Destination Unknown - 2022 JTR journal

[chorky]

The next day was interesting for many, fun for me. It was a long day, about 200 miles in total, about 75 or more of that being dirt.

Some folks had a tough time with 15 miles or so of moondust due to road construction and lots of potholes and washboards.

But still, the sights were awesome.

There were signs of old fire scars throughout the Sapphire range, but much of this is a natural ecosystem process which is worsened by decades of fire suppression and removing natural fire from a normal ecosystem process.

Some of these areas torched so hot that the entire seed-bank was destroyed and soil microbes and nutrients destroyed.

But it will grow back. And hopefully the public will allow again broadcast burning to mimic natural fire and wider harvest areas to keep fuels in more natural densities Without fear of litigation just so a lawyer can make a buck.

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[chorky]

After the long day of driving we reached our destination and last camp

Camp was hastily set up and dinner consumed In time for a little relaxation before bed

 

[chorky]

The final day was a nice trip to town for some hand made toffee, a little sight seeing, and a final campfire before the sunset.

Only made possible by this awesome group

And a really cool Jeep

 

[chorky]

It sure has been a busy summer so far and it's just now getting into August. Last week I took off more time from work to do some camping and exploring with dad. We started off going to a little place I have explored a few times before called Granite Lake, just outside of Bumping Lake. It was a late arrival for me so we just went right to a decent camp spot.

Next morning, we headed out to get some nice views. On the way we noticed some of the better camp spots were now free. So taking a few minutes to move some gear and secure a spot, we had great lake access! I must also say this is a lake I have wanted to camp at for over 5 years! It's a really cool place - and this year surprisingly busy (down at the main lake anyway).

 

[chorky]

After moving camp, it was time to gain some elevation for good views. And good views there were!

On the way back down we continued to another road section. There is a super cool historical nearby called Copper City. With one heck of a crazy couple of stories.

"It was one of his first winters working the Copper City mines. Ruben Root was drilling rock when the bit broke and a steel fragment punctured his eye. He and a fellow miner strapped on their skis and began the long journey to town for treatment. The pain was unbearable and at times Ruben lost vision in both eyes. The men spent most evenings sleeping in the open since there were few cabins along the way and it took them all of eight days to reach Yakima.

The ruins in this meadow are from the cookhouse cabin built at Clara Mine, one of the many claims worked by Ruben Root and other investors with the Copper Mining Company between 1905 and 1942. It was here that the hungry miners returned for lunch one winter day to discover a cold cabin with no hot meal waiting. They began to search and soon discovered the lifeless body of Tommy Amaro beneath a jumble of wood and snow. A thick slab of ice slid off the cabin roof and collapsed the wood pile while the unsuspecting cook was gathering fuel for the stove. Goose Prairie resident Ira Ford used his dog team to sled the body out of the valley. Legend has it that Tommy eventually found his way home to Japan for burial.''

For reference, Yakima is 68 miles from the mines. https://willhiteweb.com/jeeping_overlanding/copper_city_trail/granite_lake_365.htm

Unfortunately one of the bridges early on was a little too sketch for me. The consequences if it failed would have been catastrophic with a 30' waterfall just on the right side of the bridge.

So we were forced to turn around and miss out. Next time I will have the TJ! But it was still some good sights to see and it felt great being among the giant trees again - I sure do miss them.

 

[chorky]

So we packed up to go find the next campsite. And it was pretty decent.

 

[chorky]

The next day it was time for more exploring. Looking at some maps I realized our new location was close to the back end of the Naches Trail - a trail of historical signifance. So. We went to check it out.

The history here is amazing. Can you imagine?? Moving ox and wagon across this pass to access western Washington before any roads existed? It probably took a month just to go 50 miles!

I definitely want to take a few days to go through this entire trail.

 

[chorky]

And off to yet another camp spot. For being a actual FS campground, this one was pretty nice.

 

[chorky]

On the way home we stopped at a nice little overlook. Sipsoo lake is a developed place and very busy. But once in a while you can get a view without people.

 

[chorky]

Rainier is such an incredible place.

