We got some more trees cut down today - starting to make way for a more challenging escape route than the current hill climb. - Not that the current one is wimpy, but if we get some tougher climbs we can smooth the current one out a little so that a stocker can get up and we can get a tractor up and down in the future.

A couple more days of work up there and we could have a second path beside the existing one.

Yotakid did quite well and was the only one to make it up the hill today. My front locker was out - electrical problem. He proved that in this particular hill climb, the front locker was king. Even with my larger tires and more articulation, his front locker pulled him up whereas I required the assistance of my winch.

The mud hole on the south loop was NASTY. I tried starting tight to the tree on the left, but still fell into the hole and with only a rear locker I was unable to get out. I maxed the inclinometer at 45 degrees when the right side fell it. I thought I was going to be laying on the passenger side door! The winch was successful in pulling me free. I was glad to have the raised differential breathers as they were under water/mud. I can't wait to see this in the summer when it's dried out. I bet that hole is close to 3' deep by now.

Dave tried it with his Cherokee and despite some valiant efforts, didn't make it out. We'll forgive his mortal sin of owning a Jeep - I'm sure God's forgiven him already :: . I tried winching him forward to no avail. Finally Yotakid was able to pull him out backwards. Those new tires we working well for him!

We used the chainsaw to cut a bypass around the hole as anyone without full lockers and a winch won't get through. I would've like to see the front locker only on yotakid's rig give it a try. It would have been interesting to see how the front locker vs rear locker worked to pull up and out of that hole. We were out of time and had to get going however.

There was a LOT more water than the last time we were out. The creek in the back was over the high water marks from last year and every depression on the trail was a puddle/hole. The tire spinning and digging we did is helping to get this trail more and more challenging.

We didn't get a chance to try the North side loop but I hope to try it again before I do the Dana 60 swap. I'm really curious as to how the wider stance, larger and more aggressive tires work. I don't see anything less than 35s with dual lockers getting through either of the current mudholes. The middle loop is still fun, but I'll keep the trip from the hill to the camping area accessible by anyone 4wd but from there on I'm game for everything. We're building bypasses for the mudholes. For the south loop hole, there is a good winching anchor going both directions, but the only good tug line is going west. With the north side mudhole, there is a decent tug line in both directions, but winching is only reasonable going west. East is a long pull and sideways, but it does (or used to) have a bypass.

I bought my kid(s) a little 50cc trail bike this weekend so we'll have to build some bike trails or a motocross track as well. The bikes will get swallowed up on the 4x4 trail and I want to keep the bike trails too narrow for the trucks. Can you believe I got my 2 year old a trail bike? - with training wheels? It's cause he can't read the pedal on the truck! Just ask him - he'll tell ya...

I've got a pile of rocks that need to get down the hill and on the course. I think we'd need a small tractor to lift them into a truck bed. There's also a big pile of boulders in the lot behind the church that need to be moved over there. These are large enough to require a dump truck to move. If anyone has some equipment to help move these or some good insight, lemme know. There are a few good spots on the north loop near the mud hole to put the rocks. I can picture a rock garden where we scatter the rocks along the trail where there's a bypass for those not wanting to go there. I don't want to do a pile like Tahuya has, but more along the line of a pile of rocks all over a section of the trail. It'll be for more technical than tough truck style. Those with big tires, lotsa lift and lockers will probably just be able to drive through, but every one else will require good lines, good spotting and frequently, a little highlift action. I'd like to make a challenging section for the big guys if I have enough rocks to work with.