Oregon BushHackers 1995 Trip 5 Report. Ben Smith road, Tillamook State Forest, Tillamook County, OR By Guy Hammer. (See OR_5_PIC.TXT for a description of the pictures that accompany this report. Pictures were submitted by Rick Anderson.) Last month when I first ran with the BushHackers, I was told that the first trail ride was free - on the second ride you had to write the trip report. I don't know if this is true or not, but I volunteered to do it anyway. Wow! 12 Trucks! That figures - how am I supposed to keep track of all this action? Well, take lots O' notes, I guess... Here is the roster, in approximate order of arrival: Guy Hammer '79 Bronco Glen Bolen '90 Toyota pickup Ben Hoffman Riding with Glen Mike Hansen '83 CJ7 Bill Lewey '78 CJ5 Scott Chaney Riding with Bill (Rats! I was looking forward to seeing your Bronco.) Rick Anderson '77 Blazer Brian Heifner '95 F-150 Standard cab - short bed Tom Brown '88 Cherokee Holley Riding with Tom Al Temple '69 CJ5 Jennine (sp?) Riding with Al Mike '94 Ram 1500 Standard cab - short bed Roger Christal '78 Ramcharger Cory Christal Riding with Roger George Reiswig '90 Isuzu Amiga (Stopped and waited at wrong spot - Rick was able to raise him on the CB) Angela Reiswig Riding with George Fred Fitzgerald Riding with George (on loan from New Mexico) Mark Davis '86 Isuzu Trooper While we were all milling about the Lee's Camp store parking lot, a Forest Ranger stopped by to see what we had planned. He passed out some OHV trail maps (drat, he ran out before I got one) and pointed out some places we could check out. 'You could _try_ going up this trail' he said, pointing at the map, then after looking at one of the stock rigs he added, 'Then again, maybe not...'. Someone asked him about the requirement for OHV tags (about 3/4 of the trucks had them) He said that technically they were required on posted trails, but they weren't enforcing it (I think he was happy to see as many tags as he did). At 9:15 the order was given, "Lock 'em in and air 'em down!". At 9:30 we headed out. Al seemed to know the area the best, so we elected him leader. Rick brought up the rear. Lee's Camp - N45-35.453' W123-31.977' Ben Smith road is about 100 yards west and across Highway 6 Al points out a cool place to camp. - N45-35.275' W123-31.039' Tree across road, but high enough to drive under. N45-34.757' W123-31.299'. Jeez, I hope Brian doesn't clean the light bar off the top of his F-150 on that! Oh, never mind, he's up ahead a couple of positions, the light bar is fine. Tree thinning operation N45-34.020' W 123-30.598' Al stops at the first play spot - the Boulder Field. N45-34.020' W123-30.598' He just stopped here to show it to everyone. We hiked up a steep rock strewn 100 yard slope that would have been enough of a challenge by itself for most of us, but at the top there was a ledge formed by bathtub sized boulders. Al pointed out the line you needed to take and the notch your front axle would settle in if you slipped off to the side. At this point someone (George, I think) challenged Al to give a demonstration. 35" MT's and lockers on the CJ5 made that look pretty easy. George goes next, misses the line on the first try, kills it, restarts, and clambers to the top. The Amega's rear locker, front LSD, and BFG Moab Edition MT's did the job. No one else wanted to tackle that spot, so we continued to another trail a couple hundred yards away. Al didn't want to take us down this one, as it had three highly technical spots, and there were several newbies in the group. Unfortunately the main road dead ended just past that trail, so we all turned around and went back to look it over. This started out with two stumps (one per side) to climb over, a narrow sluice you had to balance your tires up on the sides of, (ground clearence wouldn't be a problem here!) and a series of ledges that looked a _lot_ like the top of the Boulder Field. At least it was all (steep) downhill. Al went first and made it look easy. Tom went to get the Cherokee. Comments were made that if it could do it, we all could make it. Yeah, right. I wasn't convinced. Tom got over the stumps somehow, I think he was narrow enough that he only had to put his tires up and over the shorter one. He got in a bit of trouble in the sluice, a couple of guys went up and spotted him through there, and then, _The Ledge_. Holly gets out, commenting "I don't need to go over that!" Tom's first try got him hung up on a tree root and he couldn't go forward or back. A bunch of us lifted and pushed, and we got him back up enough to try a different line. It was great to watch the spotters in action. "Easy, now." Tom would move forward 1 inch. "Slow down!" Tom would inch ahead again, "Slow down - slow down! OK your right rear is going to go up, while your left front drops a foot, slow down, easy, easy - point it a little right!", etc. Someone asks, "What's that under the rocker panel? Hey, he has rock sliders under there! Cool!". Tom drops the Cherokee over the edge, tricycles it for a bit, and he's down! Bill brings his CJ5 down next, gets spotted over the stumps, down the sluice and over the ledge. He polishes up his skid plate on the root, but by and large makes it ok. At this point Roger and Mike are trading jibes on which Dodge is going to be first. Mike makes it clear that he's basing his decision on whether or not to try it on