Red Elephant Hill
We started up the hill and hoped that we would have better luck this time than we had on past trips. Monica slid off the trail and had a scare in 2003, then 2004 turned back Robert and Wayne because of Jeep troubles (and we even got lost on the wrong road for a little bit). This year a dead tree fell on Brian and Jon messed up his rocker panel, so we still have yet to have a trouble-free run up this trail.
We made it to the tippy section without any issues. Wayne was back on the trail and he was going to finish it this time. Though almost everyone had to adjust their line a little bit we all made it through without any scares this year. The dirt is still very soft and there are a few rocks that get in your way while you work your way through it. A couple people got close to the edge but it wasn't too bad.
We came across a couple ATVs coming down the trail but they turned around and went back up at that point.
We all went through a few of the rockier areas without any issues until the very last rock section before the trail turns left to meet up with the other trails. We discussed the possibility of getting high-centered on this big rock surrounded by loose dirt.
Brian was coming over the rock and slipped off, getting himself very wedged over the rock. Wayne was behind him and used his winch and a snatch block to try to pull him forward, but unfortunately they picked a dead tree to work with. It came down right away, missing everyone but landing squarely on the front of Brian's hood. It was dead so it broke apart as soon as it hit, but it did leave Brian with a few dents.
Bob R. backed down and attached a strap between his Jeep and Brian's, then Bob winched them both forward and up the hill. That was the last chunk of rocks so the rest of the hill was scenic but without any troubles.
We skipped the last bit of this trail to run Mill Creek instead, then we ran Bill Moore Lake. There wasn't any snow on Red Elephant Hill or Mill Creek but Bill Moore Lake had quite a bit at the top, still. It was a great run!
Reports from Other Days: 7
Use the arrows or dots to flip through the previews of the other reports for Red Elephant Hill. Click one of them to read more and see all of the photos from that day.
