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Unfortunately I ran into mechanical issues at the trailhead the morning of and ended up deciding to make the trip home. My coolant overflow/recovery tank developed a crack at the "neck" on the bottom of the tank and was pitting out a slightly worrisome amount of coolant when we stopped at the Courtright Dam to take a few photos. The location of the crack wasn't something easily patchable. My suspicion is that (with my sealed coolant system) the extreme elevation - around 9,500ft - exposed a weakness in the tank. I made it home Friday night around 10:30pm - @theksmith went on with Roger and Kevin and stayed in touch throughout the journey. I did, however, grab a few photos on the way up and on the way back down the mountain! Courtright Res. The top of Courtright Dam Looking down the dam spillway Some of the surrounding granite domes surrounding the area https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AP1GczOF3ZbF6Dm9-6Iyy7psHEqtIJu-8uK-RdVwtDSIfSxuFzWkzOO3xNTeKsFp0vJQppQVPaY6f46TqMEYAuhX4Y5an5sYXSUeUxpfRsKJSUz6DJ7k5kmsmPfYjztk9qhoAFPJUdj23lqnzap4fqiFPK7oQQ=w2048-h1365-s-no?authuser=0 Dinner-to-go on the way back down the mountains A toppled Giant Sequoia. Jeep for scale. I popped into McKinley Grove to check out the Sequoias. Literally just off the road. The grove is about 100 acres and has about 150 ginormous trees up to 2,000 years of age. The road home wasn't boring. Did my best the stay near civilization, in case the coolant tank took a dump, while also trying to skirt the LA traffic. I took the 99 south to 138, across the north side of the Angeles National Forest and down into San Bernardino to connect to the I10. The 138 was interesting, going from a fast 2-3 lane highway down to a single lane through the tiny towns of Little Rock, Pear Blossom, and Llano (which all had traffic lights). I was surprised at the number of semis on this route. Traffic, of course, came to a screeching halt in easy of these towns. The views sitting in traffic weren't half bad, though! Once I got through San Bernardino traffic it was smooth sailing - though I was tracking a pretty large storm that was sweeping through Indio/Desert Palms. Probably one of the most widespread dust storms I've personally experienced. It took about 2 hours to clear it. That said - a bummer I was unable to experience the Dusy firsthand - but looking forward to the possibility of a redemption run in the future! Looking forward to hearing about the crew's experience on the trail. 😊

You guys should try retirement. Just sayin'...

we spend the night at the Thompson Lake camping area, which already had 2 other groups setup. the last time we ran the trail i only saw 2 groups the entire time, so i was starting to worry that the trail would be crowded! it turned out we only saw a couple more rigs, a couple dirt bikers, and one SxS the rest of the trip - still much more activity than 4 years ago. we parked beside the trail while we checked out one of the many small lakes you pass by. the second day it never rained, but the sky stayed interesting which made for nice photos! we took a short stroll to a picturesque creek bellow a small camp site known as Bob's Beach. many of the creeks had small trout (or some kind of fishy fishy). apparently there's good fishing in many of the nearby lakes as well. the second day still had plenty of trail challenges, but thankfully there's nothing else comparable to Thompson Hill. it we had the Ershim Lake camping area all to ourselves that evening. most of the Dusy exists in a 300ft wide corridor between 2 wilderness areas. i'm thankful we didn't loose this trail when the wilderness boundaries were created. the third day went pretty fast. the entire trail did seem rougher than my previous trip - but we still finished in 3 days comfortably. *most* of the third day moves fairly fast. near the end you have to come down the north gatekeepers, which unlike most of the trail, will get you out of your rig to walk the obstacle beforehand! there's plenty of room to camp just past the end of the trail, with 360* panoramic views. we all got a few battle scars but head a great time. Kevin sadly not only lost a mirror to a tree on the third day, but got a major crunch to the passenger a-pillar as well. Gadget broke and bent up her passenger rear aluminum fender flare - also from a tree. Roger's beast of a machine finished with only the minor dent from day one. of course all the sliders, skids, and a couple of wheels took a beating - but that's to be expected on most difficult rock crawl type trails. this time the Dusy was a doozy for sure!

