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Southern California - Cogswell Dam for 22Apr2017


Marty Backe

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19 hours ago, Marty Backe said:

@Rehab1 - you need to do this to your ACM

It is already on the agenda. I ordered a more knobby profile tire for hopely better off road handling. Just need to get the ACM running again!

 

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14 minutes ago, Rehab1 said:

It is already on the agenda. I ordered a more knobby profile tire for hopely better off road handling. Just need to get the ACM running again!

 

But that's a wimpy 2.125" tire. You need to go full-on 2.5" :D 

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We have four confirmed riders for tomorrow (Saturday): @captainwells, @jrkline, @Ando Melkonyan, and myself. Remember that it takes about 30 minutes to get to the parking area (where you need a pre-paid $5 parking pass to avoid a possible $100 ticket) from the 210 & 605 freeways. So plan your travel time accordingly so that we can be riding as close to 9am as possible.

It'll probably be cool as we start and very warm near the end. Bring extra water and energy food if you like.

A reminder that there is zero cell phone coverage in the area. Because of this we will start the ride by 9:30 if anyone is missing since it's impossible to know if you couldn't make it at the last minute, had a flat tire, etc. Hope to see everyone tomorrow. It's going to be a very fun ride, particularly the outgoing ascent where we will be the first EUC riders to ever make that trip :)

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1 hour ago, Marty Backe said:

We have four confirmed riders for tomorrow (Saturday): @captainwells, @jrkline, @Ando Melkonyan, and myself. Remember that it takes about 30 minutes to get to the parking area (where you need a pre-paid $5 parking pass to avoid a possible $100 ticket) from the 210 & 605 freeways. So plan your travel time accordingly so that we can be riding as close to 9am as possible.

It'll probably be cool as we start and very warm near the end. Bring extra water and energy food if you like.

A reminder that there is zero cell phone coverage in the area. Because of this we will start the ride by 9:30 if anyone is missing since it's impossible to know if you couldn't make it at the last minute, had a flat tire, etc. Hope to see everyone tomorrow. It's going to be a very fun ride, particularly the outgoing ascent where we will be the first EUC riders to ever make that trip :)

Are you starting out in the same parking lot that we started out on April 1st and then going up to the dam the same way that we did?

If you are, I'd be tempted to do that part of the ride with all of you (and then just ride back to my car by myself), but I have to be somewhere later so I wouldn't be able to do the whole ride past the dam.

(I picked up 8oz of the Slime for tires with tubes but haven't put it in the wheel yet. Maybe put it in the tire in the parking lot just before riding?)

Allen

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2 minutes ago, abinder3 said:

Are you starting out in the same parking lot that we started out on April 1st and then going up to the dam the same way that we did?

If you are, I'd be tempted to do that part of the ride with all of you (and then just ride back to my car by myself), but I have to be somewhere later so I wouldn't be able to do the whole ride past the dam.

(I picked up 8oz of the Slime for tires with tubes but haven't put it in the wheel yet. Maybe put it in the tire in the parking lot just before riding?)

Allen

Hopefully everyone will visit the link at the top of this page where information is provided on exactly where we will be meeting. And to directly answer your question, we are starting at the same parking lot.

However, this time we will be riding to the peak on the south side of the mountain ridge and returning along the route that we took on the 1st. The ascent will be mostly in the sun so it's best to do that part in the early morning when it's cooler. As you know the canyon part of the ride can be chilly so that's best done closer to noon time.

I have a conservative nature so I wouldn't put slime in my tire just prior to a remote ride. It can be a little messy, you're taking apart the valve stem - something could go wrong, you obviously need a means of filling the tire, etc.

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27 minutes ago, Marty Backe said:

Hopefully everyone will visit the link at the top of this page where information is provided on exactly where we will be meeting. And to directly answer your question, we are starting at the same parking lot.

