I'd like to take a moment and thank
@brices123 for getting the permit for this year and leading the run. As a commensurate professional, he lined up the gate pass, got all of us corralled into the right weekend, with campers and runners and camper-runners, and made it all look easy. He even stayed up late to be sure some late arrivals would A) find the right campsite, and 2) be welcomed and get settled smoothly. I can't imagine anyone doing more to ensure the success of everyone who came along for the adventure.
We had a blast, my wife-unit and I! Arriving on Friday afternoon at a leisurely pace, we took pur time getting up there, and got gas at Pulliam Field just in time to catch our Trail Boss on the radio (146.460mHz) who was already in the vicinity. It became a race as we took Purple Sage and 231 all the way in, while he took 89A South to 538(?) with a bunch of turns to be made along the way. My path had far fewer turns - and fewer opportunities to get lost! Before long, I'm behind a trailer that just won't pull over to let me pass, and sure enough, he's in the lead, Ultimately winning the race. In truth, I probably would have missed the turnoff, had it not been for the CSC Base Camp sign...
Tent up, I unpacked my new Lodge Sportsman Hibachi, and we threw some steaks on the hot coals (*pic above). It worked great with coals from the fire, and good thing, as I didn't bring enough charcoal, anyway. Dinner was served, and most of us headed off to bed by about 10p. Late arrivals showed up a little later, likely to a cacophony of snoring (
@Otter ) .
The next morning saw an early start to get back down the mountain via 89A and to Sedona Safeway to pick up the run crew. Rolling through Oak Creek was awesome, with a minor delay due to repair of a section of washout due to recent floods in the area, which was substantial. With 6 trucks ready, we moved to the trailhead for airdown and drivers meeting. Power Line road saw the Casner turnoff, and we all headed uphill.
With everyone on 2m HAM, we had good comms throughout. Those 9 switch backs aren't hard turns, and what I liked most about this run was the absence of off-camber / "tippy" sections and no narrow shelf roads, which give me the willies. Views from the ridgeline road were awesome in both directions, as this road separates the 2 wilderness areas (*which I learned about on this trip).
After the run, consensus was to head straight back on 231 to Base Camp, and we hung out there with some light to moderate rain, which brought us together under canopies. Stories were shared and memories were made, with a few dredged up from the past to refresh fading recall. A few of us headed back on Saturday evening, and hit some rain on the way out. It's not a run without Mud! I'm figuring we covered about 100 miles on dirt, about 250 miles on pavement getting there and back, and I know others drove further to make the trip.
There's no better group of people to hang with on a weekend than CSC folks, and my wife-unit and Millie the camping dog enjoyed the trip as well, which makes it that much more memorable for me.
Thank you, to everyone who contributed to this trip being such a great time. Looking forward to the next one, and hoping for more picture sharing as people download their cameras and hop back on Mud and this thread.
