A Survival Tale of Men, a Mountain, and the Monster

[Marty Backe]

The story of how I and two fellow wheel riders became lost in the mountains and lived to ride another day.

As I begin this, it must be said that I'm the one with poor judgement in this story. Well intentioned, but...

The Cogswell Dam, as I've previously written about, is a gorgeous area to ride an EUC. It's basically a canyon ride on the northern side of a mountain ridge. I've ridden it twice before. Throughout this region are countless trails, large and small. One of the most well known is a four wheel drive capable trail called the Rincon Shortcut OHV Trail. It stretches along the southern side of the ridge that is shared with the Cogswell Dam. The Rincon trail-head starts about an 1/8 mile south of the Cogswell Dam trail-head. Up in the mountains there is a connection between the two, and that's what I've been itching to try. Complete the approximately 30 mile loop that joins the two trails.

So I coordinated a group ride for Saturday morning, and my long time riding buddy @jrkline was the first to commit to the ride and not too long afterwards @Ando Melkonyan eagerly committed to the adventure (he had his newly acquired ACM). We were to leave by 9:30am, traversing the southern (Rincon) route first, taking advantage of the coolness of the morning air. Eventually we would meet up with the Cogswell Dam trail high up in the mountains and return by way of the shaded northern trail to avoid the extreme heat of the day. Oh, and today was the peak of a mini heat wave in Southern California, where the temperature was predicted to be in the low 90's. Maybe we should have brought more water. Hmmm.

@abinder3 joined us at the very beginning. He didn't have time for the entire route (regardless of his reasons that was a good decision in hindsight) and therefore was just going to ride to the dam and back, about a 20 mile roundtrip. But it was nice that we could all meet at the beginning and share a few stories before we went our separate ways. In the picture above, from left to right: @abinder3  (Allen), @Ando Melkonyan, @jrkline (Jeff), and myself.

Don't we look happy - if only we knew what was forthcoming

I had my Monster which I had previously ridden here twice before. Jeff had the FrankenACM - I know, I know, his world famous 2040wh ACM. As would be demonstrated throughout the day, his ACM never fails. It may not be pretty but it's a faithful workhorse. And Ando brought his 3 week old ACM with a 2-1/2" tire that he managed to fit on the wheel. He had to cut away parts of the shell to make it fit, but he turned it into a really nice trail machine.

We finally began our journey and after a few hundred feet wished Allen well as he exited for his trail head. We continued on the two lane highway until we came upon the locked trail gate, representing the entrance to our grand adventure. After bypassing the gate we began our journey in earnest.

On a previous outing to Cogswell Dam I had ridden this part of the trail for a mile or so and was hoping the whole trail would be as I remembered. And for the most part it was, perhaps a little steeper in sections. But remember that this is a four wheel drive trail so certainly any path that a truck can take we can tackle easily on our EUCs.

In this video you can see me struggling a bit as the ACMs zoom past me

After a few miles of steady uphill climbing I was beginning to think that I should have taken my ACM too instead of the Monster. I've ridden my Monster a lot in the mountains now, but never for extended uphill pushes. We were on a trail that was to continuously climb for over 3500 feet. And this wasn't a paved road. It was gravel and sand mixed with large rocks and various ruts. So there was a lot of maneuvering involved, slips, slides, near stalls, and periodic jump-stops for the wheels.

Although I have experience with the Monster and know that it's capable of ascending any hill that the ACM is, it does so extremely slowly and with much effort. As Jeff and Ando zoomed up the trail sections with hardly any physical effort, I was in a near constant crouch and heavy lean. Plus all of the effort required to steer the 70 pound Monster ...  But I was hanging in there despite the ridicule coming from my fellow riders ;-)

Fairly early on we had our first crash. I must say, anybody who wants to keep their wheel pristine should never do off-road trail riding. It's a messy business. My Monster requires a wide berth and although I always have my trusty helmet mirror, I have some rather large blind spots. Jeff was apparently unaware of these facts. As he was overtaking me on my left I was slowing sliding left. Our pedals locked and

in the next moment we were both sprawled on the ground. Jeff's bloodied forearm and my bruised ego provided good entertainment for Ando :-) Here's a couple pictures of the aftermath:

 

We continued the long climb, but I was getting tired. At one point Ando offered me his ACM while he pushed forward with the Monster. And then he proceeded to demonstrate a new technique (to me) for getting the Monster up hills fast. Jeff and I had great fun watching this and I think Ando was having fun to. It looked like he was riding a horse, but indeed it really moved fast.

When I started riding the Monster again I used this technique and it really helped. But it was still hard on the body because of the lean, and steering was proving difficult. Eventually I discovered that if I was in a squatting position and squeezing the wheel between my knees, AND using my knees to force the wheel forward, the Monster really moved. This was exhausting however.

