On the final day I had a special request for Tim. Jim and I begged for a two-for-one destination ride so we could experience as many trails as possible. He granted our wish and assembled a small group that would run at a faster pace than the previous days’ trips in order to make it back before the wrap-up dinner at the fire station. Our group of about 15 machines quickly worked our way along Desert Creek to the backside of Wild Horse Mountain where we took a small road up to Nugent’s Cabin, aka “the quaint little cabin.’ If you’re a person who loves nature and the adventure of being isolated in the wilderness, then you need to come here. The cabin is tiny and available for use on a first-come, first-served basis for anyone who wishes to. You can tell it gets plenty of visitors from its guest book and it appears to be very well taken care of, and the locals hope it stays that way for years to come for more people to enjoy. A nearby stream provided a relaxing place to eat lunch and cool our feet before we launched back on the trail headed up to Lobdell Lake.
The second leg of our special-request ride took us on a good portion of trail we’d already covered until we reached the junction for Jackass Creek. This is where we began to ascend to the lake, which sits at almost 10,000 feet. The higher we went, the more patches of snow we encountered. Once we attained the summit of our climb we started making our way to the lake on one of two trails. Groups on the two previous days had been unable to make their way up one trail due to the large snowdrifts they came across, deciding to turn back. Our guides for this day chose an alternate path, which led through a section that had more coverage from trees, meaning we’d have smaller snowdrifts to deal with—or so we thought.
The first drifts we encountered were relatively small and everyone seemed to make it through with very little struggle, and we reached Lobdell fairly quickly. After a short stop to take some pictures by the lake, we opted to head back to our starting point by going down the backside of the mountain where we ran into larger, more tedious patches of snow that required sheer power and teamwork to get everyone through. One by one as machines made it through the at-times 2-foot-deep snow, everyone cheered and kept morale high even though the ride was taking longer than expected. As we dropped in elevation, snow became less of a problem and dust was the only thing that slowed down our progress, and we managed to make it to the fire station well before the planned dinner that night.
Another quick shower and we were loaded up for our final trip to the station for a farewell Italian dinner put on by the Chamber of Commerce. This gave everyone a chance to share their stories and pictures of the event as well as win some great prizes that were being raffled off. Everywhere I looked people were smiling and already making plans for their return for the 2012 jamboree. As for our experience of this trip, I can’t say enough good things about the Eastern Sierra ATV Jamboree. When it comes to these types of events, it’s just as much the crowd you’re around that can make or break your experience even more than the rides and trails, and here both were a pleasure. I made some great friends and have since returned to enjoy some more fun riding, and I still have plans to return in the near future for more adventure.
For an event that has only been around for four years, you wouldn’t be able to tell. The guides were all friendly, helpful and well informed on the trails, and many were actually people who began coming as participants. The town is one of, if not the most welcoming places I’ve ever been. If you’re ever passing through the town of Walker, California, on Highway 395, I recommend stopping at the Walker Country Store and saying hello to Karla, or if you need a place to stay, tell Tim at the Meadowcliff or Pam and her family at the West Walker Motel that we sent you there. They’ll make sure you feel right at home and more than likely make you want to come back and visit again because they all like to ride just as much as you do. I can assure you that we’ll be back for the jamboree next year and feel that it’ll be even bigger and better than ever.
ATVR