trust
Well-Known Member
- First Name
- terry
- Joined
- Apr 30, 2020
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- 368
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- Location
- northern New Mexico
- Vehicle(s)
- 1982 Jeep Scrambler, 2020 Jeep Gladiator Rubicon
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- Retired
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This is an old report a friend of mine wrote for our club newsletter at the time. I always enjoy reading it and hope yall do too. The 'rocklimo' referenced is the authors 83 Scrambler, 350, 700 R4, Atlas, Klune 4:1 box and the then Warn coilover conversion.
Please let me know if y'all would like other older reports or would prefer to keep things current and Gladiator centric
Story: "What not to do while in Las Cruces for the 'Chile Challenge'."
The request is made by the LC4WD club for participants to refrain from rogue, unsupervised, trail runs during the annual Chile Challenge. There is good reason for this, as I will relate in the following tale.
We made it to "Cruces" Thursday eve, and were looking for a good 3 days of fine four wheeling down south. Friday morning came, and we signed up for the Hopping Jalapeno trail to start the fun off kind of easy, as we had just got the "Rocklimo" back together on Wed. night.
The Jeep performed just fine, but there were severe winds, dust, and a few break downs by some other unfortunates during the day, which made for a long,
Hurry-up-and-wait kind of day. Saturday dawned, we headed for the fair grounds, checked out the activities, and instead of trying to 'wheel, decided we did not want a repeat of the previous days' hurry-and wait thing, decided we would go on the observation run and watch the "crazies" attempt the falls up "Amatista Ledges".
This went fine 'till about 2:30 PM, when we had had enough of "observing" and decided we did not drive 300 miles just to watch. We thought that the crowds would have passed by then, and departed for adventure. Having just run "Hopping Jalapeno" the day before, and not really knowing the trails as intimately as some other areas we headed for HJ once again,and proceeded down towards the "Grease Pit" with a smile and the promise of Adventure.
Now, while our group consisted of the "Rocklimo", and a well equipped XJ, we also had two very stock TJs' along. The trip down hill to the 'grease pit' was fun, and offered just enough challenge to keep the TJ pilots attention focused and the two locked up jeeps looking for the ever tougher line. When we got to the grease pit, Rocklimo, and XJ eased right through. But it was by now still early (3:00) We still had several hours till the Dinner, and Raffle! Lets go Play!!!
Instead of turning right at tree after the Grease Pit, we reasoned turn left toward town and no doubt we could meander downhill and arrive with time to spare for dinner/raffle.
By 5:30 we were hot for challenge, life was good. So far only some fun rock gardens, a few small ledges. With careful spotting the TJs' were doing just fine, and the two "fun" jeeps were finding plenty of action.
Only 6:00, no problem, we still had an hour, town must just be right around the corner. All still had plenty of fuel, the ice chest still had food/drink, we all had warm clothes, life is good!
6:30. No problem. LC is just around the corner! Cool waterfall to play on,everyone is impressed with the finesse of Rocklimo/driver, lets GO!
7:30. Its still alright, we did not have to be present to win, and besides last years dinner was not all that great. McDonalds will be fine.
8:30....9:30....10:30, LC just has to be around the nest bend! Night "wheeling" is really fun, but hey we've had enough fun for today, one more corner, we can see the lights of town now, we'll be there by 11:00 for sure!
Not!!!
Around the "next" corner, Mike says over the CB "Ok guys only 3 more obstacles and we're home free!!!! " Cool lets walk over and see the last 3.
11:30. Standing at the top, in the dark, flashlights all dead everyone "funned" out, we all stare down at 20' of the ugliest waterfall most of us have seen. Except me, I've seen it before, from the bottom, I know what it is, and what is after it: "Nemesis 2", "Nemesis 1" and "The Sharks Tooth "!
All hopes fade at once. "Maybe we can fill this big hole with rocks,” says one. "Maybe we can winch the jeeps down.,” says another. After some moments of searching for alternate routes, scheming for ideas and just plain wishing for wings, it was deemed hopeless.
So we installed all the clevises, tow points, and courage, turned around, and started back up the trail. Coming down is easy, you can just sort of fall over most things. Up, in the dark, two stock jeeps, oh well let’s go.
Past midnight, hands, fingers, bruised, smashed, bleeding, from throwing rocks, in the dark, due to all the flashlights having hours ago given up the ghost, we have managed to recover about one fourth of the distance needed to get back to “hearth, and home”, we come across a group of ‘wheelers camped out literally in the middle of the “trail”, complete with campfire, smack dab in the middle of the road.
“What’s up guys?” Turns out they’re having almost as much fun as we are! (Although not nearly as determined, we would still like to continue!) Finally after some discussion it is determined they will move along and let us pass.
To make a long story just a bit shorter, we eventually make it back to the grease pit, and while not quite home free, it is a known landmark (at least to us,((ME!!)) The other group (the ones previously camped in the center of the trail), succumbing to fatigue, and this time fire and camp built well off the beaten path are passed by with little notice due in no small part to now being 4:30AM. We trudge on toward town.
At 5:30 in the morn we are now at the all night “Gas and Go” filling tires, and tanks and heading off for much needed R&R.
