It's really not that bad to get in.
Based on a couple of the stories I've heard you'd think it was like storming the beach at Normandy or something.
I was not sketched out at all but I did add a bit of dramatic flair for sake of video though. It was definitely worse looking the last time I was up there so people have been working it and smoothing it out a bit. A Toyota Tacoma was coming back out just as I got past all the uglies.
There is only one place on the passes where you may scrape a bit on rocks if you're too low or take a crappy line over the boulders but there was also this one nasty sinkhole I passed near the home stretch that was easy to miss that could wreck your whole front end. The mouth was about a foot across but wide and deep enough inside to swallow the next fool to get too close. The East Branch loop trail is a total bushwack right now so I am determined to tame that one enough to find this camp site my uncle told me about up there so there's a good chance if I'm free that weekend and there's a couple people going up I'll definitely want to go along.
I was thinking exactly the same thing when I was there too. The Reservoir area could use a bit of surface cleanup but it actually looks half decent now since a lot of the bigger junk I remember being there, isn't anymore. A couple 20l pails would collect most of the junk I saw there. The Forebay area is a total shitshow free-for-all right now though. There's still a lot of shotgun casings, old rusty nails and whatnot from scrap people were burning, some corroded metal and a few appliances. At the end of almost every dead end haulway there is a small unique dump of junk.
Here's a bonus clip of the second pass I forgot to upload earlier.
I decided to run one wheel in the ditch and one on the cliffside bank which is a tippy feeling line straight through instead of having to try and balance it in the uneven track, but at least you don't have to look down. https://youtu.be/LA33hJ36lS4
It's really not that bad to get in.
Based on a couple of the stories I've heard you'd think it was like storming the beach at Normandy or something.
I was not sketched out at all but I did add a bit of dramatic flair for sake of video though. It was definitely worse looking the last time I was up there so people have been working it and smoothing it out a bit. A Toyota Tacoma was coming back out just as I got past all the uglies.
There is only one place on the passes where you may scrape a bit on rocks if you're too low or take a crappy line over the boulders but there was also this one nasty sinkhole I passed near the home stretch that was easy to miss that could wreck your whole front end. The mouth was about a foot across but wide and deep enough inside to swallow the next fool to get too close. The East Branch loop trail is a total bushwack right now so I am determined to tame that one enough to find this camp site my uncle told me about up there so there's a good chance if I'm free that weekend and there's a couple people going up I'll definitely want to go along.
I was thinking exactly the same thing when I was there too. The Reservoir area could use a bit of surface cleanup but it actually looks half decent now since a lot of the bigger junk I remember being there, isn't anymore. A couple 20l pails would collect most of the junk I saw there. The Forebay area is a total shitshow free-for-all right now though. There's still a lot of shotgun casings, old rusty nails and whatnot from scrap people were burning, some corroded metal and a few appliances. At the end of almost every dead end haulway there is a small unique dump of junk.
Here's a bonus clip of the second pass I forgot to upload earlier.
I decided to run one wheel in the ditch and one on the cliffside bank which is a tippy feeling line straight through instead of having to try and balance it in the uneven track, but at least you don't have to look down.
https://youtu.be/LA33hJ36lS4
Here's why it's worth going through the ugly stuff.
https://youtu.be/PMun1QhhLAw
When you get there, it's all worth it.
https://youtu.be/OdFzDsSnuT8
Here's the gnarliest bit going through the passes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQyJ6QV3070