COMPLETED: GWNF 4/10/10

[bobbyblaze]

Hey guys, I will be down there this weekend. You want me to post trail reports ? Maybe throw up a few pix ?

[Trail X]

Sure Bob. Sounds good. Make your own thread for it!

[bobbyblaze]

Sure Bob. Sounds good. Make your own thread for it!

Will do. I didn't want to clog up ORTB with pix of non ORTB trucks. I'll keep it short and sweet. There are 13 confirmed trucks at the moment. Too many IMO but the weather is supposed to be great this weekend so maybe things will flow nicely.

[Trail X]

Which trails are you hitting? 2nd mountain, Flagpole, or something different?

[bobbyblaze]

Which trails are you hitting? 2nd mountain, Flagpole, or something different?

Not sure. A few of the guys going are familiar with the area. Probably won't know till the meet time sat morn.

[bobbyblaze]

Oh, Mamma' did we have a good time. Didn't get a chance to camp. The end of the day got hairy on Dictum Ridge.

First I wanna' start this off with a trail closure. Dry River run was closed. It has a locked gate right at the blacktop. Don't know if it's going to open back up but it was closed this past weekend.

We started off Union Spring and basically did the same run as we did at Tecore 2 all the way up to the knob then went back down the same road. Hit Long run Rd (FS72). then Dictum Ridge. Don't know any of the other trail names we were on. I was familiar with almost all the trails we hit this past saturday from TECORE 2 . . . until we made a right turn at the ATV loading area to head up Dictum Ridge. That was a blast. Totally different than anything I have seen at GWNF so far. Definetly need to be lifted, full skid plated and sliders to go down that trail.

To recap the past few days for me,

Fri night- I got 4 hours sleep. Sat up 4:30am. Drove down to GWNF. Wheeled till 11pm, aired up at Sheetz, ate dinner at McDs then headed home at around midnight. (We were supposed to camp sat night but not after the multiple extractions and late end of the day). After about the first 60 miles up Rt 81, I decided it would be more safe to stop at a hotel (1am when we got there). Got up 6 hours later and drove another 200 miles home. Got 6 1/2 hours sleep last night then worked 11 hours today. I'll post pix tomorrow. I am gonna' be asleep within the next . . .ZZzzZzzzZZz . .

[bobbyblaze]

Teaser pics . . .

The dirt pic is on the way up the dirt hill where we aired down at TECORE 2. I rolled all the way up the hill in 4 low with my open diff.

[Gordinho80]

Get them pics up!

BTW.. I combined your posts and updated the title to indicate the completed trip.

[Trail X]

Wow, you guys really traveled a good distance.

I'd like to see some pictures from Dictum, I have yet to venture down that trail.

BTW, that hillside at the air-down spot is supposed to be closed off and really shouldn't be driven on.

[bobbyblaze]

Get them pics up!

BTW.. I combined your posts and updated the title to indicate the completed trip.

Thanks. Now when are we getting back to Wharton. . .or more importantly, how bout RCP ?

Wow, you guys really traveled a good distance.

I'd like to see some pictures from Dictum, I have yet to venture down that trail.

BTW, that hillside at the air-down spot is supposed to be closed off and really shouldn't be driven on.

I hope I didn't give the wrong impression. We didn't roll down all the trails that we covered in Tecore 2. Just the ones I listed plus a little more I don't know the names of.
Thanks for the heads up about that hill. I didn't see any signs anywhere. Good to know for future trips. I will pass it along.

It was around 6pm or so when we turned on the Dictum trail where the ATV ramp area is. We started the day with 10 trucks. Two guys left to go home at the end of Long run Rd (FS72). So 8 trucks rolled down Dictum. We didn't stop moving till we got near the drop off after squeezing between a fallen tree that someone was kind enough to chainsaw. Very narrow and on the edge of the ridge. I was the last truck in the group and by the time I figured out what was going on, a few guys up front had walked down the hill and out of site to check the trail ahead. As it turned out, we were not far from the end of the trail where the rocky part in that Yellow FJ video is and near Rt 33. Since only a few trucks were, locked and armored enough to make it the rest of the way, they decided to turn around. To do that we had to go down the hill to make the turn and climb back up the hill. At the top of that hill was a very high pointy rock that nailed everybodys crossmember going down and back up. 3 trucks hat to be pulled over that rock. The locked guys didn't have too much of a problem. Don't think anyone is going up or down over the top of that hill at stock height and I would highly reccomend under armor. It had been dark for a while by the time everybody was up and ready to head back down the trail for a night run on Dictum Ridge.

As a side note, since I was last in line and had to wait for everyone else to get down and turn around, I walked the trail back up and around a bit to find a place to make a U-turn so Me and another guy didn't bang up our suspension and frames. Backed out instead.

I will be heading back to Dictum Ridge with skid plates and my sliders!!!!

And now the dictum Ridge pix . .heres a shot up to the top. Top of the hill. The rocks are comoflaged.Better view of that rock at the top. That truck has a 6 inch lift and 295/75-16's. Tapped the crossmember on it. Here's the same truck coming back up. Note the rock against the lower control arm crossmember. Bridging ladders may have made the difference but theres such a steep angle coming up the on the low side of the rocks, Ladders may have kicked out.

[bobbyblaze]

Heres two more Of Dictum Ridge. First is a view the bottom of the hill before the real rocky section. The second is that rock again. The truck at the edge has 35 inch tires and a 6 inch lift. This may put the size of the drop into perspective. I wasn't interested in trying to go down or up that with my 3 inch lift without under armor. I threw in a couple more pix. You Tecore 1 &2 guys may recognize a few spots in there.

We brought out our dog Dieter for the trip.Stayed in a motel in Front Royal Va. The first one we found that allow dogs.

All in all, we had a great time. Some good lessons learned that day.

[MrSmithsTB]

Looks like a great time, Bob. Those tires must really perform great. SO, when do you want to run Wharton again?

[bobbyblaze]

Looks like a great time, Bob. Those tires must really perform great. SO, when do you want to run Wharton again?

Whu ? You riding shotgun ? Last I heard, you dropped your truck. I actually got the lifted news today. What happened ?
Wharton ? Sure. As long as it hasn't rained the day before. I NEED a snorkel ASAP. My intake is in a bad spot behind the plastic fender liner . You cool with a mixed vehicle run ? My buddy has been dying to get his truck out there.

Here's a pic of the guy with the 35's going over the rocks at Dictum. The hill was muddy at the top, Was getting dark fast by then and there were still a few guys down there too. We got back to sheetz around 11 pm.

When can I get a silver ORTB sticker to slap on wy window ? Gotta' represent on the other site !

[MrSmithsTB]

Lowered, lifted, lowered, lifted Long story short, I am keeping my truck when I thought I was trading in. I gotta lift it back up. Being lowered sucks, even if it "looks" cool. I'm hoping to set up a Wharton trip by mid-May. My parts started rollin in yesterday, just have to pick up some tires. I'd be cool with "mixed" company, I'm sure nobody else would mind. Stickers?!? Shit, Mario is still holding mine for ransom.

[bobbyblaze]

Lowered, lifted, lowered, lifted Long story short, I am keeping my truck when I thought I was trading in. I gotta lift it back up. Being lowered sucks, even if it "looks" cool. I'm hoping to set up a Wharton trip by mid-May. My parts started rollin in yesterday, just have to pick up some tires. I'd be cool with "mixed" company, I'm sure nobody else would mind. Stickers?!? Shit, Mario is still holding mine for ransom.

Mid may is cool with me. Let's get a date set soon so everyone can sort their schedules out.. One that Mario can get out for too .

You glad you're keepin the green machine ? I miss my TB sometimes. Particularly the G-80. I miss it every time my rear wheels are spinning with my open diff. I have become a big fan of 4-LOW now. Got more ground clearance now though. Guess you can't have it all. . . unless you're driving the Roadiemobile .

[MrSmithsTB]

Yeah, Happy to be keeping it. Nine months and it's all mine. I'd rather keep it for a while than pay another 60mos for something. As soon as everything is installed, I'll start up a planning thread.

[Trail X]

Nice pictures! Well documented trip dude!

That does look like a somewhat tricky rock. No problem to go down it, but back up may present a problem for a TB...

It may be worth taking a look at least in May. My ladders may help too, as you said. If all else fails, I'll have my winch.

Thanks for the pics... I hadn't seen the pictures of that particular hill, looks a bit gnarly.

[bartonmd]

The picture with the red arrow... Looks like there's all kinds of room to the (stage) right, to only run one side off the ledge?

Mike

[Trail X]

I saw that too, but from other pictures it looked like you'd be really off camber if you took that route.

[bartonmd]

I saw that too, but from other pictures it looked like you'd be really off camber if you took that route.

I think it would be very managable, but then, it's hard to tell from 2d pictures...

Mike