You are reading a single comment by @coppiThat and its replies.
Click here to read the full conversation.
coppiThat-
Fitted a new rear tyre to my mates bike instead of the part worn he killed by getting repeatedly dug in and left at least 3hrs earlier. Doing that we'd have been Ok. Exhausted but ok.
At 300+ lbs loaded though, neither of those bikes is ideal for that sort of terrain. Most impressed both made it without breakdowns or breakages.
I might look into buying a proper sleeping bag too as mine would have been useless up there had we got stuck.
Jung
Went out to Pioneer Town yesterday on the XR - the plan was to take the Angeles Crest Highway to Wrightwood then hit the dirt through the corner of the Mojave desert and up into the San Gabriel's behind silver wood and Lake Arrowhead. From there, cut across Big Bear and back down out of the mountains to the Desert Stars festival at Pappy and Harriet's.
It did not go so well...first we set off 3hrs late. We got in 50 or so miles of great flowing sandy and hardpack trails but as it started to get gloomy, we still had a log way to go. Instead off baling for Tarmac that would have required a long diversion, we opted to press on 15 miles or so to make a large shortcut. Big mistake....
The last link up was a quadruple black diamond - the toughest rating and frankly was a huge boulder and Rock strewn clusterfuck. Steep, sandy and incredible hard on a 300lb dual sport bike geared for Baja. After countless tumbles I got to the top to discover the light behind was another rider, not my mate. Cue riding back down in pitch black with a very questionable headlight to dig him out and then slowly battle our way back up. Digging, lifting, wrenching slog fest of the highest order. By this time, we were both drenched with sweat and the temperature was falling fast. We made about another 20 interminable miles off road to Tarmac in the middle
Of nowhere about 15miles outside big bear.
That has to be the coldest 15 miles of my life. When we got there, we were both shivering absolutely uncontrollably and could barely hold the bars. We ended up wrapping ourselves in newspaper before toiling the last 65miles down the mountain and through the desert on the 247 highway. (textbook lonely road and essential a wall of black with a faint white line with my headlight.)
Finally rolled in to Pappy and Harriet's at 10.30, 12 hrs after setting off, caked in filth and like the shell shocked extras from a disaster movie. The festival had finished and we managed 2 beers and a Jameson before getting kicked out for smuggling in a half Bt or Wild Turkey we bought in Big Bear. Basically fear and loathing in the desert.
Proper fucked today....