THE RUBICON is unquestionably the most celebrated four-wheel drive trail on the planet. Like a place of holy worship, the Rubicon has become the focal point for many a pilgrimage, mindful providence for not only the seasoned gearhead, but for anyone who's ever shifted a transfer case into 4WD. It has been the trail by which all other trails have been measured, the barometer of the four-wheeling difficulty scale. In our travels, we've met four wheelers from Cape Town to Sidney who aspire to run the famous Rubicon, the trail of trails. Yep, this little gem is on wish lists all over the planet.
But for most 'wheelers worldwide, traveling with their rig from the four corners of the earth to run the Rubicon is a dream that can never come true. Logistics, time and money just plain prevent it. So what is a poor dreaming pilgrim to do? The newly introduced Mark A. Smith Signature Series Jeep Jamborees just might be your answer. Who is Mark A. Smith and what is a Jeep Jamboree you ask? To answer those questions we should go back in time and examine a little history of the Rubicon trail.
Drifting back a century or so, the Rubicon was little more that an old Indian trail and trapper route between Lake Tahoe and the Placer mines of California: It was a narrow single track known only to a few locals. About 1867, George Hunsucker built the first homestead along the Rubicon River and over the next two decades, the Rubicon Springs Resort was built. The two-story hotel boasted 16 beds, three squares per day, china, linens and an atmosphere of discreet indulgence. Water from a mineral spring, which was touted as having "healing powers," was soon bottled and shipped to Georgetown and Lake Tahoe. The resort gained popularity and enjoyed a regular clientele into the early 20th century. By the early 1930s, the Great Depression sealed the resort's fate and it was permanently closed.
Fast forward 20 years, 1953 to be exact, and only a few locals from the small community of Georgetown, California remembered, and were privy to, the trail and the area. Times were tough and the community was in search of something to stimulate its economy. Several residents owned surplus military Jeeps and had frequented Rubicon Springs for weekend outings and camping trips. Knowing that they had something really special right in their own backyard, these early Jeepers came up with an idea for a fundraiser - a community event where everyone from the Rotary Club, the Rifle and Pistol Club, the VFW and the Boy Scouts could get involved. Local moms whipped up hearty bag lunches of fried chicken, local fruit and homemade pie. Fifty-five rigs and 155 people showed up and so became the first Jeepers Jamboree
There were a few key people who spearheaded the production and Mark Smith was one of them. Over the years the Jamboree outgrew the scope of being an all-volunteer event and became an entity of its own. However, it was still run and guided by the same folks and is still a community endeavor.
In 1978, after a successful record setting, 20,000-mile south-north navigation of the Americas, from the tip of South America to the top of Alaska, Mark Smith's interest in expanding the Jamboree program grew. In the early eighties, Smith started a Jamboree for Jeep vehicles only, called the Jeep Jamboree. He soon was leading Jeep Jamborees on well-known trails all across America
With a resume such as Smith's, we're guessing that swapping lies around a campfire with him personally would rank high on the wish list of anyone who owns a transfer case. Last year, Jeep Jamboree USA (JJ USA), which now offers more that 35 Jeep adventures across the country, raised the four-wheeling bar with the launch of the Mark A. Smith Signature Series Jamborees. At a Signature Series Jamboree, participants actually do get to swap lies around the fire with Smith (he actually prefers Mark). It gets better. On the Signature Series Rubicon Adventure, they provide you with a Jeep Rubicon. All you have to do is get yourself to Reno, Nevada and they take care of the rest. So the dream of the farcorners- of-the-earth pilgrimage may be in reach after all!
When we received an invitation to a Mark A. Smith Rubicon Adventure, it took slightly more than a millisecond to pick up the phone and get our names on the roster. It was time for our own pilgrimage to the Holy Land of off-road. Last Fall, our benevolent editor Denis Snow and I met in Sacramento, CA and headed up I80 toward Lake Tahoe. As we cleared the 7300-foot pass at Echo Summit and gazed at the cerulean expanses of Lake Tahoe displayed before us, the chains of office life fell away and we couldn't wait for our Rubicon experience to begin. Meeting our Jamboree group at the Embassy Suites Hotel, one of the posh new resorts in South Lake Tahoe, a cocktail reception gave everyone a chance to commingle and pick up a complementary Jeep duffel bag loaded with everything one might forget to pack: bug spray, sunscreen, TP, etc.
At O'dark thirty the next morning, we headed out, driving one of 32 Jeep Rubicons headed for the Rubicon trailhead. While the four wheeling is defiantly something to write home about, the Rubicon experience is more than 'wheeling. As our procession of Jeeps crept through the granite bowls near the beginning of the trail, we realized that the distant sierra vistas, crystal clear lakes and the camaraderie are what draw people back to this inimitable and majestic place. Flip through these pages and share our experience of three perfect days on the Rubicon. For information on the Signature Series Jamborees, or any of the 35 other JJ USA events across the U.S. or surf the web to www.jjusa.com.
CAPTIONS
(left) Departing from the trailhead at Loon Lake, the route drops into an enormous granite bowl, polished smooth and scraped clean of soil by the last ice age. (right) The decent to Buck Island reservoir is across vast granite slabs peppered with mature pines, cedars and conifers.
While the Rubicon Trail provides some great four wheeling, attending a Jamboree is about experiencing the whole area. The Rubicon Springs camp sits on the banks of the Rubicon River and is a perfect spot for fishing, paddling, hiking and soaking in the swimming hole.
(left) Spider Lake, one of the jewels of the Rubicon, is one of the most beautiful places one could camp (and one of this writer's favorites spots.) We say, "could camp," because you "can't" camp there any more. The area was closed a few years ago under the guise of a temporary closure, due to irresponsible four-wheelers defecating freely and leaving toilet paper flowers drifting about Mother Nature's Garden of Eden. With careful management and a good measure of luck, someday we may get to roast Smores over a campfire near its shores again. (right) The sun crept over the Sierra Nevada Mountains, warming the crisp alpine air as we made an early departure for the trail. Lake Tahoe is in the background.
The coolest thing about the Signature Series Rubicon Jamboree is that you get to wheel someone else's rig. It's a new Jeep Rubicon to boot. With front and rear locking differentials, a 4-to-1 low-range transfercase, and an automatic transmission, the Rubicon darn near drives itself. Pretty amazing for an off-the-shelf rig.
(left) On our relaxing day in Rubicon Springs, the Jamboree helicopter was available for an e-ticket ride high above the trail and the surrounding areas. (right) There is good food and no shortage of it. In an attempt to stuff us like pigs on a spit, the Jamboree cook crew had the kitchen fired up almost the entire weekend.
(left) You don't need an extensive background in off road driving to navigate the trail. The Signature Series Jamborees have experienced trail guides to assist and guide participants through difficult sections. (right) Jamborees truly are international events. While JJ USA has promoted events all over the world, for a Mark A. Smith Signature Jamboree, the world comes to the Rubicon. We were on the trail with guests from Chile, South Africa, Canada, and a group of 12 from Switzerland.
Groups like, Friends of the Rubicon and the California Association of 4WD Clubs, along with Jeep Jamboree and Jeepers Jamboree, have been instrumental in dozens of conservation projects, such as constructing this bridge, which allows use of the trail with minimum impact to the area. Funding for many of the projects has been provided through grants from the California Off Highway Vehicle Division.
