What we’re about
Got Clearance? And a 4x4 rig? Then pack your gear and roll with us. WT takes manageable trails to unimaginable and remote destinations, usually over multiple days, while camping together along the way. Discover the hidden beauty of the Southwest, from the Mojave and Sonoran deserts to the red rocks of Utah, to the Eastern Sierra and Death Valley. It’s all open to us.
We take our time on the trail, eat really well while we’re there, plan to camp comfy and warm, and always enjoy each other’s company.
We’re not about breaking your rig apart, or about shaming you because you may have a long wheelbase, or because you don’t roll massive tires. While things do break on the trail, on occasion, our goal is always to return home safely, with our rigs intact, and to be blown away by our trail experience together.
Sound like something that you’d be interested in? Then come out and join us, and see where the trail ends. Our next adventure will be heading out soon!
On the Rocks! - Mark
Upcoming events (2)
See all- The Southern Sierra, Alabama Hills, The "White's", Papoose Flat, Owens LakeNeeds location
Team WT,
IMPORTANT Southern Sierra run deets: We’re going to CHANGE the rally time in Lone Pine to 1PM.
Rally day remains as SATURDAY, August 23rd, gassed up and ready to roll at 1PM.
That’ll get us a nice Day-1 tour thru Alabama Hills, and out the back door for a close-up look at the mighty Sierra range. From there, we’ll cross the Owens Valley and run up to our campsite at 8,000+’ elevation in the White Mountain range, leaving plenty of daylight remaining to set camp and relax together. Wait until you see the view! Also, let’s plan for POTLUCK on Sunday evening, Day-2!
Rally Point: Lone Pine, SATURDAY, August 23rd, gassed-up and ready to roll at 1pm
GPS Rally Point Coordinate: 36.61035, -118.06497
It's at a parking lot on the right, just beyond the Shell Station, and Carl's Jr, on the very north end of Lone Pine.Full GPX Map: https://www.gaiagps.com/public/Dx7X3EcojgQ3FUlRpQL8kwMI/?embed=True - Waypoints coming soon
Full distance: 160-miles / Plenty of gas opportunities along the wayTo the trail review: Just back from a Southern Sierra prerun. What a treat! The Southern Sierra is HOT down in the valley during the summer, but we’ll mostly be up in the HIGH elevation of the White Mountains. Perfect up there. Mid-70’s for us over these past few days. It should be similar, to maybe a bit warmer in August. Nights get cool/cold. Low 40’s.
Keepin’ it real, Day-2 on the trail up to Papoose Flat was TOUGH! Spectacular, but tough. Steep accents and decents, rock gardens, tight squeezes between big boulders and trees, dry scratchy shrubs, deep ruts and off camber areas abound on the climb up to over 10,000 elevation. You’ll be in and out of 4L to control downhill speeds and uphill climbs. It’s a LOT. To cap it off, there’s a short 15% to 18% climb out to the pavement at the end. And do recall that the air is THIN, THIN, THIN up at these ele’s, and horsepower on you rig will be down as you make the final 4L climb. But, after pulling this off, you’ll have accomplished an overlanding feat. One for the books, and for your memory vault!
It makes me want to run it’s close cousin across the Ownes Valley, Coyote Flat. A similar climb, straight up, right out of Bishop. Maybe we’ll have to hit Dickson up about that trail for next summer.
Not trying to be a buzz-kill about Day-2. More, prepping you for what to expect on that day. However, we DO have a solution for those of you who choose to not, or should be advised to not take on this particular trail. That is, that those folks will have the option to return down the trail which we climbed in on, on Day-1, and then run up HWY395 to set camp early in the day. From there we can then enjoy a day in Mammoth, or take on the short and fun trail to Dead Man’s Summit to the back country overlook, or enjoy a dip in the magnificent, aquifer-fed cool springs out near Lake Crawley, or all of the above, before returning to camp. The Papoose Flat trail warriors will join us later in the day. A solid offer. If you’re having any day-2 tail doubts, PLEASE take this option.
