This was an annual get together between me and a few other friends down in Moab. We keep the group small so we don't have to do alot of planning. We just get together, someone makes a trail suggestion, we grab some lunch for later and away we go.
On this trip we started off on Poison Spider Mesa, it has been a few years since anyone of us had done that trail so we thought it would be great. Unfortunately I forgot my camera back at the hotel so no pics from me for day 1. It was a fun day though, this was the first time I have done the loop to little arch, overlooks, and the sandbowl. The other time I was on that trail we made the turn onto Golden Spike and went out that way. I didn't realize how close HR and PSM trails are until we stopped for lunch and could sit there watching a couple groups make their way up Skyline Drive. Overall it was great to be out enjoying PSM again, next time I won't wait so long.
Day 2 - Lockhart Basin
We did this trail last year, and thought it would be great to run it again. We decided to make the quick spur down to the riverside instead of stopping and checking out the plane crash debris. We stopped at the debris last year and checked it out, pretty cool to look at, and one of the guys with us is a pilot so he was decscribing all kinds of parts and debris and where it was on the plane.
Airing down at Hurrah Pass
Moab fauna
Looking down at the trail where we just came up.
This is the last hill from the nastiest part of the trail. Unfortunately we suffered a casualty here, the FJ in the pic blew his rear diff. trying to get over the boulders. His right rear tire got wedged between on of the boulders and the hillside and it was too much torque for the gears and pop. We backed him down the hill from here, out of the way so I could make it up there so I could winch him up and over the boulders. We got him, and everyone else up with no other problems, so we commenced upon taking his rear driveshaft off so he could run at leat in 2wd. We thought about going back the way we came but that would have been impossible to winch him through the stuff we just came through without breaking more stuff. So we decided to finish the trail. Yes it was long, but everyone was in good spirits. We never made it to the river, but being out in the basin we saw a wonderful sunset that made us stop for awhile take some pics and soak up what we were witnessing.
Pit Stop at Chester's trailer.
Canyonlands, Island on the Sky District, in the background
Lockhart Basin sunset
After that it was too dark, and time to get going. We finally made it to Indian Creek and then to Hamburger rock campground. Aired up, and started the journey back to Moab, dodging(most of the time) the bunnies as they darted across the road.
The next day the wind was blowing like crazy, kicking up the sand making things annoying. So after yesterdays carnage we decided to do a casual trip up Onion Creek/Fisher Valley, Thompson Canyon into the LaSal's over to Fisher Mesa and back down through Castle Valley. It turned out to be a great trip, once out of Fisher Valley it wasn't as windy, plus there was no sand, we did get some rain and snow but that only knocked down any dust. I've only seen Fisher Valley from the Top of the World so it was cool to see it from the other side of the valley from out on Fisher Mesa.
From the other end of Fisher Valley
Fisher Towers and Top of the World
Then we lucked out and crossed paths with some guys that pointed us to these on the trail we just hiked on. We would have never known about these if we didn't stop to have a chat.
The next day I followed my friends to GJ where they could rent a trailer to get their FJ back home to Stagecoach, Co. I meandered my way back home via Baxters Pass but things were getting too muddy, so I back tracked down to Loma and up the 139 to Rangely, from there I tried to stay off 40. I made it past Roosevelt before I had to get back on 40 and homeward bound for Heber.
The road home somewhere between Rangely and Bonanza, Ut.
I hope you enjoyed that, sorry if you had to do some reading.
-Devin
