Events/Trails HIH9 Trip Report
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bluecruiser
SILVER Star
Perfect. I reposted on our IG page. Thx!!
Funny guy. You never experienced the Ironton Park years, did you. You'll be happy to know that everyone on all my runs remembered to bring their lunches this year. If they hadn't, they would have gotten the same turkey-avocado wraps we shared a few years ago.
That turkey avocado sandwich powered me and the kiddo through the Polar Plunge - a memory we will never forget!!! Thanks to you and your wife’s generosity. We’re planning to join you all once again for HIH10!
That guy looks familiar.
Going to attempt a trip report, so buckle in...
Our HIH 9 journey lasted from July 23rd to July 29th. During this time we covered a total of 989.5 miles round trip from Denver to Silverton and back. Our general route was Denver>Salida>Gunnison>Silverton>Palisade>Denver.
My pretrip prep was minimal. You guys are neurotic with your maintenance and always make me feel like I'm not doing enough. Besides an oil change / inspection by my trusted local shop the one repair I did make was to change out my t-stat. I got an ultra gauge a while back and felt like the truck was running too hot - normal temp around 208 with spikes as high as 218. For a while I wrote this off as extra heat from the supercharger, but my curiosity finally got the better of me. Ordered a URD 170* t-stat and swapped it in about 2 weeks before HIH - instant improvement in temps. Brought the normal running temp range to 188-195 (highest observed temp while wheeling at HIH). Much better; wish I hadn't been in denial for the last year.
The other pretrip purchase I made was an SS1 platform from @Kyle Bell and @suprarx7nut . Absolute game changer for my family in terms of load out. As a family of 4, sleeping in the vehicle wasn't a priority so I optioned for extended risers which work better for my existing gear.
7/23 - Loaded out and ready to roll. Landscape is from our site at Blue Mesa Reservoir. The Stevens Creek Campground was fine; I was a bit underwhelmed to be honest and it was pretty buggy. Probably wouldn't stay there again, but it was good enough place for the night.
7/24 - Got to Silverton and linked up with friends from last year that saved us a camp spot. It was awesome to reconnect with @westwardCruiser and @hiteckredneck and their families! After the rainstorm we suited up to splash in puddles!
Our HIH 9 journey lasted from July 23rd to July 29th. During this time we covered a total of 989.5 miles round trip from Denver to Silverton and back. Our general route was Denver>Salida>Gunnison>Silverton>Palisade>Denver.
My pretrip prep was minimal. You guys are neurotic with your maintenance and always make me feel like I'm not doing enough. Besides an oil change / inspection by my trusted local shop the one repair I did make was to change out my t-stat. I got an ultra gauge a while back and felt like the truck was running too hot - normal temp around 208 with spikes as high as 218. For a while I wrote this off as extra heat from the supercharger, but my curiosity finally got the better of me. Ordered a URD 170* t-stat and swapped it in about 2 weeks before HIH - instant improvement in temps. Brought the normal running temp range to 188-195 (highest observed temp while wheeling at HIH). Much better; wish I hadn't been in denial for the last year.
The other pretrip purchase I made was an SS1 platform from @Kyle Bell and @suprarx7nut . Absolute game changer for my family in terms of load out. As a family of 4, sleeping in the vehicle wasn't a priority so I optioned for extended risers which work better for my existing gear.
7/23 - Loaded out and ready to roll. Landscape is from our site at Blue Mesa Reservoir. The Stevens Creek Campground was fine; I was a bit underwhelmed to be honest and it was pretty buggy. Probably wouldn't stay there again, but it was good enough place for the night.
7/24 - Got to Silverton and linked up with friends from last year that saved us a camp spot. It was awesome to reconnect with @westwardCruiser and @hiteckredneck and their families! After the rainstorm we suited up to splash in puddles!
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7/25 - Ophir Pass to Telluride to Last Dollar.
Initially bummed that I wasn't running Imogene which I had signed up for, but that's alright. Last Dollar was new to us and the scenery was KILLER!
Did not get any pictures of Bourbon night, but I brought three bottles from my collection to share that seemed to be enjoyed by many. For those that indulged me in talking bourbon and guiding tastings, thanks for your patience!