However, this time we will be riding to the peak on the south side of the mountain ridge and returning along the route that we took on the 1st. The ascent will be mostly in the sun so it's best to do that part in the early morning when it's cooler. As you know the canyon part of the ride can be chilly so that's best done closer to noon time.

I have a conservative nature so I wouldn't put slime in my tire just prior to a remote ride. It can be a little messy, you're taking apart the valve stem - something could go wrong, you obviously need a means of filling the tire, etc.

I have a portable air compressor/car jump starter that I use to fill tires.  I'd leave it in my car.

 

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36 minutes ago, Marty Backe said:

Hopefully everyone will visit the link at the top of this page where information is provided on exactly where we will be meeting. And to directly answer your question, we are starting at the same parking lot.

However, this time we will be riding to the peak on the south side of the mountain ridge and returning along the route that we took on the 1st. The ascent will be mostly in the sun so it's best to do that part in the early morning when it's cooler. As you know the canyon part of the ride can be chilly so that's best done closer to noon time.

I have a conservative nature so I wouldn't put slime in my tire just prior to a remote ride. It can be a little messy, you're taking apart the valve stem - something could go wrong, you obviously need a means of filling the tire, etc.

On Google maps, the one that's labeled "Rincon-Shortcut OHV Trail" ?
(That's the one that you're taking out first?)

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3 minutes ago, abinder3 said:

I have a portable air compressor/car jump starter that I use to fill tires.  I'd leave it in my car.

 

You're good then if you really want to do it remotely.

@captainwells needs to get back early afternoon, so I'm going to try and keep the pace up on this ride (we did a lot of resting and took awhile to get going on the last ride). So my intention is to complete the ride by noon.

Just now, abinder3 said:

On Google maps, the one that's labeled "Rincon-Shortcut OHV Trail" ?

 

Just now, abinder3 said:

On Google maps, the one that's labeled "Rincon-Shortcut OHV Trail" ?

Thank's the one. I've already ridden the first few miles of it.

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1 minute ago, Marty Backe said:

You're good then if you really want to do it remotely.

@captainwells needs to get back early afternoon, so I'm going to try and keep the pace up on this ride (we did a lot of resting and took awhile to get going on the last ride). So my intention is to complete the ride by noon.

Wish I could go on the whole ride, but I will have only about enough time to go to the Cogswell dam and back.

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14 minutes ago, abinder3 said:

Wish I could go on the whole ride, but I will have only about enough time to go to the Cogswell dam and back.

If you go for a ride maybe we'll bump into you while you're out there :)

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17 minutes ago, Ando Melkonyan said:

Marty did you guys make it down?? 

Call me as soon as you get reception.

4246449111

That sounds like there was a problem.  

Hopefully, everyone is okay. 

My ride on the north side to the dam and back went good.  I finished my ride (16 miles total) and pulled out of the parking lot by 11am. 

 

Allen

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10 hours ago, Ando Melkonyan said:

Marty did you guys make it down?? 

Call me as soon as you get reception.

4246449111

Los Angeles Country Sherriff's Dept. search and rescue plucked Marty out of the Angelus Nat'l. forrest.He is fine.I went out the opposite way past the stream another 16miles through dozens of landslides and 4500 ft. of elevation and came out on Hwy.2 and then rode that down another 21 miles and ended up in La Canada/flintwood before I got cell reception back.I would have never made it out if it were not for the "world famous ACM2040tm " and it's incredible 100 mile plus range.:cheers: All is good!       P.S. The L.A. County Sheriffs' Dept. search and rescue KICK ASS! Once they got Marty out, they even went back for his wheel.He left it behind and started walking out and thought That the Monster was going to be a $3000 loss.It would have been if not for the great people of the L.A.S.D. :clap3:       P.P.S. It was 2 ACM's and one Monster on the outing today and the Monster sucks at hill climbing compared to ACMs.Case closed.

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So i had to leave Marty behind to go get some help because after 20 miles of climbing a steep hill on the monster and then going downhill another few miles on a fucked up trail with landslides and trees blocking the way he was too exhausted to get back out of there on his own. 

This is where my mission began. With %20 battery left i turned back and started heading back up (for about 2-3 miles) to the top  where i thought i would have cellphone reception. Somehow i missed the spot and/or my cell didnt pick up the signal so i kept going up hoping that i will soon get a signal. At this point my wheel was beeping at me pretty hard and i was barely moving. Came across two Y crossing. Both times made the wrong turn.. went down for about 10 min, realized that im not heading the right way( looking at a very blurry google maps image i had loaded on my phone) then pushing my wheel back up the hill on foot. So after being lost for over an hour with no map, almost no battery, no water and no cell reception i was starting to think im stuck on this damn mountain for good. 

To be continued. 

Stay tuned for part two of operation save Marty and the Monster 

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9 hours ago, Ando Melkonyan said:

So i had to leave Marty behind to go get some help because after 20 miles of climbing a steep hill on the monster and then going downhill another few miles on a fucked up trail with landslides and trees blocking the way he was too exhausted to get back out of there on his own. 

This is where my mission began. With %20 battery left i turned back and started heading back up (for about 2-3 miles) to the top  where i thought i would have cellphone reception. Somehow i missed the spot and/or my cell didnt pick up the signal so i kept going up hoping that i will soon get a signal. At this point my wheel was beeping at me pretty hard and i was barely moving. Came across two Y crossing. Both times made the wrong turn.. went down for about 10 min, realized that im not heading the right way( looking at a very blurry google maps image i had loaded on my phone) then pushing my wheel back up the hill on foot. So after being lost for over an hour with no map, almost no battery, no water and no cell reception i was starting to think im stuck on this damn mountain for good. 

To be continued. 

Stay tuned for part two of operation save Marty and the Monster 

Your story telling makes me laugh Ando :roflmao:  Yes, since I'm tying this, I did make it out, found by a Helicopter and Search & Rescue. 16 hours after leaving home, I got back.

I'll post a 'story' tomorrow (Sunday) that explains the madness that happened to me. Jeff has a good story to tell too, and your's sounds great too. I can't wait to hear the full story of what happened to you.

This was an EUC ride for the ages that fortunately now we'll all be able to laugh about in the future.

I'm never taking my damn Monster on mountain trails like that again. And please, nobody tell me again how a Monster can climb nearly as good as the ACM - give me a break ;)

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4 hours ago, Marty Backe said:

Your story telling makes me laugh Ando :roflmao:  Yes, since I'm tying this, I did make it out, found by a Helicopter and Search & Rescue. 16 hours after leaving home, I got back.

I'll post a 'story' tomorrow (Sunday) that explains the madness that happened to me. Jeff has a good story to tell too, and your's sounds great too. I can't wait to here the full story of what happened to you.

This was an EUC ride for the ages that fortunately now we'll all be able to laugh about in the future.

I'm never taking my damn Monster on mountain trails like that again. And please, nobody tell me again how a Monster can climb nearly as good as the ACM - give me a break ;)

Makes me even much happier that I stayed on the north trail instead. 

I'm glad everyone is okay. 

Allen

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2 hours ago, meepmeepmayer said:

@Marty Backe Was this the infamous 3rd fall you jokingly expected? Hope you aren't hurt. Well, looking forward to when the story goes up.

The never occurred to me (until now). But you are absolutely correct :thumbup:  This qualifies for sure.

Not hurt, but now that it's the next day every single muscle in my body is in pain. When I weighed myself I had lost 4 pounds since yesterday.

More to follow...

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       Saving Marty and the Monster (part 2) 

So. After getting lost i almost started to believe that i myself might not make it out of the mountains in time, so i started praying. And it went a little like this.. "Jesus take the wheel"..

" God please put me on the right track and help me get out of here. Please God i really dont want to spend the night camping with the bears. etc..." 

