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goneMOAB 2008 – May 18th
– May 23rd, 2008
MEET N GREET
The weather was great and you
could see the sun coming closer to the Red Rock cliffs to the East side
of town. This was quite the site
 after
spending the day out on Interstate 70 watching the miles tick by and the
realization that the Seventh annual goneMOAB was upon us. Every time I
turn onto Highway 191 from I-70 and roll into the town of Moab I feel
like a kid at Christmas looking at all the gifts I get to open but in
this case… all the Trails I get to run. Later while sitting in the Moab
Brewery we all watched as Nissan after Nissan rolled into the parking
lot. Some veterans of t he
goneMOAB event and quite a few new faces which is GREAT!! Trucks from
all over the place showed up including California, Colorado, Oregon,
Texas and even a group from Canada!! I know there were more states but
those are the ones that stuck in my mind at this point. We all sat down
got our event T-Shirts, goneMOAB Trail Guides and Swag then got to know
all our new wheeling buddies. After Dinner everyone walked out to start
looking over all the trucks that had shown up Frontiers, Xterras,
Pathfinders, Hardbodies and even a Patrol.
Well Chicken Corners was
cancelled due to some rock slides blocking the trail but Gemini Bridges
& Cliff Hanger were still a go.
 The
Gemini Bridges group took off up North of Moab to get to the trail head
after a few miles of pavement they turned onto the dirt road and traced
their way up the trail giving access to the top of the
 Red
Rock Cliffs. Rolling through the sand washes and enjoying the scenery
everyone finally ended up at stair section of Gemini Bridges. These are
some fun rock ledges to play on and see what the Nissan can do. Just
beyond the ledges you get to the 2 Red Rock Arches that run parallel to
each other you can walk across these and look between the two arches to
the canyon floor about 400 feet below. After the Bridges some side
canyon trails were run with lots of scenery and a wide variety of trail
surfaces, dirt, dunes, & slickrock.
 The
Cliff Hanger group took off Directly East of town after airing down in a
big parking area they continued to the Trail head and were greeted by
the first obstacle just feet off the road. I think the best
 way
to describe this trail is one obstacle after another after another after
another. The trail just keeps dishing it out. Rock Ledges, Washes,
Steep intricate Drops. At one point the group had to be split due to a
big ledge that some of the trucks could not get up. So they got lunch
while everyone else continued to the overlook. After spending a few
minutes everyone turned around and began the trek to meet back with the
rest of the group. And you guessed it every obstacle we came over on
the way in… had to do on the way back out. It made for a real eye
opening day for some folks, and a blast for those looking for some nice
obstacles to play on.
Day 2 had 2 trails Hey Joe
Canyon & Behind the Rocks.
  To
get into Hey Joe Canyon, one must travel about 20 miles of pavement and
10 miles of good dirt road to the rim of Spring Canyon, where a
spectacular ledge road winds down a 600-foot cliff to the canyon bottom.
The trail follows the canyon about 2 miles to the Green River and
another 9 miles upstream in Labyrinth Canyon to Hey Joe Canyon. The
trail was clear which was nice since the canyon walls tend to leave big
rocks in the trail at times. As the day wore on everyone who cherished
their paint job was more than likely thinking of the marks the tamarisk
trees and bushes were leaving as the trail continued to get narrower and
narrower. At the end of the trail there is an old abandoned mine to
explore.
 Behind
the Rocks is South of Moab accessed via Highway 191. The Nissan Reps
and Camera Crew were on this trail along with Project X (highly
 modified
2005 Xterra). Just a small group ran due to the intensity of the
trail. And right off the highway it does not disappoint one obstacle
after another and unlike Cliff Hanger every obstacle we came to was
HUGE. High Dive was very interesting, driving along a Flat as a pancake
section of trail you suddenly come to a huge ravine that drops down
about 40 feet and then of course back up the other side which has the
obstacle properly named Up Chuck. After winding around some of the
legendary arches (Balcony & Picture Frame), and more obstacles we ended
up at White Knuckle Hill. This obstacle is a series of drops from a few
inches to nearly 7 feet!! Very intense
 and
we all felt the pucker f actor.
