Moab Memorial Day Week
- Thread starter ncsutj
- Start date
Wednesday afternoon we were filling confident and decided to give Hell's Revenge a try. We got to the trailhead at 4:15pm. So far the Jeep had performed flawlessly and done everything with ease. I knew Hell's Revenge would be the hardest trail we had done so far. Had several people suggest the trail and even the rental company suggested we run it. I was nervous heading in but the wife was calm and cool.
We did the first two hill climbs with no problem. I was still pretty nervous after them. Its pretty intimidating when your climbing up and all you can see is the sky.
We keep going down the trail and head over to the overlook and Hells Gate. Passed a coyote on the way. We do the overlook loop and think we did Hells Gate. I tell the wife that's not what I thought Hells Gate was. Then we go by the rock pointing to Hells Gate. We pull to the top and discuss strategy. After talking for a little we decide it wasn't a good idea with no one else around so we decide to skip it. We forgot to take a picture of Hells Gate.
We did the first two hill climbs with no problem. I was still pretty nervous after them. Its pretty intimidating when your climbing up and all you can see is the sky.
We keep going down the trail and head over to the overlook and Hells Gate. Passed a coyote on the way. We do the overlook loop and think we did Hells Gate. I tell the wife that's not what I thought Hells Gate was. Then we go by the rock pointing to Hells Gate. We pull to the top and discuss strategy. After talking for a little we decide it wasn't a good idea with no one else around so we decide to skip it. We forgot to take a picture of Hells Gate.
There was a large group ahead of us but we never caught up to them.
We continued up the trail with the wife walking most of the way to spot for me. Got up to the tubs and as we are walking around two side by sides came up and did the Carwash tub. So I decide I'm going to give it a try. Got in and out with ease, was a lot of fun.
Then continued around to the steepest ridge decent and have an audience of one of the Hummer tour groups at the bottom watching us as we came down. I think I may have the record for the slowest decent ever down this ridge. The hummer group went up the hill.
Head over to Escalator and decide we are going to give it a try. Probably a bad idea but we get up the first step with no problem. Get to the second step and try it a couple times but all we do is bang the bumper and fender into the rock a couple times. After that we decide it's not going to happen so we back down the first step. Talk about pucker factor. We back down and get to the bottom and I pull the seat out of my ass with a crowbar.
I've got a video I'm trying to upload to youtube
After this both our nerves are shot and we decide to skip Tip Over Challenge and take the easy routes out the rest of the way. We get to a little rocky section and my wife is out spotting me and I look up and there is a coyote about 25 yards behind her looking right at us. I ask her if she knows there is a coyote behind her and she says hell no. I think she ran back to the jeep the fastest she has ever ran, jumps in and rolls up the window and says he's not jumping in here with me. As we continue on the coyote follows us and jumps around like a dog playing with us. Wife was a little nervous and said he was waiting for us to make a wrong turn so he could have dinner. By then it's getting dark and we are ready to get off the trail. We finally get to the end around 9:15 and head back to camp. Hell's Revenge was definitely the hardest trail we did but was a lot of fun. If I had someone with me that was familiar with the trail I think I could have done Hell's Gate and Escalator.
We continued up the trail with the wife walking most of the way to spot for me. Got up to the tubs and as we are walking around two side by sides came up and did the Carwash tub. So I decide I'm going to give it a try. Got in and out with ease, was a lot of fun.
Then continued around to the steepest ridge decent and have an audience of one of the Hummer tour groups at the bottom watching us as we came down. I think I may have the record for the slowest decent ever down this ridge. The hummer group went up the hill.
Head over to Escalator and decide we are going to give it a try. Probably a bad idea but we get up the first step with no problem. Get to the second step and try it a couple times but all we do is bang the bumper and fender into the rock a couple times. After that we decide it's not going to happen so we back down the first step. Talk about pucker factor. We back down and get to the bottom and I pull the seat out of my ass with a crowbar.
I've got a video I'm trying to upload to youtube
After this both our nerves are shot and we decide to skip Tip Over Challenge and take the easy routes out the rest of the way. We get to a little rocky section and my wife is out spotting me and I look up and there is a coyote about 25 yards behind her looking right at us. I ask her if she knows there is a coyote behind her and she says hell no. I think she ran back to the jeep the fastest she has ever ran, jumps in and rolls up the window and says he's not jumping in here with me. As we continue on the coyote follows us and jumps around like a dog playing with us. Wife was a little nervous and said he was waiting for us to make a wrong turn so he could have dinner. By then it's getting dark and we are ready to get off the trail. We finally get to the end around 9:15 and head back to camp. Hell's Revenge was definitely the hardest trail we did but was a lot of fun. If I had someone with me that was familiar with the trail I think I could have done Hell's Gate and Escalator.
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sammi_davis
Sawzall Surgeon
- Joined
- Oct 23, 2005
- Location
- Eden N.C.
Are you still out here ? And this is Hells Gate for anyone that wants to see what it looks like .
Clayton if you get the chance to go, absolutely do it. It's an awesome trip and the best wheeling I have ever done.
Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk 2
Thursday we decided something easy was on order. So we went out to Hurrah Pass and Chicken Corners. Passed Moab Rim, Cliffhanger and Prichett Canyon on the way in and watched a group of jeeps on Moab Rim. Looked like a fun trail but was on the prohibited trails for the rental company.
Hurrah Pass and Chicken Corners was an easy trail with a lot of it dirt and gravel roads but scenic. Had some go fast sections that we got up to 40mph and caught a little air and bottomed out the suspension. Drive it like a rental. Even let the wife get a little driving time in. When you got to the end of Chicken Corner there was a short hiking trail that went along the end of the mountain. Talked the wife into walking a little bit of it but she wasn't very excited about it.
Hurrah Pass and Chicken Corners was an easy trail with a lot of it dirt and gravel roads but scenic. Had some go fast sections that we got up to 40mph and caught a little air and bottomed out the suspension. Drive it like a rental. Even let the wife get a little driving time in. When you got to the end of Chicken Corner there was a short hiking trail that went along the end of the mountain. Talked the wife into walking a little bit of it but she wasn't very excited about it.
We left Moab Thursday around 6pm and planned to go the south route to I40. We drive 30 mins south of town and the road is closed with special event signs out. Stop and sit for about 20 mins and a lady further up the line came back and said that it was closed because they were filming a scene from the next transformer movie. Get down the road and arrive in Bernillio, NM around midnight. Get up in the morning with the plan of getting to Little Rock, AR. 5:30pm we are rolling through OK and the sky is getting dark in front of us. 5:45pm we hit exit 95 and about half the cars are pulling off the road. We pull over and turn the radio on and hear there are possible tornados forming around exit 118. We sit there for 15 mins and the sky around us is getting darker so we decide to turn and head back west some. Drive back to exit 84 and stop at a gas station and go inside to watch the tv storm coverage. After talking to some locals we decide to book a room next door and spend the night. That night I hardly slept at all. Every noise I woke up thinking it was something going on. We get up at 5:00am and hit the road at 5:30am. When we go outside it hadn't rained a drop there. When we get to exit 128 there are two tractor trailers overturned and debris every where. The tornado had hit there and crossed I40. Had we kept driving we would have drove right into it. Saw lots of flooding from OK all the way through AR. We really didn't want to pay for another hotel room so we keep driving and arrive home at 2am Sunday morning. 20.5 hrs driving through the rain was a very long day but I slept like a champ that night.
Overall was an awesome trip and would go back tomorrow if i could. The best wheeling and scenery I have ever seen. Anyone considering going, do it. You won't regret it.
Overall was an awesome trip and would go back tomorrow if i could. The best wheeling and scenery I have ever seen. Anyone considering going, do it. You won't regret it.
- Joined
- Mar 24, 2005
- Location
- Stanley, NC
Great writeup, thanks for sharing! Maybe one day I'll make it out there.
sammi_davis
Sawzall Surgeon
- Joined
- Oct 23, 2005
- Location
- Eden N.C.
We just missed you , theres a bunch of us from Jeep Forum here this week . Glad you made it home safe and avoided the tornado.