Where Have You Off-Roaded Today? 3rd Gen

End of the road today, could not make it to my lake of choice.

I walked this with my waders on and measuring stick, or tried to…

Suction mud at the bottom, and the ruts over 4 foot deep. If you went on an ATV you’d be up to your chest.

The trail after this would have been much worse as I have been here several times in recent years.

Not a good spot to get mired in the muck, and zero chance of a rescue. No other tracks on the route. Six weeks ago this area was still under 5 foot of snow, and it melted fast with the recent heatwave.

Have to wait another 4 weeks before trying here. I fished a little bit at a nearby smaller lake, no catch though.

Still a nice day to get out. New air bags are phenomenal. With 1,000 pounds in the truck, it drives better than it did when empty before adding the air bags. Handles as though there is no weight in the back. I had them at 32psi today, and with the 1,000 pounds it still rode 1 inch above stock height and far more stable.

A great purchase.

 

that's is beautiful scenery

 

Good call. The hard part is not knowing how deep the tracks are, if any. Getting high centered with no help would be tough(barring a winch).

 

Back from mid week camping at Chehalis River campground. I left the trailer there and drove up to the off grid BC Forestry camp at Chehalis Lake. For the most part the local 4x4 clubs maintain the campground including trenching deep ruts across the acess road to keep out non 4x4 vehicles

 

I don’t think a winch would help in that spot as all the trees are on the sidebank, and you would be under 4 foot of water. It was close to 5 foot at deepest point, and I could barely pull my feet out of the mud. I always walk these types of spots first, so the chest waders come in handy. Once you are up to your waist and can’t move your feet, time to pick a different spot.

I would have been good pickings for a hungry bear if one wandered by. There are some grizzlies up there (not many), but no shortage of black bears and cougars. A big bowl of human sushi stew.

No point taking chances. Too old for that now. Soon it will be possible to get through. That area is bad even when dry, and I know many fishermen with 4x4s who won’t go even when it is dry. It is not too bad if you are used to that type of driving.

 

BC has great variety. I would love to drive some of that dry desert country in the southern states.

Don’t tell my wife though as far as BC is concerned, she won’t go anymore because of all the mosquitoes, black flies, and horseflies and a bear circling our tent one night. A comfy bed and busy civilized camp spots only for her. I just can’t go to spots that are easily accessed. Too many people. Hey, we all need time apart from our other halves, right?

 

Wow, that looks like great hiking country.

 

Hear hear on keeping your head on a swivel. Back in the younger day, I used to live in a place called Tujunga. It was one of the entrances into the Angeles National Forest. Many many many days I spent hiking alone up in them Mountains and constantly stopping throughout the trail(s) keeping it on a swivel on all fronts.

And damn that was a deep crossing!!!!

 

You sunk that 16D nail with one blow like Big John Henry!!!

It must be as before being turned around by the locked gate just past the country store, we came across groups of hikers taking refuge under trees at the South Fork Kern River. There was also an airstream with a sign that read Two Foot Adventures parked at the country store parking lot. All hikers looked tapped out!!!!!!!

 

I am told there is (I am sure it does exist, I just have not seen it) a video of a man keeping the camera trained on the mountain lion that found him. He backed up a full mile to return to his car and NEVER turned away from the creature. The reason for the video in such a dangerous situation ... if he had to keep looking that direction, ...

He was rather disturbed at the events of that day ...

 

What kind of topper is that? I love the side windows!

 

No matter the time of year, the sunset rays offer the most beautiful light and ambience on planet Earth IMHO. I’ll tell ya, the Joshua Trees did a number on U2, because the way that album makes you feel is spot on what the desert feels like.

 

LOL, too funny - “You sunk that 16D nail with one blow like Big John Henry!!!”

I worked many years as a carpenter. One outfit was all Italians and Portugese guys, and they were really great guys. If you could not drive a 3.5 inch spike flat in with a single blow of your framing hammer, you were basically a wuss.

My partner on that job, in his past life had been a mercenary soldier in Angola. He had a few bullet hole scars right in his stomach. Also a nasty, deep 8” chainsaw scar that ran from his shoulder to his neck. Chainsaw bucked and he almost decapitated himself. He was a fantastic carpentry partner, and married with kids when I worked alongside him.

 

I hike a fair amount, amd always on guard as I hike alone and not on groomed trails, just bushwhacking. Drawn to remote nature.

Here is a crazy video. A guy being followed just 40 foot away, by a mother grizzly and 2 cubs. Big stress, and the guy handled it so well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oASEB1Z6VFk

Some years ago, my father on a moose hunting trip was almost killed by a grizzly sow with cubs. He comes into a small clearing in thick brush, and 2 cubs are 20 foot away. Mother comes charging out of the bush 40 foot away and he raises his rifle and gets off a very lucky shot. He would have been done otherwise. I was not on that trip.

My dad here, a photo I took. A nice bull, we bagged about 20 like that over the decades. For food, no interest in a trophy. That is the typical terrain we hunted. Hiking 15 miles per day up and down mountains was common. Small backpack with food and emergency gear, lots of coffee and Finnish rye bread with salted salmon, that was it. No camouflage, no ATV, just bolt action rifles and a lot of hiking. He was a real life Davey Crockett, incredible tracking and outdoor skills. I doubt few could match him. Plus a jack of all trades, miner, logger, carpenter, commercial fisherman, and together we built some homes and a 40 ft commercial salmon troller.

One of my favorite photos of him.

 

Bestop, I don't think they make it anymore

 

Damn the luck.

 

We left grandmas and from Idaho we headed to the redwoods. Found a road that had some hiking trails. At the end of the dirt road we came across a sandy area by the beach we were able to drive on.

Ps. Getting stuck in the sand is one of my wife’s worst fears when going off the beaten path

 

Today near Gringo Gulch, AZ

 

Out in the Sequoia National Forest earlier today.

 

Gold Mountain, John Bull, Holcomb Creek trails this weekend. The truck made the Gold mountain and John Bull gatekeepers and obstacles really well. Made some Jeeps look bad. Quick winch through the middle rock garden at Holcomb creek and we were on our way. TJ behind the JK behind me said nope and turned around