Cruiserdrew
On the way there
Right...
Jarbidge or Bust - "Overlanding" Nevada 2015
- Thread starter FJ60Cam
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We opted to eliminate the official Jarbidge campground on the north side of town. Somehow, the thought of camping at a "developed" campground on our last night just didn't seem right. Some of us, Alex and I mostly 
, had our sites set on some place au naturale and preferably with a view. Since we were at the bottom of the Jarbidge Canyon that pretty much ruled out anything, well, in the canyon .
I took a looksie at Tom's Nevada Benchmark map and saw a couple different trails from near Jarbidge town center that would lead us up to a bench above the canyon with presumably a 360 degree view of the surrounding area including the Jarbidge mountain range.
When you go to Jarbidge you will discover dozens if not hundreds of trails on the map leading in every direction. Some if not most of these trails are long gone, overgrown or turned over to private ownership. We couldn't, from the driver's seats, really tell which trails led to someone's cabin from one that might lead us up and over to the bench where we wanted to explore for camp night.
, had our sites set on some place au naturale and preferably with a view. Since we were at the bottom of the Jarbidge Canyon that pretty much ruled out anything, well, in the canyon .I took a looksie at Tom's Nevada Benchmark map and saw a couple different trails from near Jarbidge town center that would lead us up to a bench above the canyon with presumably a 360 degree view of the surrounding area including the Jarbidge mountain range.
When you go to Jarbidge you will discover dozens if not hundreds of trails on the map leading in every direction. Some if not most of these trails are long gone, overgrown or turned over to private ownership. We couldn't, from the driver's seats, really tell which trails led to someone's cabin from one that might lead us up and over to the bench where we wanted to explore for camp night.
Loving the write up. It is making me nostalgic for when Dan, my wife and I traveled that area. Of course our weather was nicer, which only took us three years of trying before the weather was decent enough to head into that part of the world.
Looking forward to the rest of the story.
Jack
Looking forward to the rest of the story.
Jack
We, for whatever reason I can't say or remember, passed up what apparently was the main US Forest Service "road"...really a trail...and instead cruised to another even narrower trail that jived with one on the map that would also, after climbing out of another drainage/smaller canyon lead us up to the bench we desired for the ultimate last night's camp spot.
I was unsure which direction to go and Tom decided to be the guinea pig, of sorts, and forged ahead on the narrow shelf like trail.
Hmmm...I forgot to mention it appeared as if nothing wider than a pair of sneakers had been down portions of the trail in, oh, maybe 25-years...possibly 50. I followed Tom, since I seem to love bushwacking narrow, overgrown trails...with a propensity and relayed via 2M for everyone else to hang back until we could verify the trail actually went where we thought we wanted to go. Check, check.
I was unsure which direction to go and Tom decided to be the guinea pig, of sorts, and forged ahead on the narrow shelf like trail.
Hmmm...I forgot to mention it appeared as if nothing wider than a pair of sneakers had been down portions of the trail in, oh, maybe 25-years...possibly 50
. I followed Tom, since I seem to love bushwacking narrow, overgrown trails...with a propensity and relayed via 2M for everyone else to hang back until we could verify the trail actually went where we thought we wanted to go. Check, check.
I think Alex brought his chainsaw but it was getting late enough in the day I decided to completely ignore large branches carving new aero grooves in my Autohome Columbus RTT...not to mention even more Toyota OEM primer, yes I'm mostly down to primer or worse after 10-years and about 150,000 miles of exploring the most remote, overgrown Nevada trails with my good friends Jack & Darcie aka Locrwln above (it was mostly Jack & Darcie's choice of narrow, remote and overgrown trails that urged us on...most of the time...haha). Check, check.
Tom was a couple hundred yards ahead of me and reminiscent of the mud-fest I got ourselves into not even 24-hours earlier Tom came back, after I asked for about the thousandth time if he could punch through the trail, "no bueno" or something to that effect. Tom was in a pinch. A big pinch. The kinda pinch that leaves a nasty stain from sucking up your Fruit of the Loomers
.
