Here are a couple of trail reports from one of the 101 groups last weekend.
I realize this is a little late and I apologize, but I'd like to send out a big thank you to everyone for coming out and making this happen. I think that despite the weather and some very minor carnage, everyone had a great time, I know I did.
Chip Woods
2012 OCC President
Saturday, July 21 2012
After the classroom portion of the 101 finished up and everyone had some lunch, aired down, and disconnected, and an after an attempt to split into three trails groups
failed, Bryan and I opted to take the larger of the two groups on the easier trails. Riding in our group was (in no particular order):
Chip Woods '04 TJ OCC member
Bryan Folts '99 XJ OCC member
Matthew Folts '91 XJ OCC member
Melissa Burn Isuzu Vehicross OCC member
Peter Converse '79 CJ7 OCC member
Anne Ward '11? JKU
Josh Sprinkle and Wesley Lunsford '08 JKU OCC members
Paul Neubert and sons '93 Explorer OCC member
David Adams and Son '09 JKU
Rich Verjinski and Nate Verjinski '08 JKU
David Hill and Brent Daughety '07 JKU
Robert Barlow and Taylor Rowland '12 JK
Mike Coppage '09
JKU
Tim Cogswell and 2 guests '11 JKU
David Roden and guest '12 JK
We started out by heading to the 101 area so everyone could splash around in the mud, which there was plenty of after it rained most of the night before. It was here that Paul Neubert discovered that he couldn't engage his 4wheel drive, so he headed back to camp to try and fix it so he could wheel on Sunday. After maybe only twenty minutes of that and some picture taking, we headed out through camp 8 and onto what the maps call Camp 8 Trail. Camp 8 Trail is just a little loop with a slight downhill portion at the beginning, and it was just slick and muddy enough to make it challenging. Most of the vehicles that went through, especially the ones with street tires, needed a bit of spotting and a little push and shove in the right direction to get them through and keep them from sliding into the trees. Rich Verginski was having the worst time of it, since he arrived just as we were hitting the trails and he hadn't aired down at all. After
several tries to get him moving
failed, we had a brief lesson on safe and proper winching techniques to get Rich back onto the main trail.
When everyone finally made the loop, we decided to bypass Snake, and headed down the hill, made a right into camp 6, and then into the woods headed towards Loop 10. We were moving along nicely until we got to one steep downhill on what I think was Dynamite, where a combination of ruts, mud, and physics wanted to force the rigs into one of those huge mud pits that seem to be all over back in that area. Bryan and Matthew Folts made it down okay, but David Adams was having a heck of a time (worn street tires), and after getting him down the hill proved to be kind of hairy, we chose to turn the group around and head back to camp. It was pushing 3:30 by this time, and considering it took me, Bryan, and Josh about ten minutes to get one rig safely down the hill, no one wanted be out that late.
I walked back to get the rest of the group turned around and headed back while Bryan got Matthew and David Adams turned around and back up that particular hill. The slick trails weren't done with us yet; one of the hills we had come down without issue proved a little to steep for Melissa to make it up on her own power, so we had yet another winching lesson. Peter parked his CJ with his winch at the top at the top and ended up winching three or four of the rigs up the last 40 or so feet of the hill.
After making it out of the woods and through camp 6, we passed Scott LaLacheur's group heading the other way to the 101 area to finish off their day. I decided I still wanted to play a little more, so Bryan took our group back to camp and I turned around to catch up with Scott. On the way I picked up Travis Davidson, a straggler from Scott's group who had gotten separated when he stopped to talk CJ's with Peter. As it turns out, Scott had made a wrong turn and never made it to the 101 area, and since I had forgotten to pack my straps and d-rings after having them out during the classroom portion, Travis and I turned back around and headed to camp to call it a day.
Sunday, July 22 2012
Sunday the 101 guides swapped groups, with Scott taking the easier of the two and Bryan and I taking the group that wanted something a little more challenging. Riding on Sunday, again in no particular order, were:
Chip Woods '04 TJ OCC member
Bryan Folts '99 XJ OCC member
Matthew Folts '91 XJ OCC member
Peter Converse '79 CJ7 OCC member
Virgil Moore and his son Bradley '98 XJ OCC Member
Patrick Wilson a newer JK OCC member
Allen Myers '07 JK OCC member
Dana Gramling and family FJ Cruiser
Mike Coppage '09
JKU
Phil Wolf '06 Rubicon
Travis Davidson '77 CJ7
We started out the day heading down to run Moose, with a brief stop to check on Charles and group who had gotten an early start and were making their way up Corum. We ended up passing the entrance to the trail by quite a bit, so we turned around, and after a few of the group ran through Funnel, we hung a left and headed up Moose.
