m3dragon
FRF Addict
With all the wacky weather hitting northern NV, the Black Rock run turned into one EPIC adventure for all those who attended. For those of you who missed it you missed a lot of fun and some adrenaline experiences.
Full Album: 2017 - Black Rock Run
Day 1 started off with wind. And when we say wind, we mean cold, sustained 30-45 mph wind. 20 trucks ranging from Jeep, Tacoma, F350 and Raptor headed off to the trail head 14 miles from the start point. Here the group aired down and wondered what to expect as the ground was snow covered still and there were patches of mud. Luckily the start of the run was manageable and only those who wanted to plow through the mud did so. Soon the group found its first set of obstacles. The rain had washed away large sections of trails leaving canyons the size of school buses.
However, at each challenge the group found a way to pass and kept moving forward. This also included several river type crossings which made for awesome photo ops.
After making it past the first mountain section the group hit the flat lands and could speed up. After making the turn on the long straight away we ran across large puddles. Here is where the trucks all became painted the terrain color. Two of the group got stuck in mud but luckily having a F350 on the group made this recovery a breeze.
After lunch the group hit the longest section to Black Rock Desert. The trail started off fast and fun until it ran across a new lake. Making a slight detour the group was back on track. Exiting out of the valley trails we hit the playa.
The trails were smooth until we hit the run off section. For the next 30 miles, we entered the “technical section”. Here we hit many washouts and section of trail we had to detour to cross as they were again as wide and as deep as a bus. A few trucks got stuck trying to cross these deep sections but recovery each time was quick as we were ready to pull them back just in case.
The last crazy section for day 1 was hitting the playa floor. Blazing along just fine we started to run across softer and softer sections. Radio chatter was HAMMER DOWN to keep power through this soft muck. After a few miles, we found a point where we could get closer to the hill and hard group. All but two trucks were not able to make it up to the safe trail. Once again working smart we were able to pull the two stuck members out in under 10 minutes.
Regrouping off the playa we made the last push to Black Rock and the lake of Burning Man. By the time we reached this location, we were late in the day and aired up to head back to Fernley. This meant we did not completed 65 miles of planned trails of the 220 for the day.
Day 2 started off just as wild with a snow blizzard hitting the group at the hotel. As several people had long drives home, ¼ of the group bowed out and the rest made a plan to head to the large mine stop for the day. Driving to Lovelock the group turned west and hit the trails. This 40 mile trek to the mine was some of the best trails of the weekend as they were smooth, had good jumps and whoops as well as were not to snow covered.
The group reached the old mine and did a little exploring just before another snow blizzard hit us. Heading on a different trail, the group headed back for fuel and lunch before calling the event due to conditions.
This event was one wild adventure and even though the trails were not the normal fun runs we enjoy, the challenges it provided made everyone who attended earn their off road stripes.
Full Album: 2017 - Black Rock Run
Day 1 started off with wind. And when we say wind, we mean cold, sustained 30-45 mph wind. 20 trucks ranging from Jeep, Tacoma, F350 and Raptor headed off to the trail head 14 miles from the start point. Here the group aired down and wondered what to expect as the ground was snow covered still and there were patches of mud. Luckily the start of the run was manageable and only those who wanted to plow through the mud did so. Soon the group found its first set of obstacles. The rain had washed away large sections of trails leaving canyons the size of school buses.
However, at each challenge the group found a way to pass and kept moving forward. This also included several river type crossings which made for awesome photo ops.
After making it past the first mountain section the group hit the flat lands and could speed up. After making the turn on the long straight away we ran across large puddles. Here is where the trucks all became painted the terrain color. Two of the group got stuck in mud but luckily having a F350 on the group made this recovery a breeze.
After lunch the group hit the longest section to Black Rock Desert. The trail started off fast and fun until it ran across a new lake. Making a slight detour the group was back on track. Exiting out of the valley trails we hit the playa.
The trails were smooth until we hit the run off section. For the next 30 miles, we entered the “technical section”. Here we hit many washouts and section of trail we had to detour to cross as they were again as wide and as deep as a bus. A few trucks got stuck trying to cross these deep sections but recovery each time was quick as we were ready to pull them back just in case.
The last crazy section for day 1 was hitting the playa floor. Blazing along just fine we started to run across softer and softer sections. Radio chatter was HAMMER DOWN to keep power through this soft muck. After a few miles, we found a point where we could get closer to the hill and hard group. All but two trucks were not able to make it up to the safe trail. Once again working smart we were able to pull the two stuck members out in under 10 minutes.
Regrouping off the playa we made the last push to Black Rock and the lake of Burning Man. By the time we reached this location, we were late in the day and aired up to head back to Fernley. This meant we did not completed 65 miles of planned trails of the 220 for the day.
Day 2 started off just as wild with a snow blizzard hitting the group at the hotel. As several people had long drives home, ¼ of the group bowed out and the rest made a plan to head to the large mine stop for the day. Driving to Lovelock the group turned west and hit the trails. This 40 mile trek to the mine was some of the best trails of the weekend as they were smooth, had good jumps and whoops as well as were not to snow covered.
The group reached the old mine and did a little exploring just before another snow blizzard hit us. Heading on a different trail, the group headed back for fuel and lunch before calling the event due to conditions.
This event was one wild adventure and even though the trails were not the normal fun runs we enjoy, the challenges it provided made everyone who attended earn their off road stripes.
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