RIP Slab Camp

jeffix · Feb 16, 2009

Snow is just beginning to melt off the mountains here on the peninsula. The air is warming up (40+ degrees!) and I've been feeling that itch to go camping where no two wheel drive vehicle can get to. Yesterday I drove up the mountain to Forest Service Road 2875 which is popular with the local 4x4'ers, known to us as "Slab Camp". As I approached my favorite spot, I saw the death of Slab Camp.

Boulders. Everywhere.

Too large to move, too close and too many to get around, and too tall to climb over. The entirety of Slab Camp has been shutdown, blocked, and demolished. RIP wheeling spot. My parents camped up here, me and my friends camped up here, but my kids will have little, or no public land in the 'wild' to camp in if this keeps up.

Excerpt from the official OFC publication found online:

this project will--once and for all--take out the grotesque extension of Forest Service Road 2875 south of Slab Camp, a major intrusion along the peripheries of the Buckhorn Wilderness and Quilcene Roadless Area. In the process, blockages will be erected to fight the virus of illegal off-road vehicles in the area, which have repeatedly trashed Canyon Creek and a mid-elevation wetland nearby.

(emphasis mine)

*sigh* The few idiots that abandon their cars up there ruin it for us all.

pokey · Feb 16, 2009

jeffix said:
Snow is just beginning to melt off the mountains here on the peninsula. The air is warming up (40+ degrees!) and I've been feeling that itch to go camping where no two wheel drive vehicle can get to. Yesterday I drove up the mountain to Forest Service Road 2875 which is popular with the local 4x4'ers, known to us as "Slab Camp". As I approached my favorite spot, I saw the death of Slab Camp.

Boulders. Everywhere.

Too large to move, too close and too many to get around, and too tall to climb over. The entirety of Slab Camp has been shutdown, blocked, and demolished. RIP wheeling spot. My parents camped up here, me and my friends camped up here, but my kids will have little, or no public land in the 'wild' to camp in if this keeps up.

Excerpt from the official OFC publication found online:

(emphasis mine)

*sigh* The few idiots that abandon their cars up there ruin it for us all.

Not familiar with this place or action. What is the " OFC" publication. Where was everyone thats affected by this during the planning stages of the clouser ? These kinds of things are much easier to stop or change when you work ith the officials before the fact. Almost impossible to reverse unless you can prove that due process wasnt followed.

85YotaMan · Feb 16, 2009

Are these boulders wheelable!?? :redneck:

Jaydog · Feb 16, 2009

Slab camp area has some huge Blacktail. :awesomework:

JOOP · Feb 16, 2009

85YotaMan said:
Are these boulders wheelable!?? :redneck:

That's what I'm thinking :redneck:

crazybluerider1 · Feb 16, 2009

85YotaMan said:
Are these boulders wheelable!?? :redneck:

First thing that went through my head :redneck:

Zukiman · Feb 16, 2009

jeffix said:
Snow is just beginning to melt off the mountains here on the peninsula. The air is warming up (40+ degrees!) and I've been feeling that itch to go camping where no two wheel drive vehicle can get to. Yesterday I drove up the mountain to Forest Service Road 2875 which is popular with the local 4x4'ers, known to us as "Slab Camp". As I approached my favorite spot, I saw the death of Slab Camp.

Boulders. Everywhere.

Too large to move, too close and too many to get around, and too tall to climb over. The entirety of Slab Camp has been shutdown, blocked, and demolished. RIP wheeling spot. My parents camped up here, me and my friends camped up here, but my kids will have little, or no public land in the 'wild' to camp in if this keeps up.

Excerpt from the official OFC publication found online:

(emphasis mine)

*sigh* The few idiots that abandon their cars up there ruin it for us all.

You are surprised? I went up there once with some of the locals....there were tell tale signs that we were not suppose to be there. :looser:Those tank traps at the head of the "trail" were not just the first obstacle. Since then I drive right on by and head to Sadie Creek, or the other way to "legit " places to wheel. :corn:

zukkev · Feb 16, 2009

Man I haven't heard those words in probably 20 yrs....SLAB CAMP!!! Growing up my buddies and I used to head up there just about every weekend...too bad apparently it's shut down now...:booo: I agree with pokey though, maybe coulda been avoided.

Money Mark · Feb 17, 2009

Is it still a terrible loss if most have never even heard of this place?

What exactly did "we" lose?

Any Pics? Trail run reports?

