Hackberry Creek Trail

We actually got out of town at a decent time this trip and were able to set up camp in the day light which the Jesse &Amanda baker family has not been able to do in a long time maybe even never (one major reason ii will be building the ultimate camping trailer soon). We camped at Oak Flats camp ground which is a bit dusty but the weather has always been nice. Not sure if Oak Flats would be to enjoyable in the rain though.
Well Dinner was provided by Dad and cooked by Mom who didn't show but spent the day preparing the wonderful stew that was sent with Dad. We sat around the camp fire and discussed the popular and not so popular opinions for the up coming election and propositions. The next morning we partook of a great pancake, bacon, egg breakfast (just reminiscing and writing this makes me feel like I should load up and head out there right now). After that we cleaned up camp and took care of the cooking equipment.
Before we hit the trail we messed around in a rocky spot(mini Moab) behind camp. This was beneficial to me because I had been kind of nervous about hitting the trail with the Montero which from my experience sometimes looses traction due to a major lack in wheel travel in the most inconsiderable rut you could imagine, But after this trial run I had gained a feel of what I was in for and now I was anticipating a challenge. Camp was left behind in an dry cloud of dust as we all formed a convoy behind Jeff who led us in the wrong direction then followed us in the right direction until we hit a fork on the old highway. Jeff took the lead and we cruised down the old highway till we turned on to dirt and drove past and a few drill rigs. After those active drill rigs there were a few old drilling sites past even on the considerably difficult parts of the trail. we climbed until we reached the brim of a Bermuda grass covered valley. At the top there is a choice of roads down. My new confidence urged me to choose the more difficult of the two. When I hit the dirt I put my Vehicles in four. I feel it improves every aspect of handling(not three point turns though) Less hopping on washboard better braking and I just generally try to use it since its available. Reaching the next switch back down was no hard task especially with our Montero in low range. The floor of the valley is reached with the completion of the famous but not as famous switch backs. Dad had been to this valley before to work on a Ranchers Crawler but he used other switch backs just to the east of ours. Once reaching the valley The trails turns into a wash or some consider the beginning of the trail to be the wash.
The was was great and it provided new opportunities to break in my Wheeling with an Automatic Skills. Jeff required no spotters maybe because he had been there, I required four sometimes five, Billy needed none but had one Because that's what we do and the Dad/Blaine team didn't even wait for the spotters to realize what was going on.
The trail was diffidently challenging especially when we came to the obstacle we did not pass. The obstacle wasn't just a steep hill but a rocky hill not just any rocky hill but one strew with basket ball sized rocks, loose rock mind you. Jeff tried, he was sure he would make it up he had before with ease. This trip had a different outcome. Dad tried next but only managed to get him self wheels off. Both rigs needed to be yanked off in the end. I cant even begin to describe the frustration we all felt after our defeat(this is where real overlanding skills come in to play). We had been bouncing around for a few hours already and our babies were getting tired and our wives frustrated (they say the pioneers sang as they walked but I bet most of the time it was with clenched teeth). Now it was time to get the map and GPS out and find a way around. We figured out where we were thanks to the GPS but we also figured out that the routes around our dilemma were not any easier. We learned real fast to face the facts, our best route was to go back the way we came. The trip back was fast and I only needed spotting at one obstacle (thanks Billy). We arrived at eh switch backs we started at over looking the valley. By this time the only vehicles I could see were Billy behind me and then Dad behind him. I headed up the route I came(this is when i finally figured out the foot on break and use it like a clutch trick for automatics). Billy followed and Dad slowed up, he decided to head up the switch backs to the east that he had been on so long ago but now were unmaintained and apparently a little washed out. Billy and I were in a hurry to get back to camp and pack up, needless to say we did not wait to see the outcome of Dads jot.
At camp we met the others and chatted about the trail(there wasn't much packing to do since Bliane and Ryan took care of our tent, Thank you guys). Then came the call that Billy received on his cell phone, it was Dads phone but Niques voice. He said they had laid the Jeep over and needed help, Billy asked if any one was hurt and he said no. Nique told us there was a road that crosses over to there switch backs from the ones we used. so we loaded all our recovery gear in Jeffs and Billys Jeeps and went to the rescue. It took about 3 hours to get the jeep back on the road. Jeffs jeep could not drag the Willys up the hill so it was necessary to get it to move under its own power which ended up to be an field mechanics story all in its own, to keep it short, oil bath air filter. Next thing we knew we were on our way home, Montero and Willys on the trailer Billy missing a flare and Jeff dreaming about fab shops. Other blogs to visit: http://outdoorandoffroad.blogspot.com/ - http://billysprojectoffroad.blogspot.com/ - http://azjeffsoutdooradventures.blogspot.com/ - http://bhbaker.blogspot.com/