We were still having a good time, enjoying each others crashes and Ando's music

Somewhere near two hours we finally arrived near the peak. I was beat. Now we needed to find the trailhead that led back down to the Cogswell Dam. We came across a lone mountain bike rider that pointed us in the general direction that we needed to take to begin the descent to Cogswell Dam. In the following thumbnail you can see the Dam far below us.

Here is where I made the fateful mistake of picking the wrong trail. It went down and looked to be in the general direction, so let's go for it. I really should have spent as long as I needed to be sure, but in the back of my mind I figured if it was wrong we'd probably realize it fairly soon and just backtrack. What I didn't take into consideration was my failing body :-(

As we proceeded down this trail it slowly got sketchier and sketchier. First there were small dead falls (trees that fall across a trail) and then bigger and bigger ones where it took minutes to carry and or drag the wheel across. I was getting weaker. I had no more food and none of us had any more water. Remember that I said it was going to be in the 90's today. I felt like I was beginning to get symptoms of dehydration - shaky legs and arms and extreme fatigue. I could only ride 20 feet before I would loose control and had to stop and rest for a few minutes. By this time I had a few more rather severe falls which further hampered my ability to ride the wheel.

Besides my difficulties, it had become clear that we were somewhat lost. This was certainly not the trail to the Cogswell Dam. I could simply not go further. At this point I was with Jeff. Ando had explored further along the trail and when he returned he said that he found water (we could hear a stream in the distance below). You don't know how excited I was to hear this. I felt that maybe if I got some water I may recover enough to continue at some level. Jeff took my empty water bottle and disappeared down the trail to return with water. I was feeling a bit mentally refreshed.

While Jeff was away Ando and I tried to figure out exactly where we were. I had offline Google maps in my phone and a Garmin 60CS handheld navigator. BTW, GPS reception was not great within these mountains. But we eventually determined our exact location. Miles from the trail that we should have taken.

I had arrived at a difficult decision. Like the sailboat captain in the middle of the ocean that grapples with the decision to press the emergency beacon, knowing that when he does so he will be rescued but his boat will be left behind, gone forever. But I knew that I could not continue back uphill to retrace our steps by a few miles and then down another 15 miles. Impossible. So I told Ando to leave me and get back to the area where we made the bad turn. In that area there was a line of site to the greater Los Angeles area and there was cell phone coverage. "Tell them that a person was suffering from exhaustion and dehydration. Call 911".

Now by this point at least 15 minutes had passed and Jeff probably should have returned within 10 minutes since Ando knew the water was only 5 minutes away by wheel. But we continued to wait. While doing so Ando took my Monster and rode/carried it up the trail past a few of the sever dead-falls. And then walked back. Amazing, and as you'll learn in a bit, very important that he did so.

Still no Jeff. Instead of sending Ando to look for Jeff I suggested that he go the other way, and I'll wait for him. So Ando disappeared with his ACM and I was alone in the middle of what felt like nowhere. I think it was about 3pm at this point. I lay on the ground and was anticipating a bottle of water with great joy. Maybe another fifteen minutes went by. Nothing. Then I started thinking, "Maybe something happened to Jeff. Was there an accident. Did his ACM break". I slowly started walking down the trail. 20 steps and then lay on the ground to recover. 20 steps, lay on the ground. I did this for maybe 15 minutes but realized that if he was hurt or the wheel was broken I was in no condition to help. And I had told Ando that if possible I would try and walk back to the trail junction at the top of the mountain.

So I abandoned Jeff and ever so slowly started walking up hill. 20 steps, lay on the ground, ad nausea-um. I still had hopes that Jeff would return with water. I would have given away my Monster for water at that point. It really was horrible.

At this incredibly slow pace I managed to get past the large dead-falls. I never would have been able to get my Monster past these obstacles in my condition. Eventually I found my Monster and could not believe how far Ando had taken it for me. I then proceeded to push it and myself up the trail, in spurts of low speed energy.

A trolley handle may have helped, but just the effort of pushing the Monster and walking was too much. After maybe an hour I decided to abandon the Monster, knowing that I would never see it again.  I wasn't worried about someone finding and taking it. First, nobody sane travels this impassible trail, and if someone did they wouldn't know what it was, and at 70 pounds I don't think they would try and carry it out. No, I would never see it again because I would never be able to get in here to recover it. That would entail hiking 15 - 20 miles which is a long hike on flat ground. I just didn't see myself being able to do that.

I marked the location where I did leave it, in my Garmin 60CS thinking that I would post to Facebook and the Forum with the coordinates and anybody who thinks they could retrieve it could keep it. No bad feelings on my part. Anyway, it was load off my mind when I fully committed to never seeing it again. Let that be a strong reminder to what not to do in the future.

