Next big expedition (2 Viewers)

[Dirty Koala]

Ok guys, here is the plan. This route will limit body damage potential but will be pretty epic.

Thursday afternoon we all meet in Green River, fuel up, have a brief driver's meeting and then haul arse to our campsite in Horseshoe Canyon.

Friday we head out to fuel up in Hanksville then do a loop through Poison Spring Canyon and Fiddler Butte before hitting the blacktop down to BullFrog where we will camp.

Saturday we take the ferry over to Halls Crossing, fuel up and head down HITR.

Sunday we make our way back up HITR, refuel at Halls Crossing and depending on what time we get there make a call to either camp at Halls Crossing or blast up the road towards Bears Ears and camp about 10 miles into the track heading towards Canyonlands.

Monday we travel through Bears Ears, Horse Mountain, Buttler Wash and Canyonlands, exiting back to the blacktop via Elephant Hill and then run the 40 miles back to Moab for dinner.

 

[apinti]

I'm dropping my stuff off at Steve's tomorrow so I'm trying to finalize plans.

We're teaming up for dinner; are we doing the same for breakfast?

I'm assuming samiches for lunch.

Because some of us will be coming through SLC with better access to shopping (e.g., Costco), it would be helpful to get meals/menus planned so we know what to pick up before heading for Moab.

I was under the impression that Steve , Bart and I will be coming to SLC and pick you and Jeff up from the airport. In that case, we all can go to Costco and decide on a plan of action. Is that not the case anymore?

 

[SAS]

Also of fire related note...is there potential for any burn bans along our routes?

Not likely to be active burn bans but we/I can view the BLM/USFS sites and see. Good thing about propane campfires is that they can be used up to/including Stage II fire restrictions (because they are portable devices that include an on/off switch).

is anyone bringing a dog?

Yes!

Is that not the case anymore?

Appears to no longer be the case--see page 11, posts number 214 and 215.

I am bringing a 20# (standard BBQ type) propane tank which can be used to fuel the campfire-in-a-can

Group Meal Preps: Pair/Team me with whomever--I'm flexible.

 

[76FJ40]

I'm not at all familiar with the area; how does Morgan's latest plan above compare to Ben's original plan?

Friends, Romans, Countrymen, Lend me your ears:

Here are the preliminary details for an epic trip to explore UTAH. I am happy to work out a good many of the logistics and do the research on route planning, mapping, etc. Early November should be fantastic weather wise - low 70s/low 40s in Lake Powell, HiTR area and low 60s/low 30s in western CO at end of the Kokopelli.

Dates: Nov 1 - Nov 10th.

Tentative plan:
11/1 - fly into SLC. (Delta, $301 round trip, PHL to SLC, direct flight, arrives 837pm). Overnight in SLC hotel or just outside of SLC.
11/2 - gather supplies, hit the pavement down to start of HOLE IN THE ROCK TRAIL. (maps suggest 5hr45min drive time). Overnight at camp spot at start of HiTR.
11/3 - HiTR trail day 1. Overnight at end of trail or super secret location
11/4 - HiTR trail day 2. Overnight at end of trail or super secret location
11/5 - HiTR trail day 3. Travel to Moab. Camp in Moab.
11/6 - Kokopelli trail day 1.
11/7 - Kokopelli trail day 2.
11/8 - Kokopelli trail day 3, camp near Fruta, CO at end of the trail.
11/9 - pavement from Fruta to SLC. (maps suggest 4hr30min drive time). Private tour of Land Cruiser Heritage Museum Home hopefully led by the famous @cruiserdan. camp in the back of one of the Expedition 7 vehicles inside the museum that still have RTTs mounted to them. Or hotel in SLC.
11/10 - fly out of SLC. (Delta, $301 round trip, SLC to PHL, one stop, departs 11am, arrives 654pm).

For those of you who are driving, you can leave 11/9 am from Fruta, CO to start heading east.

Shipping trucks from Manhiem Auto Auction to SLC will be roughly $2,200 to 2,600 round trip.

We can discuss and fine tune the details and intinerary, but the above plan gives us enough time to tackle two very famous, awesome trails. It's easy to cut off parts of the Kokopelli if needed if we run into problems or @Pacer breaks down. For now, let's lock down the dates and get a preliminary head count of who can make it. I believe we should cap this to a max of 7 trucks.

Please post any comments or feedback and provide a fairly realistic idea if you can make it!

 

[Dirty Koala]

Primary differences:
Old plan you spend all of 11/1 kicking around in the SLC valley (would need to get hotels etc) and all of 11/2 on the blacktop. Then three days on the same 35miles of trail, and then blacktop back to Moab.

