Jackhammer
Trail name: Jackhammer
Trailhead Location: 34o24'52.6"N, 116o28'28.3"W
Length: 1.8 miles
Elapsed Time:
How to get there: Take a left instead of a right at the sign! See Sledgehammer above.
The trail: Believe it or not, Jack may be more difficult than Wrecking Ball. Why? Tires are getting bigger! Jack is a bit different from Sledgehammer, its older sibling. Instead of running up a dark crack, Jack wanders up the side of the mountain in a small ravine. But don't let that fool you. The rocks are huge. And loose. And getting more loose. That is what the tire comment is all about. There have been so many 35"+ tires over Jackhammer recently that 35" shod vehicles are having increased difficulty, as the tires don't reach the bottom of the holes. That is our story and we are sticking to it!
Let's start from the beginning. Jackhammer gets your attention right away with some really ticklish sections (if you like your paint) just a few feet into the trail. There is a tricky off camber slab to scale (pick the wrong line and it can get ugly) and then the fun starts. The section under the memorial plaque can give you fits. This middle section of Jackhammer's ascent is an innocent looking incline through a jumble of rocks. The problems start with a severe lack of traction. The slope is so steep and loose that very little momentum can be generated. And momentum is needed because the holes are just deep enough to catch your differentials. Repeatedly. Larger tires would definitely help. With the dug out section behind, it gets a bit easier but Jackhammer wears on you and there are plenty of opportunities to make mistakes. Soon the route leaves the ravine and charges up a ridgeline. While this section isn't really difficult, it will tighten up those who don't like heights. The view from the top is great!
Once on top, Johnson Valley trails are supposed to end. Oops. Jackhammer now drops very steeply down the mountain in a kind of rocky-4WD-luge way. Now the trick is to keep the front knuckles together while dropping down rocky ledges while turning around and over gargantuan rocks. Eventually, a rocky track leaves ravine and can be used to exit if you have had enough fun. Those with a continuing thirst for mayhem and a smaller rig can continue all the way down the ravine until it dumps out in the flats. |
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