As we backtracked through the same trails we came in on, things were a bit different then on the way in. For one, it had been raining for the
past few hours and our first obstacles coming in were of the mud variety. Backtracking though the same mudholes didn't seem like the same holes anymore. And as in many
cases, navigating a trail in the opposite direction is like a whole new trail. Glenn's Trail was again, a fun, throttle down obstacle only a little slicker now.
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Jen taking the Wheel |
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Coming back down Garbage Trail, named after the scattered dumpings of locals now hidden by thick underbrush, we came back to
the clearing that was probably at one time a quarry for mining the rounded stones we find everywhere. Here we regrouped, talked a bit and assessed out scuffs and bruises.
It also became a bit of a playground for one TJ driven by Carl who took a shot at throttling up a cascade of extremely loose river stone and sand. The picture to the right was
taken from high up that hillside of river stones and it was hard to even walk up let along put a TJ up there.
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Back to Bath Tub. This is
one wild mud hole. Now we're hitting Bath Tub from the other end. Impossible side of Bath Tub is now a wicked drop into two two levels of mud holes. Once a vehicle slides down to
that first upper level, it'll be standing on it's nose. Then dropping into the second level you get the feeling of free-fall as you smack down into the mud. Watching Jeeps drop off the edge
into the hole was great. Driving in a 4x4 and taking the unexpected dive was like a cup of coffee, make that expresso, first thing in the morning. It'll wake you up. Mike took the
dive into the deep end first. Getting the right line to enter this side of Bath Tub was tough with the slick conditions. The Jeep kept sliding towards the two small trees perched atop
Bath Tub. With a good approach and some mud flinging he managed to put it where he wanted it and ripped through the tub.
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Carl was next to take on Bath Tub. With the flex of his TJ he had no problem putting it in the hole. And then the Super Swamper SSR's
helped him climb out. One thing about Bath tub's mud. It's of the stinky variety. Walking around the mud pit and snapping pictures was treacherous.
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Then there was Mike in his stock black YJ. It's just mud. Besides, Mike's got a new tow strap that needs to be broken in. It was the second drop that got him high centered and hung
up. Right at the slick edge of the slop.
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Glenn, crawling through the thick mud.
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From there we called it a day. For a Saturday afternoon of wheeling in the pouring rain, it turned out to be a great trip.
Nobody seemed to care about the rain. We were too busy having fun. This privately own land has some great trails compacted into a small area and there's even room for
expansion here with untapped obstacles and climbs for another day. Thanks goes out to the land owners who graciously worked out an agreement for use of their land and thanks also
goes out to the folks at OK Four Wheel Drive in Stewartsville New Jersey for organizing the Sundown Krawls and scouting out land and contacting land
owners all making these trail rides possible.
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