Events/Trails Pig Party 2019 (2 Viewers)

What Type of Pig Party?

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Yep.
 
This is an official response that I am planning to be at the 2019 PP. I have a reservation for the 18th at the Salt Lake city KOA. I have no idea what of where it happens after that. Which is the way I like it. If other people show up all the better.

Hopefully my mistress of darkness doesn't interfere.

Lets party pipgies.
 
this is my official response that I am planning to be at the 2019 PP. I have a reservation for the 18th at the Salt Lake city KOA. I also have no idea what of where it happens after that.
 
...I also have no idea what of where it happens after that.

Well that has not been my intent, but here we are.

I got to talk w/ Kurt a little bit last week. He is always helpful, but I did not realize when I hatched this idea how incredibly busy he is w/ projects tangential to his business.

Now we have the added variable of some impressive snowpack to deal with.

An idea that has a lot of appeal is heading E from SLC on Wednesday for the Uinta Mountains, in the Wasatch Cache Nat'l Forest.

The Mirror Lake Highway - Mirror Lake Highway Scenic Drive - would take us E to the Soapstone campground area where there looks to be a LOT of fun trails that should work for just about everyone - Recreation.gov

It sounds like we would be a little further from town than we were in Rico. I don't know how close y'all were to gasoline and supplies at last year's Pig Party. The closest town would be Kamas, UT. Kamas is ~6500' elevation, and the Soapstone campground is @ 8200'. Kamas is ~25 minutes from the campground.

I am getting the Motor Vehicle Use Map from the Forest Service for this area - https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5414245.pdf
Nat'l Geo has some topo maps of the area as well: 709 & 711 (why is it everywhere I want to go falls on the boundary between 2 different maps?).

I think this *could* work well, as the trails around there look fantastic, but how fast will the snow melt?

There have been some Relic Runs (2010 and 2015) in the area, and they look like they had fun: RelicRun.com > Past Relic Runs > 2010: Uinta Mountains Basecamp - RelicRun.com > Past Relic Runs > 2015: Murdock Basin Base Camp

Concerns - snow.

The bald Mtn trailhead is ~20 miles down the Mirror Lake Highway. Here is a picture of the restroom from Friday - 10 May:
60028822_2279215249012059_6634637849889079296_n.jpg
 
Never seen a pig on tracks before...take lots of pictures! :p


Seriuosly though, as you gents all know, it’s the group that makes it fun not the destination...have a blast! :beer:
 
Never seen a pig on tracks before...take lots of pictures! :p


Seriuosly though, as you gents all know, it’s the group that makes it fun not the destination...have a blast! :beer:
Well that has not been my intent, but here we are.

I got to talk w/ Kurt a little bit last week. He is always helpful, but I did not realize when I hatched this idea how incredibly busy he is w/ projects tangential to his business.

Now we have the added variable of some impressive snowpack to deal with.

An idea that has a lot of appeal is heading E from SLC on Wednesday for the Uinta Mountains, in the Wasatch Cache Nat'l Forest.

The Mirror Lake Highway - Mirror Lake Highway Scenic Drive - would take us E to the Soapstone campground area where there looks to be a LOT of fun trails that should work for just about everyone - Recreation.gov

It sounds like we would be a little further from town than we were in Rico. I don't know how close y'all were to gasoline and supplies at last year's Pig Party. The closest town would be Kamas, UT. Kamas is ~6500' elevation, and the Soapstone campground is @ 8200'. Kamas is ~25 minutes from the campground.

I am getting the Motor Vehicle Use Map from the Forest Service for this area - https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5414245.pdf
Nat'l Geo has some topo maps of the area as well: 709 & 711 (why is it everywhere I want to go falls on the boundary between 2 different maps?).

I think this *could* work well, as the trails around there look fantastic, but how fast will the snow melt?

There have been some Relic Runs (2010 and 2015) in the area, and they look like they had fun: RelicRun.com > Past Relic Runs > 2010: Uinta Mountains Basecamp - RelicRun.com > Past Relic Runs > 2015: Murdock Basin Base Camp

Concerns - snow.

The bald Mtn trailhead is ~20 miles down the Mirror Lake Highway. Here is a picture of the restroom from Friday - 10 May:
60028822_2279215249012059_6634637849889079296_n.jpg

That snow might melt enough in four weeks to get the outhouse door open but nearby trails will be a mess if passable at all. Why stand around watching rigs get unstuck when there’s most of a state worth of desert to enjoy?
 