Sure enough.. my prayers got heard and after some time of carrying my 45lbs acm up the hills i finally saw a downhill route that looked like it was going in the right direction. So i hopped back on my dying wheel and started zooming dawn the hill. I knew that i had to get down quickly because i needed to get to the park rangers asap so the'll have enough daylight to go out and find Marty. After maybe an hour and a half of riding i finally came across the stupid dam that we were looking for the whole time!  

At this point my phone slowly started working again. I checked the maps and the park rangers station was not far away so i got back on the wheel and continued down the road until i got to the main gate where the rangers were supposed to be. Walked up to the door but unfortunately there was no one there. So i called 911. My call got transferred 3 times before someone in the right jurisdiction was able to send out some help. They asked me where i was and told me to stay there till the cops arrive. So i stayed put. Shortly after a whole gang of police cars and fire trucks and ambulances arrived at the gate. 

I made the 911 call at 5:45. From 6-9 i was with the cops explaining the situation, and answering all sorts of questions. Luckily i had a took a picture of Marty and Jeff from earlier that day so i gave that to the cops for description of our missing peeps. I had took a few more picture of the trail names and numbers on my way down. Those, along with a picture of Martys gps coordinates of his last known position gave the rescue team an idea of where he might be. The gps coordinates Marty had pulled up on his tracker turned out to be the nearest cellphone tower which was no good. So i had to somehow describe where my missing guy was to 6 different groups of teams (including; the police department, the fire fighers, the park rangers, the helicopter operator). They couldnt belive that we had made it all the way up the mountain and back down almost to the 2 frewway on "that thing!?!?" 

Anyways making the already long story short, being the "informant" i stayed with the rescue team leader answering more question and confirming new information they were getting until they tracked down our missing man. 

By the way the parking lot was 20 miles away from the point that i came down to on my wheel. Had a friend come pick me up and take me back to my car. End of the say i had probably done 50miles of mountain riding on my awesome ACM2.5 which saved mine and Martys life. ??

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1 hour ago, Marty Backe said:

The never occurred to me (until now). But you are absolutely correct :thumbup:  This qualifies for sure.

Not hurt, but now that it's the next day every single muscle in my body is in pain. When I weighed myself I had lost 4 pounds since yesterday.

More to follow...

Actually, in the first hour of our 16+ hour adventure, @Marty Backe and me some how managed to clip footpegs while riding along side each other causing us both to faceplant.I think it affected @Marty Backe more than me due to his recent crashes elsewhere,numbers 1 and 2.This one definately makes the third one.

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10 hours ago, Marty Backe said:

Your story telling makes me laugh Ando :roflmao:  Yes, since I'm tying this, I did make it out, found by a Helicopter and Search & Rescue. 16 hours after leaving home, I got back.

I'll post a 'story' tomorrow (Sunday) that explains the madness that happened to me. Jeff has a good story to tell too, and your's sounds great too. I can't wait to hear the full story of what happened to you.

This was an EUC ride for the ages that fortunately now we'll all be able to laugh about in the future.

I'm never taking my damn Monster on mountain trails like that again. And please, nobody tell me again how a Monster can climb nearly as good as the ACM - give me a break ;)

AMAZING. Glad everyone returned in one piece. we need @Marty Backe 's story. hopefully some video footages to come along.

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Sounds like a good story (sorry Marty). So there was an actual fall (sounded like maybe just exhaustion or a broken wheel). Looking forward to the "California Mountain Drama" thread. @Ando Melkonyan Don't forget to post your part there too.

Was it really that dangerous, couldn't you just have walked back in the worst case (well, except Marty probably)?

1 hour ago, Ando Melkonyan said:

They couldnt belive that we had made it all the way up the mountain and back down almost to the 2 frewway on "that thing!?!?"

Haha!

--

Not to preempt the other thread, but: @Marty Backe, don't forget to tell us what your wife currently thinks of your wheeling;) Until then, get better:thumbup: The worst should be over now...

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