My wife and I were in the Estes Park/RMNP area of Colorado this weekend. I was hoping to find a very mild drive we did a couple of years ago but I couldn't find it in any of the off-road trail books I have. So I guessed that it might be one called Pierson Park Rd which was in an older off-road book I have. Not a good idea. Lessons learned (this if for novice off roaders, not the advanced and somewhat crazy folks to "explored" Moab this past August!).
- Note. I was alone with my wife. No one to help us out if something went awry.
- The resources I had on the trail were from nearly 10 years ago. I failed to get up to date info
- Pierson Park was not the very easy trail we had driven a couple of years ago. I recognized that almost immediately and should have turned around then and there.
- The trail was "moderate" but doable. The description in the book described a steep, winding downhill section that would be OK if you were going downhill. Much more difficult if going uphill. I almost turned around before reaching that point but decided to press forward. As it was, we descended that downhill section with no issues - 4L, S1 piece of cake. I did tell my wife that I was glad I didn't have to climb up that section!
- A mile or so later and only a couple miles to the end we ran into a problem. A landslide had washed out the road in 2013. Though likely passable by mountain bike or ATV (and possibly by an LC) we did not know what lay ahead. So - we had to turn back. Lesson: Never assume that there will not be a "surprise" on the trail - even near the end.
- Turning back meant I needed to go up that steep, curving, rocky 1/4 mile portion I had come down. Ouch.
- Crawl mode to the rescue. Man I love this truck! All I had to do was find and steer the line. Crawl control took care of the rest. Of course the ~33" tires and the very modest lift helped. And this wasn't my first off road drive. But, still, being able to let Crawl control do its thing while I studied and steered the line was awesome.
So in summary (just imagine me beating these into my foolish head).
- Don't drive a trail without doing your research
- Drive with a buddy
- If in doubt, turn around
- When you have to get through, thank God you have a Land Cruiser!
And, hey, it was a beautiful day! (And as it was, there was no body damage. Just a few more pinstripes.)
- Note. I was alone with my wife. No one to help us out if something went awry.
- The resources I had on the trail were from nearly 10 years ago. I failed to get up to date info
- Pierson Park was not the very easy trail we had driven a couple of years ago. I recognized that almost immediately and should have turned around then and there.
- The trail was "moderate" but doable. The description in the book described a steep, winding downhill section that would be OK if you were going downhill. Much more difficult if going uphill. I almost turned around before reaching that point but decided to press forward. As it was, we descended that downhill section with no issues - 4L, S1 piece of cake. I did tell my wife that I was glad I didn't have to climb up that section!
- A mile or so later and only a couple miles to the end we ran into a problem. A landslide had washed out the road in 2013. Though likely passable by mountain bike or ATV (and possibly by an LC) we did not know what lay ahead. So - we had to turn back. Lesson: Never assume that there will not be a "surprise" on the trail - even near the end.
- Turning back meant I needed to go up that steep, curving, rocky 1/4 mile portion I had come down. Ouch.
- Crawl mode to the rescue. Man I love this truck! All I had to do was find and steer the line. Crawl control took care of the rest. Of course the ~33" tires and the very modest lift helped. And this wasn't my first off road drive. But, still, being able to let Crawl control do its thing while I studied and steered the line was awesome.
So in summary (just imagine me beating these into my foolish head).
- Don't drive a trail without doing your research
- Drive with a buddy
- If in doubt, turn around
- When you have to get through, thank God you have a Land Cruiser!
And, hey, it was a beautiful day! (And as it was, there was no body damage. Just a few more pinstripes.)