Let me start the story by saying nice driving to everyone! We had to use just about every technique for driving off road. We saw a little of it all… rocks, hill climbs, fallen trees, and mud. Yet we overcame it all.
The day started with Alex meeting up with myself and Laurie, then trekking up to Tom’s where we met John with his wife Pat, and Sean with Amanda.
From there we made the run to the Goose… topped off the tanks, grabbed a few sandwiches for lunch, then off to the Creek.
We got to staging right around 8am… second group to check in… I set up the tire deflators and disconnects on my rig, and then assessed the other 3 to see what the day would bring.
In that time we picked up 2 more rigs who had driven in looking for someone to wheel with. Aaron (from PA who I have wheeled with before) and Rich with his wife.
So 6 rigs… Rich in a 4 door JK on 37s (but wanted to take it easy), John and myself on 33s, Aaron in a Rubi unlimited on 31s, and Alex and Sean bone stock on 30s.
Everyone agreed to greens, so we hit the trails… took K through the comp course… I was the only one to have seen them before, so I gave a little tour over the CB as we went.
K to B… B out to 101 to get a good lesson/refresher on the basics…
From 101 we did the Hills… there I showed the new comers the basics of hill climbs and descents… limit brake use, control slides, and 1st gear creeps. After playing a little we continued down to 11.
Be advised 11 @ 19b is BAD! They are falling a lot of trees commercially, so the heavy equipment has it all rutted and torn up. Adding insult to injury the markers are gone since the trees they were on are fallen.
Lynn @ the office confirmed trail closures… Log Bridge is broken… 19b was also an advisory due to the markings.
We made it through the mud bog of 11, to 19a, and with no objections from the group we decided to try 19b since the entrance is across from 19a, and we already saw the exit at 11.
We made it about 300 yards… then I started bogging down in the soft ground… I had the group hold up while I forged ahead trying to find a way through, but quickly decided that it was just too wet and started to turn back before I got stuck.
That’s when the first (and only) carnage of the day occurred… a branch speared BOTH the inner AND outer bead of my passenger rear tire… So I fought the flat to higher ground where it was firmer and flatter to get the Hi Lift to work.
Meanwhile Alex picked not quite so good a place to park…
(Just kidding Alex) he sunk his pretty new 30s good in the muck, and got the honors to be our first recovery of the day… I would have done the dirty work, but was down for the count, so Rich showed off the JK 4 door Rubi on 37s and made it look easy.
With the spare on I walked a trail out back to 11… with a game plan in mind we forged on to drier ground… almost…
John made it through the rock section up onto the trail, but then quickly perched his driver rear shock mount on a stump… second recovery within minutes of the last.
After that we hit H, over to Pole Line… break time at the Mud Pit to watch another group of rigs play in the 5 foot hole… then to the 3 line climb…
Aaron wanted the left (medium), Rich wanted the right (hard), everyone else took center. I held back to decide later, but walked up to spot everyone up. In the end Rich was too wide on the 37s to clear the last rock without damage, so he backed off, but only to recover Aaron on the medium… both their long wheel bases were holding them back at the break over.
I decided to take center just so the group behind us could play. I had done all 3 lines successfully before, so another time to show off... and in good judgment.
As I got to the top everyone noticed my front passenger was now flat… so another break for air, then back on the trails…
We hit almost all the other greens except for C and Lake Cristy area… I figured we had enough swamp action after 19b.
We called it a day at 3:30… helped everyone look over the road readiness of the rigs… my front also had a branch in the bead, so it would not hold air… since I was already on the spare this had to be fixed… I aired all the way out, leaned into Alex’s Jeep for leverage, and used my legs to press the tire off the rim while Alex dug out the bugger.
Once free John’s miracle pump blew up 4 jeeps while mine still struggled with its first tire… (Thanks for the contact info John… definitely giving him a call).
Checked the beads with a spray of wd40 on the rims looking for bubbles… and on the road before the rain hit.
All I can say to wrap this up is an impressive day of driving all around. For most of us it was a first… my first time leading a group, a few first time off roaders, and a few who hadn't seen the terrain. Considering those facts it was an amazing day with excellent driving all around.
Nice job to everyone.
Side note… for the record I still seem to be the only stock club jeep to get stuck going down winch hill (first day on 30s)
Despite my efforts, Alex successfully went down the hill, and even made it up the other side… neither of which I did on my first round out stock…
John also white knuckled it down the steep drop, and up the blind climb for a successful run on his first attempt.
Great job and kudos to both.
If you want to know the rest… well… you just had to be there.
Sun May 18, 2008 12:51 am
Tony, you have writen a great story that the reader can picture the action as it unfolds, thank you for taking care of the newbees and displaying a great sense of leadership on th filed. You have earned the right to be awarded a Guide T-shirt. I will see what I can do. As for the crew participating on the trails, gerat job and team spirit. Happy everyone made it back home OK and that you have been baptised as an offroader at Rausch Creek Offroad Park. Keep up the spirit and the teamship. Continue to foster the good will of the brotherhood on the trails as well as on the pavement. 
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