4x4 Corps - 4x4Corps.com

THE DUSY DEFINITION OF ADVENTURE

Aug 27, 2009

 As a club we’ve have had a lot of great runs, a lot of good laughs and some big challenges to overcome but nothing could compare to our run to the Dusy. One definition of an “adventure” is “a bold, usually risky undertaking, hazardous action of uncertain outcome.”  I have stated that if this wasn’t the longest, most beautiful and most challenging trail in the U.S, it had to be close. I believe this to be true but add in some rain, 13 vehicles and mechanical problems and it can all add up to a real adventure that many would be unwilling to take. Another definition is “an exciting or very unusual experience.” We had Seth and Kevin along so either was possible. We knew this would be a real adventure we just didn’t know what kind. Thanks to our people, this experience despite its challenge’s, became an adventure of a life time.

  We started the tail Saturday knowing there was a 20% chance of rain. This turned into 100% as we approached Thompson Hill and night fall came. This made a difficult section of the trail almost impassible. Slick rocks and mudd can challenge even the most capable rig. We were already committed and unwilling to give up. Did I mention that Kevin had already broken his front axle and was driving in three wheel drive. The definition of “challenge” is “difficulty in a job or undertaking that is stimulating to one engaged in it.” I wouldn’t use the word “job” when describing any part of off roading and I don’t like using the word “stimulating” with anything involving Ron, but this part trail was a real challenge. We managed to winch and fight our way up Thompson Hill and made it into the camp just above Thompson Lake. You would be surprised what a fire can do for your spirit when you are tired, wet and cold. We completed this most difficult section of the trail around 1:30 am. This was all made possible by the extra efforts of Ryan, Ken, Paul, John and my Warn winch. Joe became trail genius by bringing two canopies which saved us all from the rain. Most clubs wouldn’t be willing to take this challenge or would give up and turn around. Despite frayed nerves and snatchy attitudes I was quite proud of how all our members reacted to the situation. That was extreme rock crawling and I don’t think any of us would intentionally put ourselves in that situation again but I’m glad we conquered and overcame.

  Sunday morning came a little too fast and the weather was just slightly better than the night before. The fog and rain didn’t make it any easier to see what I knew was beautiful scenery but none of us like dust, especially Ashleigh. Dust was not an issue for the remainder of the trip. We had decided after Saturdays challenges that we would take Sunday a bit easier. We were on the trail for about five hours and made camp at East Lake. This day was fairly uneventful. Who knew given the night before and the morning of this day, that our evening on East Lake would be so spectacular. The scenery and the atmosphere was so calm and peaceful that it can’t be described. Later that evening the sky completely cleared and the stars did as much to light our camp as the fire. It was 180 degree turn from the night before and a very welcome sight.

   Monday morning was as perfect as the night before. Continuing down the trail the clear weather made for easy site seeing. It was nice to see the distant mountains, the sky and the terrain in front of you. I spotted some deer and was hopping to see some bears just so I could tell April that I had. She seemed to be especially nervous about the prospect of bears. We finally made it to Ershim Lake which was the original focus of the whole trail. There had to be something special about this place. People were so dedicated to getting to this lake that they made the effort to build this trail. This was great undertaking. We had to stop to see what the devotion was all about. This lake was as beautiful as the rest only bigger and known for its trout. Paul, Troy and I decided to try our hand at catching some fish. I can’t say that we were incredibly fortunate at fishing but we were incredible blessed by the experience. Outside of Ron yelling at his kids, which he’s really dedicated to, I couldn’t be more relaxed. I would have loved to stay on this lake for several days but it was Monday and we had to be back in San Diego by Tuesday. There was a lot more trail to run and time was short. Our plan was to camp at Lakecamp Lake but some guys from the Fresno club said we would be better off staying at Mallard Lake, the fishing was suppose to be better. You weren’t going to get argument from Troy and I, Mallard Lake it was. On our way to Mallard Lake it became obvious that April was really coming into her own, so we decided to give her an official off road license, she deserves it. Seth decided to shit talk to Ryan on the trail and managed to crash into a tree, we will probably be taking his license away. After the standard antics on the trail we finally reached Mallard Lake. As Ryan and others gathered wood for the evening fire, Troy and I made a beeline for the lake hoping to improve our dinner prospects. I had the biggest hit of the day. This sounds like the standard fishing story of the one that got away. Well it did! Troy actually landed his and we had enough for dinner and a good dinner it was. Trout doesn’t get any fresher than that. It was a perfect ending to a really great day

  Tuesday we need to get an early start, we were miles from the end of the trail and almost four hundred miles from home. We weren’t on the trail for 30 minutes when Dave had his track bar fall off. Another fine installation by 4 Wheel Parts, not! After some trail repairs we made our way down to Lakecamp Lake. This is when Seth noticed that Steve didn’t have a plug in his diff cover. Ashleigh thought a tampon would make a great trail fix but this is why we don’t let the women fix the rigs. Steve was alright with it but I thought a wine cork would be a little more manly. Continuing down the trail, taking on several more hurdles we eventually made the end of the trail. Some were happy, some were sad, some were just amazed that they had made it. We had overcome some big challenges, some mechanical difficulties and some crazy weather. I’m sure if you asked each of the 13 members on the run you would get 13 different descriptions. No matter the words or definitions used to describe this event, I can explain it in one, “awesome!” 

P.S. Seth thanks for all the help with the blog!

THE DUSY DEFINITION OF ADVENTURE! from Ron Baker on Vimeo.