Holy Cross
We had a nice, tight group with us and we got started almost on time. There were a couple large groups ahead of us but otherwise we had the trail to ourselves for most of the day. Rocks had been moved in French Creek which made things difficult but we all made it through. It was a great time!
We started up the trail and no one had any problems until the first major obstacle. We all had fun in the rock garden and the big rock slab was especially fun for Ladd and Kendall who both took the left side and got some great wheelstands.
When we got to the first obstacle there was a big group ahead of us so we decided to stop there for lunch. We ate quickly and got to the obstacle.
Everyone took the usual line on the right without any issues. Bob S. took the line up the middle and slid around a bit before making it through. It was great to watch! Everyone but Bob R. had some issues in the wet, rocky area just past the first obstacle hill. That area may be more challenging than the obstacle itself.
We kept going and got to French Creek to find a couple vehicles but no one on the obstacle. We walked up to check it out and found that two large boulders had been moved into the trail, right along the usual line up the left. One boulder had obviously been moved that morning (fresh scars on the rock) and the other was probably moved that morning as well. There was oil on the rocks and in the water (which we cleaned up right away). That oil leak was something we followed all the way to Cleveland Rock.
Monica tried the middle line and couldn't make it. Bob S. tried it too without any success. Kendall thought he saw a skinny path through the left diagonally to the middle that his Samurai could fit through. He tried it but it wasn't going to work.
The group in front of us winched the big rock a little further up the trail. It still wasn't where it belonged but no one had the equipment to move it back to where it came from. That enabled all of us to get through though we all got caught up on it on the way up.
Kendall managed to hit the rock that sticks out on the left and dented his front fender corner in. Bob S. found some issues with his drive shaft that he got from a big rock in the creek. Monica, Bob S. and Ed made it through without too many hang ups.
Half of us made it up and through the creek, including a few from the group before us. That was when the big group and another group came down from the city. It turned out one of them had gotten caught up on that big rock and accidentally dragged it into the trail. They started coming down in the middle of our group so we were stuck at the creek for another extra hour or so.
Once they went by we got our group going again. Mike wrestled with it for awhile but then made it through like always. The biggest problems were had at the second rock that was moved, past the larger creek rocks and the larger moved rock. People were getting high centered on their way through. Ladd got extremely high centered and it took awhile to free him. Kendall put a spare tire under Ladd's rear tire to help and the spare tire got extremely lodged between the ground and the frame of his Jeep.
Bob R. came through the creek and made it look easy.
We got going again toward the city and the third obstacle was dry and fairly easy compared to French Creek. Everyone made it to Holy Cross City, and Monica and Bob S. drove up to check out Cleveland Rock. No one tried Cleveland Rock. There was a Jeep broken down at the top of it and some other people came up from behind our group with parts to fix it.
We all worked our way down and no one had any issues, not even in French Creek. Bob S. took the line down the middle -- he had a great time and didn't get hung up.
When we got off the trail at 8:00 a few of us got to Minturn in time to have dinner at Chili Willie's (they closed at 9PM). It was a long day, like it always is on Holy Cross. Like always, it was a blast!
Reports from Other Days: 9
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