I continued the painfully slow march. I was worried for my health because I know dehydration can be bad. But I tried not to exhaust myself too much. Walk for a few minutes and then lay down. Walk, lay down. Minutes turned to hours. I was thinking maybe if I eventually got to that magic "cell phone coverage" area that I could call 911 in case Ando wasn't able to. It's amazing what goes through your mind when you can't communicated with people who are trying to help you.What happened to Jeff? Did Ando make it out yet?

Knowing where we had last all been together I was thinking positive and assuming that Jeff decided to explore that path beyond the river and went so far that he decided not to return with water. I knew that particular trail wound its way back up to the top of another mountain range to the 2 freeway which then led to civilization. So if he got out he would be able to call. But I had my doubts that we would have enough remaining power to climb another couple thousand feet and maybe 20 miles. I kept think that if I get rescued I'm going to have to tell them about Jeff so that they can search for him next.

After maybe 3 hours I came across these maintenance trucks and construction equipment that we had passed on the way down. I opened every truck and door I could get into and FOUND WATER. Two old water bottles with maybe a 1/3 full of water each was an amazing find. First I sniffed it to be sure that they weren't storing fuel and then guzzled them down. Water had never tasted to good. Although it did not help with the exhaustion in my legs, it did help with the thirst and made me feel like I actually wasn't going to collapse somewhere up here in the mountains.

I continued to walk, imagining what might be happening with Ando and Jeff. And then of course I was worrying about my wife because in the absolutely worst case I probably should have been home by now. But there was nothing I could do. She did know the general trails that we were taking (at least I got one thing right), but it would probably be very dark before she pulled the trigger and called 911. So I was still prepared for a very much longer day and night.

Dusk was approaching when I started to hear a helicopter somewhere in the distance. That was the first mechanical sound I had heard for hours. I thought I heard a plane too. I did see the helicopter at one point but it was miles in the distance. Amazingly I had made it back to trail junction where we made the bad turn. And then I heard and saw a large search and rescue type helicopter hovering over me, but very high. I was in an area where there were power line towers (thus the maintenance equipment found earlier) plus I'm sure they generally stay far above the trees. I waived both my hands for a little bit and then it moved off to the distance a bit and hovered again. Then it left.

"Well, that's it. I've been found and now help will be on the way". That was a huge psychological lift for me. So I continued to walk, and walk, and walk. It was now totally dark, after 8pm. Fortunately I had small pen flashlight so I could see the path in front of me. No longer fearing collapse from dehydration I could start contemplating coming across bears or mountain lions, both of which live in these mountains. What joy!

I then spotted a brief flash of light followed shortly by a truck rounding the corner ahead. You can imagine what I thought at that sight. It eventually slowed to a stop beside me and I was asked my name (I guess they didn't want to pick up the wrong guy) and let me in the truck. There were four uniformed men in there, all volunteers for the Sierra Mountain Search and Rescue. They gave me all the water I wanted and bagged peanuts. Life was good.

Shortly after I got in the crowded vehicle I asked if they happened to know about any other ..., and before I could complete the sentence they told me that all three people have now been accounted for. So Jeff was alive ;-)  I assumed Ando was good because otherwise I probably wouldn't be sitting in the truck at the top of the mountain.

Now get this, they then asked me, "do you want to go get your 'bike'?" Are you kidding me? I tried to suggest that I didn't want to put them through the trouble (I really didn't), but they insisted. They said that they were already up there so why not. It probably took another half an hour and a locked gate to get within a few hundred feet of where I left it. The last bit had to be walked since the trail conditions were too severe for the truck. So I actually got my Monster back. It felt like I just received a new wheel because in my mind I given it up for lost.

As we drove down the mountain for the next 1-1/2 hours I learned that Jeff had been recovered on the 2 freeway, and Ando was the one that called it in. Eventually I met up with Jeff as we were brought together at the base of the mountain to be driven back to our vehicles (20 miles away). There Jeff told me how he amazing made it back up to the highway on the other side of the mountain range and then down towards town, almost on a zero battery charge. His 2040wh ACM truly has been an amazing wheel. I also learned from the rescuers that the helicopter had not seen me! Amazing. The guys said that in the future you should lay on the ground and move, otherwise all they see from above is a head, and that's hard to distinguise from everything else. So they found me based on what Ando was able to tell them. You can read some of what Jeff encountered here: 

 

And then when I finally got home around midnight (having left in the morning at 8am) I eventually read about Ando's experience which was amazing in itself. His ACM has also proven to be an amazing wheel. Essentially going 10 miles down mountain trails with almost no battery power remaining. You can read is account here:

And here is the dam (it was not Cogswell after all) that Ando got to:

And the 911 help that arrived after he made the call

So there you have it. I think none of us will forget this ride. It's been four days and I'm still having difficulty riding, which really surprised me. When yesterday I hopped on my KS14C for a short utilitarian trip I almost crashed as the wheel was very wobbly. I had a hard time turning. It was then that I realized that my legs were still weak and uncoordinated. Amazing.

