Cry Baby Hill

I purchased a Ford F-150 Super Crew 4×4 in the summer of 2000. I thought it would be fun to have a semi-off-road vehicle to take to the mountains and to the desert. I didn’t change the tires but did add a nerf-bar for ease of entry and protection during off-road excursions.

One weekend we joined some friends to travel the Kleghorn trail. I was the only truck in the group. We reached the first hill challenge not to far along the trail. I started up the hill and the truck stopped. I had to back down and put the truck in low. At this point my wife and son were not too thrilled with the experience. I proceeded to try to climb up the hill once more. I made it farther but the truck just wasn’t geared properly to make a slow crawl up the hill. I had to back down once again and knew I was actually going to have to gain speed to make it up the hill on the third try.

My wife and son had reached their breaking point and were no longer having any fun. Tears were beginning to form. My daughter was still too young to be frightened by the experience. She also couldn’t really see over the front seat so that probably helped. Either way my wife decided that she and the children would walk up the hill and meet me at the top. The walk was not easy. The hill was steep enough that they were often bent over far enough for their hands to be on the ground so as not to fall backwards.

Once they were at the top I took my run. With the increased speed I was able to crest the top of the hill and join my group. The balance of the trip I took the “easy” round-about route as the jeeps went more straight up the mountain. We actually had a decent balance of the day.

On the way out I stopped at the local gas station to put air back in my tires as I had properly “aired-down” prior to hitting the trail. The kids and my wife went in to the little market to get snacks. I politely asked if the kids could wait to eat their candy as my truck was so new. My wife turned and said, “Eat up kids. It is time to make daddy cry.”

The hill can be seen from the freeway we take to visit family and every passing leads to at least a brief mention of Cry Baby Hill.