how Roger looks driving through. Roger hikes up the hill to get the Ramcharger, Rick (I think) spots him over the stumps and the sluice, Scott (I think) and Al spot him over the ledge, and he's down - no problem! Haw! We're starting to get the hang of this! Mike's next with the Ram 1500 pickup. Wait-a-minute! He's going to bring that boat through here?! Actually, he made it look easy. He showed tremendous articulation in the sluice! Turns out he has an 1 1/2 inch lift, and 33" tires. The truck is so big it didn't show. O.K, apparently the Jeep's short wheelbase was working against them for a change. It put both ends in holes as they traversed the root. Glen's next, Rick spots him down the sluice, walking backwards, while I spot Rick.. (Hey, watch that drop-off behind you!) The Toyota P/U makes it fine. I'm convinced, finally, and as I'm hiking up the hill to get the Bronco, Rick asks me to spot his Blazer through the sluice. Huh?! I've never spotted anyone anywhere before! OK, I'll either be good at it, or no one will ever ask me to do it again! Rick makes it to the Ledge fine, and I turn him over to Scott and Al, and start back up the hill to get the Bronco. Rick goes over the Ledge, Mike's next with the CJ7, Brian takes the F-150 through, and, uh-oh, It's my turn! I ease it over the stumps with one minor adjustment, Bill spots me down the sluice. Now is the moment of reckoning! With Scott and Al's expert guidance I ease it over the Ledge. I can just see Al's hands pointing directions over my hood as he stands down-trail. When I tip over the edge I can hear stuff in the back of the Bronco starting to slide forward. The incline-o-meter is maxed out - it only goes to .3 gee's! I am visualizing tools jumping out of the tooltray in the back one by one and smacking me in the back of the head! The new, clean brakes are very smooth, and I'm able to creep it down. I, too, tricycle a bit, and I'm down! Hey, that was fun! George was last in the Amega. Piece of cake for him. Al had apologized profusely before, during and after for taking us over that trail, but _no one_ was sorry they tried it. We continue. on, slowed only by one more slightly technical spot, (large rock in narrow trail). and then Lunch. N45-33.887' W123-29.609'. Wow, It's 12:15 already! A couple of guys were collecting trash, so I donated a garbage bag and a ride home for the refuse. The Tillamook State Forest is pristine compared to the Larch Mtn. area we wheeled in last month Larch Mtn. needs about 100 volunteers, 12 dump trucks, and a crane to clean it up. After 1/2 hour of stuffing our faces, swapping lies and congratulating one another about how great the weather was for the run, we were back under way. N45-34.092' W123-27.090' Stopped - someone smelled gas fumes. Wanted to check for leaks. N45-33.678' W123-26.257' Steep rocky downgrade. One rig would start down, the next waited at top for the first to clear the bottom. I had to take it on faith that I wasn't driving off of a cliff, as I couldn't see anything but sky over the hood. Leaning out the window didn't even help! Well this is where my 47/1 overall reduction shines. I crawl down with no need for brakes. N45-33.135' W123-26.061' 7-up grade. This is rated 'easy' in the Tillamook SF trail map. It's steep, dirt, and a couple of 'frame twisters' gently remind us with open axles that we ought to look into lockers, or at least sway bar quick-disconnects. We hit our highest altitude of the trip - 3560' at the top. The view is most excellent here. All of the major Cascade range volcano's from Mt Rainier to the North to Mt Jefferson to the South were visible. I suspect that it the air had been a bit clearer, one might have been able to see Mt Baker and the Three Sisters. There was another Forest Ranger here out patrolling on his dirt bike. Al struck up a conversation with him about us doing some volunteer work, or possibly adopting a trail someday. Time to go We take off down the hill and head for Firebreak Five. There was some new road building going on and the dust was thick in places. At one point I almost drove off the side on the left that led down a narrow steep boulder infested sort of a rabbit hole. Al took the old road at one point, and then exclaimed "I hate it when they do that!". N45-33.481' W123-23.075' Turns out the new road crossed the old road, and they piled all the boulders they found on the old road at that point. We all turn around and head back to the new road, and on to Firebreak Five. This is rated 'Most Difficult' in the TSF trail guide, and it's obviously true. Steep, Narrow, extremly rocky, required knowlege of tire placement and I had to keep reminding myself which side the front pumpkin was on. I kissed rock once with the rear pumpkin. We all crawled up to where Firebreak Five crossed the main road. Guess what? We came out of the rabbit hole! Everyone continued up Firebreak Five. It's a steep pitch up off the main road and those with trailer hitches 'test' them. I gather Brian had a little trouble getting the F-150 started up (I was busy turning around, and didn't see it). There was the sound of Ford afterburners kicking in, a bang from his hitch and he was gone. Rick (or was it George?) chuckled, "That's one way to do it!". My turn! I start up the slope, 'test' my hitch and get about two feet before coming to a standstill. I back up several times, 