Saturday, November 20, 2021 - Xterra Trail Ride to Flagpole Knob (VA)

Do you have a preference on which option?

  • Option A (Up Dunklehollow, down Union Springs)

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    4
  • Poll closed .

Gen X

First Fill-Up (of many)
Supporting Member
Location
Ashburn, VA
I’m going to try, probably just a day trip though. All my camping gear is in storage, but may try to convince my son to just sleep in back with an air mattress. I have to re-arrange an appointment but can’t until next week when I see what my hours are.

We’re in for this trip, no camping though. We’ll go up Dunklehollow and down Union Springs. See you at the lake.
 

VaXman2010

Test Drive
Location
Va.
I'm leaving Haymarket Sheetz at 8:45. Stopping at Sheetz in Harisonburg then going up Union Springs side. Anyone else going up Union Springs??
 

ffxcores

[fully disclosed]
Supporting Member
Location
Virginia
I'm leaving Haymarket Sheetz at 8:45. Stopping at Sheetz in Harisonburg then going up Union Springs side. Anyone else going up Union Springs??
I made a table on the main post: https://www.xterranation.org/index....-xterra-trail-ride-to-flagpole-knob-va.10301/ but it looks like you, @MiggieX and one of the Facebook attendees have confirmed going up Union Springs.

Most of the facebook people are question marks unfortunately. I think an update was posting asking people which side they were going up, but last time I was able to look about a week ago it didn't look like many people responded. I can look again tonight.

I know @Gen X at least is going down via Union Springs, and I'm hoping to go down that way as well, but on Sunday after camping out.
 

MiggieX

Bought an X
i will only be offroading (no camping) I posted on facebook a couple of days ago but not much responses.

Ill go up union springs and come down dunkle hollow
 

ffxcores

[fully disclosed]
Supporting Member
Location
Virginia
i will only be offroading (no camping) I posted on facebook a couple of days ago but not much responses.

Ill go up union springs and come down dunkle hollow
If you don’t hear anything by tomorrow or Wednesday I’d just count on them not coming. If they RSVPd I think Facebook notifies them of updates, so I don’t know if tagging them would help. We definitely don’t want to be waiting around at Sheetz for people that won’t show.
 

Gen X

First Fill-Up (of many)
Supporting Member
Location
Ashburn, VA
Just to confirm, ‘cause I said see you at the lake. For the Dunklehollow group, we’re meeting at Sheetz at noon?
 

ffxcores

[fully disclosed]
Supporting Member
Location
Virginia
For anyone overnighting from out-of-town Friday night, where you all staying? Sheetz parking lot? Somewhere else? Group up?
Sorry I missed this before. A guy on Facebook named Tim that’s been out with us before is already camping near Elkhorn Lake. I don’t know exactly where but if you have Facebook you can find him in the VAXC group event.
 

MiggieX

Bought an X
I can't wait to do union springs tomorrow, it's been a while since ive done something else besides peters mill run lolz
 

ffxcores

[fully disclosed]
Supporting Member
Location
Virginia
We had 20 vehicles (18 Xterras) total. 7 vehicles went up Union Springs, 7 went up Dunklehollow first, then 6 more of us went up when the last 2 arrived. We had one vehicle break down with the crankshaft position sensor code. Luckily between us we had code readers, the parts, and tools to make it a pretty easy job once we knew what we were doing. The last of us made it to the top right at sunset, which we enjoyed for about two minutes before cold wind forced us back in the truck. A few of us are camping and heading out Union Springs tomorrow.
 

TheCrabby1

I Smell Fishy
Supporting Member
Location
Burtonsville, Md
We had 20 vehicles (18 Xterras) total. 7 vehicles went up Union Springs, 7 went up Dunklehollow first, then 6 more of us went up when the last 2 arrived. We had one vehicle break down with the crankshaft position sensor code. Luckily between us we had code readers, the parts, and tools to make it a pretty easy job once we knew what we were doing. The last of us made it to the top right at sunset, which we enjoyed for about two minutes before cold wind forced us back in the truck. A few of us are camping and heading out Union Springs tomorrow.
If the mud puddle's weren't starting to freeze I might have stayed at the campsite for an hour or 2 but the wind on top of the mountain was COLD !!

BEEFY would've called it spring time :D
 

SledheadX

Wheeling
Supporting Member
Location
Rochester, NY
I just want to send out a personal thank you to @ffxcores for a great weekend!!! As cold as it was and with only 3 of us to stay and camp, not including our uninvited black bear guest, I’m glad I went down. Looking forward to another possibly in the spring if it gets planned as discussed. Whenever, I’ll be there again. Photo at Flag Pole Knob right at sunset.
 

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ffxcores

[fully disclosed]
Supporting Member
Location
Virginia
I’ve been meaning to do a wrap up type post in this but never got around to it. However, one participant is misrepresenting this trip as some sort of “nightmare” on Facebook, so I feel compelled to address that.

First, stuff happens on the trail sometimes. You have to be prepared for that, especially in larger groups. We had the Union Springs group, and then the Dunklehollow group split into two because a couple people were late. In that first group that went up, somebody had a cam/crankshaft position sensor pop, and unfortunately nobody in that group could diagnose it.

