high adventure in the high sierra
FOUR WHEELING AT THE 40TH ANNUAL SIERRA TREKWITH JOHN SUTTER’S 1849 discovery of gold in the small settlement of Coloma, thousands of young men packed up all of their worldly belongings into rucksacks, saddled up a horse, and headed west to California. Quick on their lead were countless wagon trains, strung out across a thousand miles of the Great Plains, and carrying adventurous families seeking a better life. Resembling a flooding tide, gold fever swept the west with incredible speed. Ebbing abruptly with the same impetus, it left only ghost towns and tall tales of worldly riches in its wake. A mining camp usually began with a surge of feverish would-be millionaires. Searching for the Mother Lode and thumbnail-sized nuggets that were rumored to litter the shores of alpine lakes, prospectors of yesteryear erected mining camps with colorful names such as Hang Town, Yankee Jim and Coloma.
Some of these shantytowns such as Hang Town, now known as Placerville, survived the receding tide and became a permanent community.
Others, such as Summit City near Truckee, California, have become the campfire tales of the past. However, many of the two-track wagon routes which carried the banker, publican, ladies of the evening and the preacher, are still in use today. But Mother Nature has taken its toll on the wagon trails. And for many, the only way to traverse the route is on foot, or in a good four wheel drive. Choosing a 4x4 as our preferred means of transportation, we made the trek to California’s Gold Country and the 40th annual Sierra Trek. Four days of 4-wheeling fun.
Left: Tall pines, firs and cedars lined
the trail and precipitous granite
walls rose to the north and south
as we descended to Fordyce
Creek and wound our way north.
Right: Not your dad’s old MB. Some
(and we must emphasizes some)
of today’s off-the-shelf rigs are
extremely capable. With lockers,
low gears and reliable drivetrains
from the factory, just add a lift,
some good meats and a winch,
and you are good to go.
Situated on the edge of a small alpine watering hole known as Meadow Lake, the year 1860 found Summit City with no more than a couple of bearded prospectors with dreams of a big strike. By spring of 1863, promising ore samples had drawn several mining companies to the area. It was not long before regional newspapers were reporting large quantities of high-grade ore coming from the Summit City mines. Attracting new prospectors in droves, by 1865 the once quiet valley had erupted in activity. A rash of makeshift tents and working claims took form on every hillside. Real estate brokers soon incorporated the town site and began laying out streets and selling lots. The clang of picks and hammers echoed through the alpine meadow and the local mines showed enough color (gold) to support the building of several hotels, saloons and houses, as well as brick bank, jail and newspaper. The townsfolk even hauled in a paddle-wheel boat for Saturday excursions on the lake.
The high hopes for gold and riches began to fade as the mines failed to pay out. The life cycle of Summit City was beginning to turn, and transient masses were moving on to rumors of the next big strike. By 1868, less than two years after its formal birth as a city, the camp was almost completely abandoned. As with most mining camps of the era, Summit City has since been reduced to a few piles of brick and a few rusty square nails.
Today, the buckboard wagons have been replaced by 4x4s and the old wooden saloons have long fallen to the elements. But there are still nuggets to be found (the granite type) and you can still toss back a few cold ones at the pub. Each August, four-wheelers from across North America rattle into Meadow Lake to resurrect Summit City, now known as Camp Sierra Trek.
Winch Hill #3 has one line, right up the middle. Get sideways and you have an up close view of terra firma.
Sierra Trek, which is sponsored by the California Association of Four Wheel Drive Clubs (CA4WDC) is one of the premier family off-roading events in the U.S. Wrapping up four decades of four-wheeling and drawing over fourteen hundred participants, 2006 marked the 40th annual running of this four-day, four-wheeling extravaganza. Back in 1966, the event began as a small fundraiser to help keep local trails. It boasted a single trail ride and a lakeside evening BBQ. Much has changed since the early days. Today’s event features nine trails ranging from historic tours of the gold country and SUV runs, to hardcore rock crawling on the Fordyce Creek OHV route. If you suffer from insomnia, you can sign up for a midnight night run known as Star Trek.