There is no moral to this story; it is just a good story (in my opinion, not necessarily in the telling but in the living!) But if there is a moral it is only to write your congressman, representative, BLM, or Forrest Chief, and tell them whatever you think necessary to keep the public domain open to the public, so that you too can still have such adventures, and struggle through the retelling, long after, over campfire or computer keypad.
Happy Trails,
Captain Rocklimo
Please let me know if y'all would like other older reports or would prefer to keep things current and Gladiator centric
Story: "What not to do while in Las Cruces for the 'Chile Challenge'."
The request is made by the LC4WD club for participants to refrain from rogue, unsupervised, trail runs during the annual Chile Challenge. There is good reason for this, as I will relate in the following tale.
We made it to "Cruces" Thursday eve, and were looking for a good 3 days of fine four wheeling down south. Friday morning came, and we signed up for the Hopping Jalapeno trail to start the fun off kind of easy, as we had just got the "Rocklimo" back together on Wed. night.
The Jeep performed just fine, but there were severe winds, dust, and a few break downs by some other unfortunates during the day, which made for a long,
Hurry-up-and-wait kind of day. Saturday dawned, we headed for the fair grounds, checked out the activities, and instead of trying to 'wheel, decided we did not want a repeat of the previous days' hurry-and wait thing, decided we would go on the observation run and watch the "crazies" attempt the falls up "Amatista Ledges".
This went fine 'till about 2:30 PM, when we had had enough of "observing" and decided we did not drive 300 miles just to watch. We thought that the crowds would have passed by then, and departed for adventure. Having just run "Hopping Jalapeno" the day before, and not really knowing the trails as intimately as some other areas we headed for HJ once again,and proceeded down towards the "Grease Pit" with a smile and the promise of Adventure.
Now, while our group consisted of the "Rocklimo", and a well equipped XJ, we also had two very stock TJs' along. The trip down hill to the 'grease pit' was fun, and offered just enough challenge to keep the TJ pilots attention focused and the two locked up jeeps looking for the ever tougher line. When we got to the grease pit, Rocklimo, and XJ eased right through. But it was by now still early (3:00) We still had several hours till the Dinner, and Raffle! Lets go Play!!!
Instead of turning right at tree after the Grease Pit, we reasoned turn left toward town and no doubt we could meander downhill and arrive with time to spare for dinner/raffle.
By 5:30 we were hot for challenge, life was good. So far only some fun rock gardens, a few small ledges. With careful spotting the TJs' were doing just fine, and the two "fun" jeeps were finding plenty of action.
Only 6:00, no problem, we still had an hour, town must just be right around the corner. All still had plenty of fuel, the ice chest still had food/drink, we all had warm clothes, life is good!
6:30. No problem. LC is just around the corner! Cool waterfall to play on,everyone is impressed with the finesse of Rocklimo/driver, lets GO!
7:30. Its still alright, we did not have to be present to win, and besides last years dinner was not all that great. McDonalds will be fine.
8:30....9:30....10:30, LC just has to be around the nest bend! Night "wheeling" is really fun, but hey we've had enough fun for today, one more corner, we can see the lights of town now, we'll be there by 11:00 for sure!
Not!!!
Around the "next" corner, Mike says over the CB "Ok guys only 3 more obstacles and we're home free!!!! " Cool lets walk over and see the last 3.
11:30. Standing at the top, in the dark, flashlights all dead everyone "funned" out, we all stare down at 20' of the ugliest waterfall most of us have seen. Except me, I've seen it before, from the bottom, I know what it is, and what is after it: "Nemesis 2", "Nemesis 1" and "The Sharks Tooth "!
All hopes fade at once. "Maybe we can fill this big hole with rocks,” says one. "Maybe we can winch the jeeps down.,” says another. After some moments of searching for alternate routes, scheming for ideas and just plain wishing for wings, it was deemed hopeless.
So we installed all the clevises, tow points, and courage, turned around, and started back up the trail. Coming down is easy, you can just sort of fall over most things. Up, in the dark, two stock jeeps, oh well let’s go.
Past midnight, hands, fingers, bruised, smashed, bleeding, from throwing rocks, in the dark, due to all the flashlights having hours ago given up the ghost, we have managed to recover about one fourth of the distance needed to get back to “hearth, and home”, we come across a group of ‘wheelers camped out literally in the middle of the “trail”, complete with campfire, smack dab in the middle of the road.
“What’s up guys?” Turns out they’re having almost as much fun as we are! (Although not nearly as determined, we would still like to continue!) Finally after some discussion it is determined they will move along and let us pass.
To make a long story just a bit shorter, we eventually make it back to the grease pit, and while not quite home free, it is a known landmark (at least to us,((ME!!)) The other group (the ones previously camped in the center of the trail), succumbing to fatigue, and this time fire and camp built well off the beaten path are passed by with little notice due in no small part to now being 4:30AM. We trudge on toward town.
At 5:30 in the morn we are now at the all night “Gas and Go” filling tires, and tanks and heading off for much needed R&R.
There is no moral to this story; it is just a good story (in my opinion, not necessarily in the telling but in the living!) But if there is a moral it is only to write your congressman, representative, BLM, or Forrest Chief, and tell them whatever you think necessary to keep the public domain open to the public, so that you too can still have such adventures, and struggle through the retelling, long after, over campfire or computer keypad.
Happy Trails,
Captain Rocklimo
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