The Enchanted Rockies Trails and the End of Rumble Michael Hyden

The Enchanted Rockies Trail and the End of Rumble

I’ve had a Jeep Liberty for years. I was kind of known as the Jeep Liberty guy and I wore it with pride. I liked having something different. I enjoyed building an overloading rig out of something not many would attempt. Even before a lift I was trimming fenders and removing the front bumper to make it better for off-roading. To be honest when I started, I had never heard of overlanding, I just knew I wanted to combine my love of camping and hiking with driving off-road. I made all the mistakes; I bought a cheap spacer lift and I bought cheap gear. I was getting started and that is what most of us do, in the beginning. We try to save money here and there not realizing in the long run it would cost way more. This quickly became real as I started to go out longer, further, and to more remote places. I replaced the lift with an Old Man Emu lift, bought better gear and stayed out longer and went further. It was fun to see the look on people’s faces as I pulled up in a Jeep Liberty. They all thought I would get stuck or even break down on the trail. In that Liberty I only got stuck once and I never had to leave it on the trail, although the last trip I did get worried. It was approaching 160K miles and for a Liberty driven the way it had been that was really high.

I took it on the Enchanted Rockies Trail with eleven other rigs in June. We spent several days on the trail, because of the heat we decided to start the trail near Weed, NM, yep Weed, NM. The plan was to go as far as Angel Fire, NM. Most of our group drove fast, I mean fast. We covered so many miles per day it was crazy. A few of us decided to slow way down and go at our own pace. We stopped often to take in the trail, photographing the experience along the way.

The first night on the trail was so windy we could hear the wind in the trees coming down the mountain, it sounded like waves coming into the beach. We woke up in no big hurry, since we started in Weed, NM we were a day ahead of schedule. So, about an hour or two onto the trail we found a great campsite with more than enough room for all eleven rigs and a few trailers. Some of the guys

decided to go out from there and explore, while a few of us decided to just relax a camp. This gave me an opportunity to try and make a campsite old-fashion. I used Oil Fire Whiskey, citrus bitters and cherries. Oil Fire Whiskey is a rye whiskey with a liqueur blend making it sweet, no need for simple syrup, thus making it much easier to make. A few drops of bitters and a cherry, BOOM an awesome Old Fashion. We might have gone through 2 bottles that afternoon.

We headed out of Weed the next morning, moved along to Cloud Croft., where we stopped to get gas and a few items at the Dollar Store. I’ll just say that in Cloud Croft they took mask wearing seriously, beware. We would be reminded of this at towns along the way, Covid was in full force around the country. On the third night, we stayed in the Lincoln National Forest just at the footsteps of an amazing cliff. The wind was blocked and we slept like babies. The next morning, a few of the rigs in the group decided to head to Santa Fe by blacktop roads. Seven of us would split into two groups and head down the trail. This was an amazing section of the trail and super bumpy. It wasn’t technical but the rocks were just big enough to make you go slow and pay attention, it beat the hell out of us!

We would spend our third night on the trail in Santa Fe at campsite full of RVs. We grabbed a good shower, Joey and I sang “You Lost that Loving Feeling” Top Gun version, it was magical, ask Lee. The next morning after gassing up we headed to the Carson National Forest. We turned up forest road 76 stopped to eat lunch as a full group before climbing up the mountain. As usual Joey, Lee, and I hung back. Lee brought his young daughter and she liked to get out often and run around. It was perfect for Joey and I because we wanted to stop and take photographs. This section of the trail was beautiful. At each corner, I wanted to stop and grab a few photos. I was blown away the we didn’t pass any other vehicles even though we passed a sign that read “not recommend for cars”. The trail was easy but the sights were breathtaking. We made it up to 12,000 feet where we decided to set up camp. Joey and I walked down a side trail and found the perfect campsite, the best I’ve ever camped. We were on the side of the mountain and could see for miles. So many mountain peaks with an almost 270-degree view. There is nothing that compares to the poop spot I had at 12K feet. I can’t tell you how many photos I took in this area. I walked around and found so many awesome things at screamed TAKE MY PICTURE! That evening, we sat around a propane fire for warmth and to have a campfire conversation, no wood fires were allowed. The entire trip I stayed in Les Opus’ trailer. It was amazingly comfortable and so capable on the trail; it never lifted a wheel. I’m excited about the new Opus Lite coming out soon. I brought my Gazelle T4 but we had a family with us that had an old clumsy tent so I let them use mine, the set up for the Gazelle T4 is so fast and easy. Brian told me each day that he was thankful that I let him use my tent, I was completely ok with that because I got to stay in the Opus Trail, it has a heater!

The next morning, we would wake up, break camp, and head down forest road 76 towards Angel Fire. This part of the trail was so beautiful and the road was again not technical but it was rough. At one point we said wow that is rough and then noticed a Kia Soul park about 50 feet off trail camping, just proves that you don’t need the best rig you just need to go. (although I don’t recommend a Kia Soul LOL). We finished the trail at Angel Fire and we had some great pizza.

My Jeep did have some issues, I had to keep it running when we stopped in fear it wouldn’t start. It had been a problem for a while and no one could nail down the reason. We never talked about it out loud or near Rumble, my Jeep. This was a major concern for Joey as we both left the group and headed on a 9-hour drive home, 13 for him. Joey followed me all the way to my turn off and was relieved I made it home. My Jeep handle the trail with no real issues, the starting thing was annoying but easy fix with some starter fluid. Two days after arriving home Rumble threw every light on the dash. It was determined by two different mechanics that to fix everything, including a possible transmission rebuild was going to be over $7K. This would be the last trip I would ever make in the vehicle that helped me develop a love for overloading. It was not only a vehicle to me but a part of who I was, I was the Jeep Liberty guy. Rumble was known around the world. So, getting a new rig and parting with Rumble was not easy. I still see a Jeep Liberty and smile. Now I am building a 2016 Nissan Pro4X, and I am excited. Be sure to follow me at All Over Overland to see how the build comes along.

Michael Hyden

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