I got out of the spressoWAGON and walked up to Tom, with Andy, Pasquale and Alex right behind me. Tom had managed to get his front wheels past a nasty spot where the trail had mostly eroded. Eroded down about 100-yards over a steep 90 degree cliff of rock and a little, key word "little" plant life. Nothing more than rock ball bearings to anchor any tire rolling over it for a second time: Front or rear's no matter.s
And it was Tom's side, the driver's side, that had a birds eye view of the downside of this precarious teeter-totter.
Tom was a couple hundred yards ahead of me and reminiscent of the mud-fest I got ourselves into not even 24-hours earlier Tom came back, after I asked for about the thousandth time if he could punch through the trail, "no bueno" or something to that effect. Tom was in a pinch. A big pinch. The kinda pinch that leaves a nasty stain from sucking up your Fruit of the Loomers
.I got out of the spressoWAGON and walked up to Tom, with Andy, Pasquale and Alex right behind me. Tom had managed to get his front wheels past a nasty spot where the trail had mostly eroded. Eroded down about 100-yards over a steep 90 degree cliff of rock and a little, key word "little" plant life. Nothing more than rock ball bearings to anchor any tire rolling over it for a second time: Front or rear's no matter.s
And it was Tom's side, the driver's side, that had a birds eye view of the downside of this precarious teeter-totter.
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Tom, ever so carefully got himself and Clive, his chocolate Lab, out of the 80-Series. We decided we'd take a little break and walk the trail through, you know just in case we could get ALL the rigs across this perilous spot in the trail, and get up and out of the canyon...to that golden campsite high up on the bench. Check, check.
About another 200-300 yards the trail terminated at a foot bridge. Yes a footbridge. But a very deluxe foot bridge. And one over an incredibly beautiful and high flowing water fall! Obviously the map was wrong.
Back to Tom's truck and how to keep it from becoming part of the landscape. We all had ideas how to get him out. Unfortunately most of them were not worthy ideas. We basically had nothing to anchor his winch to the front. The tight trail was straight up on Tom's passenger side and straight down on the driver's. No bueno.
After what seemed like a couple hours of deliberation all of us pointed at Andy, the most experienced and logical choice, to craft a recovery plan
But the most challenging aspect of any recovery of Tom and his 80-Series: It really didn't appear the rig could safely go forward OR reverse. This is what Andy calls a "totally sketch place to be".
About another 200-300 yards the trail terminated at a foot bridge. Yes a footbridge. But a very deluxe foot bridge. And one over an incredibly beautiful and high flowing water fall! Obviously the map was wrong.
Back to Tom's truck and how to keep it from becoming part of the landscape. We all had ideas how to get him out. Unfortunately most of them were not worthy ideas. We basically had nothing to anchor his winch to the front. The tight trail was straight up on Tom's passenger side and straight down on the driver's. No bueno.
After what seemed like a couple hours of deliberation all of us pointed at Andy, the most experienced and logical choice, to craft a recovery plan
But the most challenging aspect of any recovery of Tom and his 80-Series: It really didn't appear the rig could safely go forward OR reverse. This is what Andy calls a "totally sketch place to be"
.
Cruiserdrew
On the way there
Yes-this was a very bad place. The outside track was mud/soil cracking away from the edge. Inside tires headed uphill, which was guaranteed to flip the truck over the edge. The shelf road was 0.75 x 80 series wide. The creek was raging 100 feet straight down the cliff in the canyon bottom. We were ready for dinner. WTF??? Yep, it was sketchy enough that the recovery would have to be with Tom out of the truck.
Andy, Tom and Pasquale I think decided, since we basically had zilch to anchor to, to wrap a long tree saver strap around a hundred or so willow saplings. Tom's winch line was unspooled and connected via a screw shackle to this outcropping of saplings. We thought, since there was just enough width in the trail at the terminus, right before the trail entered the water fall...just above the deluxe foot bridge, we'd get his rear wheels winched safely past the death crevice and then get him turned around so we could do it again. But again driving forward instead of backing up in reverse. Check, check.
The first several millimeters of winch line pull in gave us hope. But at the 4th millimeter of forward progress the saplings decided they weren't up to the task. Damn.
