Turn Around, Don’t Go Around!

Posted: June 20, 2022 | Author: | Filed under: Access, Maintenance | Tags: , , | Leave a comment

This is the theme of this website but I need to promote it more often.

If you come across an obstacle you can not get over while staying on the trail, turn around and go home, do not drive off the trail to go around the obstacle. It could be a tree, a huge snow drift, a rock garden, whatever. Turn Around, Don’t Go Around!

This past Father’s Day weekend, I was out on our trails and found many, many trees down across our trails. More than a few of these trees had been driven by many vehicles.

I had my electric chainsaw with me, not to do trail work and clear trees but just in case something fell while I was in and had to get out. Well, I did as much tree clearing as the one battery I had with me would allow. I did go back the next day with a freshly charged battery and did what I could.

Here is a tree down across the Hobbit Trail (16E76). A few rigs had already driven around this tree.

This one required a snatch block to get the right angle to get the tree off the trail once cut.

I figured that would be it as at this point of the season many rigs should have driven this trail. But not too far down the same trail was another. This one was also driven around.

It could be dragged a little further to the right but it is clear of the trail.

There were more trees but I didn’t get pictures of all of them. I also left many trees across the trail that were easily driven over and not causing vehicles to go around. The tree below was on the Middle Fork Trail in Blackwood Canyon. The blue & pink tags were for an 200 mile endurance run taking place.

Again, I didn’t get all the photos, before and after, for each and every tree.

Before only…

No saw required, just grab and drag. With the rig, not by hand!

I’ll contact the Forest Service to get someone out to block off the side trail created here.

Before only, this on is dangerous, so I dragged it down.

Most of that was Saturday the 18th. Long story but I had to go back in on Sunday the 19th. On the way out, I did some work on the Rubicon that I passed on doing on Saturday. This is just after the turn at Forest Road 03-04.

My Kobalt 80-volt electric saw worked wonders. Especially after putting a fresh chain on it. I was working the two smaller trees and then the bigger one, going back and forth. After cutting trees on the Hobbit Trail, I wasn’t sure how many cuts I had left. I was about two and a half cuts short of what I wanted to accomplish. From now on, if I bring the saw, I’ll bring both batteries!

If you’re headed in to the Springs, please cut this one back a few more feet. Thanks. Below is what my saw took off those three trees above before the battery was drained.

It ended up being a very productive weekend out on our trails.

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Rubicon Ronin

Rubicon Trail Conditions – May 20, 2022

Posted: May 20, 2022 | Author: | Filed under: Access, Travel | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment

In short, the trail is still very wet. Lots of snow along the Tahoe National Forest from Miller Lake out to what I call Potato Patch.

Six rigs went in from the Tahoe side Friday morning at 10:30. It was a late start but we are all retired so who cares about time. At the bottom of Cadillac Hill we turned on to the Long Lake Trail to check conditions. We didn’t get back to the staging area until 7pm.

The usual tourist shot before we went down Cadillac.

Once on the Long Lake Trail, we found minimal trees down along the trail. But we did clear off most of them.

I would suggest staying off the trail until the big snow melt slows down. If you do go, please tread lightly on the wet trail.

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Rubicon Ronin

Almost clear

Posted: June 30, 2019 | Author: | Filed under: Maintenance | Tags: , | Leave a comment

Yesterday, a group of four Jeeps and seven people headed out to do a little maintenance: Dean, John, Doug, Dean, Gary, Carlos and Don.

Our goal was a general clearing of trees and branches encroaching on the trail, draining some water, removing a large tree from the trail and shoveling down a huge snow berm.

Well, my thanks go out to whoever got out and shoveled the snow. The berm was gone by the time we got there.

We got everything else done and then headed up the Buck Lake Trail to clear more downed trees. Well, again, someone got there before us. So thanks to whoever that was.

So, for the most part, the Rubicon on the Tahoe side is clear of trees and major snow. There is still a lot of water on the trail. Please tread lightly and stay on the trail.

Thanks again to John for putting yesterday together and all of those who were there to help out on very short notice.

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Rubicon Ronin

Still snow, and it will be there for some time…

Posted: June 26, 2019 | Author: | Filed under: Access, Travel | Tags: , | Leave a comment

Third day in a row on the Rubicon. This time as a passenger.

So, picking up where I left off yesterday, here is the off-camber section just past the turn to Ellis Peak.

Dean went ahead a drove this as it was. For the other three rigs, I dug a trench for the high side tires. It lessens the side hill and provides a track to prevent sliding off the snow in to the mud.

Of course John did it with his tire carrier swinging. The next obstacle stopped everyone. All four rigs took a winch.

Once out of the Basin and in to the Tahoe, there was snow everywhere in various forms…

But we did make it all the way to Observation Point! It was windy, and I mean WINDY!

Of course, on the way out we came across a downed tree. As in down across the trail. It wasn’t there on the way in.

I had a hand saw but John had a chain saw.

And off we went…

Please go prepared. Turn Around, Don’t Go Around. Don’t drive off trail if you or your rig can’t handle the obstacle.

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Rubicon Ronin

Snow, snow, snow

Posted: June 26, 2019 | Author: | Filed under: Access, Travel | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment

Okay, I got out on the Rubicon yesterday (6.25.19) as opposed to the Buck Lake Trail the day before that had tree issues.

We got as far as the pond at the Ellis Peak Trail and turned around at the intersection.

Below is the view looking further down the Rubicon. Snow! Lots of side hill action. That’s why we turned around.

This is the view up the Ellis Peak Trail. Nobody’s been there yet.

After the turn around, we poked up the Richardson Lake trail thinking we’d go to the top for the view from Sourdough. Nope! Again, crazy side hill right before the cabin. The pond on the right is a somewhat deep sediment trap.

If you go, be prepared to dig and saw. Snow everywhere, trees still across the trail.

Stay on the trail. If you are not prepared to deal with what is on the trail, Turn Around, Don’t Go Around!

Rubicon Ronin

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