Backed up behind the trail leader Scott Wrigglesworth
Iceman is a Challenge favorite and is a scenic as well as challenging trail. You first enter Iceman from high above the valley. You then take a narrow trail the leads you down to the valley below. The view from the passenger side is quite spectacular, with a drop off that is several hundred feet down. It is something for a flatlander to look down on the top of the towering pines from above.
The trail has changed some since the last time I ran it two years ago. A new section has been added at the beginning that is sure to challenge all who try it. It involves proper placement to crawl over a huge boulder by placing two tires on the canyon wall and then the opposite side on the boulder. This obstacle will tell the limits of your flex as it will stretch you out when you come off the boulder. The boulder has a nasty habit of putting the less flexy rigs on their side as they exit. But if wheel placement is near perfect you will emerge unscathed.
The trail is one that once you are in you are in to the end as it is a dry creek bed at the bottom of a canyon. That road you came in on and the exit are the only two ways out. With this in mind you had better be prepared for breakage and have the ability to get you vehicle repaired if something should fail. We had one major failure when a TJ snapped a rear axle shaft and the axle wanted to walk away from the rest of the truck. But luckily one of the Toyota’s on the trail ride which was equipped with a Mobi Welder and he came to the rescue and was able to weld the shaft up and it held well enough to get the TJ off the trail. I also got to use the Mobi Welder when one of my spring perches on my rear 1/4 elliptical cracked. With the Mobi Welder we were soon on our way again.
The trail was once again excellent with many of the obstacles off the main trail in mini rock gardens. This trail is unique that it is possible to have both a 4 level ride and a 5 level trail ride all on the same trail depending on the line you take through an obstacle with many of the more difficult challenges able to be avoided if desired. I highly recommend this trail for those who are new to Dakota Trail rides and those that want a break from the relentless pounding of the other Dakota Trails.
