My parents were kind enough to let us tag along on one of their Jeep adventures! Jon drove the white Jeep like a pro while I tried not to freak the heck out.
July 8, 2019
Clearly my parents are much cooler than we are. They own two Jeep Wranglers that they regularly take “Jeepin'” all over the country. We were so happy to finally join in on their shenanigans.
We started our journey at the Loon Lake Rubicon trailhead early in the morning. There, we met up with a group of four other Jeep couples and got our little caravan moving.
The Rubicon Trail
On our way, we encountered all kinds of terrain. From trails with scattered bounders to a steep slab called the Granite Bowl, the Jeep took no prisoners. With a TON of help from the experienced drivers in the group Jon got the hang of things surprisingly fast.
Halfway into our trip, all the wives in the group hopped into the drivers seat which finally gave my mom the courage to drive on the Rubicon for the first time! Both her and Jon killed it on Walker Hill, a challenging rock obstacle.
Once in a while, the Rubicon would offer us a challenge. Either transverse some sort of peculiar rock formation or drive around it. We would all pull over and watch some of the more experience drivers give it their best shot. Two of the men in the group tried over and over to climb the Soup Bowl rock formation, but to no avail. And then, in just a few tries, one of women in the group made it over. She was definitely the MVP of the day.
Spider Lake
3.5 miles later, and a couple hours into the trail, we parked our Jeeps, set up our camping chairs, and had ourselves a well earned lunch. Jon and I then took off on foot, over the nearest ridge and found Spider Lake. We were captivated by the snowcapped mountains and the deep blue waters. Spider Lake can be hiked to from Loon Lake, but we would certainly recommend the full Rubicon Trail express instead.
After a round of selfies (sorry not sorry) we explored a bit more of the area and found a small pond full of huge lily pads. It was crazy to think that we drove here… and now we had to drive all the way back.
With sunset approaching, it was time to head out. Going back the way you came is almost like transversing a whole new trail. Going down, rather than up, a huge slab of rock was a whole new (terrifying!) experience. The rock was so steep at points that you couldn’t even see the ground below you. We just had to trust our spotters to get us through.
All in all, we made it out and back without any major errors. We didn’t damage the Jeep, need to be towed, or flip the Jeep (thank god!). Jon got a ton of praise back at the trailhead and I, being my nervous self, was finally able to breathe again.
Thank you to my parent’s for taking us on this crazy journey with you! Who knows, maybe one day we will be joining them in our own Jeep . . . fingers crossed!
Little Adventure 