It was a nice run, something a little more challenging for the newer drivers, and something more than the access roads for the more experienced. I made it up to the top, followed by Peter, Dana, Patrick, and Allen, and then walked down to help Mike up the last steep bit. He was making progress, but the loose rocky soil that seemed to be giving everyone trouble that weekend was making it especially difficult for him. So instead of risking any damage, he opted to take a winchline. Unfortunately, he was a little too far from the top for a cable to reach, and the other winches were behind him. So Phil pulled up behind him, and with a little maneuvering and use of a snatchblock, we pulled Mike forward enough that he could make it under his own power to the cable from Patrick's rig at the top of the hill. Phil then made it up under his own power, followed by Travis, then Virgil. Virgil was making it look like a walk in the park just creeping up
the hill when his rig just shut down and quit, in the same spot where Mike had to stop. After a little poking and prodding, Bryan discovered a loose battery connection and got Virgil moving again. Matthew followed Virgil up, then Bryan and I walked down to his rig and I rode up with him instead of walking up that last really steep portion of the trail.
During the time it took to get Mike up the hill and Virgil going again, most of the group had already eaten lunch, so we took a short break at the top of Moose on upper road for the rest of us to throw some food down and get Virgil's battery connections tightened up a little better. We headed along upper road, passing the tops of Winch, Cobra, Corum, and Pennsyltukian, headed towards the U-Turns, and made a right on a trail that isn't named on the map. It was trail Bryan and I had both been down before, and was probably the easiest way down from upper road. The trail was much narrower than I remembered, but the longer wheel base vehicles did fine making the twists and turns. The most challenging part was a short, steep, slick, slightly off-camber hill just up from the bottom. Most everyone made it fine, but it was here that we suffered the only damage of the weekend. Mike was taking a line that was a little less off-camber that a few of the
rigs in front of him took, but he didn't have the same ground clearance, and mangled up his side step and fender flare. It was all cosmetic, but disappointing all the same to have come that far without incident.
At this point, it was going on 3ish maybe, so a trip up to Pinnacle that a portion of the group wanted to take was scrapped, and we just headed on past the rifle range and went back to camp to call it a day and get packed up to head on home.
I realize this is a little late and I apologize, but I'd like to send out a big thank you to everyone for coming out and making this happen. I think that despite the weather and some very minor carnage, everyone had a great time, I know I did.
Chip Woods
2012 OCC President
Saturday, July 21 2012
After the classroom portion of the 101 finished up and everyone had some lunch, aired down, and disconnected, and an after an attempt to split into three trails groups
failed, Bryan and I opted to take the larger of the two groups on the easier trails. Riding in our group was (in no particular order):
Chip Woods '04 TJ OCC member
Bryan Folts '99 XJ OCC member
Matthew Folts '91 XJ OCC member
Melissa Burn Isuzu Vehicross OCC member
Peter Converse '79 CJ7 OCC member
Anne Ward '11? JKU
Josh Sprinkle and Wesley Lunsford '08 JKU OCC members
Paul Neubert and sons '93 Explorer OCC member
David Adams and Son '09 JKU
Rich Verjinski and Nate Verjinski '08 JKU
David Hill and Brent Daughety '07 JKU
Robert Barlow and Taylor Rowland '12 JK
Mike Coppage '09
JKU
Tim Cogswell and 2 guests '11 JKU
David Roden and guest '12 JK
We started out by heading to the 101 area so everyone could splash around in the mud, which there was plenty of after it rained most of the night before. It was here that Paul Neubert discovered that he couldn't engage his 4wheel drive, so he headed back to camp to try and fix it so he could wheel on Sunday. After maybe only twenty minutes of that and some picture taking, we headed out through camp 8 and onto what the maps call Camp 8 Trail. Camp 8 Trail is just a little loop with a slight downhill portion at the beginning, and it was just slick and muddy enough to make it challenging. Most of the vehicles that went through, especially the ones with street tires, needed a bit of spotting and a little push and shove in the right direction to get them through and keep them from sliding into the trees. Rich Verginski was having the worst time of it, since he arrived just as we were hitting the trails and he hadn't aired down at all. After
several tries to get him moving
failed, we had a brief lesson on safe and proper winching techniques to get Rich back onto the main trail.