Although I declared that I wouldn't do this again, time heals all wounds ;-)  I know Jeff is up to doing it again, and maybe Ando will be to. We will be better prepared next time. More water, food, maps, only ACM's or the like, and a bigger breakfast. Oh, and Jeff says he'll bring his ham radio (which hopefully will not be needed).

I hope you enjoyed my little adventure story 

[meepmeepmayer]

Now that is a story

Reading now!

[Hunka Hunka Burning Love]

Thanks for sharing that epic adventure you guys went through!    At least you didn't have to drink your own pee like Bear Grylls.    I had images of a helicopter hovering and dropping a rescue worker down to harness you up into it like in the movies (San Andreas).

Maybe some of those FRS/GMRS radios would have been handy to help communicate between riders as well as those Camelbak hydration backpacks.  I watch a lot of Bear Grylls Man vs Wild so I know you need to stay well hydrated.  Did you guys take any breaks?  I find climbing irregular paths to be a pretty tiring technical ride.  I can't imagine doing 3500 feet!  Bringing high energy snacks might have helped too maybe.

I wonder whether one of those retractable handles fastened to the front of the Monster would have allowed you to apply forwards pressure on the case to help climb without needing to bend over so much to grab the handle.  It could serve as a trolley handle as well.  Or maybe adding some curved padding that sticks out just  below the knees so you could maybe apply more lower leg pressure to the case is another idea.

I think we each need to know our physical limits and be sure that we respect the  fact that sometimes man conquers the mountain while other times the mountain can conquer the man.  For me, even a basic 50 minute ride on easy pathways is pretty tiring on the legs.  A ride like yours would be like running a marathon, and I don't think many people would be prepared physically to be able to do that without a lot of training.

Thank goodness you all returned safely, and what a testamonial to Gotway wheels!  I can't imagine a wiring failure so far away from cell service and civilization!  Maybe a basic tool kit and survival pack might be wise to take along too...

[Marty Backe]

7 minutes ago, Hunka Hunka Burning Love said:

Thanks for sharing that adventure you guys went through!    At least you didn't have to drink your own pee like Bear Grylls.    I had images of a helicopter hovering and dropping a rescue worker down to harness you up into it like in the movies (San Andreas).

Maybe some of those FRS/GMRS radios would have been handy to help communicate between riders as well as those Camelbak hydration backpacks.  I watch a lot of Bear Grylls Man vs Wild so I know you need to stay well hydrated.  Did you guys take any breaks?  I find climbing irregular paths to be a pretty tiring technical ride.  I can't imagine doing 3500 feet!  Bringing high energy snacks might have helped too maybe.

I wonder whether one of those retractable handles fastened to the front of the Monster would have allowed you to apply forwards pressure on the case to help climb without needing to bend over so much to grab the handle.  It could serve as a trolley handle as well.  Or maybe adding some curved padding that sticks out just  below the knees so you could maybe apply more lower leg pressure to the case is another idea.

I think we each need to know our physical limits and be sure that we respect the  fact that sometimes man conquers the mountain while other times the mountain can conquer the man.  For me, even a basic 50 minute ride on easy pathways is pretty tiring on the legs.  A ride like yours would be like running a marathon, and I don't think many people would be prepared physically to be able to do that without a lot of training.

Thank goodness you all returned safely, and what a testamonial to Gotway wheels!

Thanks for the thoughtful comments @Hunka Hunka Burning Love There were lots of lessons to be learned here plus a little bad luck. I really think that if I had taken my ACM (which was in my truck at the time ) the ride would have been successful. Sometimes it hard to super prepare for a ride that's anticipated tp only take a few hours.

We took a few breaks, but I'm used to riding for hours. Lots to be done in hindsight, the biggest one being to Take The Damn ACM next time 

A trolley in the front would certainly have helped, but it actually makes steering more difficult. It's one thing to be riding on a paved surface, but try steering between ruts, loose gravel, and chucks of rock while pressing on a trolley handle.

 

[Goodman]

Wow I am glad you guys are all ok. This can be almost turned into the next Hollywood blockbuster. 

3 man lost, 2 beast and a monster!

[US69]

WOW!!!

What an adventure! I am very happy all of you are Good....

[freetheoranges]

I was mentally preparing a trip to find a monster in the woods. 

 

Pick up a life straw and carry it with you for future rides. Great story. Now turn it into a picture book!

[Pingouin]

Incredible and scary story Marty !! I'm glad you all made it !

This made me think that going out for very long trips with nobody else can be really dangerous, especially with no cellphone coverage. Also I would not have thought that the Monster would have been such a pain to climb with, compared to ACM, but I'll take your word for it.

You really are a determined person, riding so quickly after this near death experience, respect man !

I wish you a fast complete recovery.

 

[meepmeepmayer]

Wow... that sure was something. Some comments/questions:

• Marty you had planned a fantasticroute (looked at it on Google Maps), you guys should definitely do this again (the route not the bad parts) and not give up on it - you know everything that you did wrong, and where you took the wrong routes now. This trail ridge path...wow The entire area seems perfect for EUC mountain exploring.
• Crazy how fast you went from "well it's hard but we're mountain trail riding after all" to being too exhausted to even walk downhill (having to lie down every few meters etc)!!! Any idea how it could sneak up on you so unexpectedly? Was it because you believed to be on the right way down to the dam so turning around was not considered early enough?
• Also crazy how long the "emergency phase" lasted compared to the normal ride, you were seriously dehydrated/shaky/weak for nearly 10 hours!
• Turns out falls weren't the problems, but general exhaustion from hard riding and frequent carrying of the wheel (I can't imagine how heavy that Monster must be...eek)
• Not being able to easily "grab" the wheel with the legs was also a problem. I always thought this to be an advantage (harder to overstress the wheel) but tiptoeing for hours is definitely not fun.
• I'm most impressed with @jrkline's route. Looking at the map, not sure exactly where, but it must have been at least the same distance through mountains again, and then the (probably extremely scenic) highway to the populated area. Too bad he could not enjoy it, as it must be a great route. You should consider doing that too (maybe having someone pick you up at the highway on one of the ends).
• In hindsight, do you think it was a good idea for your group to separate (at all)? In the same vein, in hindsight, do you think you should have done better coordination (e.g. Jeff did not return with water but pushed on instead, other plan changes)? Also the parts where you changed position/your intention while alone and nobody else would have known about it seemed problematic to me (I know, no choice, and along one path, but still...)
• How much water did you have with you?
• What dam did @Ando Melkonyan end up if not Cogswell, I can't find it.
• Aww, no free helicopter ride? Sounded like it at first (1st EUC on helicopter world record!)
• In addition to the other things you mentioned, I think using a compass is worth considering now (every phone can do it anyways). I know first hand how easy it is to take the wrong turn in the mountains even after looking at the terrain/map. So the compass could confirm you are taking the right turn everywhere (you would write down the right orientation/direction of every turn in advance)

Well, thanks for the "entertainment"and experience you provided, and the nice thread. Luckily you seem to be the type to not take this too hard, and the worst is behind you now and you have learned a lot. So maybe these mountains will be your future home turf for serious (mountain/trail) riding. They're certainly nice looking.

[meepmeepmayer]

21 minutes ago, Pingouin said:

This made me think that going out for very long trips with nobody else can be really dangerous, especially with no cellphone coverage.

Yep, ideally you should have an idea for how to get out if your wheel breaks down at any point of your route, or you fall and break a leg/bump your head hard/etc at any point. Unfortunately, strictly this might mean not doing some rides you'd do otherwise, which isn't exactly a solution either.

[Jrkline "Wheel Whisperer"]

2 hours ago, Marty Backe said:

Although I declared that I wouldn't do this again, time heals all wounds ;-)  I know Jeff is up to doing it again, and maybe Ando will be to. We will be better prepared next time. More water, food, maps, only ACM's or the like, and a bigger breakfast. Oh, and Jeff says he'll bring his ham radio (which hopefully will not be needed).

I hope you enjoyed my little adventure story 

You bet we'll do it again. Albeit better prepared. I'll pick up my end of the story where @Marty Backe left off, where I proceed to go look for some water for Marty. I get to the bottom of the canyon where the stream crosses the trail and realized the empty water bottle I had brought to collect water for Marty had fallen out of my pocket and was no where to be found.  Plus the fact that the stream water didn't seem very drinkable.(I was thinking about the A&E show "Naked and Afraid",where the survivalists are always getting sick due to drinking contaminated water and getting violently ill.) So at this point I figured I would head on up this unknown path towards cell coverage to alert the authorities about @Marty Backe , since I knew @Ando Melkonyanwas headed back the way we came for the same reason, now I was doubling the odds of one of us making it to cell coverage for the sake of the parched Marty.  As I proceeded up the trail, I had no idea about what I was up against. It was about another 15 miles of steep curvy constantly blocked mountain road ascending 4000 ft Until I found a paved road.I must have had to climb over 25 to 30 landslides on the way out. It seemed like I would clear one roadblock and be able to ride another 200 to 300 feet before I hit another. Lugging a 60 Lb. wheel over a rockslide on a steep incline gets real old real fast! But I kept on perserveering anyway, figuring I would run out of battery power or daylight and have to stay the night on the mountain,or make it out. When I finally got out of the canyon and found a paved road, it was Hwy 2, a mountain road I have previously ridden on motorcyle with no cell coverage. Not knowing where I was, I flagged down a passing car and they told me I was about 20 miles away from civilization (Glendale Ca.) and that if I headed west, I would reach it. Luckily for me, It was mostly downhill because my wheel app was showing 0% battery and I knew I needed the recharge that a downhill ride would provide.So now, all I had to do was survive a 20 mile ride down a 2 lane mountain road without getting hit by some of the speeding maniacs that frequent this highway. Plus I only had about an hour of daylight left. So off I went. I have ridden this road on a motorcycle many times and loved it, so now doing it on an EUC was a new twist! It was a blast and a feeling of "ZEN" came over me as I got closer and closer to civilization knowing what a man and his wheel can do in extreme situations.When I got about 5 miles from Glendale,I started to see emergency vehicles coming up the road and figured maybe they were responding to reports of a lost @Marty Backe.This would mean that @Ando Melkonyanhad made it to cell service already and Marty had help on the way.By the time I was just getting to the outskirts of town,an LASD car saw me and flagged me down and asked if I had been with another rider in the canyon.That is when I knew that they had been notified of the Missing Marty and My ordeal was over! They rode me over to the La Crescenta Sheriff's station(about a mile from where they picked me up) and I hung out and waited to hear if they had found Marty. In the meantime,I answered all the Deputies questions regarding EUC's.They were amazed that someone could travel so far on "one of those things".What they didn't realize is that "one of those things" was the "world famous ACM2040^TM" with a 100+ mile range!

