Dusy/Ershim 2015

[Burlbook48]

Trail report:

Just got back from an end-to-end run of the Dusy. Be warned. ...This is NOT the same trail it was a couple years ago. There was a time when a single guy in his jeep, with a locker in the rear and 33's, could make this run. Not anymore. It's not a heavyweight fight, where the knockout blow is known, and all the talking heads say "That's what's gunna get 'im".

It's more a welterweight fighter, where the hits just keep on coming, and the "We don't need that kind of man in our life" (homage to Rocky II") mentality needs to be pounded into first-time crawlers with bolt-on lift kits and a sense of 4x4 catalog capability. Basically, it's thirty miles of off-again, on-again shots to your jeeps midsection. Yeah, there are places that "pucker your puckerer" hard enough to compress a lump of charcoal into a diamond. (And don't get me wrong, this trail WILL pucker your puckerer.) But it's the trail-end-to-trail-end, one-hit-after-another-after-another-after-another beating that wears parts down and breaks them.

Suffice it to say, big rubber and big horsepower have made what used to be something the average jeeper could do in his stock-but-lifted CJ7 into something that requires locked axles, built drivetrains, and a flux of flex. The trail, as it now stands in a good number of areas, is more than tough. As in, "break your shite right the frik now if it isn't ready for it" tough. Or, prepare to have a lot of body and suspension damage without skid plates and body armor.

I made half of this run 2 years ago in my 95 YJ with 33's, D44's front and rear, and F&R lockers. I've since made several upgrades to my jeeps drivetrain, from tire size to axle components to body armor. I am absolutely sure my jeep of two years ago would not have survived this full-length trail of today in one piece. I saw well-built, beat-to-crap FJ Cruisers walk over this trail because of gearing and flex, and "Trail Worthy", well-equipped Jeeps get their hearts broke this week. It wasn't pretty.

Yah, I survived unscathed, except for some rocker-slider scratches, diff-cover paint scrapes, and bead-lock rim-lip carnage. I give the props to expert spotting, and not because me or my rig. Without the guys willing to stand in front of my heep and say "Whoa! Now turn to the passenger side for 6 inches, and then HARD to the driver's side until you drop off that rock!", I'd have been toast.

As in, broke my sh!te permanent toast---or until replacement parts and a welder could be wheeled back to me.

The trail is absolutely drop dead gorgeous. Some of the most beautiful wheeling I have ever seen. But the advent of larger tires, flexier suspensions, more horsepower, and a pedal to the metal mindset among many young, dumb, and wealthy wheelers has carved the trail into something that needs a careful wheeler with a light touch on the skinny pedal, and a well-built rig capable of taking a beating, and then another beating on the very next day... all day... , and keeping on crawling. This ain't your Grandfather's Dusy-Ershim trail anymore. This trail of today reinforces the saying that "Nothing Ever Broke Cuz It Was Overbuilt". I'm not saying that to toot my own horn. I got lucky--- I wheeled with an experienced group of good-old-fashioned "All For One And One For All" wheelers who live the motto that No Rig Gets Left Behind.

Did you know a Ryobi 4-1/2" angle grinder has a removable side handle that PERFECTLY matches the axle shaft opening on a TJ D30 axle? And that if you bust a D30 u-joint, this handle will plug the hole and let you limp out in 3-wheel-drive? Nope, me neither. I learned a valuable tip this week. I'll be sure to pass it on, and if the occasion ever arises again, I'll know just what to do to get that jeep and it's driver home in one piece.

After all, That's What We Do, right?

Did I mention the scenery? Jaw-dropping view-scapes, pristine trout-filled alpine lakes, starlit nights with points of light so numerous the Hubble Space Telescope envies the human eye, and not a single, solitary sound of civilization... at all..... Period.

If you want to get away from it all, go away from it all, and go there.

Oh, by the way... did I mention this trail pegs the scale for beauty? I did? Oh, ok. Just wanted to make sure I didn't forget to mention that. But trust me, it's worth it. There's just something about being able to, among other things, look down on a lake you drove past to access the trail, and realize it is 4000' feet below you. But who cares about that? From the same spot you can see a mountain top over 40 miles away. Yeah, it takes your breath away.

Do The Dusy. You won't regret it. Allow three days for the trail, so you don't feel rushed. It makes for a much more enjoyable experience, and gives you a chance to actually absorb the Dusy's beauty. Wheel, hike, fish, relax, eat, stargaze, repeat. Just go into it with your eyes wide open, and with a group of experienced capable wheelers. Bumps happen, parts break, but when you all get to the end of the trail in one piece, you will look back and remember the ride of your life, and know it was worthy of the "Price of Admission". ..Which, as in all good trails, is the "Gate Keeper", or the first tough portion of the trail. It's almost as if the old girl is saying "You wanna see what treasures lay beyond? First you have to get past me."

[Indy - KK6ONP]

That's awesome Dave!! Glad you made it out in one piece! We need pictures and a bunch of them!!


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[doooodo]

Most poetic trip report I've ever read. Inspires me to try it, but the Jeep's still got a ways to go before its ready.

[bobthetj03]

Nice report Dave! Pictars please. My jeep my NEVER be ready for that trail, but I can hope one day.

[Burlbook48]

[Burlbook48]

[Indy - KK6ONP]

Dave .. You make everything sound simple and enjoyable no matter how bad it is! Can't wait to read the rest of the trail report!!


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[bobthetj03]

It's like reading a really good novel about jeep adventures! My favorite subject!

[Burlbook48]

[Burlbook48]