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As promised, we did it again. The 2005 Roundup was held in the George Washington National Forest near Alhambra VA. This year’s Roundup had many similarities to past Roundups as well as many differences. Attendance numbers were less than in some years past. Attending this year were:
This put 3 vehicles on the trail with the Trailblazer staying at the Crabtree Falls Campground. In our very first Roundup, we had 4 vehicles on the trail and only 3 in the campground. In planning these and other events, a rough rule of thumb has sort of developed that says 50-65% of the people who say they are coming will actually show. Of the ones who say they are coming but don’t show, a number equal to approximately half that will show unexpectedly. Of the 9 vehicles that were expected, one would have expected 5-6 to show along with 1 or 2 that you didn’t know were coming. Whether the cost of gasoline (cycling around $3.00 per gallon at the time) or because of other factors, there were only these 4 vehicles. We stayed somewhere new for us, the Crabtree Falls Campground. This was the first year we stayed in a privately-owned campground (only Keith and Mike & Chris stayed overnight). The campground had a number of things going in its favor, including several sites adjacent to the flowing Shoe Creek. The common facilities were reasonably clean, hot water was plentiful. Being a private campground, it also boasted a gameroom and a small store which stocked non-perishable items. They also had several small cabins which appeared nice and were available to rent. On the downside (no pun intended), the creekside sites were tightly packed and the “short distance from the car” discussed on the phone ahead of time turned out to be 40-50 yards to haul your supplies and gear up and down the hill. Other guests who had been there before were aware of this and had brought wagons and carts to ferry their loads. The “prime” sites by the creek were also very tightly packed. Of course, the close quarters made it easier to get to know your neighbors. Mike and Chris met a nice couple of newlyweds and their dog from Richmond who spent some time with all around the fire on Saturday evening. So Saturday morning arrives and we are waiting for those who had indicated they would join us then. First to arrive was Chad who was driving the Just Empty Every Pocket Wrangler. He had arrived bright and early. Next to show were Marc & Kelly in Marc’s 91 Blazer. Both Chad and Marc & Kelly live close enough to make the Shoe Creek area a day trip. We left the campground late to ensure that we weren’t leaving anyone behind and would our way down and east to come up the Shoe Creek trail and end at Crabtree Falls. The end of the trail comes out just a half mile or so uphill from the campground. The lower end (starting end for us) comes off the end of a state-maintained dirt road which branches off the pavement in Alhambra Virginia. You wind around and eventually turn across a wood and iron bridge, go past several houses along the way and eventually reach the end of the state-maintained road and slip through a gap in the trees and undergrowth to start the trail. We stopped just before the first stream crossing to allow for airing down and such.
The Shoe Creek Trail is moderately rough trail with several sections of challenge that are steep or loose. There are also several crossings of the stream. The stream bottom is largely rocky which virtually eliminates any instances of downstream silting. The trail runs along the edge of a wilderness area where access is limited to foot traffic only. The other side of the trail is predominantly privately owned (and posted) land. It is especially important that you stay ON the trail here although there are several interesting appearing sideroads. Unfortunately for us, they are privately-owned accessways. The terrain and the scenery make for an enjoyable ride (where 4wd is required) without venturing onto the restricted areas. Just past the second crossing, Chad reminded us of the last time he had been there. He had been climbing a rock along the edge of the trail and somehow got crossed up so that a hilift was required to get him moving again. The steepness of that particular section (and the downhill slope of the other side) made it very tricky to lift him without the jack falling over or his Jeep flopping over on its way to the stream. There were also campers crowding the trail there which added more interest. No such predicaments this time though. Surprisingly, we saw no campers on our way in.
As you make your way across the third stream crossing, there is a clearing to the left with some large rocks that seemed the perfect place for a little 4x4-play. Chad took the bait and was soon showing the capabilities of the solid-axles vs. the IFS of our Blazers. We heard the grinding of metal on rock and a quick check of the underside showed the rear diff sliding over the top of a large rock. A little rocking to help it along and then we heard it! SNAP. The unmistakable sound of an axle shaft that has decided it has had enough. Sure enough, as Chad moved on over the rock, the passenger side rear axle shaft walked its way on out. (See the pictures). We are in luck as Chad has spares! But it’s not good luck as those spares are back at home. We’ve all heard stories of (and some of us have seen) strapping an axle back into place enough to get out of the woods using a large branch or similar. Scouring about, we found a large branch to do the job and strapped the branch from the frame to apply a limit to how far the axle could move out. The only branch we could find proved not to be large enough and we shifted to a hilift bar before making it back to the road.