Andy or maybe Pasquale spotted a large boulder I could hopefully, using a snatch block, and all of our winch extension lines (yes all the same winch extensions and gear we used yesterday, not even 24-hours, to extricate me, et al from the death clay) to hopefully pull Tom's 80 a foot or so away from the crumbling trail edge.
We didn't know if the boulder would be heavy enough to serve as an anchor or not. And the bitch of it: This large boulder was situated right above Tom's 80! But it was our only option. Our ONLY option.
Pasquale, Tom and Andy I think climbed up the loose near vertical slope to size up the boulder. Wrapping 2-tree saver straps I think...then a winch extension line down to the snatch block and back to my winch line might just work. But we'd need to test the integrity of the boulder very patiently/slowly to be sure we didn't decorate Tom's 80 with an equally large size chunk of granite.
Andy or maybe Pasquale spotted a large boulder I could hopefully, using a snatch block, and all of our winch extension lines (yes all the same winch extensions and gear we used yesterday, not even 24-hours, to extricate me, et al from the death clay) to hopefully pull Tom's 80 a foot or so away from the crumbling trail edge.
We didn't know if the boulder would be heavy enough to serve as an anchor or not. And the bitch of it: This large boulder was situated right above Tom's 80! But it was our only option. Our ONLY option.
Pasquale, Tom and Andy I think climbed up the loose near vertical slope to size up the boulder. Wrapping 2-tree saver straps I think...then a winch extension line down to the snatch block and back to my winch line might just work. But we'd need to test the integrity of the boulder very patiently/slowly to be sure we didn't decorate Tom's 80 with an equally large size chunk of granite.
Cruiserdrew
On the way there
So we unloaded Tom's truck. Tom, Clive(the dog), all of Tom's computers and electronic gear. None of us could stand near Tom's truck because if the anchor boulder shifted, it would crush the truck and the people. The boulder was the size of a truck. And it was a part of a rock avalanche. It was already sliding down hill.
We actually tried a backwards recovery first-Tom just slid further out on the edge. Plan B (or C) involved the truck killing boulder up the slope.
We had to reroute the tree saver to the saplings a couple of times, but each time we would winch, the saplings would pull out of the ground and head toward Tom's truck. But we were making a few inches of progress.
We actually tried a backwards recovery first-Tom just slid further out on the edge. Plan B (or C) involved the truck killing boulder up the slope.
We had to reroute the tree saver to the saplings a couple of times, but each time we would winch, the saplings would pull out of the ground and head toward Tom's truck. But we were making a few inches of progress.
So we got all the recovery gear, snatch block, etc. attached to the big boulder. We put a little tension on Tom's truck using his winch to the hundred not-so-well rooted saplings. No other choice. When you only have two choices and one is terrible you lean toward the other
Everyone was cleared out of the path of potential destruction and Andy, within sight distance to me gave me clear "tap-tap-tap" winch-in commands. So far so good. Pasquale and Alex were at the top with 2M HTT in hand to radio to me whether or not the boulder would remain steadfast to the avy debris field.
With each tap-tap-tap of my winch-in button the rear of Tom's LC nudged slowly forward and up hill as intended. And the boulder anchor remained solid. The trail god's were finally on our side.
But wait! The tension I was providing from my winch, through Tom's bumper anchor to the tree saver wrapped boulder up the steep slope started to uproot the saplings again from their shallow perch...thus requiring Andy and Tom to once again re-wrap to provide a just enough anchor to finally enable us to move Tom's truck forward.
Everyone was cleared out of the path of potential destruction and Andy, within sight distance to me gave me clear "tap-tap-tap" winch-in commands. So far so good. Pasquale and Alex were at the top with 2M HTT in hand to radio to me whether or not the boulder would remain steadfast to the avy debris field.
With each tap-tap-tap of my winch-in button the rear of Tom's LC nudged slowly forward and up hill as intended. And the boulder anchor remained solid. The trail god's were finally on our side.
But wait! The tension I was providing from my winch, through Tom's bumper anchor to the tree saver wrapped boulder up the steep slope started to uproot the saplings again from their shallow perch...thus requiring Andy and Tom to once again re-wrap to provide a just enough anchor to finally enable us to move Tom's truck forward.