 

[swvision]

I couldn't make it, looks like I missed the most epic ride.

[Rehab1]

7 hours ago, Marty Backe said:

I hope you enjoyed my little adventure story 

Very enjoyable Marty!  You chronicle your stories well!   

 

6 hours ago, Hunka Hunka Burning Love said:

Thanks for sharing that epic adventure you guys went through!    At least you didn't have to drink your own pee like Bear Grylls.  

Just be glad Hunka was not with your group. Instead of a Bear Grylls adventure it might have turned into Naked and Afraid! 

6 hours ago, Hunka Hunka Burning Love said:

Maybe some of those FRS/GMRS radios would have been handy to help communicate between riders

Great Idea! Myself if I was lucky enough to travel to the remote locations you are afforded I would prefer a dual purpose radio that can easily communicate in the mountains with others riders, message and also has a satellite personal locating beacon. http://www.outdoorgearlab.com/reviews/camping-and-hiking/personal-locator-beacon/garmin-inreach-explorer-plus

[Jrkline "Wheel Whisperer"]

51 minutes ago, Rehab1 said:

Great Idea! Myself if I was lucky enough to travel to the remote locations you are afforded I would prefer a dual purpose radio that can easily communicate in the mountains with others riders, message and also has a satellite personal locating beacon. http://www.outdoorgearlab.com/reviews/camping-and-hiking/personal-locator-beacon/garmin-inreach-explorer-plus

Edited 50 minutes ago by Rehab1

Good find! Just ordered one because the next time @Marty Backe is too "pooped to pop" out in the backwoods o' wheel land,I don't want to have to work so hard!

[Rehab1]

8 minutes ago, jrkline said:

Good find! Just ordered one because the next time @Marty Backe is too "pooped to pop" out in the backwoods o' wheel land,I don't want to have to work so hard!

You did bust your butt but worth it!

Awesome! Let me know how it works out!

[Rehab1]

6 hours ago, jrkline said:

They rode me over to the La Crescenta Sheriff's station(about a mile from where they picked me up) and I hung out and waited to hear if they had found Marty. In the meantime,I answered all the Deputies questions regarding EUC's.They were amazed that someone could travel so far on "one of those things".What they didn't realize is that "one of those things" was the "world famous ACM2040^TM" with a 100+ mile range!

Amazing story! Thanks! Just a thought...it would be a great to send the Sheriff's Department involved a small token of appreciation for the rescue.  It will not only make great PR for the EUC community but also will let the sheriffs department know that they are greatly appreciated for all of their heroic efforts! 

[kasenutty]

Send them the Monster

[Marty Backe]

7 hours ago, freetheoranges said:

I was mentally preparing a trip to find a monster in the woods. 

<snip>

If I had left it behind it would have been interesting to see if anyone tried to recover (there was still 50% battery charge remaining).

[Marty Backe]

7 hours ago, Pingouin said:

Incredible and scary story Marty !! I'm glad you all made it !

This made me think that going out for very long trips with nobody else can be really dangerous, especially with no cellphone coverage. Also I would not have thought that the Monster would have been such a pain to climb with, compared to ACM, but I'll take your word for it.

You really are a determined person, riding so quickly after this near death experience, respect man !

I wish you a fast complete recovery.

 

Thanks. I'm mostly recovered, but my legs are still a bit sore and depleted.

So far this has been the only route that was very remote, and you must be prepared to walk out if something happens. If I had not had the severe muscle exhaustion I could walk out. I would be tired but not exhausted - there's a difference.

I didn't really fear death, but I get your meaning 

People say the Monster isn't that bad relative to the other wheels but they just don't understand the kind of trails I'm riding.

[Marty Backe]

6 hours ago, jrkline said:

You bet we'll do it again. Albeit better prepared. I'll pick up my end of the story where @Marty Backe left off, where I proceed to go look for some water for Marty. I get to the bottom of the canyon where the stream crosses the trail and realized the empty water bottle I had brought to collect water for Marty had fallen out of my pocket and was no where to be found.  Plus the fact that the stream water didn't seem very drinkable.(I was thinking about the A&E show "Naked and Afraid",where the survivalists are always getting sick due to drinking contaminated water and getting violently ill.) So at this point I figured I would head on up this unknown path towards cell coverage to alert the authorities about @Marty Backe , since I knew @Ando Melkonyanwas headed back the way we came for the same reason, now I was doubling the odds of one of us making it to cell coverage for the sake of the parched Marty.  As I proceeded up the trail, I had no idea about what I was up against. It was about another 15 miles of steep curvy constantly blocked mountain road ascending 4000 ft Until I found a paved road.I must have had to climb over 25 to 30 landslides on the way out. It seemed like I would clear one roadblock and be able to ride another 200 to 300 feet before I hit another. Lugging a 60 Lb. wheel over a rockslide on a steep incline gets real old real fast! But I kept on perserveering anyway, figuring I would run out of battery power or daylight and have to stay the night on the mountain,or make it out. When I finally got out of the canyon and found a paved road, it was Hwy 2, a mountain road I have previously ridden on motorcyle with no cell coverage. Not knowing where I was, I flagged down a passing car and they told me I was about 20 miles away from civilization (Glendale Ca.) and that if I headed west, I would reach it. Luckily for me, It was mostly downhill because my wheel app was showing 0% battery and I knew I needed the recharge that a downhill ride would provide.So now, all I had to do was survive a 20 mile ride down a 2 lane mountain road without getting hit by some of the speeding maniacs that frequent this highway. Plus I only had about an hour of daylight left. So off I went. I have ridden this road on a motorcycle many times and loved it, so now doing it on an EUC was a new twist! It was a blast and a feeling of "ZEN" came over me as I got closer and closer to civilization knowing what a man and his wheel can do in extreme situations.When I got about 5 miles from Glendale,I started to see emergency vehicles coming up the road and figured maybe they were responding to reports of a lost @Marty Backe.This would mean that @Ando Melkonyanhad made it to cell service already and Marty had help on the way.By the time I was just getting to the outskirts of town,an LASD car saw me and flagged me down and asked if I had been with another rider in the canyon.That is when I knew that they had been notified of the Missing Marty and My ordeal was over! They rode me over to the La Crescenta Sheriff's station(about a mile from where they picked me up) and I hung out and waited to hear if they had found Marty. In the meantime,I answered all the Deputies questions regarding EUC's.They were amazed that someone could travel so far on "one of those things".What they didn't realize is that "one of those things" was the "world famous ACM2040^TM" with a 100+ mile range!

 

Great read Jeff. Thanks for detailing it better in this post. In our own different ways all three of us really had an adventure. It's really amazing that in the end it turned out as good as it did (both of you guys could have run out of battery juice).

[Marty Backe]

6 hours ago, swvision said:

I couldn't make it, looks like I missed the most epic ride.

Yeah, aren't you pissed that you didn't make it   Maybe when we try again. Your MSuper would be great for these trails.

[Marty Backe]

1 hour ago, Rehab1 said:

Very enjoyable Marty!  You chronicle your stories well!   

 

Just be glad Hunka was not with your group. Instead of a Bear Grylls adventure it might have turned into Naked and Afraid! 

Great Idea! Myself if I was lucky enough to travel to the remote locations you are afforded I would prefer a dual purpose radio that can easily communicate in the mountains with others riders, message and also has a satellite personal locating beacon. http://www.outdoorgearlab.com/reviews/camping-and-hiking/personal-locator-beacon/garmin-inreach-explorer-plus

Thanks!

That is some cool tech. I'm tempted to get one just because cell phone coverage sucks in many of the mountain areas that I ride. Just to be able to keep my wife appraised of where I am by periodic texts would be handy. It's a chunk of change though for something that wouldn't be used much. Hmmmm.

[Marty Backe]

17 minutes ago, Rehab1 said:

Amazing story! Thanks! Just a thought...it would be a great to send the Sheriff's Department involved a small token of appreciation for the rescue.  It will not only make great PR for the EUC community but also will let the sheriffs department know that they are greatly appreciated for all of their heroic efforts! 

I'm sending the Search & Rescue organization a nice donation. I had assumed that I would be recovered by the 'rangers', but apparently the government agencies could care less about lost people. It's the totally volunteer groups that go into the mountains to do the rescues. The guys that picked me up had been on the go since 5am that day. There were 7 operations in these mountains that day.

Once the 911 services established the facts they passed the case onto http://smsr.org/  which came and got me. All of their equipment, trucks, building, etc. comes from donations. And the guys (20 in this org) do it for free of course.

So they're getting a nice check plus a picture of me and my wheel as a reminder of my rescue (I may provide a link to this story).

[Marty Backe]

7 hours ago, meepmeepmayer said:

Wow... that sure was something. Some comments/questions:

• Marty you had planned a fantasticroute (looked at it on Google Maps), you guys should definitely do this again (the route not the bad parts) and not give up on it - you know everything that you did wrong, and where you took the wrong routes now. This trail ridge path...wow The entire area seems perfect for EUC mountain exploring. It is beautiful. I've already created a previous video of 1/3 of the ride - the paved part to the Dam.
• Crazy how fast you went from "well it's hard but we're mountain trail riding after all" to being too exhausted to even walk downhill (having to lie down every few meters etc)!!! Any idea how it could sneak up on you so unexpectedly? Was it because you believed to be on the right way down to the dam so turning around was not considered early enough? I had eaten a very small breakfast that day (thinking I would be home in the early afternoon), but primarily it was muscle exhaustion. I don't understand the medical details behind it, but it's possible to deplete all of the energy stores within your muscles, and without food you can't recover. The Monster is what did it in for me.
• Also crazy how long the "emergency phase" lasted compared to the normal ride, you were seriously dehydrated/shaky/weak for nearly 10 hours!
• Turns out falls weren't the problems, but general exhaustion from hard riding and frequent carrying of the wheel (I can't imagine how heavy that Monster must be...eek) Yep
• Not being able to easily "grab" the wheel with the legs was also a problem. I always thought this to be an advantage (harder to overstress the wheel) but tiptoeing for hours is definitely not fun.
• I'm most impressed with @jrkline's route. Looking at the map, not sure exactly where, but it must have been at least the same distance through mountains again, and then the (probably extremely scenic) highway to the populated area. Too bad he could not enjoy it, as it must be a great route. You should consider doing that too (maybe having someone pick you up at the highway on one of the ends). Yeah, he had a long haul, and I'm impressed that he made it out. If he did not have his 2040wh ACM he would have been stuck too.
• In hindsight, do you think it was a good idea for your group to separate (at all)? In the same vein, in hindsight, do you think you should have done better coordination (e.g. Jeff did not return with water but pushed on instead, other plan changes)? Also the parts where you changed position/your intention while alone and nobody else would have known about it seemed problematic to me (I know, no choice, and along one path, but still...) Nothing like hindsight right? We would have done a lot of thing different. It is what it is though.
• How much water did you have with you? I had brought 1-1/2 large (16oz) water bottles with me. Jeff didn't bring any, but @abinder3 had given him a Gatorade bottle when we started, and I'm not sure if @Ando Melkonyan brought anything to drink.
• What dam did @Ando Melkonyan end up if not Cogswell, I can't find it. He had 'discovered' the Monrovia Mountain Park, which has the flood control dam.
• Aww, no free helicopter ride? Sounded like it at first (1st EUC on helicopter world record!)
• In addition to the other things you mentioned, I think using a compass is worth considering now (every phone can do it anyways). I know first hand how easy it is to take the wrong turn in the mountains even after looking at the terrain/map. So the compass could confirm you are taking the right turn everywhere (you would write down the right orientation/direction of every turn in advance)  My Garmin 60CS has a very nice electronic compass. I also had a an old fashioned compass in my backpack - no batteries required   Ultimately we weren't really lost - I just needed to be recovered because I couldn't effectively get out under my own power.

Well, thanks for the "entertainment"and experience you provided, and the nice thread. Luckily you seem to be the type to not take this too hard, and the worst is behind you now and you have learned a lot. So maybe these mountains will be your future home turf for serious (mountain/trail) riding. They're certainly nice looking. Glad you enjoyed the story. I'll certainly be riding parts of this area in the future.

See embedded responses above.

[EUCMania]

Amazing. interesting and dangerous adventure. Thanks for Marty and Jeff sharing the experience with us.

What I learnt from this story for preparing our own adventure are  i) bring enough subsistence supplies.

ii) Use ACM or modify the monster to make it easy to lean/push. iii) Bring communication and SOS equipment. iv) buy a book about the surviving skills in the wild used by pilots and paratroopers. It teaches how to get moisture/food ( probably ants) in the wild.

About modifying Monster to make it easier to lean forward: I have to squeeze the pad and bend my lower legs forward to make my Msuper go up steep inclines. If I can change the pads shape to look like an L, with the horizontal - facing forward, then I do not have to squeeze, I only have to bend my lower legs forward to push EUC. One way of doing this is to get a piece of wood, carve/sand one side to the shape, put the pad over it to fit to the leg shape. Then glue it to the EUC. Another way is to use liquid foam builder uses to make tight insulation for house or something better. It can become a solid foam/rubber in a mold. This way one can make many such pads with ease, possibly become a business.