2009 February Snow Run
From Gold Hills Posse 4x4 Club
For this run, the club decided to drive into uncharted territory. Recent heavy snow fall had made many of the high elevation runs impassable so the group decided to try to take Chalk Bluff Road from You Bet to Highway 20. Keane thought there was a chance that we could make it.
Nine rigs left Highway 174 and You Bet Road on a clear Saturday morning. Along for the ride were:
- Chuck (TJ)
- Larry and Cole (CJ7)
- George and April (TJ)
- Kevin (YJ)
- Brian and Jeff (Toyota Truck)
- Bob (YJ)
- Steve and the Twins (CJ8)
- Mark (FJ Cruiser)
- Keane and Richard (4Runner)
We aired down when we hit the dirt and progress was easy for the first few miles since someone had plowed the dirt. We came across a truckload of locals who were convinced it would be a short trip and warned us about a 15’ snow berm. Unfazed we pressed on. Eventually we hit the unplowed portion of the road.
The snow slowly got deeper. Keane led the way and eventually, the snow was so deep he was plowing as much as driving.
We stopped for lunch around noon and decided that we hadn’t had enough fun yet. Progress was still easy so we decided to keep moving.
Chuck took over the lead at this point. We started coming to huge holes in the snow that really slowed our progress. That’s also when the winching began. At some point during the day everyone took a winch or strap (or both).
Eventually the existing tracks ended and Chuck was making the trail. He made great progress for a few miles but eventually hit a wall. We made it to within about 2.5 miles and progress all but stopped. Larry tried to see if a lighter rig in the front could make better progress, but in the end the group decided it was in our best interest to turn around. It was about 6:00 by the time we all got turned around. Progress was good on the way home except for a few slushy holes.
We hit the dirt and were aired up by around 9:30. It was a longer day than anyone expected. Thanks to everyone for being prepared. It was good to see the group work together and toward the end of the day you could see driving skills improve. I think this was the first serious snow run for a good portion of the group and it was certainly a good one to learn on. Next time we’ll make it to Highway 20.