipped and capable.

The views from the upper Pace Lake road are incredible. Sinbad Valley is beautiful and you can see over the south end clear down to the San Juan Mountains near Ouray.

The Pace Lake road is and will be a challenge for the foreseeable future. I hope you make an opportunity to see Pace Lake.

If you have enjoyed this, please “Like” it on FaceBook and spread the word about it to your 4-Wheeling friends. Let them know about the Pace Lake Road.

One last thought; when you come to a fork in the road, take it!

Happy Trails to you.

Pace Lake Road (Part 1)

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Pace Lake (part 1)

10/05/2008

By Jerry Smith

The Pace Lake road was one trip I had been looking forward to trying.

This wash on the Pace Lake Road is an off-camber, narrow climb.

The maps showed it as a fairly short trip from Grand Junction down Hwy 141 and south of Gateway another 10-miles or so.

Just across the bridge that crosses Salt Creek is a "Historical Marker" about Sewemup Mesa.

It tells about Sewemup Mesa that stands hundreds of feet behind and above the sign being a Wilderness Study area and a little history of the area.

This is the corner with the big boulders (not visible in this picture).

It seems that cattle rustlers once used the area to hide their stolen cattle. Back in the Sinbad Valley behind Sewemup Mesa, they had a large natural holding area.

There they would surgically remove the old brands from the cattle and then "sew up the wound" (Sewemup) before later re-branding the cattle. (Anyone need a tattoo removed?)

Recrossing the bridge and taking a left turn up the Salt Creek road took us (Happy Trails and I) into the Salt Creek Canyon.

Note the point of the rock near the rear passenger tire. It eats tires and wheels.

This is a deep, narrow canyon with nearly vertical red sandstone walls on both sides. To say it's a "spectacular canyon" is unworthy of the magnificence.

Salt Creek crosses the road twice as you travel up toward Sinbad Valley. The white high water mark was very easy to see.

Just days before there had been a serious rain in Sinbad Valley. The resulting "gully washer" had been between three and four feet deep and the road crews had already been there to reopen the road, but the "WARNING" was still very evident.

When Jeeping in canyon country, one must be cognizant of the area weather. Not just straight above you either.

Rocks of this size are common on the Pace Lake Road.

Sometimes the water in these canyons travels a long way from the source as a flash flood. Sinbad Valley is a giant bowl with 800 - 1400 foot high, near vertical cliffs surrounding all but the Salt Creek canyon.

Salt Creek is the only way in or out of Sinbad in a vehicle.

Sinbad Valley once was a small salty sea that dried up leaving a salt dome the width of the valley. It is thought that the weight of dust from Utah's southern region eventually collapsed the salt dome.

This helps explain that the water going down Salt Creek is about 2/3 as salty as seawater. The creek bottom turns white as the creek recedes and dries.

Cody is obviously nervous about the side of his Grand Cherokee.

After entering Sinbad Valley and about half way to the foot of the mountain toward Pace Lake, the road had signs of what it would be like if real wet.

One track or the center of the road was cut up to 24" deep with near vertical walls snaking back and forth across the road from rain runoff.

The clay-like surface was still just damp and it built up in the tires enough to limit traction to near nothing. Being here while it rained would be "really dumb".

Staying out of the deep channel was a full-time job but soon the elevation changed enough that there was a river rock-like surface that was "slow-going" and very rough.

Nearing the bottom of the mountain the road splits. As the general direction toward Pace Lake was to the right, we (Happy Trails & I) took the right fork.

In about 200 yards, we came to the remnants of an old log cabin. The current resident (a lizard) ducked for cover as I rummaged around taking pictures.

Back on the road, we immediately began a steep climb. Another 100 yards brought us to a bad scene.

The lower side of the road no longer existed. It was a deep, wide channel at least 3-4 feet deep and about as wide.

After walking up the road nearly a quarter mile, I determined that this way was not going to be passable without some serious excavating. We backed down to the cabin and turned around for a look at the other fork.

This fork of the Pace Lake road circled the foot of the mountain with another fork to the left along the way.

Staying right, we came to a wash that looked intimidating.

The close bank was almost 5 feet straight down and then the climb out began exactly at the foot of the mountain. No hill for a climber.

After "jumping" the wash, we began climbing the Pace Lake road.

The road narrows as you go with deep V-cuts in the lower side from runoff and many large rocks scattered from the hillside above littering the roadway.

The first mile or so required nearly two hours of work moving rocks over the side or into the V-cuts to slow the erosion.

This part of the Pace Lake Road is where the first downfall tree was removed.

The Pace Lake road had been closed by Mother Nature for at least two years according to the BLM. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I had a goal in mind that drove me onward.

A little way up the mountainside an old burn is still evident. Old burnt Juniper and Pinon Pine trees still stand though many have fallen or are about to.

Coming to a fork where the eroded road from the cabin intersects, the Pace Lake road begins a steep climb.

There was a large burnt fir tree across the Pace Lake road blocking progress just above the intersection. I got out to see about removing the tree when I looked up and saw a terribly black storm cloud rolling over the mountain above in the direction of where Pace Lake would be.

Having the knowledge of what rain meant to the Pace Lake road and the creek below, it seemed like a very good time to get out of there.

By the time we hit the bottom of the mountain it had begun to rain. This was not good.

Long before we got to the clay portion of the Pace Lake road, rain had thoroughly wet it making it exactly slick.

Staying clear of the deep cut was difficult, but we were doing well... until a large rock protruding up from the right side of the road left only inches between the left side tires and the deep ditch. Add to that the off-camber leaning toward the deep ditch tripled the danger on the Pace Lake road.

After 4 unsuccessful attempts to get by the rock, we slid into the ditch and became high centered with the axles firmly on the ground. Bummer! Pace Lake had just become very difficult.

As it was raining hard, I decided to wait for the storm to pass (I hoped). After a half-hour it let up enough to get out without becoming too wet and cold.

After a quick assessment of the situation, out came the winch line to a nearby tree on the Pace Lake road and soon the recovery was over. Luckily the creek had not swollen and we left the Pace Lake road for another day.

If you have enjoyed this, please “Like” it on FaceBook and spread the word about it to your 4-Wheeling friends. Let them know about the Pace Lake Road.

NOTE: Most of the pictures here were taken on other trips.

One last thought; when you come to a fork in the road… take it!

Happy Trails to you.

(continued in Pace Lake {part 2})