...that's in the contiguous USA and "as the crow flies". Check out this interactive map project that shows how remote everywhere in the US is based on the distance to a road - or you can see it broken down by proximity to roads and "tracks" (i.e. include 4x4 trails, etc.). https://ryansajdak.com/remote/

Rub it in why don't ya. 😁

Tell me about it!! Over my "free" trial of adulting.....

adulting is lame!

Yup, she was able to find the pieces that were disconnected and has also ordered new bushings for both of them. Thank you all for the help and the advice.

Yes, it was trail run I won't forget, because I have a permanent reminder on the LJ from it. A lot of fun, and very challenging thanks for having me on the run!

@4x4tographer - really missed having you on the trip! @TrailTractor, @Roger - great to meet you both and wheel such an epic trail together! please share any photos you grabbed... here's a shot from camp at the end of the trail to get us started!

bacon is always the answer!

In the picture I can clearly see that she's got JKS disconnects on there; she's running around disconnected. She just needs to pull the pin on both sides and that sway bar will swing down. The there should be a pin on the axle to connect it to (I can't see that part in the picture). Basically she just needs to reconnect. *Edit* Here's a picture of the front axle with the sway-reconnect pin circled. There are two, located on each side right in front of the springs. I hope she's still got them on the Jeep! I hope this helps.

Glad you guys concurred this trail. Ryan, you need to carry flex seal for those nasty leaks:)

That's awesome. I know our Jeeps love Onpoint!

i spent the night before the trip at a hotel in Clovis, a nice suburb of Fresno - which put me 2 to 3 hours from the trailhead still. Clovis is the last city/town of any size heading in. it took me just over 9 hours to get to Clovis from Phoenix. it was lunch time, so i tried out a local eatery (turned out to be OK, but not great). most of my photos are scenic - when the trail got rough i was usually clenching the steering wheel rather than the camera! a lot of the Dusy is dense forest, which i love since that's what i grew up with. i guess it could give some of you desert rats a sense of claustrophobia though! you're constantly steering on this trail, and to say the trail is "tight" would be a massive understatement. shorter and narrower rigs have the advantage here for certain. here's Kevin @TrailTractor coming up to one of a million of the easy obstacles. his LJ was on 35's and definitely hit bottom more often than me on 37's. his narrower track width was evident though many times when his rig sailed through a set of trees that i could barely squeeze my rig between. every so often the trail weaves through a meadow, many of which had a small creek crossing. it has been raining for a couple days before we got there and the first day continued to sprinkle on and off. there were puddles but not really much mud... the Dusy is usually a very dusty trail so the wetness helped keep that down and was appreciated by all of us - especially since Kevin and @Roger both had open-air Jeeps. Thompson Hill is the main event on this trail - a very steep, super loose, bouldery hill climb. compared to the last time i ran the trail 4 years ago, the hill was considerably rougher. it was way more dug-out in places. those extra holes of loose dirt between some rather large rocks ended up providing quite a challenge. this is technically the bottom of the hill, but before it gets really interesting. this was a sketchy spot where i kept sliding sideways and eventually had to winch. you can't tell at all from the photo, but you're looking down a steep incline here and my passenger rear is up against a hard ledge rock. the driver front kept sliding off the rock you can see here, and the other 2 tires had absolutely no grip in the loose sandy dirt. i ended up winching another 2 places before the top. Kevin winched once - which he said he'd never had to do before even after having run the rubicon multiple times and Fordyce as well! Roger's 40" tires, 1-tons, and Atlas transfer case kept him moving forward the entire trail without needing a winch. Gadget slid sideways into one tree on Thompson, which ripped the passenger mirror clean off. Roger also had a sideways slip and got a very minor dent just behind the hood and dislodged his a-pillar light bracket a bit too. Kevin was the only one to escape the hill without a souvenir! continued...

What Diane said... I will add, that the links appear to be missing the lower bushings. Any shop selling Offroad suspension parts, should have them in stock.

Added a +1 to us. See you soon!!

Awesome pics! Glad you guys had fun and came home safe! smiles, ladybug

Thank you very much to club sponsor @OnPointOffroad who has donated two gift certificates for the raffle this year... Your one stop shop for repair, modification and complete maintenance on ALL your toys and daily drivers! 50/50 Raffle (and more): Back by popular demand is a 50/50 raffle! Tickets on sale Saturday afternoon/evening. 1st place winning ticket drawn Saturday evening - the winner gets 50% of the ticket sales! (The club keeps the other half.) 2nd and 3rd tickets drawn each receive $175 gift certificates from club sponsor @OnPointOffroad $5 per ticket, or $20 for five tickets (bring cash). Must be present to win!

Sorry @ob1jeeper my inbox was full. I cleared it out and can receive messages again. 🙂

Ryan, Sorry to hear of your issue that kept you from running this trail. 🤒 Tried to send you a message via ORP messages, but I'm blocked from sending you a message.

It's Shelley's 4xe, but since she isn't here to write it up... Here she is in stock form, a 4xe Rubicon with the Power Top option: If you get the opportunity to press the go pedal on a 4xe, you are in for some real fun. It has the same exact same torque spec and 0-60 as the new Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 392. All from a turbo 4 and Duracell. We did buy it used (only 6k miles) and the previous owner had installed AMP Research electric steps. So it's mostly stock. We had to go used to get a decent color. All new inventory of 4xe's were mostly white. Not sure who would buy that? We did find a nice Tuscadero Pink 4xe on its way to Cottonwood on-line (via Car Gurus) but alas the nice sales rep at Oxendale quickly informed us that it was a custom order for a special customer in Sedona. Actually, he didn't tell us for who or where it was going, but a coincidental Facebook and Instagram post right after (maybe 48 hours) about a new Tuscadero 4xe quickly filled in the blanks. Shelley went Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping and gave me a "Honey Due" list: Front bumper Winch Snorkel Rear Bumper Mount her new blue Hi-Lift (It's a 4xe and painted Hydro Blue) And here we go...

You all are killing us! We will still be out on our summer trip, but man, we will miss you all on this event! Have fun everyone!

Hello Darryl, Based on the picture, I recommend, buying a new set of quick disconnects. Terflex has everything she would need for $157.00. Easy to install. Just my opinion. Mike

Here is that trip report. I've also had friends and seen other offroad road groups get the permit to camp at the river.

Don't forget your salsa or dip for the contest!!!!! There will be a new tradition started with this year's winner... what could it be?! ALSO... we're stepping up the prize this year! Annual Salsa & Dip Contest: Enter your homemade salsa or chip/veggie dip! Keep on ice until Saturday evening. Offroad Passport supplies the chips, but you're welcome to bring more (or crackers/pita/etc.). Everyone come hungry! Enjoy the chips, salsas and dips and VOTE for the winners! Salsa and dip contestants will compete for 1 prize this year. However, you can enter as many salsas/dips as you want!

Wonderful photos! Makes me wanna to check out the area only via a little more sedate route☺️. Glad you’re home with no serious damage..

yes, "Hope", with her wide hips would have taken a beat down! ;)

Great trip reports and what an experience!! Our wide Jeep would have been so crunched on this trail!

In an effort to make dinner(s) a little more varied at camp I have been looking for recipes that are pretty straightforward. My thinking is cooking this ahead of time and either throw it in my 12v stove as we're wheeling or heat it up in my skillet at camp. Here is one that I cooked last night and it was pretty tasty. I used frozen diced potatoes and went with the 1 1/2 cups amount and one link of sausage. I also went with salsa instead of tomatoes. Andouille sausage is not recommended unless you like it (food that is 😁) extra spicy. This recipe says it’s for one person and one dinner. Here’s how it worked out for me: I made one small burrito last night, had enough for another one today, and still had some leftover which I quickly scarfed down. The only thing extra I added was cheese and sour cream. Chicken sausage taco potato skillet (tacos) -1 person Ingredients Fully fried cubed potatoes: 1 to 1½ cups Pre-cooked chicken, chopped: ¾ cup Smoked sausage, sliced: 4–6 oz (½ to 1 link) Taco seasoning: 1 tbsp (start here) Canned diced tomatoes or salsa: ½ cup Canned corn: 7 oz can (drain + rinse, use about half if needed) Tortillas: 1–2 Oil: 1–2 tsp only if needed Optional: pinch salt/pepper Steps (stove, no lid) Reheat potatoes: Put potatoes in a skillet over medium-high. Add 1–2 tsp oil only if the pan looks dry. Sprinkle in about 1 tbsp taco seasoning and stir 1–2 minutes until fragrant. Warm meats: Add sliced sausage and chopped chicken. Stir and cook 2–3 minutes, just to warm and lightly brown. Add sauce/veg: Stir in diced tomatoes/salsa and corn. Simmer-stir 2–5 minutes until it looks “taco-y” (moist but not soupy). Add more taco seasoning if it tastes bland. Serve: Spoon into 1–2 tortillas. (If you want them extra tasty, toast tortillas briefly in the same skillet after the filling is done.)