 

[chorky]

After a day of resting and cleaning back at my parents place dad and I went up to the visitor center. Since I dont live here anymore its ok to play tourist. Of course it just so happened to be a free fee park day and the number or people was mind boggling. I guess its good to see people enjoying outside time but I also wish they werent there. So we went on a short hike that turned out to be quite difficult thinking there would be less people. But it was like walking in a mall. Disgusting. Still I was able to get some people free photos to share.

 

[chorky]

After camping so far this summer I have realized some ways my setup is needs revision. One of those is how I store and use cooking items. The red box I had from campshef is a wonderful idea but I didnt like how much room it took up and the process to get items out and put away. So I built a more 'permanent' solution of a storage box. It works well considering it was a quick edition to test things out. I opted to not purchase and install slides since those suckers are very expensive! So for now the 'old school' method of wood sliding on wood works just fine. For being a quick project I am happy with how it turned out. Now I just need to find boxes that will fit the 10" wide by 6" high space. Preferably 10" long (I have 33" to play with) if anyone knows of any.

 

[chorky]

Well it has been a crazy few weeks at work. a new fire sparked in my zone and I got called up to do the WFDSS decision. the second one was published yesterday with a 9.9 million dollar approval. Well see if it needs to be increased.

But. On my first day off today I installed the awning that has been sitting in my house for over a month. I was waiting on parts to get it installed and then was gone for several camp trips.

For the awning I chose Ironman 4x4. This is the XTR-71. Now before anyone gets upset I opted for this one for a couple of reasons. It was lighter than all other options of a 270 degree version. As I am pretty heavy I did not want a 60 pound awning, and this weighs in on the scale at 42 pounds. It was on sale, so I got two walls for free and it was half the price of most other options. And it is repairable. I have had my fair share of ‘high quality’ equipment that will ‘never fail’ only to end up failing and then nobody knows how to fix it since said company isnt around anymore. So I wanted something relatively simple and easy to repair. This fits.

I mounted the awning using brackets from the company my tent is from. These brackets are designed to fit the tent and have a little lip on the top so that weight is supported by the aluminum and not the bolts. This worked well on the drivers side where the shower cube is. But it did not work for the awning since it is taller and my RTT is bolted directly to the canopy meaning the awning impacted the cab hard top. so I flipped the brackets upside down and it worked perfectly. The only concern here is how all the weight is now on the bolts themselves. But I am sure they will be ok.

My first impressions of this awning are good. The fabric is stout but not overly thick. The arms do support the awning without deploying the legs, but honestly, who does that? It takes 30 seconds to drop the legs for better support which I am happy about. And I also like how the legs are attached to the arms with a easily reproducible bracket in the event they break.

Area coverage is good, about to be expected as they are mostly all the same. And I really like how it is NOT a flat boring gray. This is more of an OD green or desert green, so it matches well with the other colors I have going on.

I also hesitantly took a few minutes to set up the walls. They went up very easily. Probably 5 minutes for both of them. And removal and storage was a little longer, maybe 7 minutes.

They are a very nice feature, but I do wonder the reality of how often they will be used. My hope is that this extends the camping season a few months and the walls can be put up not so much for rain and snow but more to shelter from the cold. And mostly summer use for shade.

The awning also came with the light kit. I was a little skeptical of how they would really be but I must say these lights are actually pretty darn bright and they offer 3 distinct color options. The only downfall is they do require being unplugged before putting the awning away and they are covered up when the canopy doors are opened. So I dont know how much use they will really get.

Overall thus far I am happy with this choice. Although I do wish I would have gotten the drivers side awning instead. I will be working on redoing the water system layout this winter and probably sell this to pick up a drivers side option. Hopefully it will last plenty long, and I really see no reason it wont.

 

[CMac]

It’s taken me about three days to get thru the write-up here…I don’t even know what to say.

Fcukin wow.

 

[chorky]

It’s taken me about three days to get thru the write-up here…I don’t even know what to say.

Fcukin wow.

I hope you found something usedul for your own rig in there. I love seeing and sharing what others do. It is inspirational!

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