Chad has AAA-Plus which will come and tow him quite a distance but will only do so from a public road. Using the hilift and straps, the plan was to get him back to the trailhead and the state-maintained roadway to await his tow. Slowly we crept down the trail until we finally reached that road. At that point, there was no cell phone service so we set out in search of hardline phone. About half mile down the road, we some folks on the side of the road and asked them for the location of the nearest pay phone. As it turned out, there was a phone in the house there that could be used. As the day wore on, it proved to be a real stroke of luck that Chad was able to use that phone. He called AAA and they promised to send a tow for him. Since he was being taken care of, Marc, Kelly and I decided to ride on up to the Falls and Chad could radio us when his tow truck showed. Arrangements were made for us to come back down the same way if we hadn’t heard from him. So we head back up the trail. The Shoe Creek trail continues as it had in the start with private land to one side and wilderness to the other. We got past where Chad had been and moved about a half mile further along the trail when we met a group of 4 vehicles coming down the trail. We pulled as close to the dropoff as we dared but we had met at a spot of slippery black mud which made it difficult for the oncoming party to hug the high side and get safely past us. After some serious jockeying, they finally do get past and we proceed on. The trail continues to get rougher and steeper. Just when you think you’ve gone about as deeply into the woods as you can, you come across a house or a driveway or some other evidence that regular visitors to this part of the world still occur. One fairly new cabin is very near the top and has a US Mailbox at the end of the driveway. Passing there always prompts a discussion of the rural route carrier that must be responsible for that delivery, especially in the winter. There are some pictures here of a very old cabin that has collapsed. That cabin was still standing when I first traveled this way a couple of years ago although it was no longer in use and only the studs remained of the wall supporting the tin roof. At about that point, Marc called for a short stop so that the Blazer could cool a bit as it was getting very warm. While waiting for the cooldown, we discussed driving techniques and decided to shift into 4 low as we had been running 4 high for the most part. We decided that the automatic transmission slips more and was putting a higher load on the tranny cooler and radiator. We decided to give the rest of the trail a shot at 4 low (although not necessary for traction) to ease the load on the transmission and radiator. It’s funny how we sometimes forget what we learned sometime in the distant past. If one were running a manual transmission, the effect would be less but that may be a reminder for some of you guys and gals who have heating problems on the trail. Put some of the ego aside and shift to 4 low even though you could have run it in 2wd. Just a thought. At any rate, we continued further up the trail, crossing the peak at the Appalachian Trail where early pioneers walked their way from the eastern seacoasts to the great interior of this country. From there, we saw a few more along the trail, largely campers who had come in from the gentler road of the other side. We stopped in the parking area where you can walk to the falls but decided to just take a break and then head back down to make sure that Chad had been picked up. The ride back was largely uneventful. We passed a few campers that had made their way in since we had come up and even passed a group of Boy Scouts hiking the trail. When we got down to where we had left Chad, we were pleased to not see his Jeep beside the road. This must mean his tow truck has come. Alas, it was not to be for half a mile down the road, across from the house with the phone sat Chad’s Jeep with the hilift strapped to the side. Chad was sitting in the porch swing where he had spent several hours visiting with his hosts. In the telling of the rest of this story, we should introduce the remaining characters. Mr and Mrs Al Campbell and their grown daughter and her husband were sitting on the porch with Chad. Also there were friends and relatives of the Campbells who had come by to visit in the Campbells’ weekend home. The Campbells, who lived near Culpeper were visiting the home which had belonged to Mr. Campbell’s parents during their lifetimes. Mr. Campbell had grown up there and had kept the place as a country weekend and hunting retreat. It seems that AAA was having a hard time getting a tow truck driver (who works on contract) to first agree to come out and then to find the place. From around 1:00 until 6:00, the phone had been ringing regularly at the Campbells’ with drivers and dispatchers seeking directions. Chad had finally moved from the Jeep to the porch to keep from having to run back and forth to talk to them. The Campbells were very hospitable, preparing a sandwich for Chad and keeping him entertained with tales of the history of the area. Since there were only two operating vehicles, we decided to forego the Bald Mountain trail. Marc and Kelly decided to call it a day and head for home. Around 6:30, the tow truck finally arrived for Chad and his Jeep. By that time, the Campbells had started cooking hot dogs and burgers on the grill to feed their impromptu guests (as well as the tow driver if he arrived in time). As it turned out, when the tow truck arrived and loaded up, all hit the road after saying thank you to the very gracious and hospitable family who had offered the phone to a stranger on the road and got a house guest and a story to tell. As it was not approaching dark, I headed back around
to the campground to find Mike and
All in all, it turned out to quite a weekend. Camping by the stream, riding the trail, the Adventures of Chad and the new friends in the Campbells and in the campground. There were a number of lessons that were re-learned and some things to think about:
For your info,
there are other S-10 events scheduled already. |
~KH,
November 03, 2005
