banner creek 30 aug

[74blazerboy]

well myself and boshos meet at the dui parking lot around 0920. samimike stop by and let us know he was not going to make this run. we sat and waited till 1030 in case any other members were running late. no one else showed so i made the call to go and do banner any way. we were not going to do the lower loop though. we stop to just top off in salcha. i left about $10 worth of gas at the gas station when we left. i really need to fix the leak in the top of the tank. made it to the trail with no problems. there were a couple of moose hunters with 4wheeler at the start of the trail. they just waved and we continued. lost of big wash outs in the trail filled with brush, the creek seemed about its usual hight. we stopped at the play hill and climbed it a few time with out any problems. next was the rock pile. we stopped there and i showed every one just how muck flex i dont have. boshos was next. he was able to get most of his jeep up on the rock pile after pulling his swaybar disconects and sum spotting from me. we continued on and about halfway to the top boshos calls me on the radio to say we pick up someone. stumblinman has used his tire tracking skills and found my pitbull tread on the trail and tracked us down. climbing one of the last hill on the way to the top i looked in the rear view to see no one behind me. i backed up to find that stublinman had lost his exhaust at the top of the hill. he removed it and set it off the trail to pick up later. we stopped a few times along the way taking pictures of the beautiful views of the vallies and the leaves changing colors. made it to the top without any problems. we stopped and talked and decided to continue and do the lower loop. one problem we had passed it and got on another trail. this one headed down the back side of the trasmitter hill into the vally the pipeline is on. we made it most of the way and decided to turn around. it looked like it was going to get soft at the bottom of the vally and we didnt want to chance it with out a winch. we headed to the top and found the start of the lower loop. trail was really over grown. in the lead we headed down the lower loop. on the steepest hill desending into the valley i got about 3/4 way down to find that the side of the mountain had washed away and covered the trail. i set the parking brake and me and my buddy got out to see if we could bypass it or go over it. the other side of the wash proved to be a stait drop and not passable. boshos and stumblinman has stopped aways back. i informed them we had to turn around. i started to pray i could back up this hill to a spot to turn around, and that we could make it up these steep loose rock hills. we all got turned around and it was pedel to the floor see you at the top. we got to a flat spot and stopped again. my brakes were hot and needed to cool off. started again after a few and black beauties rear brakes seem to be hanging up in the rear. at about the last 100 feet before coming out of the trail i realized i had a blonde moment. the parking brake was still on, hence the brakes hanging up. out we came and to the top of the mountain again. stopped again and found stumblinmans power steering was leaking. we started back out. stopped to pick up stumblinmans exhaust. we decide we were going to part from the play hill. stumblinman wanted to play on it. we stopped there. boshos continued on due to a prior anangment. i sat at the bottom of the play hill while stumblinman did the climb. on the way down the hill he lost power steering all together. i followed him out the trail and we made it home safe and sound. i didnt take really any picks but my buddy did with his nice camera. i will post them up he emails them to me. was a good ride with just a few people. saw just a few moose camps along the way, but no issues from any hunters. i think with just the few rigs we had they probly figured we were hunters to. wildlife seen. at the start of the trail i saw a lynx ( bobcat) that jutted into the woods, a few moose on the way to the trail all by the road.

[Stumblinman]

I got a late start off but I think I was just about 25-30 mins behind them. I was making up good time until I got past Birch lake and couldn't remember exactly where the trail head was. So after stopping by half a dozen turnoffs I found it but once I stopped there to do my pocohantas act and look for tracks to see if they had been here I found I lost my tranny cable again. :mad: This is the same cable I fixed the day before. So with a little zip tie work I was back rolling again. Came to the play hill and saw the tracks going up it and headed up the trail. It wasn't very far until I was right behind them. It was funny to see Boshos do a double take when he saw me just cruzin' behind. All was good until I heard an unfamiliar noise from under me. After looking for a Grouse in the grill I had Boshos listen while I drove a little bit and he used his superior mechanicing skills to figure out it was an exhaust problem. :whistle: So minus one cat and cherry bomb I continued just so I could lose my power steering on the lower loop. It was a bummer breaking so much but I was happy about getting up the steep side of the play hill.

[sevenslats]

wow. Sounds like quie an adventure.

got pics of the landslide?

[Alaskanbadfish]

I wish we would have planned this run a little earlier than the night prior. I didn't see it was planned until 10:00am that morning and I missed out...Maybe next time it'll be planned a little earlier.

[boshos]

I'm not a member so I can't post any pics, 74blazerboy get me your email address and I'll send you some of them to post

[74blazerboy]

here are the pics boshos sent me

start of the creek. i was not as high as i would have though with all the rain we have had
http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u257/99ramsport/BannerCreek8-30-08001.jpg
http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u257/99ramsport/BannerCreek8-30-08002.jpg
the play hill
http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u257/99ramsport/BannerCreek8-30-08007.jpg
http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u257/99ramsport/BannerCreek8-30-08014.jpg
rock pill and my lack of flex
http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u257/99ramsport/BannerCreek8-30-08018.jpg
http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u257/99ramsport/BannerCreek8-30-08020.jpg
more to follow

[74blazerboy]

boshos on the rocks
http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u257/99ramsport/BannerCreek8-30-08023.jpg
i got out to spot him
http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u257/99ramsport/BannerCreek8-30-08028.jpg
my kids though i was going to get run over
http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u257/99ramsport/BannerCreek8-30-08030.jpg
http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u257/99ramsport/BannerCreek8-30-08031.jpg
the awsome views
http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u257/99ramsport/BannerCreek8-30-08036.jpg
http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u257/99ramsport/BannerCreek8-30-08037.jpg
this was a trial we found that goes down the back side of the mountain toward the pipeline not the lower loop
http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u257/99ramsport/BannerCreek8-30-08052.jpg
lower loop
http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u257/99ramsport/BannerCreek8-30-08059.jpg

[74blazerboy]

trail was really over grown and had a mud slide just before the bottom.
http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u257/99ramsport/BannerCreek8-30-08063.jpg
http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u257/99ramsport/BannerCreek8-30-08066.jpg
this is after we had to turn around on the hill before the vally. its the last real steep hill. i got out to make sure everyone was making it up the hill
http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u257/99ramsport/BannerCreek8-30-08071.jpg

[TJVigilante]

Reppin' the AT's....rock on!

[Zukman]

I would like to have made the run but i helped jeff dump the turd.

[trailkilla]

Man that looked like a fun trip. Mike I have the solution to your shifting cable problems. If it was the end that snapped off again I am going to send you an aircraft throttle control cable to fix it.:whistle::whistle: