March 8 09 at RC

Here is Patteys discription of the day


Today......IN AN UNOFFICIAL LAST-MINUTE TRIP UP TO RAUSCH.......Chris, me, Mike, Steven and Tom (with Ryan, Kyle and Kyle's buddy) hit the trails. (cabin fever and warm temps made us giddy to get up there before our next club ride!)

We had a BLAST!!! I will try to scrounge up what few pics and vids we had (everyone's batteries kicked the bucket early on!) and post them up ASAP. We did some great trails, had some great "stucks" and no one broke...except for Mike's brake line and frowning tie rod, more damage to Tom's Bronco (which kicked butt!), and one HECK of a Milk Shake rescue where Chris' Jeep died.

We started out hitting CV...which was more passable than the last time we were there in the ice and deep snow...and it was nice to see the rocks again. Although I do have some trepidation about about bringing the "factory direct" people up the last part....but I know I did it "FD" and so have some others....it's just that I feel wholly responsible (though I am NOT, as you have signed the release forms! HAHAHAHA!!!!) for everyone's potential for breakage.

Anyhow....it was great, we went on to the SOUTH and did TRAIL 25 where all 3 did the fire pit (Chris twice, of course) and I chickened out once again going down as a passenger. Being in a vehicle, even on the highway, has me a bit gun-shy lately...and when you bring going nose down at about a 75% angle (if not more), I'm pretty much frozen with fear.

Then we went to TRAIL 22 which was our first time on it. It's a Blue/Black with ROCKS and off-camber. It's our new favorite trail. It's like Snakebite with hills....and some nice patches that "didn't seem so bad". Tom had some stuckage on some of the rocks...but kicked butt. There were some knarly rocks. Chris maxed out his 8,000lb winch trying to get him out!

We ran down "S" to Snakebite and did the first 2 legs of it. Then by that time, and forgive me guys for not remembering, but we decided not to do the third leg and head over to TRAIL 101 and HILLS....and then over to the Play Area for lunch.

After playing around (and some crazy *cough*chris*cough* Jeep splashing the kids with stinky red mud) and eating, we went down the Power Line trail to TRAIL 10. Man, was there mud!!! It was GREAT!!! Chris and I looked at MILK SHAKE and were like, "Oh HECK yah, you can make it!!!" See, Chris did it last time...breaking through the ice and snow and STILL made it out. Well, today he was denied....the ice was hidden at the bottom, but brought back up and into the path of the Jeep, halting its progression. *snicker*. Then, in the middle of winching himself out....everything went dead. Lights, winch, engine, everything.

I am bad at the whole "recollection thing"...so here goes from the beginning: splash, gurgle, gurgle, gurgle, sinking, sinking DEEP, spinning tires, muddy rooster tails, stuck, glubglubglub, tailpipe underwater is a fun sound, Ummm, still sinking, hook up strap, nope, hook up winch, dead, I get out, hop across iceberg, onto log, muddy, OMG my boot, strap to Tom, nope, strap to Mike, nope, testing Chris battery, *shrug*, strap from Chris to Tom and Tom to Mike in a TANDEM attempt to move the Jeep, nope, busted strap, call Lynn, no winch, call Tommy, no winch, but he'll be out, miraculous starting up of Jeep, winch, yes, winch, YESSS, winch, HOORAY!!!! Tommy shows up. Hey Tommy....thanks for coming out, but we're good. HAHAHAH!!! He's cool.

Then we went back up to "H" to head back to the staging area because Chris has no braking ability. We get to the top of the 3 hill climbs at the Pole Line and the guys see the brake problem....fluid spewing from the whatever....just needed tightening and more fluid. Whooo-hooo!!!

So we then head over and do all of TRAIL 2, frog hole hill climb and over the blues to the craziness you have to go up on the way to CRAWLER RIDGE. I'm reminded repeatedly of the two times I bailed out in moments (being new to wheeling back then) when I felt UNCOMFORTABLE being in a tipping over vehicle and got out. Chris had issues but got up it, Mike had issues, but got up it. Tom met us at the bottom of the ridge. Chris made it down easily, so did Mike...who then flexed on a rock to show off and flexed his brake line broken.

So by now it's 4pm and we headed out the greens to the staging area and loaded up the trailers. It was a fun, full day. Out by 8:30, back at 4. Thanks for a great time guys!


Pics are HERE

And here are my VIDS

great trip report and good pictures.