Tillamook State Forest

Archer's Firebreak

Feb 17, 1997

Attendees
Name	Rig	Roll
Dan Patrick	88 Chevy Blazer S10	Driver, Report Writer
Rod Witthar		Passenger
Joe Lucas	?? Nissan PU	Driver
Matt O'Brien	79 Jeep CJ-5	Driver
Paige		Passenger
Roger Christal	95 Jeep Wrangler	Driver
Corry		Passenger
Brent Buntyn	?? Suzuki Samurai	Driver
Laura Hudson	?? Jeep CJ-7	Driver
Micheal Millen	78 Jeep CJ-7	Driver

We discussed the day ahead over breakfast and left for Glenwood Store at 9:00 for everyone who needed them to get tags. At 9:15 we were on the road to Ben Smith road just west of Lees Camp Store and trailed up the hill approxamately 2 miles where we aired down at the Archers Firebreak boulderfield. Roger and Mike decided to tackle the Boulderfield while the rest of us drove around to watch.

First was Roger, He did great right until the top boulders where he hunh up his pumpkin on a rather large boulder, after trying various different ways of getting the wrangler taller than the boulder he simply winched his way to the top leaving a nice groove in the rock.

After this it was Mikes turn and this is where the difference between a 4 banger and a v-8 really showedup. Roger had enough power to keep enough momentum to stay ontop of the rocks, the problem...it doesn't matter how good your articulation is or how much power you've got you just can't climb trees. after 2 or 3 tries Mike too gave up and had Roger tow him through the rock (you know, if they had winched their way through the rock a few more times the groove may have been deep enough for most of us to make it through).

We got things put away, got back to the vehichles went to the bottom of the hill and waited for Roger to lead us to the next area. While waitingfor Roger Laura just couldn't resist giving my rig its first mud bath of the day (I'll get you back Sometime Laura).

Onward to Archers Firebreak and the Killer stumps. This hill was run on the 5th of July in 1995 by the Bushhackers. First one through the stumps was Roger, Followed by Matt and Paige. Laura wanted to take off one of her running boards before trying this so I went next, Guess what- Too high of gears mixed with too wide of body don't mix well with stumps when you're just learning how to listen to the trail guide anyway I munched the drivers door of my wifes rig and was getting scared to go home. Well the three of us drove down the hill to make room for the next trucks in line and I was followed by Joe Lucas, guess he's got the same Mixology as me and ended up with a dent in each door 5th through was Mike with no problem and Brent I believe drove right through the stumps-NARROW SAMMYS!and Finally Laura with no problem.

Next came the downhill rock crawl and I believe that except for Roger and Mike we were all surprised at how well our stock rigs could do on this. Laura you need to learn to ease off the brakes a little so that your tires can move and slow you down When you are locked up you slide faster than if you let the brakes work.

Next hill,Mike Brent Joe and Roger made it right up, we all tried it but they were the only ones who made it abnd the rest of us went around. In a slick gooey spot on the way around I rolled a tire off of its beadand this took some time to fix-thanks to Mike and Joe for sticking around and lending moral support and a jack, and thanks to Laura for coming back to see if everything was allright.

Finally it was lunchtime so we ate at a logging show on Archers and Ben Smith. After lunch we headed back to HWY 6 via Ben Smith, drove E. on 6 until Hogsback hung a right on C-line and ran into a log truck where I realized that my C.B. was workingand that I was on some off channel of 28 ( I heard the log truck driver warn some other driver about a group of idiotic 4x4's headed his way) I played with the switches and WHEEE!!!I feel like a member of a club now.

We left C-line to the left for a little dirt road jont through a stand of small firsand then down the hill to C-line againwhich we followed to Firebreak 5.

Left on 5 which was rated as most difficult and for 1 or 2 sections there were comments like"who rated this trail? Someone in a lowrider.?" Then all of a sudden everything came to a stop and we were all guided through but with Roger guiding us the trail still didn't seem that bad. We all made through this area ok and took off again, less than 1/2 mile furtherI navigated wrong and hung up on a rock that stopped me dead until Roger showed me how to get out of it but I think that's where my tranny problems began( I pushed the tranny skidplate into the tranny pushing it up and binding things) Joe was right behind me and hung up on the same rock for a minute and then everyone behind him had to razz us about our misfortunate navigation.

We left firebreak 5 @ Beaver Dam Road and took about a 10 minute break then followed Roger to University Firepower which was washed out but we got to see an old filter and you know I kind of liked it.

We are up to about 3:00 now and taking the "paved " road around to the other side of university where some of us played in the mud for a while but these areas were hard, Mike hanled the top section fine but Roger had proglemswith it and Joe mede it all of 60' on his 3rd try. Now about this time I think I heard Roger say "Never try to follow Mike"and I should have listened better.

We left this area and headed for Browns Camp where I couldn't believe it but Roger was lostand nobody believed that I knew where I was (while I was in High school I was up there every weekend and I spent my honeymoon up there with the motorcycle and my wife) but we finally turned around and everyone followed me to the powerlines where Roger tackled a deeep hole and had to get towed out. Then we drove to the topand faced the hole with the other hill. Mike went first and said "come on everyone this is easy" "Don't Follow Mike" rose in the back of my mind, I tried this spot in the blazer the weekend after I bought it and I couldn't make up the other side in dry weather. Anyway Matt and Paige went next and claimed that it was easy so here goes Brent with no problem so Joe follows with the Nissan and lots of tries later he finally makes it up the other side, this should have given me a clue but Laura finally said "what the hell" and took off 2 tries and she was up the hill.

WOULD SOMEONE POUND IT INTO MY HEAD THAT A BLAZER S10 IS NOT A JEEP!!!PLEASE.

Since I didn't want to be shown up by a 20 yr olfd femaleI decided to head out too. three tries later I bounced up the hill at atleast 35 mph in low range, My front end started clunking and my tranny really started giving me trouble and I knew between the dent and this I was in fot a major butt kicking when I got home.

We left the woods @ 5:00 pulled into BP @ 5:15 & headed home where I got the ASS CHEWING of the year.

Dan ASSKICKED Patrick