Mark m. · Feb 17, 2009

Sounds like maybe its a new place with all the big rocks

Travis1 · Feb 17, 2009

Money Mark said:
Is it still a terrible loss if most have never even heard of this place?

What exactly did "we" lose?

Any Pics? Trail run reports?

Many on the peninsula have never heard of Reiter, I guess if that closed odwn that's not a terrible loss either.

Cascade_Crawler · Feb 17, 2009

Travis said:
Many on the peninsula have never heard of Reiter, I guess if that closed odwn that's not a terrible loss either.

do you have pictures or trip reports?

Little Red Zuk · Feb 17, 2009

Travis said:
Many on the peninsula have never heard of Reiter, I guess if that closed odwn that's not a terrible loss either.

Cascade_Crawler said:
do you pictures or trip reports?

Engrish much? :haha:

Cascade_Crawler · Feb 17, 2009

Little Red Zuk said:
Engrish much? :haha:

fixed :flipoff:

super samurai · Feb 17, 2009

it was a cool trail and thats why, it was a locals trail. i have wheeled it a handfull of times and thought it to be a fun and not see a crap load of people. kind of similar to a busy wild trail.

Money Mark · Feb 17, 2009

Travis said:
Many on the peninsula have never heard of Reiter, I guess if that closed odwn that's not a terrible loss either.

Great point.......my deepest apologies.

Big_MARK · Feb 17, 2009

Travis said:
Many on the peninsula have never heard of Reiter, I guess if that closed odwn that's not a terrible loss either.

Well said, Shaw Lake, High Rider, o many Forest roads to name (some unnamed) they are all gone. Only those that used these areas will remember what a loss their closures were.

Th enatural closures are lame but the man made ones are the worst.

Money Mark · Feb 17, 2009

So let's run a trip down memory lane and see some pics of this area/trail of great loss.

jeffix · Feb 19, 2009

Sorry for the late response, I'll try to get all the questions answered...

pokey said:
Not familiar with this place or action. What is the " OFC" publication. Where was everyone thats affected by this during the planning stages of the clouser ? These kinds of things are much easier to stop or change when you work ith the officials before the fact. Almost impossible to reverse unless you can prove that due process wasnt followed.

I had no idea they had planned to close it before they had started. OFC is a typo on my part, that should have been RAC 'Resource Advisory Council' Slab Camp is is Clallam County, between Sequim & Port Angeles.

Jaydog said:
Slab camp area has some huge Blacktail. :awesomework:

I almost hit 3 deer last season just driving through Slab Camp, two of which were nice sized bucks.

85YotaMan said:
Are these boulders wheelable!?? :redneck:

Boulders are pretty big, I'll try to stop by there and get some pics for you next time I'm out there.

Zukiman said:
You are surprised? I went up there once with some of the locals....there were tell tale signs that we were not suppose to be there. :looser:Those tank traps at the head of the "trail" were not just the first obstacle. Since then I drive right on by and head to Sadie Creek, or the other way to "legit " places to wheel. :corn:

I'm not sure what 'tell tale' signs you mean, they are forest service roads, there are no signs posted except for 'no fireworks', no gates, and I'm sure of that. If I see a "KEEP OUT" or "PRIVATE PROPERTY" I refuse to trespass.

Also--I hear from some of the locals near Sadie Creek that a huge chunk of that has been blocked off due to logging. That's just hearsay and I plan to check it out this weekend to see for myself.

Money Mark said:
Is it still a terrible loss if most have never even heard of this place?

No, not a terrible loss. But for us on the Peninsula it really sucks. It was an easy to get to spot for some no-packing-necessary camping.

What exactly did "we" lose?

"we" didn't lose anything. "I" lost my favorite camping spot.

Any Pics? Trail run reports?

I'm sure I have pics, even a video of my rig going through a section of trail, but I'm at work and I'll have to wait until I get home to upload it.

Zukiman · Feb 19, 2009

jeffix said:
Sorry for the late response, I'll try to get all the questions answered...

.

I'm not sure what 'tell tale' signs you mean, they are forest service roads, there are no signs posted except for 'no fireworks', no gates, and I'm sure of that. If I see a "KEEP OUT" or "PRIVATE PROPERTY" I refuse to trespass.

Also--I hear from some of the locals near Sadie Creek that a huge chunk of that has been blocked off due to logging. That's just hearsay and I plan to check it out this weekend to see for myself.

.

IIRC there were "tank trap" type of obstacles at the ends of the trails where they met the forest service roads.

Sadie Creek is not blocked. There is a gatekeeper set up at the road but that is easily passable. I ran that trail last weekend.