After this we thought we were done and would be a quick run out on a
well marked dirt road… but the trail was exceedingly obscure at points
and little to no mention of the other many obstacles that lay ahead. It
was another 2 hours before we made it back to the highway almost 12
hours on the trail.
Dinner was provided by Nissan
at Zaks Pizza (the best Pizza in Moab). Due to Behind The Rocks taking
much longer Dinner was much later for everyone. As everyone chowed on
Pizza & Salad while sipping a beverage we all told stories about the
last 2 days adventures in the back country. Even though it was a long
day for everyone we all left Zaks with big smiles on our faces in
anticipation of what tomorrows trails would bring.
Some folks took the day off
to mess around town, sight see and relax, the rest of us jumped on to
one of the legendary slickrock trails
 of
Moab….. Fins N’ Things. If you have NEVER wheeled in Moab or are a bit
nervous about wheeling in Moab then you have to do this trail. Fins N’
Things I think every first timer to Moab should run. It is a great
introduction to slickrock and what any 4x4 can do on the sand paper like
rock. From the beginning you jump up onto some nice Slick Rock Fins.
This trail just rolls through the rocks and sand washes with a few steep
descents that will make you grab your steering wheel. But even though
all you see is ground out the windshield your tires will stick to the
trail for a gentle landing. The front loop has a few optional obstacles
to play on with bypasses. Then once you get to the back of the loop you
get to some really nice SLICKROCK trail sections. This back section has
some of the named obstacles of Kennys Climb and Frenchies Fin both are
steep and fun to get up. Shortly after a few more turns and smaller
obstacles you get back to the Sand Flats Road and a quick jaunt down the
road towards town for an optional obstacle called Mini-Lions Back. This
little loop is only about 1000 feet long but its worth the short amount
of time it takes. It is a steep gentle roll up the front of mini-Lions
Back then on over the top to the drop, which feels nearly vertical in
the drivers seat, into the sand wash and small lake.
After the trails quite a few
stopped by the Condos @ Rim Village for some social time around the BBQ,
everyone either ate before they arrived or brought something to throw on
the Barbie. Also Beers from everywhere showed up and a great time was
had sharing stories.
Two Trails were on the
agenda…. Hells Revenge & Seven Mile Rim.
Seven Mile Rim is up North of
Moab and the first part runs along the side and top of the Red Rock
cliffs East of Highway 191. Once on top of the cliffs everyone stopped
for some pictures across the valley and to look over the edge of cliffs
to gaze at the 600 foot drop. Once back on the trail everyone must
watch for the markings on the rock to designate the trail. This area is
criss crossed by miles of old mining roads and since a lot of it is on
solid rock the painted trail markings may be the the only way to tell
which direction to go. There are a few areas to play in, Uranium Arch
is a quick jaunt off the main trail with a fun obstacle and a crack that
many of us call the Mini-Crack. Shortly after this everyone takes a bit
of a high speed run through a very sand area towards the 500 foot tall
Buttes in the distance. After taking a lunch break between the Buttes
and of course getting some great photos everyone continued on towards
Wipe Out Hill. To get there everyone must drive across one tippy
section that will make you feel like the truck is going to go over on
the drivers side. Once at Wipeout hill many made the run down and then
back up the obstacle which is aptly named for those without patience.
After this fun break everyone jumped back into their Trucks to run in
the sand again to drive under Determination Towers and then back out to
the main road via a small creek bottom and sand wash.
Hells Revenge
had quite a turnout, but being this is a trail that so many have heard
about and has some of the best Slickrock Moab
 has
to offer who can blame them. Right from the entrance you are on a Fin
that will leave some feeling
 very
uneasy about the drop on both driver & passenger side. This leads into
a mix of sand/slickrock trail for the next mile or so with some very
challenging optional obstacles along the way. After you crawl out of
the sandy wash the next section has some epic slickrock to drive on.
