Lets just say.. this trip wasnt exactly what we expected. Ive never wanted to get out of the wheeling area and go home so bad in my life..haha I was covered in mud and so was/is the inside of my truck..


^ Garrett needed a change of pants after he thought I was gonna keep sliding


^ Everything was so wet and sticky that every single rut was difficult..more on this later



^ The rut trying to swallow Garretts '98 4runner. Advantage- Garrett


^ This should have been a sign that NOTHING was going to go easy that day


^ Misc Picture of me on an approach


^ I like this action shot



^ A few less-than-bright high school kids we ran into..That bronco was last seen abandoned in that exact spot after an hour of yanking..



^ Too slick coming up that hill for my tires- post yank



^ The road - where we should have stayed.. haha

The end of this trip saw us scrambling to find a way to GET OUT. There was only one way in and out of where we were and it had become impassable as the rain continued to fall throughout the day. Garrett spotted me while I tried to negotiate the ruts, hills, and trees on this trail, but, after a near miss which almost had me on my side, I became high centered at the end of the trouble area. Fighting the dark and cold rain, we made a noble attempt at getting Garretts truck through with the help of some fallen wood.. and failed. Facing spending the night there, our last option was to reverse back down the muddy trail and find another route around through the trees somewhere. Just as the sun set, we got my truck yanked out and headed to the nearest gas station to clean up..What a day

 

sounds like fun to me!!

 

Yeah its funny now for me to look at the pictures and laugh, but at the time.. believe me we werent enjoying ourselves..

Carnage report: Garretts bud shield, my front valence, and my interior carpet haha

 

neat.

it's a muddy trip like that that moved me to get all-weather floormats.

 

yes, my first trail carnage, a bug shield. its gone now, and the hood closes easier...go figure...

i really h8 mud now. really.

post trip thoughts: more recovery gear, more huskys, more towels/trash bags, and more lighting.

 

That bug shield never looked very cool anyway.

When did you guys go again?

 

You left out a change of clothes. I had a similar experience this past weekend in red mud... I also found out in the great commonwealth of Virginia we can get a ticket for "depositing mud on the roadway"

 

Haha, this explains the random IM when I got home yesterday complaining about mud, hahaha.
We had one of those sort of experiences in NH, we followed a trail that was all down hill, once at the bottom we discovered that there was no way out, it was so muddy, even the hillsides had mud on them, and we had to tow, come-along, and push each other up all the hills and holes. 30 minutes in, 5 hours out. You have no idea how tedious it is towing 3 trucks up hills 4 ft at a time with a hand come along. It is the same as you stated, you look back and laugh and now that it is done you would never change it, but you were hating life when it happened.



The inside of my truck looked just as bad as the outside, so did I, hahaha.

 

Chris, we went saturday afternoon.

My damage:

 

 

What psi did you guys air down to? I've found that 15 psi is a TON better than 18psi for my tires...all the difference in the world ...

 

oh snap! might as well sell it for parts now.

 

haha yeah i know its not much, but its all i have.. i wasnt ready to have my cherry popped yet.. i feel violated

 

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm muddy

 

Even the most stock 4runner will handle some of the toughest trails. But Lemme tell ya a good set of MT's on that Runner would have made a hell of a difference. By you pics it looks like you are running AT's or LT's. Those treads clog up quickly and turn your tires into slicks. Trust me, invest in some Mud Terrain tires and you will go alot farther.
As for the mud getting in your rig, you may want to consider getting a first gen runner. They are already old and a little worn in the inside and out in most cases. Thats why I bought my 87'. If I got a ding or a scratch on the trail, or a little mud on the carpet, I ain't gonna be too heartbroken. Those second and third gen runners are just as tough, but at times can be a little too pretty to beat up.

 

yeah i hear ya.. those tires are what came with the vehicle when i picked it up in september.. theyre just yokohama h/ts in the 265 size. When they go out I will get something more aggressive. Im not really putting any big money into my rig for awhile- college has all my money spoken for.. we're just going out and trying to have a good time

edit: next time tho, I will be more prepared for wet conditions.. I wasnt really thinking too much in advance this go-round.. Im gonna pick up some rubber mats from walmart and bring alot more towels next time.. small things that make a big difference..

 

What did you expect after we go 5 to 9 inches of rain in the area in 3 days??? Where were you guys at?