StormRunner Build & Adventure Thread

[jdtaylor42]

Incredible thread. What kind of camera do you shoot with - these photos are amazing!

Thanks! I shoot with my Nikon D3300 primarily and the kit 18-55mm lens. I am looking to upgrade and get a D750 but for adventures that risk damage I will likely still daily carry my D3300. It's a great little camera

I've also run into a number of people who hike the entire thing in one day, which is madness. Have you done Coyote Gulch (my favorite) or Grand Gulch?

That is insane. I was ambitiously thinking I would make it to the confluence and back on my day trip but treading the water and the very uneven and littered (from flash floods) terrain made making good time a challenge. Even just the 10 miles RT I did was incredible though.

I have not heard of Coyote or Grand gulches before but I will definitely research them and add them to the list! I am always looking for new places to explore so thanks for the suggestions!

 

[jdtaylor42]

So I have been trying for two years to get an online permit for The Wave in Utah and have not yet been drawn so I figured maybe I would try for one of the in-person permits. Saturday I got up at 3am and hit the road so I could be in Kanab for the drawing. When I arrived I was the only person in the parking lot but by the time they let us into the room to fill out applications there were 80 people :shocked: I did not get drawn

So as a backup I went ahead and drove up to hike Kanarraville Falls which was pretty spectacular. Then on my way back to Flagstaff I stopped at checked out Wupatki National Monument which was awesome in it's own right.

 

[donm3ga]

You are goals

 

[sn_85]

One of my favorite threads on here. Just goes to show you that you don't need the most built out 4Runner to go on an adventure and don't need to the best DSLR to take great pics.

 

[NVSteve]

That is insane. I was ambitiously thinking I would make it to the confluence and back on my day trip but treading the water and the very uneven and littered (from flash floods) terrain made making good time a challenge. Even just the 10 miles RT I did was incredible though.

I have not heard of Coyote or Grand gulches before but I will definitely research them and add them to the list! I am always looking for new places to explore so thanks for the suggestions!

Parking lot to the confluence and back is about 28 miles, so good thing you didn't attempt the whole thing!

Coyote Gulch is off Hole-in-the-Rock Road, which starts a few miles east of Escalante. There are actually a ton of things to see along the road from really cool slots (Zebra, Peekaboo, etc.), rock formations (Devils Garden) and even an area with an abundance of dinosaur tracks. Coyote is better for backpacking-I usually spread it out over 3 days just because it such an awesome hike with lots of scenery to take in. But, you can also do day trips into it. Last time I was there, I came across 2 girls hiking back out and one of them was carrying a full sized jerry can with water (never seen that before, anywhere). There are also a couple other canyons very close to Coyote that are quite a bit more technical in nature. A few pictures of the canyon here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/nvsteve/albums/72157604886289312

I've only been able to make it into the Wave twice. I simply have no luck with lotteries. Last time I went, we hiked from the parking lot at Coyote Buttes South up to the Wave and back. And actually, Coyote Buttes South is equally as impressive with the colorful layers of sandstone.

Grand Gulch, now part of Bears Ears (for now), is an impressive canyon hike alone, but the highlight of the canyon are all the Indian ruins you can see. I last hiked it in 2009, which means I need to get back soon. A few pics from there: https://www.flickr.com/photos/nvsteve/albums/72157617927332540

 

[jdtaylor42]

One of my favorite threads on here. Just goes to show you that you don't need the most built out 4Runner to go on an adventure and don't need to the best DSLR to take great pics.

Hey thanks I appreciate that! I definitely try to upgrade the Runner as I find I have the need to do so based on previous adventures and not because I want to have all the extra crap I can throw on it. And I am always trying to learn photography skills from others as I only started getting into it a year or so ago so always looking to improve

Parking lot to the confluence and back is about 28 miles, so good thing you didn't attempt the whole thing!

Coyote Gulch is off Hole-in-the-Rock Road, which starts a few miles east of Escalante. There are actually a ton of things to see along the road from really cool slots (Zebra, Peekaboo, etc.), rock formations (Devils Garden) and even an area with an abundance of dinosaur tracks. Coyote is better for backpacking-I usually spread it out over 3 days just because it such an awesome hike with lots of scenery to take in. But, you can also do day trips into it. Last time I was there, I came across 2 girls hiking back out and one of them was carrying a full sized jerry can with water (never seen that before, anywhere). There are also a couple other canyons very close to Coyote that are quite a bit more technical in nature. A few pictures of the canyon here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/nvsteve/albums/72157604886289312

I've only been able to make it into the Wave twice. I simply have no luck with lotteries. Last time I went, we hiked from the parking lot at Coyote Buttes South up to the Wave and back. And actually, Coyote Buttes South is equally as impressive with the colorful layers of sandstone.

