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Yesterday I went up to Evans Creek ORV. Myself, my wife, our mutt, and our friend in my truck and my parents in their Jeep Wrangler Rubicon. Spent a good portion of time on the FS roads just enjoying the scenery. But eventually I found a trail entrance I wanted to try and up went went. Quick side note, my truck is bone stock except for a steel rear bumper, some Dick Cepak M/C's and an AirRaid air filter. But anyway, I've always known my truck is very capable but I also fully understand it is not as capable as something like my dads jeep.
But I was proud of how it did. For a couple main reasons. Fronty's aren't exactly the shortest wheel-base vehicles out there. And I ended up at a couple pretty tight turns. But a little 3-point turn type manuvering and was able to keep on going. The second tight turn I was actually pretty sure I would end up having to back down off the trail (not fun) for the simple fact that it was a tight turn over some pretty slick rock face. But I popped on the rear locker, took it slow and steady (tires were also aired down to about 15 psi) and made it up just fine.
I don't take my truck off road too often cause I don't see too many trails in W. Washington that allow for my truck's size. But like I said, the truck performed flawlessly! Anyway, went along that trail and it put us back on the same FS road. Now we had been for a little while and I had other stuff to get done so we started making our way back. That's part 1.
Part 2 happened as we were making our way back. We get a couple miles from where we left the trail on our way out when we see a guy and a girl walking along the FS road. Now, we saw these people earlier in the day on the FS road driving a brand new (still had dealer plates) Honda Element. Now I of course recognize that the average car can handle these FS road so I didn't think anything of it when we first saw these people. So we pull up along side them and find out that the guy/driver was trying to get up to the peak. Apparently he wanted to treat his girl to a picnic at the peak. Couple side notes. It's not his Honda Element, it's hers. Also, he proves to be ambitious in his driving of her car.
So anyway, he was trying to get to the peak. And decided to try one of the trails as the FS road wasn't leading to where he wanted to go. Now I will say this. I tip my hat at the guy and even the Honda for how far they got. The trail was not hard at all, but it was peppered with larger rocks and slightly off camber parts. And the fact that he got as far as he was truly impressive, stupid, but impressive. Anyway, they got up on the trail to a point where the trail was more like the FS road, expect that it had a few inches of snow/slush/ice. But it was a fairly straight shot for at least 50 yards so he kept going. He got a point where he couldn't go any farther so he started backing up to a point where he could turn around and head back down. He got within about 15 yards of that place to turn around and head back down when he started to slip to the right. Now, on the right is a pretty steep drop. Probably a 70 degree angle.
Now I'll give credit one more time that he was able to keep the Honda from going over the edge and he did have the sense of mind to tie a strap from the car to a tree to keep it from sliding further. And I imagine the girl was more than a little pissed. Not only were they stuck, but she's the one in the passenger seat so she had a great view of the drop.
So anyway, with these two in the bed of the truck we got to where he was stuck and I pulled in front of him and pulled him free. He thanked us (although curiously didn't offer an e-mail address for me to send the pics too..) and they headed back down the trail. We hung around a little while longer joking about this poor bastards drive home. Haha. Anyway, that was my Valentines Day store. My truck rocks and AWD does not equal off road!!
P.S. I'll get pics up in the next couple days.
But I was proud of how it did. For a couple main reasons. Fronty's aren't exactly the shortest wheel-base vehicles out there. And I ended up at a couple pretty tight turns. But a little 3-point turn type manuvering and was able to keep on going. The second tight turn I was actually pretty sure I would end up having to back down off the trail (not fun) for the simple fact that it was a tight turn over some pretty slick rock face. But I popped on the rear locker, took it slow and steady (tires were also aired down to about 15 psi) and made it up just fine.
I don't take my truck off road too often cause I don't see too many trails in W. Washington that allow for my truck's size. But like I said, the truck performed flawlessly! Anyway, went along that trail and it put us back on the same FS road. Now we had been for a little while and I had other stuff to get done so we started making our way back. That's part 1.
Part 2 happened as we were making our way back. We get a couple miles from where we left the trail on our way out when we see a guy and a girl walking along the FS road. Now, we saw these people earlier in the day on the FS road driving a brand new (still had dealer plates) Honda Element. Now I of course recognize that the average car can handle these FS road so I didn't think anything of it when we first saw these people. So we pull up along side them and find out that the guy/driver was trying to get up to the peak. Apparently he wanted to treat his girl to a picnic at the peak. Couple side notes. It's not his Honda Element, it's hers. Also, he proves to be ambitious in his driving of her car.
So anyway, he was trying to get to the peak. And decided to try one of the trails as the FS road wasn't leading to where he wanted to go. Now I will say this. I tip my hat at the guy and even the Honda for how far they got. The trail was not hard at all, but it was peppered with larger rocks and slightly off camber parts. And the fact that he got as far as he was truly impressive, stupid, but impressive. Anyway, they got up on the trail to a point where the trail was more like the FS road, expect that it had a few inches of snow/slush/ice. But it was a fairly straight shot for at least 50 yards so he kept going. He got a point where he couldn't go any farther so he started backing up to a point where he could turn around and head back down. He got within about 15 yards of that place to turn around and head back down when he started to slip to the right. Now, on the right is a pretty steep drop. Probably a 70 degree angle.
Now I'll give credit one more time that he was able to keep the Honda from going over the edge and he did have the sense of mind to tie a strap from the car to a tree to keep it from sliding further. And I imagine the girl was more than a little pissed. Not only were they stuck, but she's the one in the passenger seat so she had a great view of the drop.
So anyway, with these two in the bed of the truck we got to where he was stuck and I pulled in front of him and pulled him free. He thanked us (although curiously didn't offer an e-mail address for me to send the pics too..) and they headed back down the trail. We hung around a little while longer joking about this poor bastards drive home. Haha. Anyway, that was my Valentines Day store. My truck rocks and AWD does not equal off road!!
P.S. I'll get pics up in the next couple days.