I cooked the Creamy chicken corn skillet the other day and it was good, I did add the cheese. It was a little bland but still tasty, I am not a pepper fan so I omitted it. Maybe that's why. Anyway, I got a couple of decent sized burritos out of it. I think next time I'll throw some bacon in the mix and sprinkle some Cholula hot sauce in there before I roll up the burrito.

That's the EXACT intel I was looking for.

I'll be camping at the GC later in September. Was thinking about breaking camp early and heading to Williams and picking up the road to the bottom of the canyon. I'm assuming and hoping that folks here have done that? Wondering how long it takes and what I should be ready for. I'm guessing it is pretty tame and that it is the access point to supply Phantom Ranch or something like that?

You may know this but the only road to the bottom of the canyon starts in Peach Springs AZ. It is about 80 miles from Williams. The road is a, usually rough, 20+ miles and 3000+ feet of elevation loss down to a river raft take out area at Diamond Creek. No road exists to supply Phantom Ranch. All the supplies and all the trash goes in and out on the backs of mules.

Ill be out with my Subaru as my Jeep has been sitting neglected lately.

Damn. Have 1 Weekend after we get back to get the Jeep ready....😯 It hasn't moved since Easter Jeep Safari this year. But at least it will have a nice new set of Mickey Thompson Baja Boss MTs on it. The last set had about 1700 on them...I think its getting less and less every year...:( Cant wait to see everyone this year!!

I will bring my portable 200 watt set up for ya. You can see if you like them, and hang out for Thursday! :)

These are great ideas @shellback91. It's really hard to find good things to make when you're roughing it.

Here is another one that I will be trying in the next week or two. I'll report my results when I do. Creamy chicken corn skillet (filling) — 1 person Ingredients: Pre-cooked chicken, chopped: ¾ cup Cream of mushroom soup: about 10.5 oz can Use ½ to ⅔ of the can (about 5–7 oz). If you want leftovers, use the full can. Milk (or water): start with 3 tablespoons, plus more as needed to thin Garlic powder: ¼ teaspoon Black pepper: a few turns Canned corn: ½ cup drained (about 7 oz can drained, or 1/2 of a 15–15.25 oz can) (Optional) shredded cheese: ¼ cup Tortillas: 1–2 Steps: Warm the base: In a skillet over medium-low, add soup + milk + garlic powder + black pepper. Stir until smooth. If it’s too thick, add a little more milk/water (1 tbsp at a time). Add chicken + corn: Stir in chicken and corn. Cook 3–5 minutes, stirring, until everything is hot and the sauce coats the chicken. Optional cheese: If using cheese, sprinkle it in and stir until melted (about 1 minute). Use with tortillas (choose one): Tacos: Spoon filling into tortillas. Quesadilla style (best texture): Put filling on one tortilla, add a little extra cheese if you want, top with another tortilla, and cook 2–3 min per side until golden and melty.

Just paid for attending not camping, thanks!

Please count me in. Just me, Jeep, tent and wood. I'll play judge for the salsa/dip contest.

/me laughing in mountain resident Silly flatlanders!!!

I'm so looking forward to this event up in the cool pines! Phoenix set a record high for yesterday of 115* and a record low of 94*!

Awesome!

I can't wait to see everyone again. Such a great time last year. I'll be entering the salsa/dip contest again. So much fun and food! See y'all soon😜

She’s a beauty! 💙

Unfortunately have to also drop out....Al

Unfortunately I'm not gonna be able to make it this year. Responsibility and adulting reared its head out of nowhere so I have to handle it.