I dont mind a venue change but keep in mind this will be the start of summer. I would like some altitude because my fat ass doesnt sleep well in a pool of sweat.
 
I talked with Kurt @cruiseroutfit last night. We are definitely on for the tour of the museum Tuesday night, and we are working on plans to get some BBQ brought in for a feast out back of the museum. He said another idea might be to head to Evanston, WY and then go S on Mirror Lake Highway (150) out of there.

I talked to the Evanston Ranger District today and they said the road is open down to the Bear River Ranger Station right now. It looks like there is a variety of trails around that area as well, plus Whitney Reservoir.

Map here: https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5414244.pdf

This area is a little further from resources, it looks like we would be ~40 minutes from Evanston.

I think a good thing about this area is water and trees for shade. There is a lot of desert in UT, and in June it might be less pleasant.
 
Soapstone, and Bear River areas offer a pretty good setup for base camping. The idea of having the same base every night affords a little time for potlucks at night, and leisurely coffee in the morning (although it doesn't look like @J Mack is showing up with his French Press this year - probably can't lose another cooler) and some toilet options.

If we are open to skipping from camp-to-camp every night there are more options.

Kurt @cruiseroutfit and I reviewed the idea of running the Transcontinental Railroad Back Country Byway W out of SLC. This could be a lot of fun. It could also be a little more active with traffic since we just hit the 150th anniversary of the completion of the Transcontinental RR. If you go N and W out of SLC, you reach the Golden Spike Historic Site where I believe there is a a bunch of stuff to see. We could run the Byway to Lucin, and then S to Wendover. There we would be on the W edge of the great Salt Lake, and right at the Bonneville Salt Flats, where we could attempt land speed records with our Pigs.

I don't have a great grasp of the distances, but there does not look to be much in the way of water, gas or shade along this route. It is over 100 miles from Lucin (no services) to Wendover. I don't have a grasp of how far from the Golden Spike to Lucin, but this option involves carrying fuel and water, not sure what the toilet situation will be like.

Some info here, I will write more later: The Transcontinental Railroad Route | Expedition Utah

The 2009 Relic Run covered some of this territory, but I need to read more carefully to see exactly where they went: RelicRun.com > Past Relic Runs > 2009: The Great Salt Lake
 
WY or ID are cool. I need to check off those states. Soapstone looks cool on Google Earth with the river right there. I am just along for the ride, but it was pretty convenient with the gas a ice right close the last 2 years. I just want meet up and have a beer or two over some conversations and possibly kick up some dust/mud/snow?
 
WY or ID are cool. I need to check off those states. Soapstone looks cool on Google Earth with the river right there. I am just along for the ride, but it was pretty convenient with the gas a ice right close the last 2 years. I just want meet up and have a beer or two over some conversations and possibly kick up some dust/mud/snow?

We are of the same mind sir! Kamas looked like it was less than 30 minutes from Soapstone.
I am going to beat the bushes with some locals and get their take on how viable Soapstone will be by the week of the 17th.
Stay tuned...
 
And in another example of how quickly things can change, it looks like I will be out of the country the entire week of 10 June for work.

So all of my delusions, I mean goals, of things to do on my Pig are in serious jeopardy...
Just get it to the party and we can have a garage day. You can have 30 experts there to help.
 
We are of the same mind sir! Kamas looked like it was less than 30 minutes from Soapstone.
I am going to beat the bushes with some locals and get their take on how viable Soapstone will be by the week of the 17th.
Stay tuned...

While doing that might be worthwhile to ask what condition trails will be in mid-June. Maintained roads to campgrounds are one thing...remote trails in the high country quite another. Looking at snowfall totals, looks like the area in Utah you're looking at is much like western Colorado with snow totals this year 130%-150% of average. Heard BuRec folks last night predict peak runoff (snowmelt) would occur in mid-June here, which probably means high altitude trails won't be open until July. The bit of snow bashing we did around Rico two years ago (a relatively dry year) will look pretty minor league compared to mid-June trail conditions this year.
Might also ask Kurt about last year's Relic Run route (Delle Rocks Legacy Tour) in northern Ut/southern ID. Lower elevations, access to necessities, etc. might make that a reasonable alternative if necessary.
 

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