This is shaping up to be a great time together. We’ll see you in Lone Pine on SATURDAY, August 23rd, at 1PM to kick it all off. As always, if you’d have any questions or comments, please feel free to call or text me at: 951-316-5506.
On the Rocks, - Mark
(Original announcement)
Team WT,Last year, on the way to another run, Dickson and Amanda introduced a few of us to the White Mountains, the "White's". WOW, how had I never been up there! Forever views, challenging sections, the VERY high plains of Papoose Flat, and some all-new ground for us. It's past time to take the whole WT crew to see this!
Fair Warning: Parts of this trail are on the more-challenging-side for our crew. Not "necessarily" dangerous, but there's a pretty significant rocky section, with some bowling ball, and a few breadbox-sized rocks, that we'll take slowly and get thru. There’s also a very steep climb out of Papoose Flat, and I'm not joking about it being very steep. About 20-degrees that goes on for a while. The remaining 95%, or so, of the run is more typical of our normal trails.
Day-1, We'll leave Lone Pine, and get a quick jump-off thru the legendary Alabama Hills. The home of a million Western Movies, a favorite place for flyover scrapes by fighter jets, and the best possible, unobstructed valley view of Mt. Whitney. From there, we’ll head west on a beautiful double track trail, with lots of small rocks, until we’re pressed up tight against the base of the mighty Sierra. Back out thru independence, and across HWY395. From there we CLIMB and CLIMB to our Night-1 campsite at 8,500' ele, and a darn nice look at the Sierra range.
Day-2: We'll climb further to Mazourka Peak, at 9,400' ele. When you arrive at radio the towers, you’ll know that you're on the top of the world to enjoy the MOST spectacularly full view of the Sierra. From there, we'll head over to a challenging, rocky section, that will test us. Then, out from there onto Papoose Flat. At almost 10K’ ele, Papoose is very similar to Coyote Flat, (East, above Bishop. We'll get back up to Coyote again in 26'). With Papoose behind us, we'll leave the White's, by way of that very steep section that I’d mentioned above, and then we’ll roll blacktop to Big Pine, and up to Bishop. We'll gas-up, if needed, in Bishop, and then take a fast, flat trail to our Night-2 Campsite. This will be a LONG, FUN day.
Day-3: We'll roll down a fun, grassy double track to the beach on Owens Lake. A great photo op. Fer sure, pack your swimsuit and towel! For those who choose, there's a very nice cool-springs up the road. A refreshing dip, as air temps, there could still be quite warm. There’s a large pool and a small pool, tucked away in a nice grassy spot. A perfect place to relax, and maybe to quietly scrub-a-dub, after a few days on the trail. It’s not quite a “hidden-secret”, but it's pretty close. Mammoth is nearby too, if you'd prefer to grab a bite there, or to see the town. The Dead Man's Peak Trail, above Mammoth, is a short fun trail, with a pano-view of the backcountry, and the 14k’+ ele of Banner and Ridder peaks.
In short, we're going to pack a lot into a one weekend. This being a 3-day run, I chose to run Saturday thru Monday, because traffic to-and-from is a LOT easier on those days. I hope to see a bunch of us on this one. The Seirra is EPIC!
Now for the fine print: We’re a camping outfit. We don’t go looking for risky trails, or dangerous situations, but we all sign up knowing that there are some risks in going off road. On occasion, our rigs, and even our members and their guests could get banged up while we’re out there.
By voluntarily signing up and participating in this event, you agree to release and discharge in advance, Mark Dupray and Sam Underwood, and any other organizers or event hosts, from any and all liability. This liability waiver includes but is not limited to illness, injury, death, damage, and loss to yourself, your guests, or any of your personal property. You are responsible for your own safety, and you assume all risks that may result from your participation in this event. Nuf said.
Please feel free to call or text me anytime about any questions that you'd have about this run at: 951-316-5506
On the Rocks, - WT Mark
