Out getting stuck!

[Lonesome Dave]

I thought I'd put this here, the title line says "Trip Reports, Share your conquests."  Well it isn't riding, but its scouting for next summer!

Recently I've been going stir crazy and want to get out.  After buying Dale Baity's software (Ghost Town Maps & Mines) I've been out 4-wheeling with my brother-in-law and his Jeep.  My Jeep is too stock for such nonsense.  Anyway, we've been looking for caves and a dumb mountain lion that might wander by.

A couple of weeks ago we went out into the Jasper burn area, mainly looking for Porcupine Cave.  It was kind of a comedy of errors, and needless to say we didn't find it.  But we got stuck numerous times, got to shovel, ate hot dogs, and later had to use the winch.  After a hundred miles, and no success, we were even more determined.  So more investigation, a call to Dale, and Dale emailing a guy in Michigan, looking at google earth, and we were off again.  This time we were much closer than before.  First time we were about a mile off.

So we took off again.  It had snowed and blew (a lot) since the time before.  Needless to say, it was much worse than before.  This time, not only did we get to shovel, but we put chains on all four corners to get around.  This time we were a success, however, I was late for a belated Xmas party.  Showed up in jeans and camo coat, wife wasn't too happy, but what the hell, it was an adventure.

So we found Porcupine and Bad Luck caves.  Then we headed off to see Bear Trap, brother-in-law had never been there.  This is the part where we should of just went home.  Basically we were trying to leave the way many of us have traveled in the summer, but no luck.  The Jeep bounced around fighting the ruts the entire way.  My arms were actually tired from steering.  We finally hit the end of the line when we could see the snowmobile tracks we were following disappear over the hill (NO is wasn't a snowmobile trail).  So we turned around and had to leave the way we got there, but that of course took about the same time as I was late, an hour.

With all the cave searching in the Jasper burn area I found some neat trails that will have to be investigated further next spring.  Mainly on the upper end of Hell Canyon and trail #747.  Here's a few photos.

Probably won't be going out there again this winter, getting too deep, unless maybe I had several vehicles going all at once.  That might be fun.
Out of respect for our local cavers, I'm not posting details of the locations.



Porcupine


Bad Luck