In addition to some of the best wheeling in the North America, Sierra Trek is all about bringing the kids and family fun. In addition to four days of home cooked meals, participants enjoyed camp activities including adult and kids games, vehicle show and a manufacturer’s display area featuring all the latest gear for the four wheeling junkie. For the 40th annual, Trek brought back the climbing wall team relay competition; dunk tank and a variety of other carnival style camp activities. By mid-day, canoes peppered the waters of Meadow Lake and kids could be found catching frogs and fishing along the shoreline.
We joined trail boss Jim Harris and his trail crew for an early morning departure on the Thursday SWB run over the Fordyce Creek trail. Over seventy Toyotas, Broncos, Samurais and Jeeps lined up in the pre-dawn hours for staging and tech inspection. Grabbing a cup-o-Joe and bag lunches, we wiped the sleep from our eyes and hit the trail for a 13- mile, 12-hour trek to Summit City.
The Sierra Trek short-wheel-base trail, which is arguably as difficult as its nearby cousin, the Rubicon, is relentless in its quest to cause bodily harm to your vehicle. A total of five winch hills, three river crossings and dozens of obstacles will challenge the most skilled driver and their equipment.
Left: Each driver gets three attempts at each of five winch hills. Fail the third time and you get the hook. By turning your headlights on, the spotters will get out of your way and let you pick your own line.
The first mile is smooth cruising but quickly gives way as the granite boulders begin to grow. The rising sun hits you head-on at the first obstacle, Sunrise Ridge. A drop-off to the left, a sheer wall to the right, and the sun blazing through a dusty windshield. Approaching the first of three river crossings, a gentle rumbling of late summer snowmelt churning its way through the canyon. Tall pines, firs and cedars line the creek, and precipitous granite walls rose to the north and south as we crossed the tributary and wound our way up the canyon.
The Fordyce trail has five winch hills, difficult sections that are staffed by volunteer crews. Each driver gets three attempts; fail the third time and you get the hook end of a winch cable. Under minimal air pressure, TSLs, Mud Terrains and XTerrains contorted over the terrain in search of all available traction. Reports of breakdowns and carnage came throughout the day but despite broken axles, twisted drivelines and failed fuel pumps, the trail crew managed to replace, repair and weld everyone back together. Arriving in main camp, the kitchen crew was ready with a home-cooked supper with all the fixings.
Left: Randy Wright, of Vacaville, CA, rocks the Sierra Trek in an exo-caged ’85
Toyota. Equipped with a ARB lockers, 36-inch IROC Swampers and 4.7
crawler gears. So what is unique about Randy’s rig? He added, “It is both
smog, and street legal. And I drive it to and from the trail.”
Right: We don’t see too many Ford Rangers out on the trail. Heavily modified
from fairlead to the taillights, this thing was cool.
After a day of R&R hanging out in camp, we joined trail guide and narrator Jim Bramham for the Saturday SUV tour, visiting old mining cabins, the Summit 24 Off-Road Adventures City graveyard, and local lakes. Bramham was a literal encyclopedia of information on the area, shared some local history while we enjoyed an open air lunch at the top of 8,000ft Lacy peak.
When the sun goes down, Sierra Trek camp comes alive. The saloon becomes the center of activity and when the live band took the stage, hiphoppers danced the night away on a 50-foot concrete dance floor. Trek also sported a huge raffle where sponsors like BF Goodrich, Dynatrac, Warn, Ramsey, Goodyear, ARB, Advanced Adapters and 4 Wheel Parts handed out killer stuff to winning ticket holders.
We’ve attended the Sierra Trek in the past and always enjoy the clean alpine air, 49’er history, great food, hooking up with old friends and meeting new ones. When it comes down to it, Sierra Trek is all about the FUN. One of the cook crew volunteers said, “Come for the trail, but stay for the party.” For information regarding the 2007 Sierra Trek, contact the Cal4Wheel at: 1-800-4x4-FUNN or on the web at: www.cal4wheel.com.
Water levels in Fordyce Creek are managed by PG&E, which reduces the water flow by 50 percent for Trek. However, the first river crossing is still deep enough to submerge a 33-inch tire.