The best perspective of an off-road trail can be shown by combining video from several camera angles. on our Moab trip, there were three cameramen walking the trail.
The Rocker Knocker, Rock Pile, and yellow hill have always been formidable obstacles in Pritchett Canyon, but now they have been joined in the "Obstacles Hall of Fame" by several new ones just waiting to be named. areas that we drove over in 1993 have turned into off-camber sections and ledges that challenge anything except a rock buggy. In our group, two well-equipped, experienced drivers rolled over on these new obstacles. Fortunately everyone was wearing a seatbelt, and no one was hurt.
What used to be the best way to get over the Rocker Knocker obstacle is now the only way (there is a bypass, but it's pretty rough). Drive straight up to the double ledge, and when the front tires reach the second ledge, turn left toward the large rock that gave this obstacle its name. Sounds easy ... it's not. the rear wheels are against the first ledge, and when the vehicle turns to the left, it leans to the left.
Pritchett Canyon has clearly earned the title "toughest Safari trail in Moab." our objective in Moab was clear: Videotape Pritchett Canyon to document the changes. of course, we cannot go to Moab and run only one trail, so we ran hell's Revenge and the Moab Rim trail which have not changed significantly.
Begin throttling the vehicle until the tires begin to spin. as they do, the vehicle begins to slide sideways across the ledge, the right rear tire will climb onto the first ledge increasing the vehicle tilt. the vehicle continues to slide sideways until it reaches the large rock at the end of the ledges. at that point, if done correctly, the tires will get traction, and the vehicle will twist and pop right up. What an awesome feeling!
At the once-famed Rock Pile obstacle, the rocks are gone. this is where a lot of rocks were piled up in front of a 7-foot ledge to help the vehicle climb up without rolling over. a winch point has been installed for those who still wish to climb over the wall. But not all is lost, the bypass is not easy, and you may still need to move rocks. our group took the notso- easy bypass, but we did watch a few in the group behind us winch and pull each other up the rock face.