Bottles shared were Weller Special Reserve - Argonaut Single Barrel (90 proof), Barrell Bourbon 14 year, 99 proof single barrel picked by Colorado Bourbon and Rye Collectors, and an Elijah Craig Barrel Proof (12 year, 122 proof). It would be fun to see this event grow organically in future years!
Initially bummed that I wasn't running Imogene which I had signed up for, but that's alright. Last Dollar was new to us and the scenery was KILLER!
Did not get any pictures of Bourbon night, but I brought three bottles from my collection to share that seemed to be enjoyed by many. For those that indulged me in talking bourbon and guiding tastings, thanks for your patience!
Bottles shared were Weller Special Reserve - Argonaut Single Barrel (90 proof), Barrell Bourbon 14 year, 99 proof single barrel picked by Colorado Bourbon and Rye Collectors, and an Elijah Craig Barrel Proof (12 year, 122 proof). It would be fun to see this event grow organically in future years!
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7/26 - Ladies Run over Stony Pass. My wife voiced support for this event last year so I wanted to make sure we participated - she's a great driver and enjoys it very much, but doesn't ask very often to get behind the wheel. Shout out to Mrs. @suprarx7nut for leading this group. Sally and Andy ran tail gunner for which I'm very grateful - more on that later...
Most of you probably heard @suprarx7nut say it during the raffle, but the ladies killed it - my wife handled those water crossings like a boss and gained a TON of confidence on this run. Once again, scenery was amazing.
Most of you probably heard @suprarx7nut say it during the raffle, but the ladies killed it - my wife handled those water crossings like a boss and gained a TON of confidence on this run. Once again, scenery was amazing.
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Stony Pass, Continued
After a long, beautiful day - DRAMA! We were off the trail, just a few minutes outside Silverton when the driver-front tire blew. No patching this bad boy.
Catastrophic failure...so much for blowing off Preventative Maintenance. In all seriousness, I thought the tires would hold up through the trip and I could purchase when I got home.
Thanks to Andy Lewien and Sally, our trip tailgunners, for taking care of us. Andy basically didn't let me do anything...not because I didn't have the tools to fix, but because he's that kind of guy.
This happened around 4 pm. I run 285/75/16 BFG ATs and I had a 1 year old spare in the stock location. Quick change, but I didn't want to wheel without a spare. I started working the phone while the Mrs. got us back to camp and found that Discount Tires in Durango could take care of me. Nick at Discount Tire tells me, "I have 13 tires in stock and you don't need an appointment for me to get them on the truck, but you gotta get here by 6 pm." I left HIH HQ at 4:40 pm - don't ask me about speed or road etiquette, but I pulled into the tire shop at 5:50 pm...guys busted their asses and had me out of there at 7 pm. Shout out to Nick and A-Aron (who had a sweet 4BT converted FJ-60 at the shop) for getting me back in the game.
I went ahead and just bought 4 tires and put the spare back under the truck. The commonality / availability of BFGs in a standard size at major retailers is a reason I will continue to run this tire size/combo.
After a long, beautiful day - DRAMA! We were off the trail, just a few minutes outside Silverton when the driver-front tire blew. No patching this bad boy.
Catastrophic failure...so much for blowing off Preventative Maintenance. In all seriousness, I thought the tires would hold up through the trip and I could purchase when I got home.
Thanks to Andy Lewien and Sally, our trip tailgunners, for taking care of us. Andy basically didn't let me do anything...not because I didn't have the tools to fix, but because he's that kind of guy.
This happened around 4 pm. I run 285/75/16 BFG ATs and I had a 1 year old spare in the stock location. Quick change, but I didn't want to wheel without a spare. I started working the phone while the Mrs. got us back to camp and found that Discount Tires in Durango could take care of me. Nick at Discount Tire tells me, "I have 13 tires in stock and you don't need an appointment for me to get them on the truck, but you gotta get here by 6 pm." I left HIH HQ at 4:40 pm - don't ask me about speed or road etiquette, but I pulled into the tire shop at 5:50 pm...guys busted their asses and had me out of there at 7 pm. Shout out to Nick and A-Aron (who had a sweet 4BT converted FJ-60 at the shop) for getting me back in the game.
I went ahead and just bought 4 tires and put the spare back under the truck. The commonality / availability of BFGs in a standard size at major retailers is a reason I will continue to run this tire size/combo.
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7/27 - Ophir to Telluride (family day)
Kids (3.5 / 2 yrs ) were doing great but getting a little spent from so much car time. Hopped into @bluecruiser 's biking run to Telluride so we could spend some time as a family there.
Stopped to at the Ophir Lemonade stand on the way back to camp (gotta support the locals) and took a few Columbine pictures. Ended up being the accidental trail leader for most of the morning group on the way back. Think I did alright
Kids (3.5 / 2 yrs ) were doing great but getting a little spent from so much car time. Hopped into @bluecruiser 's biking run to Telluride so we could spend some time as a family there.
Stopped to at the Ophir Lemonade stand on the way back to camp (gotta support the locals) and took a few Columbine pictures. Ended up being the accidental trail leader for most of the morning group on the way back. Think I did alright
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bluecruiser
SILVER Star
Bump. Thank you guys for all the love this year. My recap below.
UPDATE:
I think that @paflytyer really hit it on the head with, "Wow!" For me, this year, there were a lot of them.
Wow - We are always blown away when people actually show up and this year was the biggest event yet.
Wow - I did not know I could stand for about 20 straight hours on opening day/night in my slides (sandals for the less trendy).
Wow - I realized that drinking tasty beverages most of a a day (opening day) can actually catch up with you toward the end of the night.
Wow - Always blown away by the support of our vendors. They show up, have fun, and help us with everything. @woody was setting up chairs and tables, @gamiviti and Mike (BIOR) for an awesome opening night, @justdifferentials having a good time chatting everyone up and making the coffee & ladies wine night happen, @Riverrunner setting up a cigar session for a ton of people, @suprarx7nut sponsoring the ladies run, @benc as usual, bringing the thunder on raffle night and just being an overall nice guy, @kelly saad providing us all a look at his cool TRD blue 100 Series/building the cool map (not many people saw, but it was rad) and @neilsen100 thanks for fixing bikes (including my POS) and for providing a sweet Diamondback MTB in the raffle!.............I could go on and do not mean to exclude anyone.....THANK YOU ALL
Wow - I did not realize that @Ramathorn15 could literally break his truck every year
Wow - I didn't realize that pulling together new trails each night was going to consist of going through cases of @smakee 's beer supply
Wow - @geanes is a legit hero. Thanks for all the help Golden Gary!
Wow - Guys from Texas really like the snow (Snow Cowboys!!!)
Wow - I did not realize that serving pulled pork to 340-350 people would end of being a 7 beverage activity.....loved it!!
LAST ONE.
WOW - We did it again. A safe, fun trip to one of the best places on the planet. Met tons of new friends, talked with a lot of old long time friends, received a TON of awesome feedback and most importantly I am pretty sure that I had the shortest shorts at the event(you're welcome).
Big thanks to @Berney2000 for putting up with us!!!
Holding a spot for me to share my feelings and sub par photos
7/28-29
Had a lazy morning breaking down camp and saying goodbye to old friends and new friends (@aging fleet ) alike. Headed up to Palisade for some fruit picking with the kids and then back to Denver on 7/29. My kids managed to pick 10 pounds of apricots and would have kept going had we not stopped them! Made it home and picked up my pup who was with us last year - unfortunately age and failing health prevented him from coming with, but he was happy to see us when we got back.
All in all great trip!
Had a lazy morning breaking down camp and saying goodbye to old friends and new friends (@aging fleet ) alike. Headed up to Palisade for some fruit picking with the kids and then back to Denver on 7/29. My kids managed to pick 10 pounds of apricots and would have kept going had we not stopped them! Made it home and picked up my pup who was with us last year - unfortunately age and failing health prevented him from coming with, but he was happy to see us when we got back.
All in all great trip!
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Pskhaat
Tourer
WTF actually happened there? Total and complete sidewall failure? The tread does not look so incredibly old that that could happen!
Final thoughts in no particular order:
@bluecruiser and @paflytyer have built an incredible event. The people we've met the last two years are incredibly friendly, knowledgeable, interesting, and generally pleasant to be around. As for me and my family, we hope that this event continues on and that we can attend every one going forward. Next year will be our third in a row, lord willing.
For those that haven't attended, the event can be whatever you want - low-key family affair, hardcore wheeling event, late night whiskey drinking event, etc. Your vehicle doesn't really need to be built to play - a mechanically sound vehicle with all terrain tires will allow you to do everything but the Wall, which I think wasn't even open this year.
Shout out to Carl @ Nitro for the coffee - you are a lifesaver!
I didn't experience any real issues with CB, but if we go to GMRS I'm cool with that. I happen to think GMRS would be a lot more accessible than HAM for most people.
Potentially controversial thought here - go back to a single raffle ticket. Increase registration by $20 and peel that off as a donation to Silverton instead of flooding the raffle pool with a second ticket.
Overall this is such a great event - run by great people pouring their everything into it to make sure people have a great time. Really special thing and I consider myself lucky to have been a part of it the last 2 years.
Looking forward to Number 10!
@bluecruiser and @paflytyer have built an incredible event. The people we've met the last two years are incredibly friendly, knowledgeable, interesting, and generally pleasant to be around. As for me and my family, we hope that this event continues on and that we can attend every one going forward. Next year will be our third in a row, lord willing.
For those that haven't attended, the event can be whatever you want - low-key family affair, hardcore wheeling event, late night whiskey drinking event, etc. Your vehicle doesn't really need to be built to play - a mechanically sound vehicle with all terrain tires will allow you to do everything but the Wall, which I think wasn't even open this year.
Shout out to Carl @ Nitro for the coffee - you are a lifesaver!
I didn't experience any real issues with CB, but if we go to GMRS I'm cool with that. I happen to think GMRS would be a lot more accessible than HAM for most people.
Potentially controversial thought here - go back to a single raffle ticket. Increase registration by $20 and peel that off as a donation to Silverton instead of flooding the raffle pool with a second ticket.
Overall this is such a great event - run by great people pouring their everything into it to make sure people have a great time. Really special thing and I consider myself lucky to have been a part of it the last 2 years.
Looking forward to Number 10!
Yeah, multiple sidewall failure points. Tires were of unknown age/mileage as they were on the truck when I purchased it in 2016. I was running about 20 PSI, so not terrible low and we didn't beat on them too hard during the run. I'm not sure what happened.
Kyle, great trip report, and it was awesome meeting you, the PA guys (Clayton & Nate), Matt (the most helpful neighbor ever), and the New Mexico crew back in the corner (John, not sure how many trucks were back there with you).
I'm still not sure how I missed bourbon night.
Believe this was Mineral Creek
@Austin Hot Shoe
@MGarland
@smakee, thanks for taking this shot (this is one of only a few that I'm actually in)
@Austin Hot Shoe
@MGarland
@smakee, thanks for taking this shot (this is one of only a few that I'm actually in)
subb'ed
Somebodyelse5
16124-75030
Quick FYI here for everyone, GMRS still requires a license from the FCC to operate... there is no test required but you still need to file ($) and apply for the license.
The HAM tech license test is really not hard, and is definitely worth it (cost is $30 typically)... Most mobile rigs run in the 2m/70cm band, and repeaters for them are very common and can get you some incredible range. A handheld/mobile GMRS rig will cost about the same as a moderate handheld/mobile 2m/70cm rig, but the 2m/70cm rig will work in a frequency range that has a lot more activity and repeater support...plus the digital modes offered by Yaesu and ICOM are REALLY cool (think encrypted comms for your group). GMRS can technically have repeaters, but there isn't the hobbyist communist backing it, so they are far far less common.
During most of the runs, as long as someone was using a dedicated mobile rig, we were able to hear them... we could hear Brad all weekend chatting it up on 146.46 MHz and it was great being in the loop the whole time. The Baofeng UV-5R radios are cheap (albeit a bit junk) but are great for coms around camp and car to car, can receive really well (transmitting is not always the best), and can still be connected up to repeaters if you want. Great way to get into the hobby and start playing with a radio.
If that hasn't sold you yet... look up APRS... live data packets sent at defined intervals with whatever message you like along with GPS, heading, speed, altitude... it's like twitter with radios. The entire trip for HIH I had one of my bands kicking out APRS data for family watching at home to make sure we were safe. You can also use it to send texts car to car... and in digital modes you can define a group and watch each other's relative location
Here are APRS tracks from the 5 days in silverton:
APRS beacon example, from near the top of Ophir:
Here is the FTM-400 kicking out altitude plots (hard to see, camera setting were based on outside, just happened to get the radio in the shot):
If it's not clear at this point... I really like radios and I think everyone should get into HAM because it is fun