When everyone finally made the loop, we decided to bypass Snake, and headed down the hill, made a right into camp 6, and then into the woods headed towards Loop 10. We were moving along nicely until we got to one steep downhill on what I think was Dynamite, where a combination of ruts, mud, and physics wanted to force the rigs into one of those huge mud pits that seem to be all over back in that area. Bryan and Matthew Folts made it down okay, but David Adams was having a heck of a time (worn street tires), and after getting him down the hill proved to be kind of hairy, we chose to turn the group around and head back to camp. It was pushing 3:30 by this time, and considering it took me, Bryan, and Josh about ten minutes to get one rig safely down the hill, no one wanted be out that late.
I walked back to get the rest of the group turned around and headed back while Bryan got Matthew and David Adams turned around and back up that particular hill. The slick trails weren't done with us yet; one of the hills we had come down without issue proved a little to steep for Melissa to make it up on her own power, so we had yet another winching lesson. Peter parked his CJ with his winch at the top at the top and ended up winching three or four of the rigs up the last 40 or so feet of the hill.
After making it out of the woods and through camp 6, we passed Scott LaLacheur's group heading the other way to the 101 area to finish off their day. I decided I still wanted to play a little more, so Bryan took our group back to camp and I turned around to catch up with Scott. On the way I picked up Travis Davidson, a straggler from Scott's group who had gotten separated when he stopped to talk CJ's with Peter. As it turns out, Scott had made a wrong turn and never made it to the 101 area, and since I had forgotten to pack my straps and d-rings after having them out during the classroom portion, Travis and I turned back around and headed to camp to call it a day.
Sunday, July 22 2012
Sunday the 101 guides swapped groups, with Scott taking the easier of the two and Bryan and I taking the group that wanted something a little more challenging. Riding on Sunday, again in no particular order, were:
Chip Woods '04 TJ OCC member
Bryan Folts '99 XJ OCC member
Matthew Folts '91 XJ OCC member
Peter Converse '79 CJ7 OCC member
Virgil Moore and his son Bradley '98 XJ OCC Member
Patrick Wilson a newer JK OCC member
Allen Myers '07 JK OCC member
Dana Gramling and family FJ Cruiser
Mike Coppage '09
JKU
Phil Wolf '06 Rubicon
Travis Davidson '77 CJ7
We started out the day heading down to run Moose, with a brief stop to check on Charles and group who had gotten an early start and were making their way up Corum. We ended up passing the entrance to the trail by quite a bit, so we turned around, and after a few of the group ran through Funnel, we hung a left and headed up Moose.
It was a nice run, something a little more challenging for the newer drivers, and something more than the access roads for the more experienced. I made it up to the top, followed by Peter, Dana, Patrick, and Allen, and then walked down to help Mike up the last steep bit. He was making progress, but the loose rocky soil that seemed to be giving everyone trouble that weekend was making it especially difficult for him. So instead of risking any damage, he opted to take a winchline. Unfortunately, he was a little too far from the top for a cable to reach, and the other winches were behind him. So Phil pulled up behind him, and with a little maneuvering and use of a snatchblock, we pulled Mike forward enough that he could make it under his own power to the cable from Patrick's rig at the top of the hill. Phil then made it up under his own power, followed by Travis, then Virgil. Virgil was making it look like a walk in the park just creeping up
the hill when his rig just shut down and quit, in the same spot where Mike had to stop. After a little poking and prodding, Bryan discovered a loose battery connection and got Virgil moving again. Matthew followed Virgil up, then Bryan and I walked down to his rig and I rode up with him instead of walking up that last really steep portion of the trail.
During the time it took to get Mike up the hill and Virgil going again, most of the group had already eaten lunch, so we took a short break at the top of Moose on upper road for the rest of us to throw some food down and get Virgil's battery connections tightened up a little better. We headed along upper road, passing the tops of Winch, Cobra, Corum, and Pennsyltukian, headed towards the U-Turns, and made a right on a trail that isn't named on the map. It was trail Bryan and I had both been down before, and was probably the easiest way down from upper road. The trail was much narrower than I remembered, but the longer wheel base vehicles did fine making the twists and turns. The most challenging part was a short, steep, slick, slightly off-camber hill just up from the bottom. Most everyone made it fine, but it was here that we suffered the only damage of the weekend. Mike was taking a line that was a little less off-camber that a few of the
rigs in front of him took, but he didn't have the same ground clearance, and mangled up his side step and fender flare. It was all cosmetic, but disappointing all the same to have come that far without incident.
At this point, it was going on 3ish maybe, so a trip up to Pinnacle that a portion of the group wanted to take was scrapped, and we just headed on past the rifle range and went back to camp to call it a day and get packed up to head on home.