Some of the longest ascents and descents can be found here, along with
some very steep sections to. All new drivers to the trail were set to
follow someone who had been on the trail before to help move things
along and for safety’s
 sake.
After taking lunch near Hells Gate we ran back up on top of the
mountains of rock to run Tip Over Challenge only a few attempted this
obstacle since it requires at least one locker. There were some good
photos here and a great show for everyone to watch, the tires
 spinning
and chirping while the truck tries to walk out from under you sideways
up the hill. Just after this trail it is a short trip out to the exit.
Even the exit here tends to make some nervous and it changes every
single year. We call this “The Squeeze” it is tight for wider vehicles
and requires some rock crawling to get through but it is FUN, then just
when you think you are though the truck must tip very close to a rock
wall then you are though. It is another mile of sand an optional ledge
obstacle to get to the main road.
Poison Spider & Kane Creek
were ran on the final Day of goneMOAB.
Kane Creek started out with a
slow drizzle and some clouds, but that won’t deter anyone at goneMOAB.
Kane Creek is out West and then South of town and runs… you guessed it
near a creek for the most part. Unfortunately this trail was rained
out. After a few miles in the canyon the rain picked up and what were
little trickles on the canyon walls turned into raging waterfalls on all
sides. Most trails this is not an issue but Kane Creek has a legendary
water crossing…. At the END of the 22 mile trail. Depending upon the
rain that day it can be a small creek 4” deep to a slow moving lake over
6’ deep where only an amphibian can cross. So they elected to return to
town after playing in some smaller water crossings and obstacles.
Poison Spider Mesa is quite a
few miles further North and did not get the amount of rain the southern
group had. This trail winds
 up
the canyon wall and then through a very tight canyon with an obstacle
affectionately called “The
 Waterfall”
which during hard rains… does turn into a waterfall. Everyone made it
up the Rock Waterfall with some very exciting moments caught by
cameras. This leads up to another of Moab’s most photographed spots
“The Wedgie” this obstacle requires you to straddle a V notch with your
tires up on the walls. With the good driving everyone made it through
in good time. After this obstacle there is quite a bit of rolling
terrain and even a BIG sand dune to play on. Leading everyone to the
back of the Mesa with an over look that takes in The Colorado River &
the town of Moab, just amazing. This back part of the loop is also
where we did have
 quite
a few minutes of heavy rain but we pushed on since it was basically a
loop trail. On the way back down some of the sandy washes we apparently
go more rain than we had thought, near “The Waterfall” area the sandy
sections had washed out nearly 18” in some spots. After getting to the
exit many of us hiked up to check out the Dinosaur Tracks & Indian
Hieroglyphs in a section of Rocks above the staging area.
Later that evening everyone
met back at the condos with Team Xterra Racing and their highly modified
Xterra for a BBQ provided by goneMOAB and the raffle of prizes donated
by our faithful goneMOAB sponsors. The Raffle included Trail Armor,
Trail Recovery Gear, many gift Certificates, roof racks, tools, books,
custom driveshaft’s, shock kits and more. This is not including all the
sponsors Hats, T-Shirts and other items we gave away. After the Raffle
we all crowded into the garage for a highlighted review of photos and
vids from the week.
This was A GREAT week to
spend in Moab with both old friends and new. I would like to thank all
of the goneMOAB volunteers for donating their time. I would also like
to thank all of our 2008 goneMOAB sponsors:
Nissan
Calmini
Automotive Customizers
Shrockworks
PRG Products
Gobi Racks
Fun Treks
JE Reel
Bill Burkes 4-Wheeling America
Rancho
Tom Woods Custom Drive Shafts
Tentrax
Warn
Milwaukee Tool
Team Xterra Racing
Rockford Fosgate
All of these companies helped
to make the 2008 event another great success and with the help of their
donations for the raffle goneMOAB was also able to make a sizeable
donation to Tread Lightly to help protect the trails in the area.
We look forward to seeing
everyone in May of 2009 for the Eighth annual goneMOAB!!!
goneMOAB Volunteers
www.goneMOAB.com
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