The Gruesome (but Beautiful) Threesome!
(Dusy-Ershim and Rubicon trails in California and Moab, Utah)

by Del Albright

Years ago when I first got my Jeep, people immediately began to tell me that I "had to do the Dusy!" (Dusy-Ershim trail in California). Other old salt four wheelers said I wasn't squat in the four wheel world until I "ran the Rubicon." Then I discovered those folks who professed that Moab, Utah, was "the ultimate four wheel experience." Well, I've got a story to tell because in just a little over six weeks I did ALL THREE!

In late July a group of us (8 rigs) dilly-dallied through the Dusy in 8 days. We vacationed and fished a little. It wasn't all vehicle repair time!!! Then in mid August, I ran the Rubicon (5 rigs, 3 days). We actually spent some time swimming and relaxing (in between getting unstuck and winched over rocks). Lastly, over Labor Day, myself , along with 3 other rigs, joined up with the Red Rock Four Wheelers and "did Moab." We spent 7 days doing Moab, but we only got a taste!

Now you might ask, what happens to a vehicle (and its near 50 year old driver) when you do the Rubicon, the Dusy-Ershim, and Moab all in one summer -- all in about 6 weeks!??? Well, first of all, if you care to write to me, you can address your cards and letters to Room 6, General Hospital!....no just kidding. But I can attest to the fact that I'm tired of sitting in that jeep! My body is recovered now, but for a while there I considered becoming an armchair environmentalist! (just kidding for sure). As far as punishment to the body, the Dusy-Ershim takes the cake. In fact, it takes the cake on vehicle punishment also. I say that not because it's harder than the Rubicon, because it's not in my opinion, as hard. But it's 30 miles long, and about 28 miles of that is rock and other obstacles. However, there are a lot of breaks in between the tough stuff. So your vehicle, and your body, has to
be up for a lot of abuse over a continued period of time. Besides that, you're miles from nowhere and not many people travel the trail.

On the Rubicon, there are LOTS of people and lots of help available if you break down. Besides, the trail is easily done in a short weekend. And you're not that far from help or the main road. So even though the Rubicon is "harder" wheelin' in my opinion, you're not likely to die of starvation or thirst like you would if you broke down by yourself on the Dusy!!! (smile).

Castle Valley, Moab area

Now Moab is a completely different story. It's not as "hard" as the Rubicon or the Dusy, but talk about scenery. For me, Moab takes the prize. It is some of the most spectacular, take your breath away, back country driving I have ever done. My wife and I agree that Moab offers scenery that equals or exceeds the Grand Canyon or some of the other National Parks like Zion or Bryce. The wheeling has its share of challenges, but they're different than California trails. Moab has wonderful slick rock and high desert trails. One of my favorite trails, Poison Spider Mesa, has obstacles like "the wedge" and dry waterfalls, along with several straight up slick rock walls! WOW, what fun. And all the while you're driving, you're trying with all your might to keep your eyes on the road because the scenic views are so darn distracting! It is by far some of the prettiest and most diverse rock
wall country I have ever seen.

The "Wedge" in Moab

Climbing slickrock staircase in Moab

So what about breakdowns. Well, on the Dusy, our list of ouches was a full-page long. Here is a sample: hole in the radiator, broken shock, broken tranny mount, ripped off step (that happened to be the husband's present to his wife for their 25th anniversary), broken spring center pin, blown tire (ruined too), broken spring hanger (last 100 yards of the trail), broken motor mount, and one dead battery. The good part is we fixed ALL these broken things right on the trail. And most of the repairs were done in a 1/2 hour or so. We could do that because we had 6 air compressors (on board) and one welder (under hood). We also had a near-complete jeep in spare parts!!!

Typical Dusy Rocks!

There are plenty of places to check out your under carriage on the Dusy

Seriously, on a trail like the Dusy, which they say can be done in 3 days (even 2 long days if you have the rig for it and don't have a sightseeing group with you) you should carry spare parts. I would not attempt this trail without parts like U-joints, maybe an axle in reserve, spare hubs, spring shackles, hangers, center pins, and of course the normal stuff for your engine like coils and starters. We took 8 days to vacation our way through, but we actually drove for nearly 6 days. We averaged about 5 miles per day. It was enough driving for me. We wanted to poke along because there's some great scenery, fishing and sightseeing to be had. Lakes like Ershim, Mallard, and Courtright just beckon to the angler in us.

Author surveys Huntington Lake from 10,000' on the crest of the Dusy

The Dusy has some great trout fishing

You can fish to your heart's content. I consider myself somewhat of a fly-fisherman, so while I stood in the refreshing water up to my thighs and cast about like a spider weaving a web, my partners sat on shore with their Power Bait and caught 12 - 15 inch trout right and left! It was a nice contribution to the menu.

Plenty of frame twisting material on the Dusy

Dusy - top of chicken rock (Courtright Res in background)

The Sierra National Forest rates the Dusy-Ershim OHV Route as "most difficult." It is recommended for advanced drivers. They say the trail "requires a high degree of skill and challenge to travel." It is not recommended for full size pickups, long wheel base vehicles or for traveling alone. I'll go on to say that you'd be gutsy or nuts (or not care about your rig) to take a full size pickup through it. There were several places where it was "mirrors in" on my jeep to get through the trees and narrow places. One thing to keep in mind if you decide to try the Dusy, it is a designated route through two wilderness areas (John Muir and Dinkey Lakes), so it is imperative to follow the rules and set a good example for others. These are the kinds of trails that we like to hold up to our legislators to show that four wheelers can also enjoy the wilderness experience without ruining it for
backpackers and others.

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