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With each 3-4" of winch/Tom's truck progress Tom would need to carefully get back in his LC to move the steering wheel one way or the other to keep the truck on the trajectory we wanted. It was tedious...and all the more so given it was now late in the day and we were thinking of dinner and...more beer.
But eventually we were able to get Tom's 80 winched safely across the crumbling trail section where he drove to the end of the trail, got it turned around and was able to drive safely past and on out.
Since I was using nearly all my winch line and once Tom's truck started making forward progress I completely forgot I was basically spooled out. Fortunately when my winch line snapped off the drum Tom was already safely across the precipice. A small price to pay for safely extricating Tom and his 80!!! Once I got to Omaha it was a quick and easy winch line repair and spool back so no harm done.
Thanks to Pasquale and his expert guidance I was able to get my 100 backed up the 1/2 mile or so of tight, tree overhanging, twisting cliff edge trail. Once we were all safely back to the main Jarbidge Road it was time to finally determine just where we were going to spend our last night's camp.
But there was still Alex and my desire to NOT camp at a developed campground but to try to gain some elevation and camp higher.
To be continued tomorrow...
But eventually we were able to get Tom's 80 winched safely across the crumbling trail section where he drove to the end of the trail, got it turned around and was able to drive safely past and on out.
Since I was using nearly all my winch line and once Tom's truck started making forward progress I completely forgot I was basically spooled out. Fortunately when my winch line snapped off the drum Tom was already safely across the precipice. A small price to pay for safely extricating Tom and his 80!!! Once I got to Omaha it was a quick and easy winch line repair and spool back so no harm done.
Thanks to Pasquale and his expert guidance I was able to get my 100 backed up the 1/2 mile or so of tight, tree overhanging, twisting cliff edge trail. Once we were all safely back to the main Jarbidge Road it was time to finally determine just where we were going to spend our last night's camp.
But there was still Alex and my desire to NOT camp at a developed campground but to try to gain some elevation and camp higher.
To be continued tomorrow...
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Cruiserdrew
On the way there
So what spressomon didn't see, because he was in his truck and thankfully on the winch control, was exactly how we steered Tom's truck on the shelf road. I found Tom's last piece of recovery gear. A 10 foot chain. All of his shackles, straps, winch extensions, bibles and TP were already in use. I wrapped the chain around the steering wheel and by leaning in through the passenger side window, while anxiously looking uphill directly over my head at the massive boulder anchoring all this non-sense, I could steer the truck, or at least keep it from turning off the cliff. The passenger side was a no fly zone, both because of the drop and because if the truck shifted even a few inches, it would push you off the cliff. Really, it was that sketchy.
When the spool of Dan's winch gave up and surrendered, the truck shifted 6 inches towards the edge in an instant, but we were already over the critical spot and other than the sudden anxiety, all was well. Tom could climb back in through the passenger side and dive forward toward the foot bridge. It looked like just enough room to turn around. So we did just that. A 27 point turn and Tom was pointed back towards righteousness, except he had to cross the 0.75 x 80 series part of the trail. @#$%^!!!
I was so dehydrated at this point I was ready to pass out-hot sun, focused in the canyon, with strenuous activity and my water 1/2 mile away in my truck. And to make it worse, I had forgotten my hat, and my white boy Irish skin was frying on my face. @#$%^!!!
So we got out a shovel. And dug into the rocky core of that canyon. I don't know if it helped or not, but we made the trail 6 inches wider at the critical spot. Tom stacked some Hail Mary rocks on the outside and drove across. No drama this time. We drove the 1/2 mile back to my truck and I drank a liter of warm water in 12.2 seconds. Some of the best ever.
So, it's 7pm, we're exhausted, hungry and have no place to call home. Fortunately, Idaho was just 100 yards up the road...
When the spool of Dan's winch gave up and surrendered, the truck shifted 6 inches towards the edge in an instant, but we were already over the critical spot and other than the sudden anxiety, all was well. Tom could climb back in through the passenger side and dive forward toward the foot bridge. It looked like just enough room to turn around. So we did just that. A 27 point turn and Tom was pointed back towards righteousness, except he had to cross the 0.75 x 80 series part of the trail. @#$%^!!!
I was so dehydrated at this point I was ready to pass out-hot sun, focused in the canyon, with strenuous activity and my water 1/2 mile away in my truck. And to make it worse, I had forgotten my hat, and my white boy Irish skin was frying on my face. @#$%^!!!
So we got out a shovel. And dug into the rocky core of that canyon. I don't know if it helped or not, but we made the trail 6 inches wider at the critical spot. Tom stacked some Hail Mary rocks on the outside and drove across. No drama this time. We drove the 1/2 mile back to my truck and I drank a liter of warm water in 12.2 seconds. Some of the best ever.
So, it's 7pm, we're exhausted, hungry and have no place to call home. Fortunately, Idaho was just 100 yards up the road...
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TrickyT
Hate that mud...
Spressoman's and cruiserdrew's recall is spot on. Here's the list of recovery gear I carry:
Viking winch line: 100', 12,300 lbs WLL
Warn snatch block
Black Rat snatch strap, 19,800 lbs WLL
ARB 3" tree strap
5 Bow shackles w/ 3/4" pins, 36,000 lbs
Amsteel Blue 75' 5/16" winch extension
Yellow dichromate chain, 3/8" 26,400 lbs
We used _all_ of this plus a snatch strap from Dan (or maybe it was Andy's), plus Dan's winch with 100' of line, plus a shovel and a whole bunch of hands to lift and stack rocks.
I was very thankful to have the collective wisdom of this very experienced group of adventurers. We talked and planed the best approach out of my predicament, doubled checked our decisions and considered other options, and executed the plan slowly and methodically. The best possible outcome occurred. In the end all I had to do was pack up all my recovery gear. It could have turned out much worse. Also (and Dan noted this above) we all had 2m radios, and so even though Dan was in his truck to the rear, Pasquale and Alex were up on the side of the mountain, Andy was in front and I was [somewhere], we could all stay in touch and coordinated. I winched in 3" with my winch and Dan simultaneously winched 3" out with his while Andy watched the outside edge of the trail and I decided where to place the front tires. Repeat, repeat, repeat. In the end it was probably only a matter of 2 - 3' of trail that was 0.75 of an '80 width too narrow, but it took an hour or more to cover that distance. After I turned around at the foot bridge and came back up to the same spot, a bunch of rocks and good spotting by Andy made the reverse traversal almost a no-brainer.
Viking winch line: 100', 12,300 lbs WLL
Warn snatch block
Black Rat snatch strap, 19,800 lbs WLL
ARB 3" tree strap
5 Bow shackles w/ 3/4" pins, 36,000 lbs
Amsteel Blue 75' 5/16" winch extension
Yellow dichromate chain, 3/8" 26,400 lbs
We used _all_ of this plus a snatch strap from Dan (or maybe it was Andy's), plus Dan's winch with 100' of line, plus a shovel and a whole bunch of hands to lift and stack rocks.
I was very thankful to have the collective wisdom of this very experienced group of adventurers. We talked and planed the best approach out of my predicament, doubled checked our decisions and considered other options, and executed the plan slowly and methodically. The best possible outcome occurred. In the end all I had to do was pack up all my recovery gear. It could have turned out much worse. Also (and Dan noted this above) we all had 2m radios, and so even though Dan was in his truck to the rear, Pasquale and Alex were up on the side of the mountain, Andy was in front and I was [somewhere], we could all stay in touch and coordinated. I winched in 3" with my winch and Dan simultaneously winched 3" out with his while Andy watched the outside edge of the trail and I decided where to place the front tires. Repeat, repeat, repeat. In the end it was probably only a matter of 2 - 3' of trail that was 0.75 of an '80 width too narrow, but it took an hour or more to cover that distance. After I turned around at the foot bridge and came back up to the same spot, a bunch of rocks and good spotting by Andy made the reverse traversal almost a no-brainer.
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So there we were, back to Jarbidge Road, trying to figure out where we were going to camp. Andy, and rightfully so given what we all just endured...not to mention the day was getting along and the last thing we needed was to be setting up camp in the dark (again), wanted to just dive in and camp at the developed campground located on the north side of the town of Jarbidge.
Alex and I had a very different idea. We put our heads together, looked at the map and told the group it looked like, just beyond the convergence of the West Fork of the Jarbidge and the East Fork of the Jarbidge rivers, there was a wide open basin, as defined by incredibly wide contours on the Benchmark map, just to the north of the rivers convergence.
Of course we didn't know how we'd get across these two raging rivers but we'd cross that bridge when we came to it. And the group bought off on the idea albeit with a reticent Andy who just wanted to camp. And camp soon.
Once we started rolling down Jarbidge Road we opted to give the public campground one more looksie. We all agreed, except for maybe Andy, it was just too depressing especially for our last night...and a last night in such an enchanted land. Enchanted land found high atop that plateau bench we were trying to get to. BTW this bench was only about 2-miles as the crow flies...but Land Cruisers can't.
Alex and I had a very different idea
. We put our heads together, looked at the map and told the group it looked like, just beyond the convergence of the West Fork of the Jarbidge and the East Fork of the Jarbidge rivers, there was a wide open basin, as defined by incredibly wide contours on the Benchmark map, just to the north of the rivers convergence. Of course we didn't know how we'd get across these two raging rivers but we'd cross that bridge when we came to it. And the group bought off on the idea albeit with a reticent Andy who just wanted to camp. And camp soon.
Once we started rolling down Jarbidge Road we opted to give the public campground one more looksie. We all agreed, except for maybe Andy, it was just too depressing especially for our last night...and a last night in such an enchanted land. Enchanted land found high atop that plateau bench we were trying to get to. BTW this bench was only about 2-miles as the crow flies...but Land Cruisers can't
.
We all rolled down the beautiful and winding gravel road that traced the path of the north flowing Jarbidge River.
Sidebar: I don't think I, Cameron nor anyone else mentioned heretofore, we were indeed in the land of NORTH flowing rivers. The Owyhee, the Bruneau, the Jarbidge and all their many tributaries all flow NORTH! You see this watershed is actually not apart of the Great Basin. These waters collectively flow NORTH into what eventually becomes the Snake River and then all terminus into the Columbia River. Yes, THAT mighty Columbia river drainage that flows out to the Pacific ocean just beyond Portland Oregon!
The other crazy thing to know: Before all the dams were built within the Columbia and Snake river canyons salmon, yes SALMON, following migratory paths within these waters for thousands if not tens of thousands of years, migrated all the way into these same Northern Nevada waters of the Owhyee, Bruneau and the Jarbidge river systems that we spent the last fews days along, across and sometimes within.
In fact, a little later in our story, the road out to Hwy 93 takes us far to the north. Far to the north because of yet another large water drainage named Salmon Creek! Get it? SALMON CREEK!
Sidebar: I don't think I, Cameron nor anyone else mentioned heretofore, we were indeed in the land of NORTH flowing rivers. The Owyhee, the Bruneau, the Jarbidge and all their many tributaries all flow NORTH! You see this watershed is actually not apart of the Great Basin. These waters collectively flow NORTH into what eventually becomes the Snake River and then all terminus into the Columbia River. Yes, THAT mighty Columbia river drainage that flows out to the Pacific ocean just beyond Portland Oregon!
The other crazy thing to know: Before all the dams were built within the Columbia and Snake river canyons salmon, yes SALMON, following migratory paths within these waters for thousands if not tens of thousands of years, migrated all the way into these same Northern Nevada waters of the Owhyee, Bruneau and the Jarbidge river systems that we spent the last fews days along, across and sometimes within.
In fact, a little later in our story, the road out to Hwy 93 takes us far to the north. Far to the north because of yet another large water drainage named Salmon Creek! Get it? SALMON CREEK!
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So we arrive to what Alex, me and the rest of the group we've sold this 'bill of goods' to, think will be this magical spot just on the other side of the confluence of the two Jarbidge Rivers. And although we probably will still be too low to be able to see the alpenglow on the Jarbidge Mountain Range surely we'd be, since we studied the map so intently, able to get a magnificent view to the north and west. This would be much, much better than camping within the steep Jarbidge canyon. Or so we thought.