Grand Gulch, now part of Bears Ears (for now), is an impressive canyon hike alone, but the highlight of the canyon are all the Indian ruins you can see. I last hiked it in 2009, which means I need to get back soon. A few pics from there: https://www.flickr.com/photos/nvsteve/albums/72157617927332540

Love your pics that you linked! Both of those definitely look like something I would want to do. I have hiked Peek-A-Boo and Spooky gulches off of Hole-in-the-Rock road but I saw there was a LOT out there to explore and I didn't have enough time. I would love to head back up and spend a few days out there though. There is just SO much to see and do in Utah. Incredible state

 

[jdtaylor42]

Over Thanksgiving holiday I decided to take a long weekend trip up to Moab and stopped over at Monument Valley on the way up. Great weekend with lots of awesome things to do there

Monument Valley just before sunrise

Forrest, Forrest Gump

Delicate Arch

Mesa Arch

Slickrock Bike Trail

Fins & Things Off-Road Trail

Scraaaaaaaaaape

 

[jdtaylor42]

Park Avenue

Balanced Rock

 

[JohnTheLuck]

Wow!!! Incredible photography. You have an amazing talent.
.

 

[brtnstrns]

Do you do all this stuff solo? I'd like to do trips solo out into the trails and such but am fearful of shit hitting the fan and I'm out in the middle of nowhere with no way to contact someone.

 

[shrub1]

Do you do all this stuff solo? I'd like to do trips solo out into the trails and such but am fearful of shit hitting the fan and I'm out in the middle of nowhere with no way to contact someone.

Sat phone.
If I waited for someone to go with on every trip I'd never be able to go.

 

[brtnstrns]

Sat phone.

I'd like to eventually get the SAR GPS device that has a month-to-month plan or whatever, but haven't gotten to the point of needing that yet. But I'm not sure how much good that would do if I end up rolling off the side of a mountain or getting obliterated by a rock slide in the PNW mountain ranges.

 

[shrub1]

I'd like to eventually get the SAR GPS device that has a month-to-month plan or whatever, but haven't gotten to the point of needing that yet. But I'm not sure how much good that would do if I end up rolling off the side of a mountain or getting obliterated by a rock slide in the PNW mountain ranges.

You are correct. If you should perish a sat phone will be of no help, but then again neither will a co-polit.

SPOT is pretty cheap these days and a yearly plan is $200 buck'ish. But no voice could be an issue.

 

[brtnstrns]

You are correct. If you should perish a sat phone will be of no help, but then again neither will a co-polit.

SPOT is pretty cheap these days and a yearly plan is $200 buck'ish. But no voice could be an issue.

Yeah, sudden death isn't actually my main concern. It's more about do you even bother going out solo without recovery gear and at what point do you have sufficient recovery gear to get yourself out of a situation and back to civilization? Obviously, the best idea is to turn around if things look too far out of your comfort zone, but there's always potential to find yourself in an unexpected situation. Like would you always bring a loaded backpack in case you find yourself having to leave your vehicle behind and hiking back out, but what if you're 30 miles away from the nearest highway?

 

[shrub1]

Yeah, sudden death isn't actually my main concern. It's more about do you even bother going out solo without recovery gear and at what point do you have sufficient recovery gear to get yourself out of a situation and back to civilization? Obviously, the best idea is to turn around if things look too far out of your comfort zone, but there's always potential to find yourself in an unexpected situation. Like would you always bring a loaded backpack in case you find yourself having to leave your vehicle behind and hiking back out, but what if you're 30 miles away from the nearest highway?

Lets not derail the OP's thread with this anymore. Perhaps you should start a new thread or search and tack on to an existing one. My fault too for replying to you off topic a few posts up.

 

[jdtaylor42]

Wow!!! Incredible photography. You have an amazing talent.
.

Thank you! I really appreciate the encouragement because I am really just learning. Always trying new techniques and such trying to learn as much as I can.

Do you do all this stuff solo? I'd like to do trips solo out into the trails and such but am fearful of shit hitting the fan and I'm out in the middle of nowhere with no way to contact someone.

It really depends on the adventure. For this weekend, yes I was solo. I definitely don't let being solo hold me back. For me, the biggest thing is making sure you have a route and letting someone know. So I check in with my family and tell them where I will go for the day and that I will call at night. If I do not call, then they know where to send someone to look for me. I also carry light recovery gear and survival gear on my truck at all times. If I need to sleep in the truck and eat cold cans of chili for a couple days waiting for help that is no big deal. But I know my limits and I don't push them too far when I am alone. If I waited for someone to go along before I adventured though I would miss out on half of the things I do

 

[mike831]

Always enjoy checking out your photography. Post 347, pic 2, it looks like your T4R has a hat on. LOL.

 

[jdtaylor42]

Always enjoy checking out your photography. Post 347, pic 2, it looks like your T4R has a hat on. LOL.

Haha thanks. That's what they said on Instagram as well. I didn't even see it at first but now it's all I see

 

[rblt]

excellent detailed post! (referring to bumper re and re posting #108 of this thread...)

I may try a re-and-re following this post to adjust my bumper for http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-gen-t4rs/244110-gap-between-bumper-fender-below-headlight.html .

Last visit to the Toyota body shop, one of the tech's came out and pulled hard on the bottom edge of the front bumper, which definitely brought things in line. The gap eventually reappears but not within 5 minutes like it did before. So, perhaps if I loosen the bottom bolts and pull the bottom edge forward, then tighten the bolts, it may adjust and hold things as they should be.

 

[414Runner]

I love this thread and build. Thanks for all the info. you've provided along the way while building this! Can't wait to borrow some of your knowledge and instructions! :thumb3::thumb3: