2013 OCC Fall Run – Rausch Creek, PA

October 19 and 20

Sunday, Run – Blues and Blacks

Our Sunday group consisted of:

Scott C. driving his red Cherokee

Scott L. and Suzzy in the YJ on 38.5s

Jeff E. in his TJ with 39s

And myself Rich M. as trail-leader in my CJ-5 on 33s

We decided to wheel until 12 and wanted to run some black trails.  So we headed straight for Yellow Jacket.  Before getting to Yellow Jacket via the C Trail, we ran CV Trail (blue).  Then we started on Yellow Jacket and that’s where things got interesting.  I started up the black obstacle and bounced off my line ending up in a position I didn’t want to be in.  My rear passenger tire was pretty much over a deep hole while the driver’s side was going to climb some rocks in either direction.  After unsuccessfully trying to get back on the correct line, we decided it was winch time.  Jeff E. and Scott C. ran my winch to a tree about 50 feet ahead and to the left of me.  Then they connected a strap to my roll-bar, around a tree and connecting it to Scott C’s winch line behind me to prevent me from tipping in the wring direction as I winched myself forward.  After a few minutes/feet of winching and positioning I was in a stable position and could continue on.  With good spotting (I think from Jeff) the rest of the group made it over Yellow Jacket without a problem.

We complete Yellow Jacket and ran Trail 8 (black).  We all enjoyed the big rocks but didn’t have too much difficulty making it through.

From Trail 8 we headed to Walk in the Park.  This is a black trail connected to CV Trail.  We entered and ran CV Trail and continued to Walk in the Park.  We picked our way through it until we came to a rock garden.  We surveyed various options and proceeded.  Jeff E. took the harder lines up a small rock waterfall and we all met back up at the end of the trail.  We then called it a day and headed back to camp where we loaded up our gear and prepared for the drive home.

I’d like to thank everyone who attended this run for making it a great time.

Rich Martinez

Labor Day Weekend Sunday Trail Report

Bryan Folts – OCC member– 1987 Wrangler

Kevin McHale – non-member – 1999 Cherokee

Jeff Duesel – OCC member– 2004 Wrangler

Doug and Robin Masnick – OCC member – 1994 4 Runner

Sean Valentine – non-member – 2009 Wrangler

John and Terry Crowe – OCC member – 1994 Wrangler

Phillip Wolfe – VA4WDA Land Use Manager – 200? Wrangler

At 8:40 AM I departed camp with Kevin riding shotgun to meet Sean at the intersection of Flagpole Rd and Briery Branch Rd. After Sean arrived we headed back to the campsite to gather the others. After departing camp and heading back toward Meadow Knob we turned at Dunkle Hollow to head to Switzer Dam. At the intersection we collected an abandoned, wadded up tent. We stopped for some pictures at the lake and then headed on to RT 33. As we go on to RT 33 John called on the CB. He was waiting, with Terry and Phillip, at the loading dock at Rocky Run Recreation area. It took us just short of an hour to get to where they were waiting. So we all ate lunch and Phillip told about what he’s been talking to the various Forest Rangers about. We talked about the trail clean-up and gave our information for the clean-up forms to be sent to the US Forest Service and passed out orange 40 gallon trash bags. There are two trails we were to clean up; Dictum Ridge and Second Mountain. Phillip suggested we split into two groups, wheel to the end of each trail and clean up on the way back. John and Terry lead Jeff, Sean, and Phillip down Second Mountain, while I lead Kevin and Doug and Robin down Dictum Ridge. It was a fun and easy run down Dictum Ridge. There are several area with minor rocky sections and plenty of puddles to splash though. When we got to the end, at the gate and ATV only trial, we stopped and gathered some firewood for Doug and Robin. There were lots of different mushrooms along the trail all day. We took pictures of several at this stop. Time for some work. We made our way back up the trail slowly as we looked for trash to pick up. Robin rode shotgun with me as it was easier to get in and out of a door less vehicle to gather trash. Mostly beer cans were found as well as plenty of soda cans.  A few car parts were also picked up as well as a 1969 license plate. We got to within a quarter mile of the trailhead when the sky’s opened up. Thunder, lightning, and heavy rain followed, so we continued back to the loading dock where we dropped the Orange bags we had filled. My group traveled down Second Mountain a short distance and caught up with John’s group. They also had stopped due to the rain and were heading to drop their bags at the loading dock. There were some home type lounge chairs they could not get out and Phillip said he would try to put them in his trailer later. So each group traded trails and explored the one they had not cleaned to look for missed items and get more wheeling time in. After we ran Second Mountain and got back to the loading dock, Doug and Robin needed to get back to their camp before dark so they headed out. Once the other group got back off Dictum Ridge Kevin, Jeff, Sean, and I had to make a quick departure to get them back on the road home. All in all we collected about twelve, forty gallon trash bags full of trash off those two trails. I want to thank Phillip Wolfe for his efforts to organize this clean-up and for his work with land managers to help keep trails open, clean, and safe for us and future off-road enthusiasts.

Happy Motoring,

Bryan Folts

Off-Camber Crawlers Member at Large

2013 OCC Fall Run – Rausch Creek, PA

October 19 and 20

Saturday, Run #2 – Blues and Blacks

With 1.5 hours of trail time still available I asked Scott C., Chip and Vitaly if they would like to hit more trails while Suzzy and Jeff E. were running Gaunlet.  So we headed out; ur group consisted of:

Scott C. driving his red Cherokee

Vitaly B and his friend Andrew in TJ on 31s?

Chip W. in his TJ on 33s

And myself Rich M. as trail-leader in my CJ-5 on 33s

We decided to do a mix of blues and blacks staying close to camp so we were sure to be back by 5pm.  We started on Trail 1 where Vitaly high-centered on the hill guarding one of the entrances.  After a quick tug we continued on.  We stayed on Trail 1 avoiding a backup of wheelers on part of it and elected to run the black section.   We completed the black section and the rest of Trail 1.  Then we went across Pole Line and started the part of Trail 2 that leads to Crawler Ridge.  We spotted for each other, stacked rocks when required and completed Trail 2 without any real problems.  From there we headed back to camp on green trails.

Rich Martinez

Labor Day Weekend Saturday Trail Report

Bryan Folts – OCC member– 1987 Wrangler

Kevin McHale – non-member – 1999 Cherokee

Jeff Duesel – OCC member– 2004 Wrangler

We gathered at the E. Market St Sheetz in Harrisonburg about 4:30 PM and departed shortly after a quick driver meeting. After heading down RT 33, through Old Town, and a couple turns later we arrived at Union Springs Rd and headed into the George Washington Forest. As we passed the closed side hill area we saw several guys with two rigs on that hill. We pointed out the signs on the trees saying the area is closed and advised them of proper trail etiquette. A little further up the trail we passed 4 guys backpacking up the trail. The driver in a rig just after that said he was there support vehicle and that they were going to camp at Meadow knob. With only three rigs we made good time getting up to Meadow Knob.  A call on the CB to Team Honey Badger was answered by Doug Masnick. He and Robin were camped over near Flagpole Knob. Their camp was our final destination for the day. We made our way from Knob to Knob and set up camp. John and Terry Crowe showed up to visit for a while and went back to the campground they stayed at for the weekend. Clouds rolled in and it started to rain at dusk, but it cleared up and we were able to see the Milky Way before bed.

Happy Motoring,

Bryan Folts

Off-Camber Crawlers Member at Large