Nasty Creek 26Mar2022

Area for everyone to post pics and reports of new runs and events.

Moderator: SPR

User avatar
tobyw
Posts: 1879
Joined: Wed Mar 14, 2007 10:00 am
Location: Under the hood...

Nasty Creek 26Mar2022

Postby tobyw » Sun Mar 27, 2022 5:26 am

With a batch of newly installed parts on Josh's Scout, the plan was to simply head for the hills on a shakedown run. He brought along a deep selection of tools, fluids, and spare parts. None of which he would need, but we'll get to that later...

The group assembled at the West Richland Maverik for the requisite coffee, burrito, and top-off on petrol before hitting the road promptly around 0700:
IMG_4686.JPG
IMG_4686.JPG (1.27 MiB) Viewed 5305 times

IMG_4687.JPG
IMG_4687.JPG (1.05 MiB) Viewed 5305 times

Josh was at the back of the pack, with the sunrise beginning to take shape nicely behind him:
IMG_4689.JPG
IMG_4689.JPG (1014.73 KiB) Viewed 5305 times

As we rolled past the ponds approaching Union Gap, they were absolute glass and offered mirror images of the foothills above:
IMG_4692.JPG
IMG_4692.JPG (1.14 MiB) Viewed 5305 times

With the staging area at the corrals packed full of trucks/trailers already, we headed up to the SnoPark to unload:
IMG_4694.JPG
IMG_4694.JPG (1.77 MiB) Viewed 5305 times

Returning back to the corrals, we headed up:
IMG_4696.JPG
IMG_4696.JPG (1.78 MiB) Viewed 5305 times

IMG_4698.JPG
IMG_4698.JPG (1.63 MiB) Viewed 5305 times

At this point I started taking short video clips that, well, didn't turn out all that well so you'll just have to imagine the trail for a while as we made our way up. The conditions were actually ideal, if not a little concerning because there was NO snow whatsoever. I would like to see this in about mid-May, not March :? Anyhow, things were going just dandy right up until they weren't... As I tried to downshift the flatty to make a corner, the clutch pedal went right to the floor and stayed there... Uh-oh. A quick recon mission below confirmed my suspicion that the hydraulic slave cylinder had suffered a blowout, and all of the precious hydraulic fluid was escaping. I was able to limp the poor flatty to a level spot and did my best to perform a trail rebuild, using a bevy of Josh's tools and fluids, and while the leak was slowed significantly it was clear the day was done for the flatty:
IMG_4712.JPG
IMG_4712.JPG (2.08 MiB) Viewed 5305 times

IMG_4713.JPG
IMG_4713.JPG (1.94 MiB) Viewed 5305 times

So, leaving the flatty where it was, I hopped in with Boyscout and we made our way up to a nice lookout just above NASCAR Hill for lunch. And here is where the second tragedy of the day struck: the briquettes that Boyscout had brought for the bbq were absolutely not "match light" as the bag had indicated. It took us well over an hour to get enough charcoal hot enough to cook a couple of burgers, and that was using several creative and last-ditch efforts to get the charcoal lit. Regardless, the weather was amazing, the view wasn't any worse, and we had a great bull session as we waited, cooked, and eventually scarfed down our much-delayed lunch:
IMG_4715.JPG
IMG_4715.JPG (1.58 MiB) Viewed 5305 times

IMG_4722.JPG
IMG_4722.JPG (1.75 MiB) Viewed 5305 times

IMG_4721.JPG
IMG_4721.JPG (1.49 MiB) Viewed 5305 times

With bellies full and the clock ticking, we made our way back down to the wounded flatty and I limped it back down the trail and up the road to the SnoPark, adding several more ounces of clutch fluid along the way to maintain the ability to shift gears, sort of :lol: We loaded back up, strapped down, and headed for home. Overall the day had been a mixed bag, but Josh's Scout performed flawlessly and that was the real mission so in reality, it was a success. And, any day you are burning fuel in the woods, it's a win :thu:
Yep, I've wheeled one of those, too...
Image

Return to “Recent Run Reports - All Other Runs”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 4 guests