i had to. really i just had to.

 

Will, why do you think I asked you a few times if you really wanted to do that last trail with Rob & Jim

I thought for sure there would be damage, but with careful spotting, you taking it easy, and the outragious capability of the new FJ Cruiser, you pulled it off and proved me wrong.

I really thought your rig was going to bite it a few times on that trail.

Toyota needs to rename the rig to FJ Trail Cruiser, better fitting than just FJ Cruiser.

 

They were going to, but since it is still IFS they decided to leave that "trail" part out.

 

Well I'll attribute my success and luck to three things, my amazing skill, careful spotting, and the extra hair of clearance the 33s gave me. I may still attempt the Naches this year, but first I think I need a lift and some rock sliders as extra insurance, those running boards only go so far.

 

Will, all you need is sliderz.
I ran it with street pressure (did not know any better) with 31" tires, running boards, and no lockers.

I made it through without a scratch.
But then I had 20 lb of Griot's Best Of Show wax on the rig too
Kept them pin stripping branches at bay.

You should go on the Naches run next month with the WATTORA gang.

 

Based upon what we saw on Sunday, that combination would come out ready for the wrecking yard this year. It was as eroded as I have seen it and if you are on 31's, you had better have sliders, at least one locker and be prepared to take some love taps.

 

The real question is how would 33s, a locker, sliders and maybe a 2-3in lift do? Sounds like even that could be in for some potential banging.

 

We had the same combination, except in a Tacoma, with us Sunday and with some careful driving, all he got was a scratch on his front bumper.

With that trail, the potential is always there. There's plenty of places where you you can take the wrong line and end up on your side.

 

Here's another group who were out there last weekend as well. I don't know any of them, so I can't speak to their skills, level of preparedness, sobriety, etc, but it sounds like they had a rough time of it.

http://cegranch.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=606

 

They appear to be of the redneck variety based on the fact that they were cruising through brush in the Suzuki. It might be better for me to ride along with someone for my first time down the trail, but I'll do it in my FJ eventually.

 

Wow, when I went through back around '99 or 2000, it was pretty easy.
Looks like erosion can really change a path.

 

Do you recall where you entered and exited the trail? All the pictures I have ever seen from when you did it were from one section and I can see where you might get that impression from that stretch. The last mile of either end is the worst part and alot of people bypass one or the other end, particularly the Western most section.

 

I did not go up that huge hill where part of it starts, but the others did.
It does not look steep here, but it is.



I did not do that part, and when they were done, they met up with me.
We found another entrance with a slight hill to go up, then it leveled off.
Here are the pics from it.
http://pnw4runners.com/tando/fall13.jpg
http://pnw4runners.com/tando/fall14.jpg
These last two are the end of it.
http://pnw4runners.com/tando/fall15.jpg
http://pnw4runners.com/tando/fall16.jpg

 

Okay, so from those shots... the one embedded in your post looks like the real entrance to the west end of the trail. The other four are from within a mile of Government Meadows, so there's a lot of trail you might not have seen. The actual mileage of the trail is something like 12+ miles.

 

Yeah, it was up by the Gov where we took a left on a FS road, then the entrance to the little steep hill we first went up was on the right side of that road.

It took us about 90 minutes or more to get through I think, maybe more.
This was October 7th, 2000.
Never did see that cabin I have seen pics of.

We did go up a log bridge, the same one the guy who works at Central 4WD with the Jeep fell off of.

 

90 minutes? You didn't even dent that trail

The cabin at Government Meadows looked like this on Sunday;



Scott, the guy from ARB that you met on Saturday, is the guy who used to work at Central, who drove off one of the bridges in the video. He is the furthest right in the photo.

 

You are kidding, Scott use to have long, long hair, if that was him at the FJ run, I sure did not reconize him.
I bought my ARB & winch from him Feb. of 2002.

We could have been on that trail longer, it is hard to remember how long.

The girl next to you, is that the one I read in the FJ thread on your forum that has a 1st gen 4Runner?

 

Same guy I have known Scott for years

Yep, that is Brandy.

 

I wish I had taken more pictures at the event, but my battery was crappin' out.
Full charge, old battery ran out quick.

Would have liked to have got pics of the nice light blue Tacoma with the sliderz up the side of the body, and some of Brandy's rig.
I remember seeing her drive off to go on a trail.

There was so much action going on that day there...

 

Too much action? Bah!