Presenting the official jeepfan.com post-Rock Krawl 2001 trail report. Of the years I have been off-roading I have never been exposed to wheeling-in-the-rain like this. Let me say it can be very miserable, fun, and challenging at the same time.
Sunday – Decent weather and MUD.
Well after a 2.5 hour drive towing in the rain we arrived in NY. We checked into our bad hotel and was in bed at 11:30. Trying to dry out and calm down from the day was top on the list. Off to sleep I went, the next thing I knew it was 6:30 am and up I went. I walked outside and started to get ready for the day. The weather was gloomy but it wasn’t raining…yet.
We arrived at Mr. Willy’s and lined up (a), the weather was improving and was looking promising. After trail preparations and a drivers meeting we were off to the trail. We arrived at the trail head and after a final vehicle check we were off. (b)
Not 10 minutes into the trail it was time for the first pull, the TJ in front of me got hung up on some logs (c). I yanked him back and 20 feet further the TJ was stuck on a couple of large rocks. After working the rocks for a while the TJ slid sideways and nailed a dead tree (d). The tree fell and provided clearance to the rest of us. Not 50 feet further we came across a steep incline. Ramon, our trail leader was the first to get stuck and the first to winch. Immediately the tone for the day was set. Few vehicles made the hill on their own, most needed the strap. (e – i) After getting everyone up the hill we proceeded onward finding some real twisty trail (j). Soon after we arrived at a very steep decline, most of us just held on and slid on down the hill. We then crossed a small stream and climbed a muddy hill (k) this was fun. The next part of the trail gave us all time to breathe and get comfortable. It was a slow walk through the trees on a tight narrow path. (l – n)
Thanks to Dave and Glenn for the great pictures.
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We stopped for lunch and got rained on briefly and soon we were on our way. Almost immediately we came upon the hardcore group. They indicated that this was the farthest they got all day. There was a massive rock field and there were vehicles all over the place. Ramon decided it would be best if we turned around.
With the field inverted we proceeded on and quickly came to another steep hill that turned at the top. The hill also contained a series of exposed roots that made us all anxious for our turns to attempt to conquer this obstacle. Again only a few made it, a Jeep was positioned at the top of the hill to winch up the unlucky ones. (o – r)
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After a slow ride through the mush we came to some rock fields, this provided a nice break from the mud and hills we experienced all day (s & t). Also, there was a “sippy hole” (u & v) this was a deep muddy water crossing. Soon after we arrived at the final obstacle of the day, a rock stair way, this provided entertainment to all of us (w & x). There was a lot of skid plate banging, and throttle use here. The ride out of the trail was through some of the thickest mud slop I have seen. (y & z)
By this point we were all growing weary and the group headed out to conclude another Rock Krawl. Everyone regrouped and said our good bye’s (aa). I want to thank everyone on our group especially Ramon, Corinna, and Vinny for a good time. See Ya next time.
OK Auto Rock Krawl 2001 Page 1