'testing' my hitch each time, trying different lines. Rick tries strategically placing rocks here and there, George is on the horn asking about chicken routes, (We don't need no steenkin'chicken routes was the answer). Great! Well, the finesse approach isn't cutting it here, Let's see what Brute Force & Ignorance (BF&I) has to offer. (second gear, more sounds of Ford afterburners kicking in, etc.) I'm on my way! N45-33.584' W123-23.336' More steep, narrow, rocky, etc. At one point my forward momentum was rudely interrupted by a skyward bounce. The earth returned quickly, but my momentum didn't. I backed off the throttle and deftly killed the engine. A quick restart and a little more BF&I and I'm back underway. Al advises the full sized rigs are going to find a _real_ narrow spot between two small trees. "Just have someone pull the sapling on the left back out of the way as you pass." N45-33.223' W123-23.214' Found the narrow spot. Just reached out the window and pushed the sapling around the mirror as I passed. What I didn't count on was the limbs from the downed tree on the other side folding my mirror back. Oh, well, that's why they do that... N45-32.775' W123-22.649' End of Firebreak Five. I looked under the front of my truck and asked no one in particular why my front axle had no dings anywhere. Rick offered that it must have been my excellent driving skills. Yeah, Rick, right! More likely that this would be an excellent day for me to invest in the lottery! We head off to the University Firepower trail. N45-35.487' W123-22.986' Al points out a new road on the left. N45-35.755' W123-22.673' Start of University Firepower. The TSF trail guide (dated 1994) rated this as 'more (not most) difficult'. Steep, dirt, deep rut on right at beginning filled with rip-rap. There was some moaning and groaning that the trail was ruined. N45-36.194' W123-22.897' Nasty hole. Just enough mud to really grease up the tires, then you drop into a deep hole on the left with a near vertical exit. Mike H. has some trouble with his CJ7. He is the only one here with less aggressive tires than my Toyo AT's and he hasn't aired down. He backs into a cul-de-sac to air down. The Ramcharger and the Ram 1500 blast through OK. Rick hears a motorcycle below and call Brian and I down to move our rigs forward. Hey! It's the Forest Ranger we saw up on the view- point! Meanwhile Mike H. hits on just the right combination of gear, momentum, tire pressure, throttle, BF&I and takes the CJ7 through the hole. The Forest Ranger warns us that the next hole is 'real deep' on the left side. No kidding! Tom high centers the Cherokee in there, bicycling it with the left front and right rear pawing air. Al breaks out a snatch strap, but there are no tow hooks to attach it. What to do? Well, a bunch of us jump down into the hole and pick him up and carry him back about 10 feet! The Forest Ranger and one of the other guys come up with a log and roll it into the deepest part of the hole. This is tax dollars at work in my dreams! A gentle push and the Cherokee is out. The log was ordered out of the pit immediately. "Wait-a-minute, leave it in!" "No, no, nobody uses the chicken log until after they get stuck!" Thanks a bunch, guys! At this point I was asking the Ranger about those neat TSF trail maps. Turns out he had a couple of extra stashed under the seat of his dirt bike. Cool! The Dodge's are wide enough that they elect to try straddling the hole. With some help spotting that works OK. Rick and I could probably have done that, but we decide to tough it it out. I blast into the hole with the left rear tire hitting the side of the pit with a bang. I exit the pit at speed and a bit loose and have spectators scrambling for cover on both sides. Rick's run through the pit resembles mine, except his wheels aren't quite as wide, and he scrapes his paint a bit. After we all got through, I borrowed a tape measure from George and checked the depth of the hole - 35"! N45-36.459' W123-22.589 _Steep_ downgrade. Somehow I wound up in front of Roger. I was idleing down in Granny low and he called me up on the CB and asked me what was wrong! Ok, Ok, I'll bring the RPM's up! N45-36.527' W123-22.426' End of University Firepower Trail. There is a mud bog off to the the left that the CJ's all decide to try. The bog isn't the problem - it's the rutted hill and J-turn on the other side. Al makes it OK. Bill gets hung up on the hill. Mike H. wisely backs off. Roger decides to try it in the Ramcharger - 440" power rules! George goes next. 153" Isuzu power rules too! He didn't even engage the locker! Brian's next with the F-150. He charges though the bog, but with a loud bang and several clunks, halts on the hill! What the, I can't believe he tore up the drivetrain!? he backs it out and we discover that he managed to rip the spare tire out from under the truck! Mark wants to try it now with the Trooper! He charges in with 4 passengers (to enhance clearence?!) and there is a collective shout of "Oh-no Mister Bill" when he hits the hill. The second try had much the same result. It's 5:15 PM, the Forest Ranger disappeared at 5:00 sharp. Everyone is tired, dusty, sore, and have had their offroading itch well scratched. We head home with new friends, and a new appreciation of what our rigs are capable of with a little help from our friends. http://www.teleport.com/~guyh