AZ State Parks - May Trail Talk 5/25-5/27

[Bradywgn71 646]

Sarah and I got up bright and early Saturday morning to go to the AZ State Parks Trail Talk at Reddington Pass. We met up with the group at the Circle K on Tanque Verde Rd. in northeast Tucson before proceeding to the staging area at the west entrance to the Chiva Falls trail.

 

 

Looking back at Tucson from the Pass:

 

 

Gathering at the west staging area of Chiva Falls trail:

 

 

On the left is Jeff Prince, Off-Highway Vehicle Program Coordinator with Arizona State Parks. On the right is Robert Walter, Recreation Resource Specialist of Coronado National Forest Service.

 

 

They led an excellent informational talk about the past, present, and future of the Reddington Pass area. There are many different groups with interests in this area and they explained to us about how we can influence the direction of future activities here.

 

 

After the Trail Talk was officially over, it was time to go have some fun. Jeff took this opportunity to go out on the trail to see first-hand the great experience this trail has to offer.

 

 

 

 

The Pinzgauers usually had less than 4 wheels on the ground.

 

 

 

Jeff is an experienced off-roader and isn't afraid to put his Toyota to the test.

 

 

Soon, we could see the waterfall in the distance. Unfortunately, it's dries up this time of the year.

 

 

Almost there.

 

 

We had lunch a short distance from the Falls. Sarah wasn't feeling well from the heat of the day, so we stayed back at the WJ with the A/C on while the rest of the group went to check out the Falls. Afterwards, we all had to do multi-point u-turns to go back out the way we came in.

 

 

 

 

 

We had originally planned on camping that night, but decided that it would be best for Sarah if we went home. M&Ms from the JKOwners Forum in the white JK was also heading back to town, so we decided to follow him out. We parted ways with the group and headed toward Reddington Rd.

 

 

Heading back up the Three Feathers obstacle.

 

 

Got my first minor body damage climbing Three Feathers, right front tire slipped off an edge and it laid over a bit into the rock face. No biggie, it'll buff out, right?

 

 

We stopped for a snake in the road. We shooed it off the road and continued down the Pass to the Circle K to air up. Any day of wheeling is better than a day at work!

 

 

Thank you to Jeff Prince for putting this Trail Talk together and being an advocate for off-road activities. We're hoping Jeff will join us on a trip sometime! http://azstateparks.com/ohv/

[6x6pinz 1]

Very good time. Hope Sarah got to feeling better. Sunday the FJ group joined us for another brief trail talk and then they led us to Chimney Rock and beyond. Unfortunately Matt (red pinz owner) and I did not have time to camp Sunday night. As things work out on the way out we ran into a quad guy who needed a cell phone to call for emergency help after his father crashed his ATV. The emergency units showed up and then brought in the helicopter to get him out. We were only a couple miles down the road from where we left the group to head home. After that bit of excitement we finally headed home around 8:30P. I got home around 11:30 which made for a really long day.

[theksmith 3,589]

Chris - thanks for posting the trip report! sorry Sarah didn't feel well, hope she is all better now? congrats on the rock rash!

 

6x6 - glad you were there to help, did you see the father - how badly was he hurt?

[Bradywgn71 646]

Chris - thanks for posting the trip report! sorry Sarah didn't feel well, hope she is all better now? congrats on the rock rash!

 

Sarah was feeling much better by the time we were airing up, she still had a nasty headache though. We both got a little too much sun. We were planning on going back to Reddington Pass on Sunday, but decided it would be best for us to stay home.

 

Sarah was upset for a while about the rock rash, contradicting the bumper sticker that says "Chicks Dig Body Damage". Now she just wants me to get some paint on it so it doesn't rust.

[Bradywgn71 646]

To add on to this...

 

Link to full photo album: https://picasaweb.google.com/110968346826086888564/TrailTalkChivoMay2013?authuser=0&feat=directlink

 

Jeff, from AZ State Parks, also informed the group at the trail talk about the AZ OHV Ambassador program. He can't do this all alone and needs our help to show that the OHV community is responsible and caring. This program also offers free training for its participants. For more information about this program see: http://azstateparks.com/ohv/ambassadors.html

 

Also, if you don't have the interest in that at least sign up for the newsletter. He writes this himself and is a way to keep us informed about upcoming trail talks, trail clean-ups, and issues that affect us. For more info see: http://azstateparks.com/ohv/

 

I was really impressed with Jeff's knowledge and his passion for the OHV community. During his talk he mentioned his 30 year involvement in AZ with everything from ATVs, motorcycles, and 4x4 vehicles. He is working really hard to be a good liaison between our community, the state, and various federal agencies. He encouraged everyone to reach out to him with their concerns.

 

It was a really fun trip despite the heat. I am feeling better now and am looking forward to the next trip this coming weekend!!

