We had plans this year to attend CruiseMoab but due to the timing of buying a house we cancelled our registration. At 09's Rubithon I met Andy (cruiserdrew) and he planted a seed to do Dusy sometime. It worked out that we were going down to Cali for a family visit and that would be the same time they typically ran Dusy. So the plans were in motion and prepping the truck continued. The last major thing I needed to to do was get a skid plate back underneath and I ended up finishing that at Andy's place while I was down in Cali before the wheeling trip. I also made a quick appearance at Rubicon Tuesday's where the place was packed.
The next week we met Andy along with Tom at a gas station and caravaned down to the trail together. In my truck I brought my wife, our 9-month old, and her sister. We were a little concerned about the elevation since Dusy starts around 8200ft, stays above 9000ft for most of the trail and peaks at almost 10,200ft. We did some prep before the trip and really didn't have any issues for any of us at that elevation. We did feel out of breath at times, felt the heart beating, and not as hungry the first day or two but nothing bad like what we'd read about elevation sickness. To run Dusy we planned on a 4-day trip camping along the way.
The first night we camped on a nice granite slab and enjoyed the use of our stroller we brought along for the baby. Jaw's dropped and chuckles proceeded when we set up our 8 person tent that you can stand up inside. We had picked it up last summer, loved it, and it really doesn't take long to set up. My fitness trained sister-in-law made quick work out of helping collect firewood with Andy and Tom for when the sun light faded. With our chairs set up and Kabobs ready to cook we were ready to sit around the fire and wait for the others to show up. Rick and company showed up next and then Dusty and his dad came in last. Once seeing faces I realized we'd met Tom (in Andy's rig) Rick, and Dale at the Rubithon. New faces were Ali, Dusty, and his dad Randy.
I kept asking Andy about the trail and what to expect and while understandably it really depends the best way he summed it up was that to get through Dusy Ershim, it's a mission. It's 33 miles of rock crawling with a healthy dose of butt cheek exercises also known as pucker factor. The trail snakes between two wilderness area's so staying on the trail is mandatory. One really needs to be comfortable with how far your rig can lean to enjoy this trail. It has a variety of just about everything with some beautiful scenery to satisfy all aspects of getting out in the mountains; yes, even swatting desperately hungry mosquitoes. Rig protection is essential to finishing the trail with something that resembles what you started with. ALL of my protection was put to good use and I'll be busting out the paint can to cover up the redneck chrome before fall gets here.
With the first day showered with sun light, belly's full from breakfast, tent's put away and the rigs packed up we started the trail. I had mixed feelings of excitement and nervousness. With me running a diesel I was designated to trail gunner. I was fine with that because I could see the other's lines and be able to see where I could have potential problems. Dusty and I both ran with roof racks and with him being in front of me I could see where the tree branches would try and play tug-o-war with my strapped down possessions.
