Tacoclimber

Just thought I'd show you a little of my backyard...

Last Saturday, myself and a handful of friends went out and tackled the "Sleeping Princess Trail" off of Hwy 68 near Bullhead City, AZ.
We had my Tacoma, my buddy's FJ with an OME suspension, and a bone stock Suzuki Samurai (it's a long story)...

The trail to the actual trail head was pretty tame, but Sleeping Princess definitely had some "pucker factor" on some sections. It was rated a 3/4 in the guidebook that I looked at.

Unfortunately, we did hit a section that I was really unsure that the Suzuki could make with stock suspension and street tires. I know the Tacoma and FJ would have had no problem, but since it was just a fun little trail ride, I wasn't interested in risking the Suzuki rolling. (It was actually my buddy's dads Zuk, and he had told his dad that we "wouldn't be doing anything too crazy"...) I hope his dad doesn't see this.

Anyway, we're planning on heading back out soon and finishing the trail. In the pics, it's hard to see just how off camber part of the trail were, and the amount of rocks you have to navigate. Add in the fact that I'm still working on getting some sliders, and it made for some interesting moments...

Enjoy the pics. It is some AMAZING scenery out here...

I'll break it up into several posts...

Getting ready to head out that morning...
Jay (drove the Zuk), Brian, Amy (Jay's wife), Danielle (Corey's girlfriend), Sonny (owns the FJ), and me (stunningly handsome guy that owns the Tacoma. ) Not pictured: Corey. He's taking the picture.


Some of the rock formations near the trail:


Before we headed to Sleeping Princess, we decided to explore what is left of Old Hwy 68. This is the berm that was originally intended to keep vehicles off of it. After looking for any signs that indicated that we couldn't go over it, we decided to go for it:




Coming back down Old 68:


The Zuk climbing the berm heading back out:


Stay tuned, there's more...

Tacoclimber

This is on the trail that leads to the Sleeping Princess trail:




This was a pretty tricky way off camber section. The pics don't do it justice. Sonny in the FJ walking it down:


And the 'Zuk:



And then the Taco:




Stay tuned...

Tacoclimber

Immediately following that sketchy off camber section is a series of rock steps. Again, in the pics, doesn't look too gnarly, but when you're in your truck looking at them, you're definitely looking for the right line so you don't do some custom body work...

Here's the FJ: (I really like this one; looks like a brochure picture! )



And the 'Zuk:


And the Taco...





There's Corey, supposed to be paying attention, but instead he's flirting with his girlfriend...



But wait... there's more!

Tacoclimber

More pics of the Tacoma on the trail:



Eventually, we hit a section that there was no way the 'Zuk was gonna climb. It was heavily rutted, off camber, and loose. AND on a steep hill. A mistake would have been costly...possibly fatal.


This is looking down from about 1/4 of the way up that tricky section.:


After we turned around, we had to negotiate a really narrow section. On the right hand side was a considerable drop off. It felt a lot more narrow than it
really was...
The FJ:

The 'Zuk:

The Tacoma (look at Danielle's face!)


And yet, there's more...

Tacoclimber

The next several pics are just heading back the way we came...






Have I said how much I appreciate having a rear locker?

This is looking out over the valley with Lake Mohave in the distance. What a view...


That's it for the pics... I'll go ahead and post a few of the vids that were taken. Unfortunately, there not super high quality, but you get the point...

This was hilarious: Jerry climbed the berm with the Zuk, and then Sonny went for it in the FJ. Right as he gets to the top, Corey tells him to stop, because he wanted to take a picture. Sonny, thinking that there was something he didn't see, stops and gets high centered. Nothing a little push from the back couldn't solve, but it was pretty funny. We messed with Corey for the rest of the day about it...



Hang in there...just a few more vids...

Marc P

Looks like fun CJ. I will be out there soon to play.....hopefully before it gets too hot.

Tacoclimber

This clip is the FJ coming down that off camber section.


Here is me coming down the same section:


Here's me going up the first set of rock steps.


This is on a section of the trail:


This is that narrow section, all three vehicles.


The FJ coming back down the steps:


Tacoma coming back down the steps:


That's pretty much it...
I'll be sure to post up when we go back and finish the trail.

Tacoclimber

You lemme know, Marc. I thought to myself several times throughout the day that I would have loved to have seen your rig out on this trail! We'll do it!

TFJ-4runner

Your Taco is awesome

Diesel_Freak

Nice, but I gotta say, while I agree with coming back to fight another day(no reason to risk it eh), I'd be willing to bet the ZUK would have walked up that climb fairly easily. Nice pic and vids too.

Cheers

Dave

Tacoclimber

Well, we seriously thought about it. Taking it slow and with good spotting, it was definitely a possibility, but Jay was feeling unsure of the Zuk to begin with. He actually owns a lifted Cherokee, and the Zuk was very different. The fact that he wasn't sure about himself, and the penalty for any error was enough to concede...for now. He is amped to come back with his Jeep and try it again.

As they say, "Wisdom is the better part of valor"

black runner

nice pics..i kindda like the zuk.

99SR5

iTrader: (1)

sweet pictures and videos

i_love_tacos

looks like fun. i gotta get some pics from my backyard sometime.

Symon623

Looks like a good time....Might have to check that one out when mine gets done. Thanks for sharing.

Tacoclimber

Holler when you think you might be heading down. There's a grip of old mine access roads and trails around here...