 

-Sarah

[6x6pinz 1]

I stayed at the road to get the ambulance to the scene. By the time the ambulance got on scene the helicopter had the patient loaded up and ready to take off. Another emergency vehicle arrived on scene before the ambulance and called in the helo. Matt was led back to the scene by the son and he saw the father. Said it looked like an indian had tried to scalp the father. The father was awake and coherent but bleeding pretty good and head injuries are nothing to mess around with. The sheriff showed up as we were getting ready to leave and wanted everyone out so they could do their investigation. With all the foot traffic and a couple eye witnessed it should have been a pretty easy task. It was a case of a guy riding his quad way to fast for road conditions and not wearing any protective gear. Slid off the road, hit an embankment, flew out into the desert landing head first. He did have movement of his hands and feet so hopefully he will recover without too much difficulty.

A few of us were thinking of taking the CPR/first responder class coming up and this just solidifies the need for such training. All of my certs are outdated and I was planning on attending to get them back up to date so now I am going to push for a few others of us in the pinz group to attend. Great information at these classes, never too much knowledge in first aid.

[6x6pinz 1]

Sarah, glad to hear you are feeling better. I hate the heat related illnesses. People just don't get it until they experience them for themselves. Seems to drain me for days when I get hit by them.

[AZstateParks-OHV 0]

Thanks for the kind words, great photos, and most of all...the opportunity to meetup with a cool bunch of people who care about responsible motorized recreation! I'm looking forward to joining a future offroad passport trip as a civilian

 

Jeff Prince

OHV Program Coordinator

Arizona State Parks

jprince@azstateparks.com or 602-542-6940

[dzJeepChic 2,313]

Sarah and I got up bright and early Saturday morning to go to the AZ State Parks Trail Talk at Reddington Pass. We met up with the group at the Circle K on Tanque Verde Rd. in northeast Tucson before proceeding to the staging area at the west entrance to the Chiva Falls trail.

 

In the 1970's I used to ride my 10-speed to that Circle K and then stash it in the desert so I could catch a ride or walk the rest of the way to Tanque Verde Falls. My parents nearly scalped me when my new orange Huffy was stolen from the nearby desert...

 

 

The Pinzgauers usually had less than 4 wheels on the ground.

That had to have been interesting!

 

We had lunch a short distance from the Falls. Sarah wasn't feeling well from the heat of the day, so we stayed back at the WJ with the A/C on while the rest of the group went to check out the Falls. Afterwards, we all had to do multi-point u-turns to go back out the way we came in.

Kudos to you for keeping her in the shade with the A/C on! I've suffered from heat related illness and it is nothing to mess around with.

 

 

We had originally planned on camping that night, but decided that it would be best for Sarah if we went home. M&Ms from the JKOwners Forum in the white JK was also heading back to town, so we decided to follow him out. We parted ways with the group and headed toward Reddington Rd.

 

 

Heading back up the Three Feathers obstacle.

 

Glad you guys grouped up with someone else leaving; it's always good to stay together when you can.

 

Got my first minor body damage climbing Three Feathers, right front tire slipped off an edge and it laid over a bit into the rock face. No biggie, it'll buff out, right?

 

 

Ouch! But it's like I say these days: "The first cut is the deepest". And I say that from experience. It really will begin to hurt less every time.

 

We stopped for a snake in the road. We shooed it off the road and continued down the Pass to the Circle K to air up. Any day of wheeling is better than a day at work!

 

Nice move.

 

Thank you to Jeff Prince for putting this Trail Talk together and being an advocate for off-road activities. We're hoping Jeff will join us on a trip sometime! http://azstateparks.com/ohv/

 

X2 Jeff! We all appreciate all the stuff you guys do! And thank you for sharing it all on Offroad Passport!

 

Very good time. Hope Sarah got to feeling better. Sunday the FJ group joined us for another brief trail talk and then they led us to Chimney Rock and beyond. Unfortunately Matt (red pinz owner) and I did not have time to camp Sunday night. As things work out on the way out we ran into a quad guy who needed a cell phone to call for emergency help after his father crashed his ATV. The emergency units showed up and then brought in the helicopter to get him out. We were only a couple miles down the road from where we left the group to head home. After that bit of excitement we finally headed home around 8:30P. I got home around 11:30 which made for a really long day.

Wow, glad you guys where there to help with the rescue. The Wilderness First Aid Class I shared on this forum is really a great class. I highly recommend it.

 

Thanks everybody for sharing and the report. Good Stuff!

[rovnrev 0]

holy cow! we saw the Emergency vehicles and helo. thoughts and prayers for the rider.

 

thank you everyone that wheeled and/or camped. great pictures Chris and Sarah! glad to hear you are feeling better. Matt and Mike, I owe a big home cooked meal! Jeff and Robert were awesome and informative.

 

here are my pictures from the weekend. http://imgur.com/a/RHEgU