Due to the heavy snows this winter, the season has been slow to arrive for off road 4x4 activity and hiking too. It has finally arrivedand this weekend gave us four days (so far) of robin blue skies and blazing sun. The GF and I headed out to Permenente Road for a bit of trail crawling and a bit of hiking. It has too long since I was back there. The last time was about 9 years ago, but one of the guys (Kevin) broke a leaf or 4 climbing out of what is now named "Kevin's Creek" Just past the old bolder wash. By the time that was fixed it was time to head home, since we knew we would have to winch a couple of the rigs through a sharp turn on the Sand Hill to keep them on the trail and not down in Sand Hill Creek on their lid.
Prior to that I had managed to overlook this valley since we took the Alaska Cruiser Trek(ers) up there in 2001.
Since we were running just a single rig and I did not have a crew in the back seat to help me shovel, we only took the '80 in the 9 miles to the bottom of the Sand Hill. We made it through Baby Moose Bog, over The Root, and across Sand Hill Creek before lunch. I did have to break out the winch for a moment at one spot where a muddy root kept guiding the rig into a tree no matter what I tried. But pretty uneventful ride in other than that. We had to clear one downed tree from the trail, but in spite of apparently very very little use over the years, someone had brushed out some of the tight spots in the last five years or so. We did not encounter anyone else on the trail/in the valley except for a family out for a day trip. Mom and dad and three daughters on motorcycles. They passed us as we were clearing the tree, and while we were having lunch before shouldering the packs they were coming back by us on the way out. Early it seemed. Turned out Dad had managed to drop his bike hard in the old bolder wash and "broke his hand". It looked pretty painful and I offered to drive him out to the trailhead in the '80 but he was toughing it out. I helped him and the girls muscle the bikes over the rocks in the creek and they headed out. Guess they made it okay.
Once we got the packs on we quickly moved past Sand Hill and to the old International pickup that was abandoned in the '60s when it got trapped on the wrong side of the then "New Bolder Wash"
After about 3 miles of easy walking and not "too much" fresh bear scat we reach out planned camp spot at the lake. Pitched the tent, dropped most of the gear and continued on to the fork of the King River (confluence of the south and north forks).
Back to camp after a bit eat, chill and laugh at the very tired dog some (he had run/trotted the 9 miles to where we left the Cruiser and of course hiked the same 8 additional miles that we had and he was pretty much done for).
Got up late in the morning and remembered the one downside of this "perfect" camp spot. The sun did not climb above the peak that was shadowing camp until about 11 am. On the bright side, at least Yogi and Booboo left my picnic basket alone overnight.
We wandered into the big boulder field for a little while as the day warmed up. Found the remains of a winter killed moose that had broken a leg when it wandered into the snow covered boulders. The bears and smaller scavengers had appreciated the gift at least.
After that it was time to head back to the pavement. Hottest day of the year. Found myself running the AC off and on, even on the trail!
I did not get any pictures of the Cruiser. This trip was more about where the Cruiser could take us than it was about what the Cruiser could do. Got some pics of the trail and destination though...
"campsite"
Looking up valley from the edge of the boulder field where the forest is making inroads.
This one is for Bruce
@lowenbrau. I expect he may remember this spot. Rob Mullen snapped the next pic of his '70 here in summer of 2001 during the first Alaska Crusier Trek. Made the cover of the 2002 Land Cruiser Calendar. The beetle killed spruce tree right ahead of his rig is gone now and it looks like there may have been some small slide activity on the rock glacier in the mid background, but little else has changed.
Anyway... that's what I did with my '80 this weekend.
Did you price out an LS swap or something like that? I wonder what the difference in price would be. I wonder what I will do when it's my time.
