Paragon Report, and Tire Updates
 

Paragon Report:
I spent all day Sunday on the trails at Paragon. There were 18 vehicles in our group, about twice as many as I would have preferred. Anyways, for once, the Jeeps were outnumbered. Our guide was in a Sammy, there were 5 wranglers, one Cherokee, one S10, one Ranger, one Pathfinder (SASed), one Taco, my 4Runner, and 6 Land Rovers.

We hit a ton of trails, but only a couple were of any challenge. It was one of Paragon's monthly guided trail rides, so I'm not sure if I got in with a group that was too easy for I wanted or what, but it was still a fun day. We stayed mostly on green trails, but did hit a couple of blues. I may bump up to level III trails next time, but it seems like there is a lot of varriance in what trails are which difficulty. I don't want to end up running a lot of blue 3s until I have a better feel for my rig with the new tires and the BL.

The only carnage was a snapped leaf on the S10, though the smaller wranglers (nearly stock), got hung up quite a bit due to poor lines and not enough ground clearance.

I have a list of the trails we ran and a handfull of pics on my website. Here's a couple of samplers (click for bigger images):

http://www.trailaddict.com/4Runner/P...n04/Aug8/7.gif http://www.trailaddict.com/4Runner/P...n04/Aug8/4.gif



Tire Updates:
This was the first time my 33/12.5-15 Firestone Destination MTs hit the trail. They did very well, and were the reason for lots of "oohs and aahs" from others in the group. We didn't hit any really thick gooey mud, but in muddy puddles, dry rocks, loose terrain, and hardpacked dirt, they never missed a beat - not even slipping. I should clerify that - they never spun looking for traction. They did slide down off a couple of rocks/tree stumps, but I was never at a loss for traction when I needed it.

I gave them a quick look over while I was airing up - no signs of damage. All lugs appear to be in good shape, and there are no obvious tears or chunks missing

The tires to still rub - not a lot, but it's definitely noticable. In the front, they rub on the frame rails when fully cranked and stuffed. In the back, they rub on the fender when stuffed. It's noticable, but not bad. I only rubbed in the back twice, and in the front a handfull of times. I can certainly live with it. The BL seems to have eliminated all rubbing while on the road.

Damn, I would have loved to have gone. The weather couldn't have been better this weekend. Sounds like you are happy with the meats. They look like they mean business.

been thinking of going there for a while but just never had time this summer. Was the trip definatly worth the drive? What was the most chalanging part of the park, heard there is a lot of deep water holes there.

you should definitely upgrade .. I was hitting blue III's, and some black Is .. black Is is when you really take a beating, and you have to have a good spotter

For me it's worth the drive. It's about 2 hours from me, and there is no local wheeling, so it's Paragon or nothing for me. There is a ton of variety... though most of the really nasty stuff is rocks. I'd never dream of going on some of these trails, but if your rig is built, they'll have something for you.