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WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES!!
The last time I ran the Rowher Trail was exactly 14 months ago; on the weekend that the trail had reopened following the Buckweed Fire. At the time, the Forest Service bulldozed the trail before reopening it, so the most challenging obstacles were gone. As I drove up Bouquet Canyon Road this morning to meet Jake (TJ Jake) and Brittany (Notstuckyet), I expected an easy run. Jake and Brittany were already at the trailhead when I arrived. As I aired down, Jake warned me that the trail had become more difficult in the year since it reopened. We headed up the trail and I immediately noticed that the original “gatekeeper” had reappeared, although it was not quite as severe an obstacle as it was before the fire. Jake and Brittany swapped rides, so Jake drove Brittany’s green TJ, and Brittany drove Jake’s white LJ:
Ruts had formed at the site of the gatekeeper:
We stopped briefly at the summit to enjoy the view, but the wind was blowing pretty hard, so we continued down the Rowher Flat side of the hill:
We played around the hillclimb area for awhile:
Click for the video:
We ate lunch at Staging Area #2, then returned to Bouquet Canyon via the Lookout Trail. In this picture, Brittany waits for Jake to clear the second long hill on the Lookout Trail:
Returning to Bouquet Canyon Road:
I had expected an easy somewhat boring run, but I was rewarded with an interesting, challenging run. Both trails (Rowher and Lookout) are rated black diamond, but they can be run in a stock Jeep.
The last time I ran the Rowher Trail was exactly 14 months ago; on the weekend that the trail had reopened following the Buckweed Fire. At the time, the Forest Service bulldozed the trail before reopening it, so the most challenging obstacles were gone. As I drove up Bouquet Canyon Road this morning to meet Jake (TJ Jake) and Brittany (Notstuckyet), I expected an easy run. Jake and Brittany were already at the trailhead when I arrived. As I aired down, Jake warned me that the trail had become more difficult in the year since it reopened. We headed up the trail and I immediately noticed that the original “gatekeeper” had reappeared, although it was not quite as severe an obstacle as it was before the fire. Jake and Brittany swapped rides, so Jake drove Brittany’s green TJ, and Brittany drove Jake’s white LJ:
Ruts had formed at the site of the gatekeeper:
We stopped briefly at the summit to enjoy the view, but the wind was blowing pretty hard, so we continued down the Rowher Flat side of the hill:
We played around the hillclimb area for awhile:
Click for the video:
We ate lunch at Staging Area #2, then returned to Bouquet Canyon via the Lookout Trail. In this picture, Brittany waits for Jake to clear the second long hill on the Lookout Trail:
Returning to Bouquet Canyon Road:
I had expected an easy somewhat boring run, but I was rewarded with an interesting, challenging run. Both trails (Rowher and Lookout) are rated black diamond, but they can be run in a stock Jeep.
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