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Latest Report

Barrett Lake
Sept 11-15

Trip Report: Rubicon Trail

July 8-11, 2018
Trip report by Mike


Members attending: Mike, Brandi, Sami, Tori, Jon, Jarrett (Jon's friend), Doug, Kyle, Mark, April, Kelsey, Lauren

July 8th

We meet at the Prunedale Safeway at 8am. We would caravan together leaving around 8:30. Amazingly we meet up with Mick and Dave (Engleking) at Hwy 205 and Hwy 5 just before Manteca. We all caravan'ed up Hwy 50. Just outside Placerville, April blew a tire on the trailer she was pulling. We pulled to the side of the road, took their jeep off of the trailer and removed the blown tire. The trailer was a 3 axle. After getting gas, ice , etc.in Placerville we were unable to locate a replacement tire for the trailer and proceeded to Airport Flats Campground arriving around 2:30.





After getting settled in, we went for a short ride up Wentworth Springs Road. Chuck and his buddy "DC" (don't remember his name but he flew in from D.C. to attend) arrived. After Mike (me) got lost and wheeled approximately 1/2 mile further we headed back to camp. We ate like kings every night, steaks, sausage, jalapeno poppers, pizza, won tons (that's right.... pizza and won tons).





July 9th

We planned on leaving at 8am but after eating breakfast we left around 8:45. We headed out on Wentworth Spring again and planned on making it to buck Island for the day. Dave stayed back and was waiting for Brad and they were going to fish and camp at Buck Island for the week. Gary arrived and caught up with us on the trail. Everyone made it up little sluice and we had lunch at the soup bowl. Chuck got his first taste of rock crawling and I think he's hooked now. We all made a decision to not go to Buck Island and to go back to the campground. On the way back we met Brad and Dave on the trail, on their way to Buck Island.

After having dinner, we sat by the fire. April thought she heard something moving/walking around but did not see anything. When we decided to go to bed, Gary discovered his cooler was tipped over and broken into by a bear. That same bear also broke into Mark and April's cooler that was in the back of their jeep and took food and a cheese cutter. Gary decided to move his tent to Mark's flat bed truck.





July 10th

The group decided to go out Wentworth Springs and then go down the gate keeper, granite slabs and spend the day at Loon lake. Gary's jeep had a suspected broken tooth or two in the rear axle, Jon's Toyota was loosing several transfer case to cross member bolt the day before and mike's buggy's power steering pump was going out. These vehicle did not make this run. The rest of the group hit the trail while Mike, Brandi, Tori, Sami, Jon and Jarrett went to Loon Lake to scout out a spot on the rocks. A couple of hours later we met up and had a day at the lake.





After dinner we hung out at the fire, the camp across from us was greeted by a large brown bear (approx. 300lbs) in their food. The bear ran around our camp site (about 30 feet from us). The bear would visit several other camps later that night. After our nerves calmed down, we all decided to to hit the sack. About 1:30 in the morning, Gary stated he heard something and said the dome light on his truck was now on. After investigating the incident, Gary had his window open a bit and the bear decided to push his window down into the door, breaking the mechanism and then chewing on his cooler and I believe his head rest. Mark and April's jeep was slobbered on and rustled through by the bear. Gary decided he had ENOUGH of the bear and packed up and left.

July 11th

Mike, Jon, Kyle and Mick pack up and headed out. Mark and April went into Placerville to get the blown tire replaced. Mark, April, Lauren, Kelsey and Doug were planning on staying until Friday.



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