That same person has claimed there was some sort of “preexisting” or known problem with the vehicle as if he irresponsibly came along, and that’s absolutely not true. He also says he should’ve gone back down and bailed, but they were closer to the top and that exit than they were to the start. He was right to keep going.

This person also claimed it “blocked” our group, which is again untrue. We stopped and were happy to do so, knew what the issue was within 45 seconds of being there, and we got it fixed. Nobody from our group was upset about it (at least outwardly) and we’re glad we were able to get it fixed. If we wanted to just keep going we could have, but we’re not like that.

Then this person claimed we blocked a Jeep group and created a “big traffic jam,” which is again untrue. They (3 or 4 trucks) had to pause a minute while we rearranged our trucks, but they were cool about it. There were only two people being impatient and upset, and that’s the person making the claims and one other person, who continued on their way up to the Knob.

I had a good time. I’d say most people did. Stuff sometimes happens on the trail, and you have to be ready for that possibility. Personally I’m glad to have the opportunity to practice a trail fix and get to know the people around me, what they have tools/capabilities/parts wise, and do it successfully. Would’ve been cool to get more time up top and more time before dark to find a campsite, but I have zero complaints about the trip. Learning and experience are always good things. And now next time our group goes out I’m even more confident with the people around me.

If a vehicle breaking down or any type of schedule change/interruption (especially a minor one that just takes about an extra hour and doesn’t even result in having to stay on the trail past dark) is going to make your trip into a “nightmare,” then maybe off-roading with a group isn’t something you should be doing.
 

TheCrabby1

I Smell Fishy
Supporting Member
Location
Burtonsville, Md
I’ve been meaning to do a wrap up type post in this but never got around to it. However, one participant is misrepresenting this trip as some sort of “nightmare” on Facebook, so I feel compelled to address that.

First, stuff happens on the trail sometimes. You have to be prepared for that, especially in larger groups. We had the Union Springs group, and then the Dunklehollow group split into two because a couple people were late. In that first group that went up, somebody had a cam/crankshaft position sensor pop, and unfortunately nobody in that group could diagnose it.

That same person has claimed there was some sort of “preexisting” or known problem with the vehicle as if he irresponsibly came along, and that’s absolutely not true. He also says he should’ve gone back down and bailed, but they were closer to the top and that exit than they were to the start. He was right to keep going.

This person also claimed it “blocked” our group, which is again untrue. We stopped and were happy to do so, knew what the issue was within 45 seconds of being there, and we got it fixed. Nobody from our group was upset about it (at least outwardly) and we’re glad we were able to get it fixed. If we wanted to just keep going we could have, but we’re not like that.

Then this person claimed we blocked a Jeep group and created a “big traffic jam,” which is again untrue. They (3 or 4 trucks) had to pause a minute while we rearranged our trucks, but they were cool about it. There were only two people being impatient and upset, and that’s the person making the claims and one other person, who continued on their way up to the Knob.

I had a good time. I’d say most people did. Stuff sometimes happens on the trail, and you have to be ready for that possibility. Personally I’m glad to have the opportunity to practice a trail fix and get to know the people around me, what they have tools/capabilities/parts wise, and do it successfully. Would’ve been cool to get more time up top and more time before dark to find a campsite, but I have zero complaints about the trip. Learning and experience are always good things. And now next time our group goes out I’m even more confident with the people around me.

If a vehicle breaking down or any type of schedule change/interruption (especially a minor one that just takes about an extra hour and doesn’t even result in having to stay on the trail past dark) is going to make your trip into a “nightmare,” then maybe off-roading with a group isn’t something you should be doing.
Put this same article on facebook . I think I could guess who it was:rolleyes:
The only thing bad was the COLD UFCKING WIND at the top of the mountain by the time we got there !!
 

ffxcores

[fully disclosed]
Supporting Member
Location
Virginia
Put this same article on facebook . I think I could guess who it was:rolleyes:
The only thing bad was the COLD UFCKING WIND at the top of the mountain by the time we got there !!
I don’t have a Facebook account. As much as I’d have liked to call out that crap directly, I’m not going to do it using my wife’s account. It’s in the post where he asks “who’s going wheeling and when” and then in the comments basically says “screw you guys, I’m going solo at dawn” before telling the harrowing tale of somebody sabotaging his day because he got up to the top a little later than he wanted.
 

C3NK0

Bought an X
Location
Rockville, MD
Nobody in our group was annoyed that we ended up helping the fellow driver. We had fun, troubleshooting, gathering tools and fixing the car, honestly. Everyone pitched in. Only thing that was annoying to me other than the wind uptop, @TheCrabby1 's alarm keep going off, waking up the bears and stuff.

Dude put us in danger, I'm gonna create a facebook account to complain about him. @TheCrabby1 you got a yelp page? I'm gonna unleash some bitterness there too.
 

TheCrabby1

I Smell Fishy
Supporting Member
Location
Burtonsville, Md
Nobody in our group was annoyed that we ended up helping the fellow driver. We had fun, troubleshooting, gathering tools and fixing the car, honestly. Everyone pitched in. Only thing that was annoying to me other than the wind uptop, @TheCrabby1 's alarm keep going off, waking up the bears and stuff.

Dude put us in danger, I'm gonna create a facebook account to complain about him. @TheCrabby1 you got a yelp page? I'm gonna unleash some bitterness there too.
Bear's gotta eat before the worm's ! :D
 
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