At the confluence of the two Jarbidge rivers the river road of same name elbows to the east along the north side of the East Fork of the Jarbidge River. Across the two rivers was rugged wild rough rock strewn walls of yet more canyon. How could our trusted Benchmark map have lied?! But there it was...err there it wasn't, right in front of us: No promised land for our glorious last night's camp in the wilds of Northern Nevada.
But at the road elbow was a nice looking camp spot. And since it was getting late and we were in still fairly remote country the chance of eating dust from a passerby was, well, remote! One problem: Other campers were already set up.
So, having no real other option...other than backtracking to the north side of Jarbidge to the developed campground (Andy's best hopeful wish by the way) we trudged on. I was in the lead...still trying to get us to the top of the bench. But an empty little campground, with super clean pit toilets BTW, just a mile up the East Fork of the Jarbidge River road, was all too tempting for us late in the day boondockers. Well, except for me .
The group stayed behind to 'reserve' the little camp spot and I rolled farther along the gravel road until I came to the enclave named Murphy's Hot Springs. It was here I picked up the Forest Service trail that just another 2-miles lead to that sage covered bench I was trying to get us to. But with a couple canyons between me and the rest of the group scratchy, at best, 2M talk was all but squelched. Or they just turned their radio volume down...to better persuade me NOT to keep chasing the proverbial gold at the end of the rainbow I was searching for...
At the confluence of the two Jarbidge rivers the river road of same name elbows to the east along the north side of the East Fork of the Jarbidge River. Across the two rivers was rugged wild rough rock strewn walls of yet more canyon. How could our trusted Benchmark map have lied?! But there it was...err there it wasn't, right in front of us: No promised land for our glorious last night's camp in the wilds of Northern Nevada.
But at the road elbow was a nice looking camp spot. And since it was getting late and we were in still fairly remote country the chance of eating dust from a passerby was, well, remote! One problem: Other campers were already set up.
So, having no real other option...other than backtracking to the north side of Jarbidge to the developed campground (Andy's best hopeful wish by the way
) we trudged on. I was in the lead...still trying to get us to the top of the bench. But an empty little campground, with super clean pit toilets BTW, just a mile up the East Fork of the Jarbidge River road, was all too tempting for us late in the day boondockers. Well, except for me .The group stayed behind to 'reserve' the little camp spot and I rolled farther along the gravel road until I came to the enclave named Murphy's Hot Springs. It was here I picked up the Forest Service trail that just another 2-miles lead to that sage covered bench I was trying to get us to. But with a couple canyons between me and the rest of the group scratchy, at best, 2M talk was all but squelched. Or they just turned their radio volume down...to better persuade me NOT to keep chasing the proverbial gold at the end of the rainbow I was searching for...
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But boy, when we go back, now I know where the best last night's camp will be! High atop that bench with the incredible sight of the snow covered vertically jutting Jarbidge Mountain Range to the south, all the land we rolled over to the west and damn near a clear view all the way north to Mountain View Idaho or possibly Boise!
But I knew I just couldn't get the group to go even the short 2-miles to where I finally found the perfect spot to stage our last night's camp. So I put all notion of that aside and retreated to the nice little by the side of the road camp spot that promised the nightlong serenade from the East Fork of the Jarbidge River. And you know, that was good enough for me!
But I knew I just couldn't get the group to go even the short 2-miles to where I finally found the perfect spot to stage our last night's camp. So I put all notion of that aside and retreated to the nice little by the side of the road camp spot that promised the nightlong serenade from the East Fork of the Jarbidge River. And you know, that was good enough for me!
Another classic recovery. We've had a bunch of knarly ones over the years.
Here are a couple shots of the precarious situation Tom was in.
Just for the record, i was there to help. I was supplying any labor and... well, there was already plenty of brain power going on there so i just was there for support.
Just for the record, i was there to help. I was supplying any labor and... well, there was already plenty of brain power going on there so i just was there for support.