By Jason
Once again, the call of Jeep-Mecca has steered thousands of Jeeps into the small town of Moab,
Utah for another gathering of trail-running and Jeeping-fellowship.
With a starting point about 1300 miles away in East Texas, I undertook the 22+hour drive
following my Jeep's internal "Moab Homing Device". Sometime early Friday the 14th, I arrived
in Blanding, Utah, to meet up with the rest of the Dirt Road Magazine staff.
The scenery was spectacular, and breathtaking at this altitude. Saturday morning, we loaded
our Jeeps, 
and headed off to Calvin Black Airport. Here we met with Trail Leader Frenchie
LaChance and the rest of the group for the Hole In The Rock trail (rated 4). This trail follows
much of the original trail that early Mormon settlers followed to the area. We aired down, met
everyone, ate a little lunch, and off we went.
Let me say something about Frenchie: If you get the chance, ride a trail with this guy. His
personality and high spirits made the trip enjoyable, and his leadership and experience were
very welcome.
The ride out to camp was almost uneventful, with just enough obstacles to keep things
interesting, including creek crossings, domes, and some large rock ledges that threatened to
snare a few of the shorter rigs. I was finding myself conquering obstacles I can only dream of
in East Texas!
After a few stops to admire some of the history of the area,
we meandered into camp with plenty of daylight left to set up our Coleman tents, and start
some supper. We held a drawing for some kindly donated Coleman, Oasis, and Krill products,
and handed out numerous Quadratec catalogs. Oh, and a word of caution: If you ever sign up
for this trail, don't ask what's in the "4x4 Goulash", just eat it...it's surprisingly good.
On day two we left camp, and headed onto the last leg of the trail. I ran around like a kid
in a candy shop all day, shooting photos until my camera screamed for mercy!
Now came the real obstacles, with climbs and descents along slickrock fins barely wide
enough for a Jeep, up steep domes, and through tough rocky sections. Along a fairly easy
section, a well-aged flat-fender broke a steering drag link, which we fixed on the trail. The
toughest spot, by far, was the descent into the "Chute". This was a rocky drop-off into a
75-yard-long descent through a narrow crevice in the hillside. To complicate matters, there was
a crack that threw vehicles off camber (more so going up than down). We broke for lunch at the
turn-around point (about 1 mile from Lake Powell) overlooking the "Hole in the Rock". Coming
back up the "Chute", a Zuki tried the short dome at the top and did a slow-mo
backflip. No injuries, and the little rig fired right up. (The good-spirited owner was spotted
later in the week running windshieldless, making "Tip-Over Challenge" look easy.) The rest of
the day was uneventful, and we reached camp quickly again. The trail leader held a drawing for
the remaining door prizes, and also handed out some unique certificates to the more notable
participants.
On day three we packed up camp, and headed back out the way we had come in. Back at the airport,
we met the next group preparing to run the trail, said our goodbyes, and hit the road. The XJ and I had survived our
first Moab experience, and I am now fully hooked!
The nature of Moab being what it is, we had many opportunities to use our MileMarker Winch on
this trip. Since it is hydraulic, instead of electric, the MileMarker winch can pull for longer
periods of time without stopping, and without draining your battery. This is particularly
important in isolated areas like Moab, where help may be many hours away. I know that
many of you were able to check out the winch in Moab and ask me questions about it, but
if I missed anyone, feel free to contact me at
jason@dirtroad.com