New Plan, we hit the road a few hours after landing in SLC...enough time to pick up the trucks and load up on food. That same afternoon we are already on the tracks to a sweet campsite. Most of Friday is running canyon shelf roads and then a short blacktop section to camp. 2 days on HITR, then bears ear mountain passes, buttle wash, Canyonlands and elephant hill back to Moab rather than blacktop. In summary there will be far less blacktop and much more variety of terrain we pass through. Slow crawling sections, high speed sections etc.

 

[SAS]

Here's some disappointing information about Canyonlands NP in general, and Elephant Hill, in particular.

Day-Use Permits - Canyonlands National Park (U.S. National Park Service)

 

[Dirty Koala]

I will call tomorrow to inquire about permits. Canyonlands doesnt allows dogs however...who said they were bringing a dog?

Something to keep in mind, is that each day we will be travelling on some pretty steep terrain with switch backs and lots of cliffs. If you are at all concerned with having your dogs around cliffs I would leave them at home.

 

[Von Hayek]

The other rule that will affect us is group size. We may have to leave in groups of three separated by 30-minute gaps. Good detective work Tracy.

 

[Dirty Koala]

Permits can only be requested within 24 hours of crossing elephant hill. We would be crossing from the backside, so may not be a concern.

 

[DriverRob]

Permits can only be requested within 24 hours of crossing elephant hill. We would be crossing from the backside, so may not be a concern.

It most likely will be a concern. From what I've been told, there are rangers out there specifically checking for permits. It's a highly protected area within the park now.

 

[Dirty Koala]

@Crusha and @fireball rigs have arrived in SLC.

 

[fireball]

Thanks Morgan!!!

Just so you know my preferences so you can finish getting everything ready for my arrival:
93 octane for the tank
Premium carnuba for the wax
Porters and stouts for the fridge!

 

[shmukster]

@Crusha and @fireball rigs have arrived in SLC.
View attachment 1817260

Awesome! I can't wait to hear the trail reports.

 

[Dirty Koala]

Plan is to meet at the Conoco / Gas & Go fuel station in Green River between 3:30 and 4pm Thursday 11/1, it's right as you pop off of I-70.

Coordinates for Gas Station
38.99510, -110.18502

GaiaGPS - Conoco/ Gas & Go Fuel Station

As long as everyone makes it on time we will then proceed 50 miles to camp. If we have delays or issues, then we will move to plan B. Green River is about 2.5hrs drive from SLC valley so you should do your best to hit the road by 1pm MST.

Plan B is to meet in the Moab coffee roasters parking lot. It's on Main St in Moab. And then head down Kane Creek canyon about 6 miles to Hunters Spring Camping area.

Coordinates for Hunters Spring Camp
38.50999 -109.59746

GaiaGPS - Hunters Spring Camping

We will need to keep in contact with each other on Thursday so we know where everyone is at as we get close to 3-3:30. Bob @76FJ40 Did you collect email and cell numbers for everyone? Can you please email that list out to everyone?

 

[Dirty Koala]

Regarding dinner plans, we need to finalize coverage.

Thursday: Bob & Jeff @76FJ40 & @Tikicruiser or if we shift to Plan B we could grab something in Moab.
Friday: Morgan, Ben & Greg @mryanangel , @fireball & @Crusha
Saturday: Steve, Bart & Mitch @TRFCSUX
Sunday: Steve & Tracy @TRFCSUX & @SAS
Monday: Dinner in Moab

 

[TRFCSUX]

I think it was Bob and Jeff (tiki)and then me(Steve) and Bart and prob Mitch. We can do Saturday. And then not to leave out Tracy(sas) I will plan Sunday with him and I can prob talk Bart and or Mitch into helping out. or maybe SAS can get together with Rob and the two of them will prob make the best meal out of all of us.
Too many names right ?

 

[apinti]

I'm game for whatever. Any ideas about what everybody plans on cooking? It will be hilarious if we have chilly for the next 5 days after we get there.

 

[76FJ40]

Regarding dinner plans, we need to finalize coverage.

Thursday: Bob & Jeff @76FJ40 & @Tikicruiser or if we shift to Plan B we could grab something in Moab.
Friday: Morgan, Ben & Greg @mryanangel , @fireball & @Crusha
Saturday: Steve, Bart & Mitch @TRFCSUX
Sunday: Steve & Tracy @TRFCSUX & @SAS
Monday: Dinner in Moab

Just like Hannibal from the A Team “I love it when a plan comes together”.

 

[Dirty Koala]

Any ideas about what everybody plans on cooking? It will be hilarious if we have chilly for the next 5 days after we get there.

For Friday night, I am thinking either Ribeye's or marinated steak tips with grilled onions & mushrooms with a side of mashed potatoes.

 

[apinti]

I'm not going to argue with that. Will we be able to do charcoal grilling? I was thinking about bringing a bag of charcoal just in case there is no wood available.

Go ahead Bob, crack a joke about how much wood you can bring with you..